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February 23, 2010

39th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2010-Feb-23 (PDF)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L'ONTARIO

Tuesday 23 February 2010 Mardi 23 février 2010

ORDERS OF THE DAY

FULL DAY EARLY LEARNING

STATUTE LAW AMENDMENT ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 MODIFIANT DES LOIS

EN CE QUI CONCERNE L'APPRENTISSAGE

DES JEUNES ENFANTS À TEMPS PLEIN

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

ORAL QUESTIONS

JOB CREATION

ONTARIO PUBLIC SERVICE

TAXATION

TAXATION

GOVERNMENT'S RECORD

WORKPLACE SAFETY

DISASTER RELIEF

ABORIGINAL LAND DISPUTE

NORTHERN AND RURAL

HEALTH SERVICES

TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS

GOVERNMENT SPENDING

HOME CARE

HEALTH CARE FUNDING

JOB CREATION

MINING INDUSTRY

WORKPLACE SAFETY

DEFERRED VOTES

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT POLICY

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

TAXATION

SOCIAL ASSISTANCE

VARIETY VILLAGE

EASTERN ONTARIO DEVELOPMENT

CONDOMINIUM LEGISLATION

BOWL FOR KIDS SAKE

ROTARY CLUB OF BRAMALEA

DEREK WHITSON

CHRISTINE NESBITT

MOTIONS

PRIVATE MEMBERS' PUBLIC BUSINESS

PETITIONS

TAXATION

HEALTH CARE

ORDERS OF THE DAY

PENSION BENEFITS

AMENDMENT ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LES RÉGIMES DE RETRAITE

ADJOURNMENT DEBATE

LABOUR DISPUTE

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

FULL DAY EARLY LEARNING

STATUTE LAW AMENDMENT ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 MODIFIANT DES LOIS

EN CE QUI CONCERNE L'APPRENTISSAGE

DES JEUNES ENFANTS À TEMPS PLEIN

Mrs. Dombrowsky moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 242,

An Act to amend the Education Act and certain other Acts in relation to early childhood educators, junior kindergarten and kindergarten, extended day programs and certain other matters / Projet de loi 242, Loi modifiant la

Loi sur l'éducation et d'autres lois en ce qui concerne les éducateurs de la petite enfance, la maternelle et le jardin d'enfants, les programmes de jour prolongé et d'autres questions.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Debate?

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: I'm delighted today to stand in the Legislative Assembly. This really is a very special day, in that we have the opportunity to bring forward and debate what I think is an extraordinary piece of legislation–legislation that we will become known for, leaving a very significant thumbprint in education, one that is positive for all learners, and definitely for our future.

Our government prides itself on being a champion of public education. We have made great strides in the last seven years. Graduation rates are up. Elementary students' reading, writing and math scores have increased by 13%. Students are increasingly engaged in their education, thanks to our innovative student success program and SpeakUp! campaigns. Parents now have more resources and avenues to get involved with their child's school. Schools are more welcoming environments, thanks to our safe schools and equity and inclusion education initiatives.

Our government has worked to rebuild positive relationships with the education sector and to create a learning environment where all educators and educational support staff are appreciated and valued. I can say that when I visit schools, I am regularly approached. It's very uninvited, but teachers and support staff come to me to express their sincere thanks and appreciation. They have the sense that their government does value them, the work they do, how important it is and that we're there to support them on a daily basis.

Recent amendments to the Education Act have made student achievement and well-being the central priority and purpose for school boards. We have seen positive results and significant improvement all across the province. By working together, by putting student achievement first, putting their well-being first, at the very core of everything we do, we are building the best possible publicly funded education system—one that inspires confidence in our communities and success in our students.

Every day, as parents, friends, caregivers and educators, we can see the transformational and positive influence that education has on the lives of our children, the lives of their families and the communities where they live.

Our publicly funded education system truly makes a difference in the lives of these children, and now our government is moving forward on a pivotal transformation of our public education system: the introduction of full-day learning for four- and five-year-olds.

I stand in the House today to support Bill 242, the Full Day Early Learning Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010. If passed, this act would amend the Education Act to ensure that all four- and five-year-olds have access to an engaging and enriching full day of learning.

Bill 242 would give school boards the responsibility and the authority to implement full-day learning programs, staffed during the regular school day by teachers and early childhood educators.

Mr. Speaker, I'd just beg your indulgence: I did neglect at the beginning of my remarks to indicate that I will be sharing my time with the member from Oakville.

This innovative new program will build on the very strong kindergarten programs that already are in place in the province of Ontario. Before- and after-school programs would be led by early childhood educators. Following the program model, the before- and after-school programs would be optional, and parents would pay a reasonable fee to enrol their children in those programs.

This bill would give school boards the authority and responsibility to set, charge and collect fees in accordance with the regulations that will be set, attached to this bill, for those before- and after-school programs. The fees would be expected to cover the operational costs of this before- and after-day initiative. Under regulatory powers contained in the bill, we would ensure that the fees are reasonable by requiring that boards set the fees annually and approve them through the regular budget process at a board meeting that would be open to the public.

Although the fees will be set at a "reasonable" amount, we do recognize that the cost of the before- and after-school program may still be prohibitive for some families, and that is why we would also make subsidies available. So within this legislation, if it is passed, we would provide authority for the government to enter into agreements with municipalities or other parties that may already be managing subsidies for children before they enter school. The government would be enabled to administer subsidies for eligible families whose children are enrolled in the before- and after-school program.

The government intends to enable a seamless subsidy flow to families in need as their children move through the child care and education systems. We intend to work closely with the municipal sector to make that seamlessness a reality.

I've had the opportunity—just last evening, as a matter of fact, I was visiting with many rural municipal representatives, and I have to say that the feedback that I've been receiving to date from representatives in the municipal sector has been very positive. In fact, I think it's fair to say that they've been eager to have, and look forward to, an opportunity to partner with us in this very important endeavour.

If passed, the Full Day Early Learning Statute Law Amendment Act would recognize the new role of early childhood educators in elementary schools and the work that they do to nurture our young students.

The legislation would enable school boards and the minister to offer early childhood educators access to professional development courses and exchange programs so they, like their teacher partners, can continue to update their skills and expand their horizons to better help the children that they work with every day.

In addition, the legislation, if passed, would require that teachers and early childhood educators work together to provide high-quality, effective, play-based education to support enhanced learning and cognitive emotional and social development for the children that they have every day. It would mean that teachers and early childhood educators would work together under the direction of the school principals. They would collaborate to plan and deliver the kindergarten program, to assess and observe students and their achievements, and to communicate with the families of the students.

If passed, this legislation would provide an essential framework for the full-day learning program. It would be a pivotal step forward in our quest to ensure that all children and all families have access to high-quality education. Together, teachers and early childhood educators would be responsible for maintaining a healthy learning environment, fostering and encouraging social and emotional development. However, teachers would remain responsible for formal reporting and discipline within the classroom.

I've had the opportunity to speak with teachers about this, and early childhood educators as well, and they very much appreciate that it is clear to them the responsibilities that teachers will have in the early learning classrooms.

If passed, Bill 242 would ensure that the entire full-day learning program and its staff are held to the same high quality and safety standards as any other component of the education system. I have had parents inquire about whether the same safety standards would apply, and of course that will be the case if this legislation is passed. One of our core reasons for creating full-day learning was to make sure that parents had a safe, reliable and affordable option for before- and after-school programs for their young children.

I'm sure many of us know friends and family members who have even first-hand experience with the challenges that can exist to find affordable, reliable and safe options for the care of children prior to attending school.

Children are precious. I think they are our most important and our most precious resource as a people. They absolutely deserve to be cared for in safe, healthy and stimulating environments. By passing the Full Day Early Learning Statute Law Amendment Act, the Legislature will be providing such an option. Best of all, we are providing parents and students with a seamless day: one location to spend their day, not worrying about picking up the children from caregivers, getting them to kindergarten, picking them up at kindergarten and getting them back to the caregiver. Parents can pick them up at the end of the day.

This is a seamless day, where children will arrive at school with their parents in the morning and they will be there, they will be cared for, for the entire day, and then they will be picked up by parents at the end of the day.

I think this shows that this government recognizes that parents need an affordable program to support them in their very good efforts to provide what is best for their children. We also recognize that this need exists throughout the calendar year, not just on regular school days. That's why this legislation that we are debating in the House now, if passed, would also permit school boards to offer some additional programs. It is enabling legislation.

It will enable school boards, if they so choose—if they hear from their parent community that this is an important service that they need to have in place for their children, school boards will now have the ability to provide programs for those students beyond age four, for the six- to 12-year-olds.

This means that boards could offer programs on non-instructional days, such as professional development days, on school breaks and also throughout the summer, but again, it will be the decision of the local board.

We certainly have been hearing from families who say that they are absolutely excited about our four- and five-year-old initiative, but we recognize that they are also eager to work with us and their local boards so that the needs of families who have children six to 12 years old can also be met.

Boards would not be required to offer these extra programs. Instead, we will ask boards to listen to their communities. Whenever possible, where boards have the resources and the capacity to do so and where parents have asked for this type of support, we are encouraging boards to meet these needs. Schools are hubs in our communities, and the board and school staff know their communities. They know their students and the parents that they work with and serve. As always, we ask them to partner with their communities to do what is in the best interests of their students, within their means.

People have been talking for over a generation about the importance of a systematic approach to early learning such as this program. We've got a number of studies. We've talked about how this is the ideal, how this is what we should be doing. In Ontario, however, it seemed for a time that what we'd hear back in terms of the initiatives that should be mounted was, "Well, it just isn't the right time." That is what we heard.

I say that we cannot wait for the perfect time; we must act now if we want to make a difference in the lives of our youngest children—and we need to make a difference in their lives; we absolutely do. They are our future. We want them to be successful, and we know that with these early learning opportunities, their chances for success increase. How can we turn away from that? These children are our future, and the future well-being and prosperity of Ontario rests with them. So we need to move forward on this right away.

Our government committed to this project in 2007, and now here we are. We are the first jurisdiction in Canada to be implementing full-day learning with integrated before- and after-school programs for four- and five-year-olds. Nearly 600 schools across Ontario are getting ready for this unique, innovative program in September. Up to 35,000 children and their families are looking forward to the benefits that it will bring them, and I can say that when this initiative was announced, it was very warmly received. I know that all members of this House are getting lots of positive feedback.

The people of Ontario have been waiting long enough. They appreciate why it is so important that we move forward and do this for our children right now.

