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April 29, 2008

39th Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2008-Apr-29 (PDF)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L'ONTARIO

Tuesday 29 April 2008 Mardi 29 avril 2008

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

EPILEPSY

ST. JOSEPH

IMMIGRANT WOMEN'S CENTRE

WOODSTOCK BUSINESS

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

LOGAN TURNER

SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

EDUCATION WEEK

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

SENATORS' SELECTION ACT, 2008 /

LOI DE 2008 SUR LE CHOIX

DES SÉNATEURS

COLLEGES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

AMENDMENT ACT, 2008 /

LOI DE 2008 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LA NÉGOCIATION COLLECTIVE

DANS LES COLLÈGES

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY

AND RESPONSES

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

SOUTH ASIAN AND ASIAN

HERITAGE MONTH

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

SOUTH ASIAN AND ASIAN

HERITAGE MONTH

SOUTH ASIAN AND ASIAN

HERITAGE MONTH

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

LEGISLATIVE PAGES

VISITORS

ORAL QUESTIONS

NATIVE LAND DISPUTES

ONTARIO ECONOMY

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

ONTARIO ECONOMY

NATIVE LAND DISPUTES

POVERTY

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

TOBACCO CONTROL

AUTISM TREATMENT

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

TOBACCO CONTROL

APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

PLANT CLOSURE

AIR QUALITY

IMMIGRANTS' SKILLS

CORRECTION OF RECORD

VISITORS

PETITIONS

LORD'S PRAYER

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

FIREARMS CONTROL

LORD'S PRAYER

HOME CARE

FIREARMS CONTROL

LORD'S PRAYER

HOME CARE

HOSPITAL FUNDING

LORD'S PRAYER

HOSPITAL FUNDING

HOSPITAL FUNDING

HOSPITAL FUNDING

OPPOSITION DAY

TOBACCO CONTROL

ADJOURNMENT DEBATE

TOBACCO CONTROL

NATIVE LAND DISPUTES

The House met at 1330.

Prayers.

MEMBERS' STATEMENTS

EPILEPSY

Mr. Bill Murdoch: More than 300,000 Canadians live with epilepsy. This disorder has been around for millennia, yet many people suffering from epilepsy continue to live in the shadows. Epilepsy affects people of all ages and nationalities. It can strike at any age: childhood or adulthood. Seizures can come unannounced, triggered by startles such as a car horn sounding, a dog unexpectedly barking, or slipping on ice. In about 60% to 70% of cases, no specific cause of the seizure can be identified. In the remaining ones, the causes can range from genetic and birth injury to brain tumour.

Today, epilepsy surgery offers hope to people suffering from the disorder: the possibility of a reduction or elimination of the seizures. Others will outgrow it. Surgery may involve removal of the part of the brain where seizures originate or may involve making a cut to the nerve pathways in the brain. But there is no cure for epilepsy.

Epilepsy associations across Ontario and Canada for many years have been offering support to those living with epilepsy and their families and communities. They have also done a great job in helping to raise awareness about this condition and help people get out of the shadows. That is why I'm speaking about epilepsy awareness today.

March was Epilepsy Awareness Month and went unrecognized in this House, with the exception of the member for Timmins–James Bay, Mr. Gilles Bisson, who got up on a point of order on March 27 to recognize the international day of epilepsy. In closing, I would like to recognize the hundreds of volunteers who work in support centres and who have dedicated countless hours of their time and shown great fortitude to this cause.

ST. JOSEPH

IMMIGRANT WOMEN'S CENTRE

Ms. Sophia Aggelonitis: Last Friday, I had the opportunity to attend the grand opening of the St. Joseph Immigrant Women's Centre in my riding of Hamilton Mountain. This organization already has a facility open in downtown Hamilton, and they now have the opportunity to provide the same valuable resources to residents of Hamilton Mountain.

The St. Joseph Immigrant Women's Centre provides resources for newcomer women and their families to allow them every opportunity to succeed. Through this organization, women are given the opportunity to learn computer skills, driving skills, language skills and much more. This centre also provides support with housing, access to health care, immigration and other settlement needs.