We went about this in a methodical way. We are taking our time to do this because we want to get it right. We want this program to truly make a difference in the lives of Ontario's children and families. We are taking a measured approach to its implementation. There are a couple of points that I would make on that.

Because we are the first jurisdiction to move forward in this way, we don't have a blueprint. We're not able to observe how and what did take place in other jurisdictions; in fact, other jurisdictions are watching us. We know that what is key to our success is to work collaboratively with our school boards and with community partners, and that is what we have done in identifying the almost 600 school sites. We worked very closely with boards. We asked them to look at their system and identify where they had space available to move forward on this. We also asked them to work collaboratively with their coterminous boards. We wanted to ensure that within communities there was equity.

We also asked them to work with child care providers in their communities to understand where and how it was best to locate these centres.

Mr. Jeff Leal: A team approach.

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: It is absolutely a team approach.

People have been talking for over a generation about the importance of a systemic approach to early learning such as this program. Again, that is why we are moving forward on this now. In November 2007, Premier McGuinty appointed Dr. Charles Pascal to recommend the best way forward to deliver full-day learning for our youngest children.

I know that many in this Legislature—perhaps not so many people in our communities—have had the opportunity to read Dr. Pascal's report With Our Best Future in Mind: Implementing Early Learning in Ontario. I would offer that for anyone who may have some questions about the thinking behind this initiative, I believe that Dr. Pascal's document does an excellent job explaining why it is so important that we make these types of investments for our earliest learners.

Dr. Pascal consulted with many parents and members of the education, child care and municipal sectors about how best to support children and their families. It's indicated in his report that he spoke with literally thousands of people. It is a very comprehensive effort that was undertaken. We truly appreciate that.

Dr. Pascal presented his report last June. Since then, we have been moving quickly to realize our vision for full-day early learning. That vision includes a teacher and an early childhood educator working together in every classroom to help our four- and five-year-olds learn and grow. It includes a before- and after-school program led by early childhood educators where children will continue to benefit from play-based learning activities and interaction with their peers. It provides a much-needed seamless, stimulating day for our youngest students.

According to Statistics Canada, both parents work in four out of five families in Canada today. That's very different from when I was growing up. This certainly is a huge contrast from even 30 years ago, when the majority of families had one employed parent and one stay-at-home parent. Also, I think we appreciate the single-family situation in Ontario, that the number of those families has increased as well. We have moved so far from the family model where one parent stays home and there is another parent working that we really do have to look at how we have structured our system to support our youngest learners.

We also know that too many transitions during the day for young people can be very disruptive. It can also be very unsettling for parents with the uncertainty of wondering, if their regular caregiver is ill or unable to look after their child, what they are going to be able to do. It has an impact on our productivity as a people. With full-day early learning, our four- and five-year-olds will spend the day in one engaging, integrated program. That means that their parents will have peace of mind at work during the day, knowing that their child is being well cared for as they learn and develop with their peers.

This program will also help level the playing field economically for young families. Affordable, high-quality early learning and care is, in many instances, very difficult for young families to access. The before- and after-school portion of the early learning program will offer these families a better choice. During the regular school day and during the before- and after-school programs, children will be engaged to explore the world around them through play-based activities.

Early learning will help children learn to read, write, engage with their classmates and develop the other social, emotional and academic skills necessary for success. By giving them those opportunities at a young age, we are giving them a boost that will carry them the rest of their elementary school careers, and that will ready them to continue learning and exploring their world as they grow.

Our children will be better prepared for the full-day school experience in grade 1. They will be used to the routine. They'll have established friends at the school and familiarity with educators and the school environment, and they'll have a strong foundation to continue developing essential academic and life skills. If children start off grade 1 on a strong footing, they'll be more likely to succeed there and in the future.

In his report, Dr. Pascal noted that, "A major source of the human capital benefits comes from the link between children's participation in quality early years programs" and what they are able to attain in the future. He cites a Rutgers University study which found that "prolonged and regular full-day preschool attendance significantly increased children's verbal and mathematics test scores in grade 1 and beyond."

I heard members of the opposition argue that this program costs too much, that it's too expensive. I would counter that that is very short-sighted. I ask them to consider: What is the price of ensuring that our youngest learners have the good start that will enable them to be more successful when they arrive in school?

Experts, educators and leaders in Ontario and around the world agree with this investment. They agree that this is the best way to ensure the well-being and the success of the students who come to us in our school system.

President Obama has even recognized the significance of education and the role that it will continue to play, perhaps an even greater role. President Obama has said that the jurisdiction that will out-compete them in the new economy is the jurisdiction that out-educates them. There are people from around the world looking at what we're doing with this initiative.

The Premier and members of this government and countless parents, teachers and early childhood educators recognize that if we want to out-educate the world, we need to start from the very beginning. We need to give our children the most solid foundation, the most opportunities, the very best start we possibly can.

When children get a strong start in elementary school, they are more likely to do well in high school, and they are more likely to go on and graduate and enjoy an enriching post-secondary experience, whether they learn a trade, whether they go to a community college or whether they attend university. They are more likely to pursue all of those avenues if they have had a successful experience, particularly in their earliest learning years.

A study by James Heckman, a professor of economics at the University of Chicago, looked at the impact of social programs on the economy and on society at large. Professor Heckman calculated a 7-to-1 return on public investment for young children. That is compared to a 1-to-1 payback with regard to the investment in adults. Clearly, by focusing on investments in our youngest learners, that is where we get the biggest bang for our buck, so to speak.

Instead of thinking about the money that we're spending on early learning, I think that it's absolutely essential that we think about the money that we are saving by building a stronger education system, a stronger workforce and a stronger future.

It is clear that the benefits of investing in early learning go far beyond individual parents and children. These investments boost local economies, help Ontario compete globally and strengthen our social fabric.

Two recent major reviews of very different topics cited investment in early childhood as a vital driver of economic and social progress. I'll just take a minute to identify Ontario in the Creative Age. This is a document that was co-authored by Roger Martin and Richard Florida, and in that document they advise, "Make early childhood development a high priority. This is the highest-payoff investment that we can make in our long-run prosperity." This is the advice that very respected economists have provided to us.

In addition to that, we have the Roots of Youth Violence report, which was co-authored by Roy McMurtry and Alvin Curling. In that document it was noted, "Given the relationship between undiagnosed literacy problems and behavioural problems later in life, including incarceration in many cases, effective early learning programs can play an enormous identification and prevention role"—yet another good reason that demonstrates the good sense of this investment.

Early learning for four- and five-year-olds is a significant investment. What are we spending it on? The bottom line is not the price tag. We are making this investment in our human resources, the most precious resources we have as a province. It is the children who are going to have more opportunities to succeed because of the benefits that early learning will give them. It is for the families who are going to have more opportunities to succeed because of the benefits that early learning will give them with the before- and after-school programs in the full-day learning program.

At the end of the day, when we have fully implemented this program across the province, that's going to be for all four- and five-year-olds and their families. That is good for all Ontario.

In his recent

article in the Walrus, Roger Martin says that investing in education is an investment in the "future prosperity" of our people, our province and our economy.

What we are talking about here today is our vision for the future. This is not just planning for impacts within a term of office. Quite the contrary, what we have here is a vision for our future: building for a strong, prosperous and successful economy for all of the people of Ontario.

Today's four- and five-year-olds will be tomorrow's leaders, workers and innovators. They will run our private businesses and our public institutions. They are our collective success plan, and our investment in them will pay off tenfold.

To get there, our children need our full support now. They need the care and support of a full, integrated day of learning with a teacher and an early childhood educator. They need a seamless day in one place, with familiar faces and engaging activities. We need to put the pieces in place to give them that.

Full-day learning for four- and five-year-olds is the next essential step in our quest to make Ontario's education system the best in the world. Bill 242, the Full Day Early Learning Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010, if passed, will allow teachers and early childhood educators to work side by side to help children learn, to help them play and grow during the regular school day. This will give children a seamless day in one location, with continuous staffing, familiar faces and friends, where they feel safe and encouraged to learn and play and explore.

This program is essential for giving our youngest students a brighter future, for giving our families the support they need and for building a stronger Ontario for all. I do urge all of my colleagues in this Legislature to please support this legislation for the children and the future of the province of Ontario.

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

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn: It's a pleasure to join the debate today. Certainly it is an exciting topic we're talking about, Bill 242, the full-day early learning statute law amendment legislation that the House has before us today.

It's a pivotal piece of legislation, one that's going to provide the framework for our innovative full-day learning program. It's a new and integrated program that's going to require boards across the province of Ontario to provide programs that are innovative and to provide additional services in their elementary schools for the families of this province.

It's also an essential piece of the government's plan to build a stronger Ontario and give the citizens of Ontario a brighter future. Because when we open our doors to full-day learning for our four- and five-year-old young citizens, it's not simply a matter of improving educational opportunities for our kids and giving them more chances at success; it's going to be about ensuring that our children have every opportunity they need to prepare them for the more advanced learning that takes place when they enter grade 1, later in school, obviously, and even after they move on to graduation.

Full-day early learning is going to provide a foundation for the success of our youngest students. It's going to be a valuable support network for their families as well. It's going to provide parents in Ontario with an option that provides peace of mind—and we know how important that is as a parent. Not only that, it's going to provide that peace of mind at a very, very reasonable rate.

Many families today, we know, are caught up in the struggle to juggle the responsibilities that come with holding a full- or part-time job, being parents and having family responsibilities at the same time. With full-day learning, parents are going to know that their children are spending the day in an environment that's safe, welcoming, educational and nurturing. They will know that their child is learning and playing and growing up with their peers. That peace of mind helps make life a little easier for the parents as well.

The program is also about building a strong economy. It's going to give children a boost that will carry through during the rest of their elementary school and it's going to set them up to continue learning and exploring their world as they grow into older young people.

We know that this kind of program gives our kids a better chance of not only completing high school, but then, after that, going on to university, to college, to an apprenticeship program or skills training, to landing a good job and enjoying the quality of life that we all seek in this province. Full-day learning is going to set them on the road to becoming the innovative and creative young workers that this province sorely needs. It's a key part of our government's plan to create that strong workforce and a knowledge-based economy, one that can compete—and not just compete, but can excel—at the global level.

As the minister has just said, it's an investment that we know is going to pay off dividends in the long run for both our people and our economy.

So our government today is committing to getting full-day learning into every elementary school across this province. We're committed to working with the school boards, principals, teachers, early childhood educators, the child care sector and the municipal sector to make sure that this program is successful. That's why we have introduced the Full Day Early Learning Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010.

If this bill before us is passed, Bill 242 is going to ensure that when a full-day learning program is fully implemented, all four- and five-year olds will have access to high-quality enriching days of both learning and play. It's going to give the boards across Ontario the authority and the responsibility to deliver these innovative programs. It's going to provide the framework that's needed for all of the key players to work together to implement full-day learning across the province.

We know that it's imperative that this be done quickly to give more children more opportunities sooner, but we're also aware that we're doing so during a recession—that we're rolling out a large program that is unprecedented in terms of its scale and its scope. So we're taking our time to make sure that we get this right. Nearly 600 schools will be offering full-day learning in September of this year, if this bill is passed. That number will grow over the next few years, and our goal is to have the program fully implemented in all Ontario schools by 2015-16.

In October 2009, the Minister of Education asked school boards to recommend which schools they would pick that could be ready to offer full-day learning in September 2010. We asked them specifically to look at whether a school had space available, space that would be appropriate for four- and five-year-olds. We asked them to also look at the immediate need for such a program in the community. More than one half of the schools that will offer this program in September are in areas where local boards have identified there are very high needs. We also asked those same boards to consider the impact that a full-day-learning class would have on existing child care in the geographic areas.

The nearly 600 schools that were selected will serve as leaders in future years, schools we can learn from about the rollout of this program, much as Ontario will now be a leader for other jurisdictions that are also looking to revamp their own systems and improve their early childhood education systems. Other jurisdictions around the world and on this continent are looking for ways to do their best for their youngest students. Those jurisdictions now are going to be looking at what happens in Ontario, as an example of how it can be achieved.

I'm personally excited that some of my local elementary schools, those in Oakville, will be among those leaders. I've had the opportunity to visit some, and I know personally how much the schools are looking forward to this new program. I know that the children, their parents and the community overall will benefit greatly from full-day learning.

Recently I had the opportunity to visit St. Luke's school in the Clearview area of Oakville. I was able to introduce the program to those who are going to benefit from it most, and that is the parents themselves. I went into the JK class and the SK class, and I asked the students what they themselves thought about the introduction of full-day learning. When I told them they were going to have to stay at school all day, there were some groans. When I told them they were going to be able to spend the day with their friends and they were going to be able to learn new things, they were very excited.

I talked to the grade 5s, as we all do when we talk to the civics classes. I asked them what they thought about Ontario and them as students having to compete with the rest of the world, having to become smarter than the rest of the world, having to become more educated than the rest of the world in order to get the jobs and the lifestyle that they want when they graduate and they move on to raise families themselves. Without any hesitation, the grade 5s in the civics class at St.

Luke's, when I announced it to them—we did it in the form of a formal media release, and they participated and pretended they were members of the journalist industry—agreed at the end of the day that this is one of the best things that we could do for their younger brothers and sisters. So I take some comfort that not only are the experts saying that this is something we should move ahead on, this is something that the young people of the province realize is going to pay off in great benefits for them as well.

Some of the provinces currently offer elements of a full-day learning program for young children, but no other jurisdiction offers a full-day kindergarten program in the comprehensive and integrated way that an extended day program for four- and five-year-olds will accomplish. That's not because this model is any sort of outrageous idea. On the contrary, it's an idea whose time has come.

In 2001, a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development said that governments were increasingly beginning to recognize that equitable access to quality early childhood education can strengthen the foundations of lifelong learning for all children and support the broad educational and social needs of families. And yet, regrettably, almost a decade later, integrated learning is still a relatively new concept in Canada and in all of North America. That's going to change if this legislation is passed.

It's exciting and it's challenging to be the first to do something that's this monumental. We're forging a path on this continent for early learning. We know that others eventually will be journeying down that same path, adopting and adapting our program for their own children and their own jurisdictions.

Other provinces, other territories and even other countries have already long looked to Ontario as a model for a strong educational system. Our government is confident that early learning will be seen as one of the strongest aspects of our education system, one that's going to be worth studying and one that's going to be worth emulating.

We're not starting from scratch, however, with this model. Already in Ontario we've seen some great, but different, examples of full-day learning for young students. For example, if we look at the French-language boards across Ontario, they've been offering full-day programs for the past decade, and they've seen, already, very clear improvements in their students' achievements as a result. Other boards, municipalities and even individual schools have worked hard to offer parents a better choice in terms of early childhood education and early care.

Dr. Pascal, whom we all know, spoke about some of these different models in his report that was entitled With Our Best Future in Mind. Our government staff then, in turn, looked to Dr. Pascal's report and to his recommendations as we developed our early learning model. Bill 242 would set in stone some of the best elements of a number of different models. If passed, it's going to create a seamless, integrated program for our youngest children in elementary schools right across the province of Ontario.

I'd like to take this opportunity to share with the Legislature some quotes from some of the partners that we engage in early education. Teachers and early child care advocates agree that giving four- and five-year-olds a stronger start on their learning path will be good for them. If it's good for them, it's good for Ontario.

Lois Mahon, president of the council of the College of Early Childhood Educators, says, "We are pleased to see early childhood education move forward in Ontario with the combined strength of a team of both early childhood educators and teachers.... With registered early childhood educators in the classrooms, children will get the full benefit of education during these critical early years."

Sam Hammond, president of the Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, says, "We commend the government for its commitment to the welfare of young children. The decision took a lot of courage in today's economic environment, but it will pay a lifetime of rewards, not only for children, but for our communities and for our economy."

Economists and education advocates agree that full-day learning is a wise and much-needed investment. Veronica Lacey, president and CEO, the Learning Partnership, and Don Drummond, chief economist, TD Bank Financial Group, say, "We must invest, once and for all, in our youngest children and their families in a coordinated, integrated way. For Ontarians to reap the highest return on our education dollars, to help us succeed economically and have a strong social fabric in the future, extraordinary efforts are required to support early learning.

At a time of soaring deficits there are, understandably, concerns as to whether the initiative can be afforded. But given rates of return to investing in early childhood education, the more pertinent question is whether we can afford not to make such an investment."

The executive director of the parent advocacy group People for Education, Annie Kidder, says as follows: "In these tough times it's encouraging to see the government sticking to a strategy that will be as good for families and children as it is for Ontario's economic recovery. Early learning is one of the best stimulus investments a government can make to stem an economic downturn."

Everyday parents recognize the value of this program. It speaks for itself and its value to not only the families but to the children as well.

In Dr. Pascal's report on how to implement full-day learning in Ontario, a parent from North Bay said, "I am not a wealthy person and I have always had too much work to do. But my children were able to have all-day learning a few years back. It gave my boys a big help to their abilities and confidence." The same parent said to Dr. Pascal, "Tell the Premier it is a good thing that everyone in Ontario can have this choice for their children too."

This parent is representative of so many parents in my own community of Oakville, I'm sure in your community, and of parents right throughout the province—parents who know and understand that full-day learning is going to make their lives easier, who know that full-day learning will have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the lives of their children.

Dr. Pascal also notes in his report that more than one in four children enter grade 1 significantly behind their peers. Our schools work hard to help all children succeed, but it makes sense that if children get off to a rough start, it takes more effort from them, from their parents and from their teachers in the future to help them catch up. It makes much more sense to not let them fall behind in the first place. When a child gets that focused and targeted assistance during their first years in school, they're simply more likely to succeed in future years.

Research has shown it's less difficult and less costly to intervene and address a child's needs during those early years than it is in the later years. Early learning is key to that future success.

The Canadian Council on Learning tells us, "Research indicates that the experiences during the first five years of a child's life have a major bearing on his or her future success in school, in the workplace and many other aspects of a healthy, fulfilling life." Children's life experiences, especially in the first five years, are so varied. By the time they start kindergarten, some children are already reading independently; others, though, are still learning the alphabet. This is not good for them, for their families, and it's not good for the province of Ontario.

A full day of learning where children can interact with their classmates, playing in and exploring the world around them; a full day in one location, one safe, welcoming location with two trained professionals—that's going to help level the playing field for all the students in our province.

If we pass this bill, the Full Day Early Learning Statute Law Amendment Act, 2010, it's going to provide school board staff, principals, teachers and early childhood educators in this province with a clear framework regarding their responsibilities in the new program because, like any other program we introduce, the success of full-day early learning depends so much on the front-line staff of our educational system that dedicate themselves to the students and the children of our province on a daily basis.

In this case, the teachers and early childhood educators who will be working together in the classroom during the school day are the ones who will truly make a difference to our young people.

In Ontario—we all know this House would agree—we have high-quality teachers who constantly excel at helping young people learn. We have stellar early childhood educators who make a world of difference to young children and their families in the most crucial years of their development. These two professionals have different skill sets and different experiences to inform their work in a classroom. Ontario's young children will benefit most when they have access to both of those skill sets.

They need the guidance and the instruction of certified teachers to get them ready for the further education that lies ahead of them, and they need the guidance and the support of early childhood educators, who are specially trained to develop and implement activities that promote a young person's intellectual, physical, social and emotional growth.

I know some people have raised concerns about how those teachers and early childhood educators will work together in the classroom, how they will have to adjust to having to share space and responsibilities in a professional way in the best interests of our students. I have no doubt, however, given the quality of the individuals involved and the professionalism that they bring to their job on a daily basis, that our teachers and early childhood educators are going to continue to work well together, because they'll be united behind that same common goal that I hope this whole House unites behind: helping our children reach their full potential.

The legislation we're discussing today would help provide a framework for that relationship. It's going to create a duty to co-operate.

It's going to set out very clearly the expectation that the professionals who look after the educational interests of our young persons, that is, the teachers and the early childhood educators in this province, work together to give children the attention they need in those early years that is so important, that they bring their best to work every day and that when they're trying to work out the new aspects of this system on a daily basis, they have a duty to keep the interests of the four- and five-year-olds in this province in a paramount position.

It's imperative that they co-operate to make sure that children in our province of Ontario receive the attention they need.

Under the regulatory and the guideline powers of the full-day learning program, there will be one teacher and one early childhood educator in each class of approximately 26 students. That means that during the regular school day, there's going to be a ratio of one adult for every 13 students. That ratio is going to stay the same for before- and after-school programs: one early childhood educator for every 13 children. If more than 13 children are enrolled in the before- or the after-school program, another adult will come into the classroom to support the early childhood educator as well.