Every person deserves the opportunity to succeed and be empowered. Providing newcomer women and their families with access to the resources that will help them realize their potential and dreams is an invaluable service. I am so proud to have a centre like this in Hamilton Mountain.

I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Miss Ines Rios, executive director of the St. Joseph Immigrant Women's Centre, and her dedicated staff for bringing this facility to Hamilton Mountain.

WOODSTOCK BUSINESS

AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: I recently had the pleasure of attending the Woodstock Business Awards of Excellence. This is an annual dinner put together by the Woodstock District Chamber of Commerce to recognize all the great businesses in Woodstock that are leading the way.

I want to commend the chamber for the work they do to assist local businesses, and to recognize the award winners, who really have demonstrated their excellence in so many ways, including long-standing members of our business community like Woodstock Stampings Inc., and success stories like Cliff Zaluski of Sierra Construction, who has taken his company from a two-man shop to a major building company in our community, and organizations like the Woodstock Soccer Club, which built major infrastructure for the community.

The winner of the awards are companies and organizations that have gone above and beyond for their customers, for the environment and for the community—companies such as Oxford Archives Inc., VanParys Micacchi Shippey and Warnick LLP, the Longworth Funeral Home, A&W, Oxford Source for Sports, SixThirtyNine, and Mike's Electric.

The winners of the energy conservation and innovation award is a true Oxford success story: AB Products developed a system to heat their greenhouse using waste wood and reduced their energy consumption by 80%.

I want to congratulate the Woodstock chamber for putting together this great event and commend the very deserving award-winning companies of Woodstock.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for the time to recognize these wonderful businesses.

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

Mr. Rosario Marchese: On behalf of the New Democrats, I want to acknowledge all the members of OPSECAAT and OPSEU who are here today and who for two long years have been fighting and spending a great deal of money and time to be given the right to bargain collectively. Because of that work, the promise to bargain collectively was given to them, it appears, by the Liberal government eight months ago, something that to date the McGuinty government has failed to deliver.

The United Nations' International Labour Organization stated unequivocally that there is no reason the basic rights of association and collective bargaining shouldn't also apply to part-time workers. The Supreme Court agreed that part-time college workers must be given the right to bargain collectively. In February, Kevin Whitaker, whom Mr. Milloy appointed to review the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act, said that the right to bargain collectively should be extended immediately to these workers. I will be reintroducing today a private member's bill,

An Act to amend the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act, which would allow part-time instructors to take

part in collective bargaining and be treated fairly.

Roger Couvrette, president of OPSECAAT, and OPSEU, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, are here to tell the minister and this government that the time to act is now.

LOGAN TURNER

Mr. Bill Mauro: I rise today to recognize Thunder Bay's spelling bee champion Logan Turner, from my riding of Thunder Bay—Atikokan. Logan is a grade 6 student at Agnew H. Johnston Public School in my old neighbourhood and he won the regional spelling bee held at Lakehead University.

Not only that; he was asked to compete in this year's CanWest national spelling bee in Ottawa. Let me put this into perspective. In order to attend this national competition, Logan was selected as one of 22 finalists from an initial field of 225,000 students from across the country, an incredible accomplishment.

Needless to say, Logan had an impressive performance at this nationally televised event, making it into the sixth round until he was challenged with a very tricky word: succotash.

I don't know about you, but I think most of us in this House would have trouble spelling that one. It's the famous word Sylvester the Cat used. It's actually the native American word for a dish made of lima beans and corn.

Not only did Logan have an impressive national showing; I'm also told that Logan will attend the Scripps international spelling bee in Washington, D.C., to compete with nearly 300 of the top spellers from around the world.

This young man has a marvellous talent. He has made his family very proud, as well as his teacher, Megan Harri, and principal, Joy Petrick, and as one of Canada's top young spellers he has made Thunder Bay very proud. Even the Minister of Education, Kathleen Wynne, was asking me about this impressive young man.

Way to go, Logan Turner. Keep up the good work, and good luck to you in Washington next month.

SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: Last night the municipality of Merrickville-Wolford, located in the heartland of the Rideau system, received a report from Glencor Engineering that should set off alarm bells within the Ministry of the Environment. The report confirmed rapid deterioration of tanks in their sewage treatment plant, suggesting that contents are currently leaking into the ground surrounding the plant.