Children are going to receive the attention that they need in the early years. The staffing is going to be dealt with in an appropriate way, and the professionals themselves who are dealing with our children will have the time to dedicate to the individual issues that arise. Obviously, in a class of 26 four- and five-year-olds, you're going to have a variety of concerns and issues that need to be dealt with. We need to be confident that the professionals who are employed in that field have the time.

Often, there were examples in the past where we felt our teachers hadn't had the time to dedicate to the individual needs of students. This act will ensure that the time is set out, that the time is prescribed and that the time will be dedicated to the four- and five-year-olds to help them begin to achieve their full potential.

That means that throughout the day, students will get more one-on-one attention and more opportunities to learn together in small groups. That means that students will do better in school. It's that simple. They will be more likely to succeed in high school. If you succeed in high school, you're more likely to succeed in post-secondary education, skills-training or in apprenticeship programs.

Our full-day learning program is also a key element of this government's poverty reduction strategy, which I know all members of the House support. The strategy is a long-term plan that focuses first on giving children and their families the support that they need to reach their full individual potential.

It's the right thing to do for Ontarians. It's a smart thing to do for our economy, as well. Educated, healthy and employable people make up an educated, healthy and employable workforce. It's critical to Ontario's future that we have those individuals, that we become, as a society, those individuals.

They say that public education is the great equalizer. We say a strong, publicly funded education system, especially a strong early learning program, will have long-term economic benefits for individuals, for families and for the province. You can start off in this life as a wealthy young person or as a person from moderate means, but what people have found about the public education system in the province of Ontario is that it's a great equalizer. If you can get into a quality public education system, which every child in Ontario can, the sky is the limit. Nothing holds you back.

It's not a matter of income anymore. It's a matter of what you bring to your school on a daily basis, and it's a matter of what we do as legislators to ensure that that quality education is provided.

University of Toronto economists show that a developmentally enriched child care program results in a 2-to-1 payback ratio, due to the increased taxes that are then paid in the future by working parents, and the reduced need for social service expenditures. Look at the province of Quebec: Over 40% of the cost of their program is covered by tax revenues from mothers who would simply not be working if low-cost child care options were not available.

The evidence is clear. I hope the House agrees with this evidence. We cannot wait any longer to make full-day learning a reality. It's the right policy for strengthening our education system, and it's the right policy for enhancing our future workforce. It makes Ontario a better place. It gives Ontario a better future. It makes other jurisdictions around the world look at Ontario and realize that Ontario is going down the right road in this regard and perhaps they should be paying some attention to what we're doing for our young people here.

I tell young people in schools, when I talk to the grade 5s, that as I was growing up, I was competing with kids on my street for jobs. When our young people today are growing up, they're competing with young people around the world for jobs, and they understand that, even in the early grades. They understand that what they're able to do educationally in the early part of their lives is going to determine what sort of future they have, what sort of families they're able to raise when they become parents themselves, what they're going to be able to pass on to their own children and grandchildren.

They understand the importance of their educational system, and they're very proud of their schools. Four- and five-year-olds I talk to are very proud of their schools, and I think once they realize that this is being expanded, that we're paying even more attention to those students in the younger grades, they'll be even more proud.

It's the right policy, we know, because it's going to strengthen the education system we have right here in the province of Ontario, which is already topnotch. And the employers in the province of Ontario and those who are looking perhaps to invest in the province in the future will look to the education system and see one that is leading the way.

Full-day learning is the right thing to do to make a difference in the lives of our young students. It's going to make a positive change in the education system in the province. It's going to work toward a stronger, more vibrant future for ourselves, for people who are parents, for young people who are in the system and for those who have yet to enter the system, for children who are just being born today or who were just born this week. They will be the beneficiaries of this too as we phase this in.

So just as teachers and early childhood educators will work together during the day to help children learn and play and grow, this government is going to continue to work closely with school boards and the other community partners to implement high-quality programs for our children. If we work together, we can give our children the best possible start in school and we can just give them a stronger start in life.

This is going to set our children on the road to success, it's going to help the economy of the future, it's going to help the education system of today, and it's going to help us grow more and more of the fantastic young people we see in this province who are perhaps exemplified by the young pages who are sitting at your feet. This is worthy of the support of the entire House.

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

Mr. Peter Shurman: I arrived in this Legislature most of three years ago, and I would be the first to admit that I arrived here with a certain degree of cynicism. When I listen to the debate that I'm hearing today, as we start talking about this bill, it increases the cynicism that I came with.

On the face of it, all-day kindergarten, four-year-old children—great idea. I'm sincere. I would like to see it happen. I would echo all of the sentiments expressed by the minister and by the member from Oakville. It's a lovely idea but it's a bad time, and that would indicate what we in this Legislature all know to be true: that this is a government that lacks the ability to prioritize the actions that it wants to take.

I'd be a rich guy if I had a nickel for every single time that I heard the phrase "it's for the children" come out of people on the other side, as I heard the minister say this morning. A couple of weeks ago I was on a pre-budget hearing tour with that same member from Oakville who just spoke, and I can't believe that we heard the same submissions from place to place.

I will recall for him and for this Legislature one very particular one, and that was from a woman in Niagara Falls, a woman with a two-year-old little boy who was severely autistic. She was pleading for increased allocation to children's mental health. I said to her, "If you had the choice and you were the Minister of Finance and you could help your son or you could fund junior kindergarten for four-year-olds, what would you do?" She said, "That's easy, because I not only have this two-year-old autistic son, I have a four-year-old girl who qualifies for the program, and in a New York minute I would go for the children's mental health."

That's called prioritization. That's what this government fails to understand. So while this may be a good idea in principle, in practice, it just is the wrong time.

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

Mr. Howard Hampton: In the two minutes that I have, I want to say this: This is a government that is renowned for offering up promises. Let me give you some examples.

We have heard from this government that they're promising retraining for workers, and we have heard it over and over again. But I know that in my part of Ontario, where literally tens of thousands of hard-working people have lost their jobs, what this government is actually doing is cutting retraining. You talk to any community retraining agency, and they will tell you that the opportunities for self-employment, the opportunities for retraining, are, in fact, being cut.

This is a government that has offered up a dream, a promise, that they're going to tackle poverty. But I can tell you, whether you're in Windsor or you're in London or St. Thomas or Niagara or Hamilton or Oshawa or Etobicoke-Rexdale or Scarborough or Peterborough or Sudbury or Timmins or Thunder Bay or Cornwall, more people are losing their jobs and falling into poverty every day.

This is a government that, not so long ago, made all kinds of pronouncements about children's mental health. A committee was struck, a special committee, to address that promise, but I can tell you that children's mental health services are disappearing just as cuts to children's aid societies and children's mental health agencies are happening.

This government, again, is offering up another promise. But the reality out there is that child care spaces are disappearing. They're disappearing in Toronto. They're disappearing in Sudbury. A promise is one thing; reality is another.

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

Mr. Pat Hoy: I'm pleased to join in this morning and respond to the previous speakers who spoke to Bill 242.

I was pleased when the Premier came to Chatham to visit Victor Lauriston school and talk about the possibilities that existed within early learning. The board members were there. They were very keen on this—the principal of the school and the parents as well.

We did visit some of the young people who were at that school in JK and kindergarten, and it's amazing how much information these young people retained. One little chap was telling us about Macaroni penguins. As soon as we left the tour, the adults were on their BlackBerrys trying to find out if there was such a thing as Macaroni penguins and, indeed, there is. That young fellow will carry that knowledge on for days and months and years to come.

I know this to be true, and many of us would identify with this, because we have grandchildren. Our grandson Trent is only three. He's in a daycare situation, but he is learning so many things and recalling them, remembering them and bringing them into practice.

Here is an example of what young people can remember: We were talking about the current Olympic Games going on at the dinner table. He was seated there, being good, eating his meal. He's listening to us talking about the Olympics, and he immediately broke into singing O Canada. They had been taking the issue of Olympics in daycare. At the age of three, he immediately recognized our conversation and went into singing O Canada—admittedly a somewhat difficult song to learn, but he did very well.

He can't wait to learn and begin to read. He carries books around with him all the time. He must have a few hundred books, and he's just excited and elated to know that one day he is going to read, and that will be very soon.

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

Mr. John O'Toole: I listened quite intently, having served as a school trustee in the past; my wife, a teacher and, in fact, an early childhood educator; and my daughter being a teacher.

I do believe in the sentiment that education is certainly, as Charles Pascal or Roger Martin or Richard Florida would say, an important contribution to the economy and the welfare of the province. We've established that the premise and the objective is acceptable. But when you closely examine the reality, you find out that even in the beginning sections of the

preamble of the bill there are some problems.

The problems are here: First of all, it's not fair. It's being implemented over five years. That's two elections. Who's getting left out? Who's getting left behind and why?

Interjection.

Mr. John O'Toole: I think this is an example—and the member over there said the Tories would be left out. I would hope that sort of attitude isn't prevailing in your caucus. It certainly may explain why you're not in cabinet.

The other thing is, the full-day learning requires—requires, and the word is in the bill—collaboration between the ECE as well as the teachers. Now, why is the word so demanding as "requiring" co-operation? Well, there are a lot of issues between the Day Nurseries Act and the Education Act.

More importantly, if you look at the promises and the deliverables, you can see here in this bill that they're actually going to be increasing class size. They promised in the last election to have classes of 20; now the classes are going to be 26. You can't have it both ways. I would think they should be first honest with the people. There's a $25-billion deficit. They're spending $2.8 million an hour more than they are receiving in revenue. That debt they're accumulating is going to our children. That's who will have to pay it off.

Many of the programs like special education aren't properly funded. Read the

article by the Toronto District School Board today: They are short $17 million, and they are closing schools—

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

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn: I thought I was listening to Goldilocks there for a few minutes. It sounds like the official opposition says it's way too much, and the NDP says it's not nearly enough, so chances are it's just right.

But certainly there's an excitement out there amongst the profession. The schools have been identified. Those schools that will be offering full-day learning have been identified in my community. I know even Mr. Shurman, the member from Thornhill, with all his cynicism, has got to be excited that four- and five-year-olds in Thornhill will be able to go to school for full-day learning. Even through that thick skin he's developed, he knows that's a good thing for his students.

Applause.

Mr. Kevin Daniel Flynn: He's clapping, and that's the right thing for him to do.

It's self-evident that the investment that you make in early childhood education pays off in dividends in the future. There's an old-fashioned thought that maybe we shouldn't start school—there are some cultures that start school in grade 5, I think. Ontario's different. Ontario understands that investment in young people pays dividends for the individuals and pays dividends for the economy. That's why we are doing it.