The report states unequivocally that the end of their useful life has been reached. The McGuinty government, despite the acknowledgment by its own Ministry of the Environment officials that the failure of the plant would result in major environmental problems, has consistently rejected the municipality's applications for funding support to replace the aging plant: five applications; five rejections.

Merrickville-Wolford Mayor Doug Struthers described the engineering report as "proof positive" that the situation of the sewage plant is critical, and that the municipality has not been crying wolf. This is more than playing politics; this is playing with fire. This is a high-risk gamble that could result in significant environmental damage to a UNESCO world heritage site: the Rideau River and canal system. I call on the government and the Minister of the Environment to do the right thing: Address this threat to the environment, and address it now.

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

Mr. Joe Dickson: The McGuinty government values the fact that today's post-secondary students are our future business and community leaders. We know that by investing in these institutions today, we're not only investing in the futures of those students, but in the province of Ontario.

Just recently, the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities emphasized this by announcing a three-year, $60-million program to renew campus equipment for Ontario's colleges. With this funding, Ontario's 24 colleges will each receive funding for tools, books and equipment that they identified as priority items. This could include expenditures such as computers for classroom use, specialized equipment or machinery for use in labs and classrooms, or new equipment to help accommodate students with disabilities. I'm quite pleased to learn that in my region, Durham College has received over $382,000 in the first year of this three-year funding.

The success of Ontario's colleges can't be denied. Over 90% of Ontario college students last year have already found employment. Further, in 2005, more than 59,000 students graduated from colleges in Ontario, up 37,000 per year from 10 years earlier. This government is proud of Ontario's colleges and what they have added and continue to add to the collective success of this province.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Mr. Phil McNeely: Since last week was Earth Week, and with this being Education Week, it only seems fitting to highlight what the McGuinty government is doing to include environmental education in our publicly funded education system.

One great example of this is a new optional grade 11 science course focused on the environment that is being piloted in nine schools across Ontario. The course teaches students about energy conservation, human health and natural resources, and it will also give students a chance to conduct a research project on a local environmental issue.

This government has also invested $3 million in funding this year to continue to implement the Bondar report, which will be used to help deliver environmental education in all subjects, in all grades.

We've also invested an additional $500,000 from the Ministry of Education, and nearly $300,000 over three years from the Ministry of the Environment in their community go green fund, to support and enhance the Ontario ecoschools program.

By the fall, the Ministry of Education will have developed an environmental education policy to ensure high-quality and relevant learning about this very important topic. By giving Ontario's children the opportunity to learn about our environment in school, we are ensuring that they have the tools they need to turn that knowledge into action and to help our environment.

EDUCATION WEEK

Ms. Laurel C. Broten: This week is Education Week in Ontario. We all have a role to play in the education of our children that goes beyond what we can do in this Legislature. Teachers, principals, support workers, community members and family members all play a crucial

part in ensuring the success of Ontario's students. We've seen what kinds of amazing results can come when all of us work together to help our children succeed.

One great example of this is Pathways to Education, which was developed in the Regent Park Community Health Centre in 2001 here in Toronto. Pathways to Education works to reduce poverty by lowering dropout rates and increasing access to post-secondary education among disadvantaged youth. Last year, this government committed to provide $19 million over four years to expand the Pathways to Education program so that other communities in Ontario could achieve the same fantastic results.

There are so many factors that foster the success of our students, from parents and family members who read with their kids at home in the evening, to ensuring that each child gets a nutritious breakfast so that he or she can be at their best.

It's by all of us working together that Ontario students will succeed.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

SENATORS' SELECTION ACT, 2008 /

LOI DE 2008 SUR LE CHOIX

DES SÉNATEURS

Mr. Runciman moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 67,

An Act to provide for the election in Ontario of nominees for appointment to the Senate of Canada / Projet de loi 67, Loi prévoyant l'élection en Ontario de candidats à des nominations au Sénat du Canada.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry?

All those in favour will say "aye."

All those opposed will say "nay."

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The member for a short statement.

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: Very briefly, the purpose of the bill is to provide for the selection of nominees for appointment to the Senate by way of democratic election.