It is a tough time to do it; the opposition is absolutely right. It's tough economic times out there. It would be very easy for a government that didn't want to invest in its young people to walk away from this. In fact, there was a fear in the community for a while that because there was a recession, because there were global economic troubles, perhaps the government might not implement this. Well, this is a clear indication that this government has a commitment to full-day learning for four- and five-year-olds.

This initiative deserves the support of all members of the House. It simply is a good thing for our young people, it's a good thing for the economy, and it's a good thing for the province of Ontario and for the future of this province.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): As it is close to 10:15, this House stands recessed until 10:30.

The House recessed from 1013 to 1030.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

Mrs. Elizabeth Witmer: I would like to introduce today the parents of my page, Nevan. We have here today Pat and Brian Whiteside, as well as Nevan's uncle.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): On behalf of the member from Ajax—Pickering and page Matthew Kostuch, we'd like to welcome his mother, Christine Kostuch; his father, Jim; and his sisters Jessica and Kristen, sitting in the west gallery today. Welcome to Queen's Park.

ORAL QUESTIONS

JOB CREATION

Mr. Tim Hudak: My question is to the Premier. Premier, we are just weeks away from the end of the fiscal year and it is time to measure you against your promise to create 148,000 net new jobs by year end. Premier, again, you promised 148,000 new jobs but you lost 140,000. You fell well short of your goal and, in fact, went in the wrong direction altogether. Premier, are your job promises even worth the paper that they're printed on?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I'm not exactly sure where my honourable colleague is getting his numbers. What I can say is that when Ontario, like the rest of the country and indeed most of the world, was affected by this global recession, we said that we needed to respond, and we did so in a way that consisted of a number of extraordinary measures. One of those was to invest over $32 billion in infrastructure. We're talking about building schools, roads, hospitals and bridges and retrofitting schools as well, all with a view to creating jobs in the short term and enhancing our competitiveness in the long term.

We know that this year alone, that'll create over 160,000 jobs. So I'm not exactly sure where the target my honourable colleague referenced has come from, but we are doing exactly what we need to do, given the times.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: Premier, the targets come from your very own budget. I guess that budget's not worth the paper it's printed on if you cannot remember your very own promises.

You promised 148,000 jobs this year and 162,000 next year. You promised 100,000 additional student jobs. In the rest of 2009, the Premier promised 50,000 so-called green energy jobs, 800 Ubisoft jobs, 16,000 Samsung jobs and somehow, 600,000 new jobs from your HST sales tax grab. Altogether, Dalton McGuinty has promised a grand total of one million new jobs in the last year alone, and in that time frame he has lost 140,000.

Premier, why should Ontario families believe your job promises if you cannot or will not deliver?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: My honourable colleague is having a lot of fun with numbers today. I think it's important to keep in mind what we did say, and I want to come back to our commitment to build new infrastructure in Ontario, in particular, that $32.5 billion. You may want to recall how the leader of the official opposition received that news. He said, "This $32.5-billion spend that they're going to do ... I don't think that's the right approach. It's too much."

We're talking about 160,000 jobs this year alone. The Conservatives think we're spending too much on new hospitals, new schools, retrofitting schools, new transit lines to cut commute times, repairs to aging roads and bridges, four-laning highways in the north, HOV lanes in the GTA and new affordable housing. We think it's a good idea to make those—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Thank you, Premier. Final supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: Obviously it's the Premier who is having fun with numbers. You've pulled out of the air promises of some one million new jobs in the last year alone. But it's not fun for Ontario's hard-working families, who saw 140,000 jobs leave our province in 2009.

I was proud to be part of the PC government that had inherited a province hit by recession but turned things around and created over one million net new jobs and, while we're at it, 20,000 new long-term-care beds, and we upgraded 16,000 more.

In contrast, Dalton McGuinty has turned the Ministry of Health into his own personal slush fund, giving out sweetheart deals to his friends at the Courtyard Group and bloating the size of his regional health bureaucracies, the LHINs.

I'll ask the Premier, when will Dalton the debt doubler offer Ontario families more than simply cheap talk when it comes to private sector jobs?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: It's interesting how, as my honourable colleague gets a little bit older, he remembers even more clearly things that never happened.

He longs for the good old days, he tells me, of the Conservative government in Ontario under Mike Harris. I think Ontarians have a different perspective, a different outlook on the warmth and rosiness of those days. They remember our hospitals being closed. They remember our nurses being fired. They remember the never-ending strikes in our schools. They remember schools being closed. They remember water inspectors and meat inspectors being fired. They remember public services being compromised. They remember a $6-billion deficit. That's what they remember of those years, and they don't want to go back.

ONTARIO PUBLIC SERVICE

Mr. Tim Hudak: Back to the Premier: Ontario families long for the day when Ontario will actually again lead Canada in job creation and in economic growth—our historic position in Confederation. Dalton McGuinty's "tax more, spend more, regulate more" policies have laid our economy low and put the mighty province of Ontario on the welfare rolls of Confederation. In fact, under Dalton McGuinty's leadership our province has grown by a paltry 6% total in six years. Premier, with that kind of growth record, why did you expand the size of government by 20%?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: More fun with numbers, no foundation in fact, lots of creativity. One of the things that I find interesting is that we've put forward a dramatic package, for example, when it comes to our tax measures, cutting corporate income taxes, cutting personal income taxes and moving ahead with a harmonized sales tax, something that this party always supported until the idea was presented in this Legislature for the very first time.

At some point in time, it might be of passing interest to the media, but more importantly to members of the Ontario public, if my honourable colleague, on behalf of his party, put forward their plan for the future. We keep doing that every single day. We're proud of our plan. It would be nice to know what they're thinking.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: To the Premier: If you have any kind of plan, it has been a dramatic failure for Ontario families that are seeing Ontario lead Canada in unemployment and job losses.

The Premier asked where these numbers came from; well, from Statistics Canada. When the McGuinty Liberals took office there were 980,000 public servants in Ontario, and today that number is 1.24 million. Premier, that is a 20% increase.

Somebody has to pay for all this. Premier, will it be the Ontario families of today, through higher taxes, or the Ontario families of tomorrow, through the massive debt you've put on future generations?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Again, I think there's an important recurring theme here that I should help Ontarians better understand: We have a plan and they don't. We favour full-day learning for Ontario's four- and five-year-olds; they don't. We favour family health teams for Ontario families; they don't. We favour nurse-practitioner-led clinics, for the first time in North America, here in Ontario; they don't. We favour thousands more nurses for our families; they don't.

Those are the kinds of contrasts I think it's important for Ontarians to understand. We'll do a little more work to make sure that becomes more apparent for them.

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

Mr. Tim Hudak: The only part of Dalton McGuinty's so-called plan that seems to be working is how he is bloating the size and cost of government. Ontario's government has ballooned to 1.24 million employees. When Dalton McGuinty took office, the number of government workers making over $100,000 a year was just over 20,000. Last year, over 53,000 government workers made it on to the sunshine list. That is a 164% increase. When it comes to your regional health bureaucracies, the so-called LHINs, the number on the $100,000-plus list has grown a shocking 150% in three years alone.

Premier, do you really believe that Ontario families think you won't raise taxes again to pay for your bloated government?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Again, more fun with numbers. It's true that there is a law on the books that requires that anybody making over $100,000 have that posted. Every single year, some people who are a little bit below that get a bit more, and then they go above that, and suddenly, they're caught by that particular provision, which is a good provision.

But maybe what we really ought to compare is my office to their office when they were in government. In 2002, it cost taxpayers $3.8 million to run Premier Harris's office. In 2009, it cost taxpayers almost $1 million less—$2.9 million—to run my office. That's the real comparison that we should talk about.

TAXATION

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is for the Premier. Everywhere I travel across Ontario, people tell me that they are worried about the harmonized sales tax. Today, they have yet one more reason to worry.

Last June, my office submitted a freedom-of-information request asking for the impact of the HST on family energy costs. This government denied the release of those records, suggesting that the details were top secret and that releasing them would actually threaten Ontario's economic interests. After months and months of appeals, the government finally released one document—just one document.

My question is this: Why did it take eight months for that information to be released?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: It's no news that the HST will not affect 83% of consumer purchases, but it will affect 17% of consumer purchases, and energy costs are incorporated into that. That's why, as part of our comprehensive package of tax reforms, we have, in addition to the HST, personal income tax cuts; we have an Ontario tax credit which will benefit 2.9 million Ontario families and individuals; and we have transition payments—all with a view to ensuring that we ease families over this period of time until the costs are passed down to the consumers.

This is not a surprise. Energy costs will be affected, and we have addressed that through other parts of our package of tax reforms to help families through this.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The Ministry of Finance briefing note that we received admits the following: "The increase in typical electricity bill is about $100 each year; the increase in typical natural gas bill is about $125 each year." In other words, Ontario families will be paying $225 more to heat their homes and keep the lights on.

Why was the McGuinty government trying to hide this information from Ontario families?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: My colleague likes to look at just part of this package and its consequences. I encourage her to take a look at the entire package.

I want to reference again a report which my colleague refuses to read. It's called Not a Tax Grab After All: A Second Look at Ontario's HST. It was put out by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. I'll quote what one of the authors said: "No group is significantly worse off or better off as a result of the province's HST plan. Assertions that this is a tax grab have no foundation in reality."

I think, again, that's an objective, independent third party assessment of our tax reforms, and it's worth considering.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Here's the situation: Nearly a year after this Liberal government announced the HST, Ontario families now learn that it will cost them $225 more to heat their homes and keep the lights on. Doesn't the Premier think that Ontario families have a right to know this information, and if so, why did the government spend eight months fighting its release?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: It may have come as a surprise just yesterday to my colleague that the HST will cause some items to go up in cost, but that does not come as a surprise to Ontario families. What I would encourage her to understand and to pass on to Ontarians is the fullness of our plan, the fact that it's comprehensive, the fact that it includes transition payments for our families. We're providing families with $1,000 and single Ontarians with $300 in support during the transition.

Again, there is this new Ontario tax credit that we're putting in place which will benefit some 2.9 million Ontario families and individuals. That is permanent in nature as well.

A final point, again in reference to the same report, the one that is entitled Not a Tax Grab After All: It points out that poor families are better off, for middle-class families it's a wash, and for our richest families it's—

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

TAXATION

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also to the Premier. The same freedom-of-information request also asked for the government's estimate on how much the HST on gasoline is going to cost Ontario's families, but the government is still refusing to release that information. Ontario families are already feeling the economic squeeze, and they have a right to this information. So my question is simple: Why is the government refusing to release it?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Again, my honourable colleague appears to be surprised at some of the consequences of the HST. It does affect 17% of consumer purchases, which we are addressing through the other parts of our tax reform—transition payments, permanent income tax cuts and permanent tax credits.

What I'd like my colleague to find a way to speak to as well are the nearly 600,000 new jobs that our package of tax reforms will create. Again, this is the subject of another report which my colleagues don't want to listen to.

I haven't met a single mum or a single dad or a single grandfather or a single grandmother who is not prepared to do whatever it takes to make sure there are jobs there for their children and their grandchildren. That's what our package of tax reforms is about: jobs for us today and jobs for our kids tomorrow.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The arrogance of this Premier is astounding. I am simply asking the same basic question that Ontario families are asking themselves day in and day out as they do their best to budget and to plan for the introduction of the HST. The McGuinty Liberals are fighting the release of information that will cast the HST as it actually is—a blatantly unfair scheme that will make life more expensive.

Why won't the Premier release all the information he has so that Ontario families know how much more they're going to be paying after July 1 for things like gasoline and housing?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I want to quote this independent report again, which my friends choose to deny. The report is from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Here's a quote from their press release:

"The ... government's HST plan is virtually revenue-neutral when viewed as part of a total tax package that includes increased sales and property tax credits and a significant decrease in personal income tax rates.

"No group is significantly worse off or better off as a result of the province's HST plan. Assertions that this is a tax grab have no foundation in reality."

That's an independent, objective third party. Again, I'd strongly recommend this study to my colleague.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The Premier seems so proud of his unfair tax scheme that he's practically smug about it. He says the HST is important, but when faced with very, very simple, straightforward questions like how much extra it will cost Ontario families to turn the lights on or heat their homes or drive to work in the morning, the Premier simply shrugs. If this plan is so good, why is he so afraid to come clean on the cost to families?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I can't recall when any particular piece of government policy has received so much publicity, been the attention of so much media scrutiny and been the subject of so much debate in this House and outside. And that's very important.

It is true that we stand proudly behind our package of tax reforms. My friend would have us freeze in the headlights of an economic recession in a world that's changed. We believe it's important for us to do things to make ourselves stronger and create more jobs—nearly 600,000 more jobs. My friend may dismiss that as being unimportant; we think it's very important. We think it's very important to our families. We think it's important to our future. That's why we're moving ahead with this package of tax reforms.

GOVERNMENT'S RECORD

Mr. John Yakabuski: My question is for the Premier. Premier, when I first heard someone in your caucus say that morale over there is lower than a garter snake on a backcountry road, I thought they were saying it because you didn't like them. I'm not saying this statement came from the member from Don Valley East, but after you made him carry George Smitherman's dirty laundry in the eHealth boondoggle, no one would blame him if he did.

Your former health minister is going rogue, with plans to charge Ontario families $50 a month for tap water and dividing your caucus over whether to make the TTC an essential service. Is your caucus leaking their discontent and going rogue because they don't like you?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: This is what the official opposition has been reduced to. Families are concerned about their jobs, about the future of our economy, about our ability to come together and work in their interests, to ensure that we can make sure that health care is sustainable as the baby boomers march towards their retirement starting next year. Those are the things that weigh heavily on their minds, and all my honourable colleague opposite wants to do is play silly politics. It's a sad statement; it's an unfortunate development.

I look forward, in the supplementary, to something that addresses the economy, health care and education, what we can be doing together to build a stronger Ontario for all the people of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock for a moment. I would remind the honourable member as well of comments that I made last week that we should not be addressing questions that pertain to internal affairs of any of the parties, that you should be putting forward questions that pertain to issues of importance to Ontarians.

Supplementary.

Mr. John Yakabuski: Thank you, Speaker.

The member for Don Valley East isn't an isolated case. You also proposed a government resolution that you said would be debated over four days. But just like with your job creation promises, what you said and what you deliver are two different things. Debate on the resolution collapsed after just four speakers. It's a clear sign that the Liberal caucus doesn't want to carry the can for any more PR schemes cooked up by Dalton McGuinty's inner circle of unelected political advisors. None of your members in the House, not the Acting Premier nor the Minister of Revenue, stood up to rescue the debate. You must be embarrassed. Will there be more changes in the front bench during prorogation?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I want to say to my colleagues opposite that it's my sense, it's my firmest belief that, ultimately, what we do and say here is not about us; it's about the people of Ontario; it's about their hopes, their aspirations, their values, their longings, their yearnings and their futures. I think they want us to focus on their health care and want us to focus on their economy, their jobs, their environment, their infrastructure and their transit—all those kinds of things. I just don't see any of that in this question, and I encourage my colleague, when the next time comes around for him to ask a question, that he focus on those things that are important to Ontarians.

WORKPLACE SAFETY

Ms. Cheri DiNovo: My question is to the Minister of Labour. On Christmas Eve, four Toronto construction workers died in a tragic scaffolding accident. Last week, another worker fell to his death at a Toronto work site. In response to the earlier tragedy, the McGuinty government launched what they called a safety blitz. I'd like the minister to report to this House, since the blitz began, how many sites have been inspected and how many violations have been documented?

Hon. Peter Fonseca: I thank the member for the question. The member is quite right when she says that we have launched a blitz, a Safe at Work Ontario blitz, where our health and safety inspectors, which we doubled over the last six years—we have 430—are out there every day, today, on those job sites collecting that data.

At the same time that I launched that blitz, I said that it would be a 90-day blitz and at the completion of that exercise, those stats would be reported and put on to our website publicly for all to see.

We continue on that blitz. We are getting those numbers. At the conclusion of those 90 days, I say to the member, those numbers will be made public.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary.

Ms. Cheri DiNovo: I have to question the effectiveness of the blitz if workers are still dying on the job during the blitz. But that's not the only troubling aspect of how the ministry is handling this deadly issue. I have correspondence here from a complainant. He wrote to the ministry about unsafe scaffolding. Ten weeks after sending this letter, along with photos to illustrate the safety violations, he has yet to hear one word back from this ministry. How can we have any confidence that this minister is serious about cracking down on unsafe workplaces if this minister shows such blatant disregard for a legitimate complaint?

Hon. Peter Fonseca: I know I've said this before but it bears repeating: The number one priority for myself and for the Ministry of Labour is the health and safety of our workers. Whenever there is one fatality or one serious injury, that is one too many. That's why our inspectors in the year 2008—those are the stats I have—did 42,000 inspections. Ten thousand of those 42,000 were in cases where they were called in. The other 32,000 were proactive inspections. That's what our inspectors will continue to do, those proactive inspections.

We have also embarked on a comprehensive review of our occupational health and safety, both enforcement and prevention systems. We are always striving to do better when it comes to protecting the workers of Ontario.

DISASTER RELIEF

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: My question is for the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services. On January 12, all Ontarians, including over 9,000 Haitian-Ontarians, heard the shocking news that Haiti, one of the world's most impoverished countries, was hit by a series of 7.0-magnitude earthquakes causing catastrophic destruction. Hundreds of thousands of people were injured and it is estimated that 200,000 people have been killed. Those who have survived still have very limited access to drinking water, food, medical supplies, shelter and transportation.

These basic needs remain a high priority to all relief efforts. In response, I've seen the outpouring of generosity at an event in Scarborough—Rouge River that raised $125,000 at the Chinese Cultural Centre.

Minister, there is so much more to do for the people—

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

Hon. Rick Bartolucci: I want to thank the member from Scarborough—Rouge River for his compassion for and his dedication to the people of Haiti. The example that the member has provided in his community shows the generosity and the true spirit in Ontario with regard to this catastrophe. I want to thank the member for his involvement in that.

Just a few days following the earthquake, our government provided $1 million in emergency aid to the Red Cross. Over the last few weeks, we have provided 2,000 kilos of emergency medical supplies through World Vision. We have covered travel costs to bring Ontarians home from Montreal. Ontario's chief forensic pathologist was part of the international disaster victim identification mission.

We've done that. We will do more, and we will continue to liaise with the—

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

Mr. Bas Balkissoon: Thank you, Minister. Ontarians should be proud that we're showing the people of Haiti and the international community that Ontario is involved and able to help.

With so much being done and yet so much left to do, I feel it's very important that our government continue to support the relief efforts in Haiti.

At a conference in Montreal that included the Prime Minister of Haiti, the international community attempted to set the stage for Haiti's recovery and committed to continued support. Several international agencies and economist Jeffrey Sachs estimate the cost of rebuilding Haiti is $10 billion to $15 billion. There is no doubt that the demand for aid and support will continue in the months ahead. Minister, with billions of dollars needed to rebuild Haiti, how is our government monitoring the relief efforts and how can we ensure that the aid is being distributed effectively to those who need it most?

Hon. Rick Bartolucci: Again, I want to thank the member from Scarborough—Rouge River. There's no doubt that there is a long road ahead for the people of Haiti. Certainly the numbers that he said are high. Haiti's recovery is going to be a long process which will demand continued and dedicated effort from the international community.

Currently, Emergency Management Ontario has done an exceptional job and is working closely across government to assess how Ontario can best provide further assistance and ensure effective efforts.

Recent catastrophes such as Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami and the earthquake in Haiti have demonstrated Ontario's spirit of generosity and how we are willing to respond to the call to help our neighbours, whether they live in Ontario or thousands of miles away. Our government will proudly continue to represent that spirit.

ABORIGINAL LAND DISPUTE

Mr. Ted Chudleigh: My question is to the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. The minister is a fairly new member of the cabinet, having been picked by Dalton McGuinty over others in the Liberal caucus who have bided their time for some years.

Minister, is it government policy or a McGuinty Liberal policy to consider flying the Canadian flag

an act of provocation?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I'd like to thank the member opposite for his question. It gives me the opportunity to indicate, which I'm sure all members of the Legislature would agree with, that I'm very proud of being a Canadian citizen and flying the Canadian flag.

I think every opportunity that we have—particularly, I think we have a special opportunity today and in the days ahead, with the Olympics, to express our pride, being a very proud nation which contributes a great deal to the rest of the world. I think we have a perfect example with the Olympics today.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Ted Chudleigh: In 2006, a man was arrested for carrying the Canadian flag down the streets of Caledonia, but when someone walked down the same street—they walked down the same street—with a Mohawk warrior flag, he got a police escort. The lawyer defending your government in a civil lawsuit characterized the flying of the Canadian flag as

an act of provocation. He's your solicitor, your agent in the courtroom. He wouldn't speak without instructions, so he must be speaking for you. Why does the McGuinty government treat flying a Canadian flag as a provocative criminal act in Ontario?