COLLEGES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

AMENDMENT ACT, 2008 /

LOI DE 2008 MODIFIANT LA LOI

SUR LA NÉGOCIATION COLLECTIVE

DANS LES COLLÈGES

Mr. Marchese moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 68,

An Act to amend the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act with respect to part-time staff / Projet de loi 68, Loi modifiant la

Loi sur la négociation collective dans les collèges à l'égard du personnel à temps partiel.

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

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The member for a short statement.

Mr. Rosario Marchese: Under the present act, part-time workers are not included in bargaining units and have no right to bargain collectively with employers. My bill amends the Colleges Collective Bargaining Act to include part-time staff in staff bargaining units.

STATEMENTS BY THE MINISTRY

AND RESPONSES

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Hon. John Wilkinson: I stand today to talk about our government's innovation agenda, about Ontario's future, the kind of future that we want, the kind of future that we must seize together.

Ontario is being affected by changes beyond our control, changes that are hurting our traditional manufacturing and resource sectors and the families who rely upon them for their living.

Our government has responded with a five-point economic plan, a strategy for creating high-paying jobs today and well into the future. First, we're cutting taxes—the capital tax that business has told us to cut first. Second, we're making the largest investment ever in Ontario's infrastructure, some $60 billion over 10 years. Third, rather than trying to foresee the future, we're giving Ontarians the skills they need to reinvent it. Fourth, we're partnering with businesses in key sectors to secure high-paying jobs and ignite growth in the industries that will shape our future.

And fifth, we are investing in innovation, tying it all together, which is the focus of my ministry and our eight-year, $3-billion investment.

Our government has made innovation a key part of our economic strategy, because in this time of profound global change we must ask, "What sort of world—what sort of future—will we leave our children and our grandchildren?" Rather than simply react to change, we believe we can be a catalyst to help drive change for the benefit of future generations, to turn global change and global challenges into exciting new possibilities.

That's why we brought together 13 outstanding and accomplished individuals from both business and academia to form the Ontario Research and Innovation Council. This distinguished group advised the government on a strategy to keep our economy strong by cultivating Ontario's creative, cutting-edge ideas and transforming them into long-lasting economic advantages. In addition, we consulted nearly 400 of Ontario's innovation leaders: people who have started companies and made amazing discoveries, people who know first-hand the power of an idea put into action.

These innovators told us that, to prosper, Ontario must leverage our existing strengths, identify key global opportunities and create the kind of environment that will drive innovation.

We listened and, based on their collective wisdom, we created the Ontario innovation agenda, which I was proud to launch today at the University of Ottawa. Through the agenda, we will focus on extracting value from excellence. Ontario is known for our world-class research talent. Recognizing the critical role research plays in innovation, our government's most recent budget reaffirmed our commitment to supporting discoveries through the Ontario research fund. In addition to maintaining Ontario's research capacity, we will find ways to make better use of this formidable brain power to solve the challenges that face Ontarians and humanity.

Innovators also told us that to succeed we have to focus where Ontario can compete globally. We will direct our investment toward areas at the intersection between research strengths, industrial capacity and market opportunities, including conquering disease through advanced health technologies and biopharmaceuticals, advancing and expanding the digital media universe through information and communication technologies, and sustaining humanity through the new bioeconomy and clean technologies.

To compete globally, we must also make full use of the skills and knowledge of Ontarians. Our approach has traditionally put an emphasis on developing research and technical skills, and we will continue to do so. But we will now equally support the development of business and commerce skills in this province—the entrepreneurial spirit that can quickly turn a great idea into a thriving business.

To support the growth of innovative businesses, we will improve the business climate for innovation. That means improved access to capital through initiatives like our Ontario venture capital fund. It means making it easier to start up an innovative company in Ontario. That is the rationale behind our proposed 10-year income tax exemption for new Ontario corporations that commercialize intellectual property originating in any Canadian college, university or research institution—and that is a North American first.

It means working across government to streamline regulation. Creating the right environment is crucial. This agenda is the Ontario government's commitment to act as a catalyst for innovation. An excellent example is the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, created by our government in 2005. The OICR is focusing on one of the most pressing health challenges facing Ontario and the world: the scourge of cancer. They are drawing on Ontario's considerable research excellence and the skills massed in our academic and research institutions.

Ontario has an international reputation of excellence in academic and hospital research. Biomedical research employs some 10,000 scientists and researchers, conducting some $850 million of research annually. Toronto is the fourth-largest biomedical research centre in North America. The OICR has aligned these considerable strengths, helping to establish Ontario as a world leader in cancer research. Our government has been a catalyst, investing $347 million in OICR. We recognize the strategic opportunity that lies in integrating Ontario's world-class facilities and internationally recognized scientists to address the considerable challenge of preventing, treating and ultimately curing cancer.

In leading the fight to cure cancer, we are developing an answer to a significant global health challenge—an answer that will be in demand the world over. This is among the best examples of how we will extract value from excellence in this province. It is in recognition of this innovation and research excellence taking place here in Ontario that just today, at 8 a.m., OICR was named as the headquarters of the International Cancer Genome Consortium.

To give members an idea of the scale of this project, this project will create 25,000 times more data than the human cancer genome project. It is a recognition of our excellence that the secretariat, the headquarters, is here. It is one of the largest research consortiums in the history of the world. Moreover, I am particularly pleased to announce that my ministry has allocated an additional $10 million to OICR to support their additional role as the global data centre of the International Cancer Genome Consortium.

Being the headquarters and the data centre of the human cancer genome project was able to drive much wealth creation to Boston and Massachusetts. I believe that our investments in the secretariat and the data centre will do the same thing for our capital city and the province of Ontario.

With the Ontario innovation agenda, we have charted a course to replicate the success of OICR in communities across Ontario. We are committed to be an effective partner for innovators across this province working at the speed of business—the speed of global business—as witnessed by our 45-day service guarantee for the Next Generation of Jobs.

Computing pioneer Alan Kay once said, "The best way to predict the future is to invent it." I think that captures the spirit of the Ontario innovation agenda. We will work with talented Ontarians to create the kind of prosperous future we all want for ourselves, for our children and for our grandchildren.

SOUTH ASIAN AND ASIAN

HERITAGE MONTH

Hon. Michael Chan: For more than 100 years, Ontarians have benefited from the contribution of people from Asia. They come from India, China, Pakistan, Korea, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and they are vital to modern Ontario, socially, culturally and economically.

Two pieces of legislation have been passed here at Queen's Park to acknowledge the contribution of Asian Canadians: Asian Heritage Month and South Asian Heritage Month. Though the marking of the month of May is codified forever—and this is both symbolic and important—it only begins to portray the impact that people of Asian descent have on this province.

Asians comprise more than 12% of Ontario's population. When people from Asia first started coming to Canada and Ontario, they, like many other newcomers, contributed with their physical skills. They helped build a railroad from coast to coast. They worked in logging, construction and manufacturing. They helped to build this country.

Today that reality remains. Ontario needs tradespeople, medical and financial professionals, childcare workers and many, many other skills. As a province, we rely on newcomers to help provide those skills. In less than three years, by 2011, 100% of Ontario's net labour growth will come from newcomers.

We want these people to succeed. It is in our collective interest that they be able to apply these skills to Ontario. This is why we invest in their future and in Ontario's future with programs such as bridge training and language training. People from all over Asia have contributed their abilities, talents and cultures to this province for generations. We continue to benefit greatly from their contributions—people like Dr. Tak Mak, an internationally respected biomedical scientist, who is known for his discovery of the T cell receptor, or Rohinton Mistry, the internationally acclaimed author.

A small part of that contribution can be experienced and celebrated during this month. Our province is built on, and continues to grow through, diversity.

This month is a time to encourage a deeper appreciation of the contributions of Asians to this province. Diversity is our greatest strength and our future. We must make the most of this precious asset to make the most of our prospects in the 21st century.

I invite all honourable members and all Ontarians to join us in celebrating this special month throughout the province.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Responses?

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Ms. Laurie Scott: I'm pleased to respond on behalf of the official opposition to the statement by the Minister of Research and Innovation. There is no question that it is vital that we not only be a part of the research and innovation technologies available in this province but that we foster their development and work to ensure that we are ahead of the curve when it comes to that type of forward thinking. But let's not get in the way of the fact that once again we are hearing a reannouncement of something we've already heard on several different occasions from the McGuinty government.