Hon. Eric Hoskins: I would like to refer this supplementary question to the Minister of Community Safety.

Hon. Rick Bartolucci: This is the problem we have: We have people who try to incite that type of inappropriate behaviour. I will always support the actions of the Ontario Provincial Police. I will never interfere in operational matters.

This member and every other member in this House should support those types of actions that prevent violence. They should be supporting the OPP. That leader, that member and that side of the House should be ashamed of themselves.

NORTHERN AND RURAL

HEALTH SERVICES

M me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour la ministre de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée. Northern and rural communities are losing their health care services. Emergency rooms, operating rooms, in-patient beds and outpatient services are either closing or threatened with closure.

When local residents ask about these closures, this government tells them that these decisions are in their best interests. Can the minister tell me what policies at the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care are guiding the LHINs in making these decisions about rural and northern health care?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I'm very happy to have a chance to answer that question. This is an issue, of course, that is facing jurisdictions around the world. As medical care becomes more sophisticated and more highly specialized, it's really important that we find ways to offer that very high-quality health care to all Ontarians, regardless of where they live. This is, in fact, the spirit that is guiding us as we actually improve health care for people right across the province.

There are unique challenges that are faced by people who live in rural and northern areas. That is why we have struck a panel that is helping us to understand the challenges in rural communities and actually give us advice on how we continue to improve services for people right across the province. The northern and rural panel will identify those challenges—

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

M me France Gélinas: The northern and rural panel actually excludes hospitals, they cannot make recommendations that would increase financial demands and they have held no consultations. They won't till after they make recommendations to the minister.

This government is making decisions for northern and rural communities as if they were urban settings, but they are not. The Ontario Health Coalition understands that rural and northern communities need adequate health care services and they need to be heard. That is why I will be joining them in their town hall meetings across rural and northern Ontario.

The Ministry of Health policies, the lens through which LHINs look at rural and northern health care closures, have an urban bias. Will the minister commit to reviewing those biased policies and listen to the people of northern and rural Ontario?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I can absolutely assure you that I will listen to the people of northern and rural communities. We are doing that right now and we have asked the panel to come back with advice.

I think it's important to clarify that there are three phases to the work of the northern and rural panel. The first phase is coming to a close. They will be presenting their report in coming weeks. That will trigger the second phase, which is a broad consultation across the province in rural and northern areas so that we can actually hear more from people across the province. The third phase will inform the development of our provincial framework; that is the third and final stage.

We are very interested in hearing what people have to say. We are very interested in the solutions that are coming from rural and northern areas as we work to really improve health care in this province.

TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS

Mr. Reza Moridi: My question is to the Minister of Education. Minister, we are constantly looking for ways to spur innovation and to make use of green technology. Earlier in the month, a number of pilot projects were announced which achieve both of these objectives by piloting green technology at schools across the province.

These projects provide an excellent opportunity to expose our students and their parents to these innovative, environmentally friendly technologies. I understand that the project types were diverse and that the many innovations are from companies based in Ontario. I would also think that, in the booming field of green technology, there will be much interest in these projects. Would the minister let us know more about the projects and the next steps in these exciting pilot projects?

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: I think that the people of Ontario would be very interested to know that our government is making some significant investments. We have established an important partnership with the Ministry of Research and Innovation, and in doing so we are investing $20 million to pilot innovative green projects in more than 155 Ontario schools across 40 school boards.

Now, school boards are very eager to look for ways that they can run their operations more economically. They believe that investing in green technologies will assist them in effecting more cost-effective expenditures in their operations, particularly as they relate to the energy used in their plants. So these project school boards are going to be looking very carefully at how successful they are and where they will be achieving savings, so that they can implement them in other—

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

Mr. Reza Moridi: I am truly excited to see these technologies being piloted across the province, but this is especially exciting news for the constituents and the companies—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The member from Welland, even with your back to me I can still hear you.

Please continue.

Mr. Reza Moridi: —the companies involved and, most importantly, the students who will benefit from seeing green technology at work. With exposure to these projects, it's very conceivable that young minds may be impressed, influencing them to consider a career in the field years down the lane.

Red Maple Public School, a school in the York Region District School Board in my riding of Richmond Hill, received funding through this investment for SolarWall PV thermal photovoltaic walls for the school, which serve to produce both electricity and warm air for the buildings.

I know that there were many projects announced through the pilot, but I am wondering if the minister—

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

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: I very much appreciate the question from the honourable member, who's obviously very interested in understanding how our investments in education—

Mr. Howard Hampton: What was the question?

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Well, if the honourable member from Kenora's caucus wasn't heckling so much, perhaps you would have heard the question.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The members will please come to order. Minister of Education?

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: The member has identified a particular program that we have in place, and I think it is important that, in addition to the environmental and educational benefits that these pilot projects will have in our schools and our communities, they will also benefit the communities and the local businesses that will be participating in providing the materials in the community.

What school boards have recognized is that when they are able to achieve savings in areas such as this, they are then able to take the dollars they save and direct more to the students and programs in their classrooms. So this is good news for the environment, it's good news for the people in the community and, most particularly, it's good news for the students in our schools who will appreciate that they are in a green facility and—

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

GOVERNMENT SPENDING

Mr. Frank Klees: My question is for the Premier, and it relates to his government's plans for the construction of the new Dalton McGuinty office tower. At a time when the city of Toronto has millions of square feet of empty office space, when leasing rates are on a downward spiral, we now learn that the government is making application to construct a new office tower which will reportedly be one of the tallest buildings in the city of Toronto, all for the purpose of housing his expanding bureaucracy.

Can the Premier tell us why his government would feel compelled to go into competition with the private sector? When commercial landlords are already on the ropes, why would his government want to spend millions of dollars constructing a new office tower in competition with the private sector?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.

Hon. Brad Duguid: I'm pleased to respond to the question of the member opposite. Indeed, ORC is responsible for the government's assets. The member is somewhat correct: ORC has indeed put forward a planning application to the city of Toronto to go through the process. What ORC does, on behalf of the taxpayers of this province, is to try and ensure they're getting the highest and best use for whatever properties we have. That's particularly important as we go through tough times, that we look to ORC to provide that kind of leadership to ensure they are getting the highest and best use out of our assets.

That is what this is about. They are looking to get the highest and best use out of that asset.

I appreciate the question, and I'm pleased to have the opportunity to respond.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Frank Klees: The issue is not for the ORC to take leadership; that's the responsibility of the government.

The question that I have, and perhaps the minister has missed the thrust of the question: At a time when we are in economic turmoil, when the government has a $25-billion deficit, when the word of the day is "fiscal constraint," how can the government authorize the ORC to spend literally multi-millions of taxpayers' dollars at this point in time to build an office building that would be in direct competition with the private sector, where there are literally millions of square feet of empty office space? Could the government not in fact direct the ORC to work with the private sector to accommodate the government's needs and not get into competition with the private sector?

Hon. Brad Duguid: The member is jumping the gun a little bit here. The ORC is looking, as I said, to ensure that they have an opportunity to maximize the value of our assets on behalf of the taxpayers of this province. That's what they are doing here. There's no decision on the part of this government that has been made to build anything at this point in time.

Certainly, though, we take the advice of the member seriously. We always want to make sure that our agencies are acting on behalf of the people of this province in the best possible way. We'll continue to take a look at their actions, and we'll continue to make sure that those actions are responsible when it comes to the management of the public assets. And I'll certainly continue, as minister, to ensure that ORC is making these decisions in the best interests of Ontario taxpayers.

HOME CARE

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is to the Premier. This morning in Brockville, home care workers and health care experts are holding a press conference because home care services are threatened in their community.

When this government quietly ended the moratorium on competitive bidding just over a year ago, we knew it was shamefully choosing private profit over quality care. Ontarians who depend on home care are extremely concerned that their quality of care is threatened.

My question is a simple one: Why won't this government finally take the only sensible step and end competitive bidding once and for all in this province?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Health.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: The member opposite knows that providing care for people in their homes is often what prevents them from going into long-term care or into the hospital. So providing home care is an essential part of the continuum of care that we offer through health.

We are absolutely committed to improving and enhancing services offered in-home. It's the best place for people to be, and we will continue to enhance services for people in their own homes.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: With all due respect, what this minister should know is that people want quality care. That's what they want in this province. They want quality care. Since competitive bidding was introduced more than a decade ago, the quality of home care has suffered, working conditions have diminished and costs have increased. Ontario is the only province in the entire country with a full competitive bidding system for home care, and even within Ontario no other part of the health care system uses competitive bidding.

How much more evidence does this Premier and his minister need before they do the right thing and end competitive bidding in this province in home care, once and for all?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: The member opposite is absolutely right. It is about quality, and we are committed to the very highest quality standards as we move forward. We're also committed to continuity of care for patients and stability for health care workers. The new strategy for continuity of care includes those quality measures and public reporting periods.

A competitive bidding process will ensure consistent quality of care for clients and enhance fairness and transparency in selection. Most importantly, it will provide clients with care suited to their medical condition.

We've invested significantly in this sector. Let me highlight some of the things that have been done: $30 million towards a personal support worker stabilization strategy. That increases the base minimum wage for PSWs to $12.50 an hour, it provides improved compensation for the travel costs and for travel time, and it—

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

HEALTH CARE FUNDING

Mr. Yasir Naqvi: My question is also for the Minister of Health. Minister, one of the most telling indicators our constituents use to measure the quality of their health care in Ontario—and frankly, to measure our promise as a government to work tirelessly to deliver excellent health care—are wait times. The length of time it takes for a citizen to access a medically necessary service such as an MRI test will not only affect their health outcomes, but also their confidence in the system as a whole.

Can the minister please tell us what progress has been made in the province to bring down wait times for medically necessary services?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: It is absolutely important that the people of Ontario have access to medically necessary services as quickly as possible—in a timely, efficient manner. When it comes to reducing wait times, we're doing three things: We're measuring wait times, we're making these results available to the public and, most importantly, we're bringing wait times down.

Since 2003, we've opened 19 new MRIs, and we are seeing the results of those investments. Since 2003, we've almost doubled the number of MRI exams per year from about 276,000 to over half a million. We've delivered almost 900,000 more MRI scans as a result of these investments and we've seen MRI wait times come down. We are continuing to work to improve access to MRIs, we're increasing capacity and we're ensuring that MRI services—

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

Mr. Yasir Naqvi: I'm pleased with the work we as a government are doing to address wait times across Ontario, but as the member for Ottawa Centre, I have been keenly aware—and my constituents are understandably concerned—that Ottawa has had one of the longest wait times for MRI scans in Ontario. This is clearly not an acceptable situation for the residents of Ottawa, myself as their MPP, or this government's clear goal of reducing wait times, as you have just shared with us.

Minister, I know you have been attentive to this situation. I was pleased that you came to Ottawa civic hospital in January to tour our facilities and see the situation on the ground for yourself. My constituents would like to know what has been done to remedy the delay in our community for access to MRI scans, and what actions we can take going forward to further reduce the wait times those in need of this important service are facing in my community of Ottawa.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: One of the benefits of actually measuring wait times is that you can make strategic investments where the needs are the greatest. In Ottawa, we've worked very hard with the Champlain LHIN to actually significantly improve MRI access in Ottawa. We've increased the number of MRIs from three in 2003 to eight: three at the Ottawa Hospital, one at the Queensway Carleton, two at Montfort and two at CHEO. Today we're providing almost 20,000 more MRIs every year than in 2004-05.

A new MRI machine was added at the Ottawa Hospital in January. Another machine at Montfort is scheduled to be operational in coming weeks. Combined, these machines will provide an additional 6,000 scans, actually.

Another great initiative in Champlain is that they are developing a region-wide network, a single queue, for diagnostic scans that will improve—

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

JOB CREATION

Mr. John O'Toole: My question is to the Premier. Premier, your government continually boasts about creating over one million jobs. The reality is that this year alone, your government has presided over the loss of 140,000 jobs. Just one more example of the losses in manufacturing is the Invar plant in Batawa, east of my riding of Durham, in the riding of Prince Edward—Hastings. Premier, this plant is closing, with a loss of 134 jobs. This is 134 families with no income. Furthermore, there were closings of the General Mills and PepsiCo Canada plant in Trenton. Premier, why is there such a wide gap between your government's job numbers and the day-to-day reality in the communities of Ontario?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: It's always very difficult for the communities, but especially for the families involved, when there are job losses. Sadly, some of that still continues as I believe we reach the tail end of this recession.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I want to reference a Conference Board of Canada report which was just released, that says that Ontario will surpass the national average for the first time in nearly a decade, with growth of 3.5%. Ontario's growth this year will exceed eight other provinces. It will also exceed the national average for the first time in 10 years.

What I say to these families is that we will do everything within our power to ensure that we live up to this prognosis on the part of the Conference Board of Canada and put in place the kinds of measures that give them reason to be hopeful, because of the job creation element that we're putting forward.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. John O'Toole: Premier, the evidence is quite the contrary. The only jobs that you're giving out are to your Liberal friends through the boondoggles at eHealth and others.

The government also tells us of their investments in Korea with Samsung. These are all promissory notes, post-dated cheques. Premier, with all of your good news, could you tell us: What number of jobs are you planning to lose next year in the economy of Ontario?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Again, I want to remind my colleague about that good news from the Conference Board of Canada that we're going to exceed the national average for the first time in 10 years.

We're supporting 25,000 Ontarians who have lost their jobs in our Second Career strategy, and that's a program that my friend and his party oppose. We're cutting corporate income taxes to give our businesses a bit more competitiveness in a highly competitive global economy. My friend and his party opposite don't support that measure. We continue to find ways to work with our businesses and to work with folks who have lost their jobs. In every possible venture and overture that we make, we are opposed in every way by the party opposite.

Again, we look forward to a plan at some point in time on the part of the Conservative Party that says what they're going to do for Ontarians. We have our plan. We're proud of it. We're always looking for ways to improve it. If there are suggestions in this regard, we would welcome them.

MINING INDUSTRY

Mr. Gilles Bisson: My question is to the Premier. Two weeks ago at a press conference at Quanser in Markham, you said: "In a highly competitive, knowledge-based global economy, we're not going to succeed in Ontario by pulling stuff out of the ground." Given this statement, is this why you've chosen not to do anything to avert the closure of the Xstrata smelter in Timmins?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I would encourage my colleague to look at all of my statement. I've had the opportunity to speak to this issue on many occasions. The fact of the matter is that the future of our economy is going to depend on growth in a number of areas, including in natural resources.

One exciting new story that keeps coming out of the north has to do with this Ring of Fire, which is part of the James Bay lowlands. It is going to be, as I understand it, the only source of chromite in North America, which is an essential ingredient in stainless steel. It's the biggest find of its kind in North America. It's the only source, in fact, in North America. We think that there's a great opportunity for economic development, and we look forward to working with the community to ensure that we develop that in the best possible way.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Premier, it was very clear in what you said, in that you said, "We're not going to grow by pulling stuff out of the ground."

We have a world-class refinery smelter in the city of Timmins. It's the only copper smelter refinery; it's the highest-tech one; it's the cleanest one in the country, and you're doing nothing to avert its closure.

I ask you again: What are you prepared to do in order to intervene and make sure that Xstrata does not shut down its smelter refinery in Timmins? Will you commit to the mining industry of this province?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I am absolutely committed to the mining industry in our province. I'm grateful for the wealth that they have created, the families that they have supported and the way that all Ontarians have benefited as a result of that.

I want to remind my colleague about something that he knows. I had a good conversation with Timmins mayor Tom Laughren last week. We spoke about the potential for future uses of that very same smelter. The mayor is looking for a bit of economic support so that they might hire a consultant to help them better understand the opportunities available for future use of that smelter. We are working hard on that. I think we're going to have some good news for Timmins in the not-too-distant future on that particular matter.

I want to thank the mayor and I want to thank the people of Timmins for their continuing optimism and determination to find more opportunity with an existing piece of infrastructure, and we want to work with them to make it a reality.

WORKPLACE SAFETY

Mr. Charles Sousa: My question is to the Minister of Labour. Minister, during the previous session, I heard many members of the opposition accuse the Ministry of Labour of forcing companies out of business due to overzealous enforcement activities. While I've heard no such stories emerge out of my riding of Mississauga South, I was nonetheless deeply troubled to hear these shocking statements.

I have, however, heard stories about the dedication and professionalism of the Ministry of Labour inspectors. Moreover, when I talk to local business owners they are appreciative of the efforts of this government, especially when it comes to trying to make them more competitive. Can the minister please explain what ministry inspectors do and put these allegations to rest?

Hon. Peter Fonseca: I want to thank the member for the question. I'm grateful for this opportunity to address these allegations.

One of the key roles of the Ministry of Labour is to investigate health and safety incidents in workplaces and to ensure that the Occupational Health and Safety Act is followed and enforced. The opposition likes to say that by dedicating so much time to health and safety and enforcement, my ministry is forcing companies out of business. In fact, by preventing injuries and creating healthier workplaces, we're not only saving lives; we're also saving businesses money.

For every workplace injury, each of those incidents costs the WSIB and employers $120,000 in direct and indirect costs, and that doesn't include the immeasurable emotional impact on our families, our friends and our community. These are all costs which are completely preventable. Thanks to the hard work of the Ministry of Labour staff, we have fewer injuries in the workplace and—

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

DEFERRED VOTES

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT POLICY

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): We have a deferred vote on a motion by Ms. Smith that the federal government support Ontarians in budget 2010.

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

The division bells rang from 1134 to 1139.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Will the members please take their seats.

Ms. Smith has moved government notice of motion number 172. All those in favour will please rise one at a time and be recorded by the Clerk.

Ayes

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): All those opposed?

Nays

The Clerk of the Assembly (Ms. Deborah Deller): The ayes are 49; the nays are 18.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I declare the motion carried.

Motion agreed to.

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

The House recessed from 1142 to 1500.

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

TAXATION

Mr. John O'Toole: It's a lonely place here at the top. Durham riding residents are growing more concerned about the new tax this government will introduce on July 1. This morning, we heard of the increase in electricity and natural gas. I had the opportunity to speak with businesses, families, retirees and indeed, Durham residents in walks around my constituency.

I can tell you that they aren't buying the McGuinty government's sales tax campaign for the HST. Their particular concern is over the impact of an added cost of 8% on essential things such as heating, electricity, natural gas and gasoline.

This tax is simply more than Ontarians can afford at this time. It is especially onerous for persons on fixed incomes; for instance, retirees, students, persons on disability, and those of modest income who are already finding it difficult to make ends meet. Those Ontarians don't have expense accounts or sweetheart consulting deals with the McGuinty government.

I would remind the House that time is running out. This government must act now to avoid the damage that they will pursue with the HST, even if they would come clean with the people of Ontario and tell them, "We're changing the tax rules to increase the revenue, to deal with the $25-billion deficit." That's the long and short of it. Regardless of what they say, they're changing the tax rules, yes, on the income side, yes, on the business side. But the bottom line for the consumers is, you're going be paying more and getting less.

SOCIAL ASSISTANCE

Mr. Paul Miller: Grandparents raising their grandchildren receive $231 for the first grandchild and less for each subsequent grandchild, while unrelated foster parents receive $900 per month per child. Over the past two years, since we raised this sorry situation, many grandparents have lived in fear of having their meagre temporary care assistance cut off because of this government's flawed directives.

Thanks to one grandmother's courageous two-year fight, the Social Benefits Tribunal issued its decision that she is entitled to the financial support and that the government is wrong in its

interpretation of the intent of temporary care assistance. The tribunal concluded that a large and liberal

interpretation must be applied to the TCA eligibility decisions.

I am appalled by the minister's callous response to my question yesterday. She said, "I encourage them to appeal after they have spoken to the administrator of the program in each of their municipalities."

Why is this minister condemning these grandparenting families to further financial and emotional stress, and unnecessarily spending taxpayers' dollars to fight this Liberal government's inhumane treatment of these grandchildren? The tribunal's decision is quite clear. Why would this minister want to inflict further pain on these grandparents, who have set aside their retirement plans to ensure that their grandchildren have a good home with their blood relatives?

On behalf of grandparents raising their grandchildren, the unsung heroes of the child care system, I again implore the minister and the government to take immediate action to introduce regulatory changes to ensure that temporary care assistance is equally delivered across Ontario in accordance with the original intent and the law.

VARIETY VILLAGE

Mr. Lorenzo Berardinetti: I rise today to speak about Variety Village and the significant role it has played in the lives of children with disabilities.

Variety Village was opened in 1948 as a residential training school for boys