The minister's announcement stresses the value of universities and colleges in research. Just this morning, I had the pleasure of meeting with a group of representatives from the Canadian federation of university students in my office, and here is some of what they told me.

First of all, they stressed the fact that Ontario universities don't have office space, lab space or classroom space to handle the current demand for graduate and post-graduate students. Therefore, young people who are so eager to get into their areas of focus in research and innovation are being delayed from completing their studies and graduating.

Let me quote from their report: "Ontario needs to expand graduate student spaces if we are going to promote our research capacity.… In addition, there are a record number of students seeking a limited number of spaces in graduate programs." My colleague from Simcoe—Grey and critic for training, colleges and universities has clearly pointed this fact out on numerous occasions. Minister, your government policies are holding back our province's most precious resource—our youth—and all from this so-called innovation agenda.

We certainly can't forget the fact that despite all the rosy pictures and aesthetically pleasing words that the members across the way are throwing at the hard-working people of Ontario, under the watch of Premier McGuinty, Ontario has lost over 200,000 manufacturing jobs. We've heard the stories just this week in the fact that General Motors in Oshawa will lose another 1,000 jobs; Dell in Ottawa has announced the loss of 1,100 jobs. These are both companies that have received incredible amounts of funding from this government and are still struggling.

Other than tossing money, there's obviously no plan across the way, despite the clever titles. The Minister of Economic Development and Trade stated today that she hopes GM may change their mind. We've heard of voodoo economics, but this minister believes in wishful thinking. Her plan is to hope GM changes its mind. And it's interesting to note that while the Minister of Research and Innovation was in Ottawa for this photo op, a staple in his riding in the town of Listowel, the Campbell's soup factory, announced it is shutting its doors and costing that community some 500 jobs. Who in their whole, entire life has ever heard of a job loss at Campbell's soup? Campbell's soup is closing.

If there's innovation to be quoted today, it may be the fact that this government has been innovative enough to find a way for Ontarians to lose over 200,000 manufacturing jobs. Those jobs continue to go at an alarming rate. Ontario is ranked ninth out of 10 by all five major chartered banks in Canada in terms of economic growth.

The jury is out on this government. Ontario is a first-rate province with so much going for it; it's time they had a first-rate government that is prepared to work and prepared to get our economy back on the right track.

SOUTH ASIAN AND ASIAN

HERITAGE MONTH

Mr. Peter Shurman: South Asian and Asian Heritage Month is an appropriate way to recognize a range of people who now live as Ontarians, but, like so many, look to another part of the world as the place where their lives started and from which they draw their cultural backgrounds, now so generously contributed to the greater good here in Canada. I join with the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration in paying tribute to this richly diverse segment of our population, many of whom I delight in having as my constituents in Thornhill.

The definition of what people call South Asia varies somewhat, but the linguistic array tells the tale. Languages spoken in Ontario which find their origins in Asia include Indonesian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese, Maylay, Mandarin, Tamil, Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, Tagalog, Cantonese, and many more.

I might say, however, that I find the recognition of South Asian and Asian Heritage Month somewhat disingenuous on the part of the McGuinty government because many of those included in today's ministerial recognition are—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I would ask the member to withdraw the comment.

Mr. Peter Shurman: I withdraw.

Many of the people included in today's ministerial recognition are the very same people who in their small business enterprises are the target of this government in its lopsided application of the law. Today, in fact, we will be discussing convenience stores having to knuckle under, in line with the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, while others escape enforcement because of who they are or where they sell their products.

While I applaud the minister for his inclusivity and also sincerely acknowledge South Asian and Asian Heritage Month, I, unlike the government, wish all our fellow citizens well and express the hope that all of them and all Ontarians can live under one equally applied set of rules, prosper through hard work and move our society forward with what all of these good people have brought to our shores as their special gifts to Ontario and Canada.

SOUTH ASIAN AND ASIAN

HERITAGE MONTH

Mr. Peter Tabuns: It's my pleasure to rise in recognition of South Asian and Asian Heritage Month. There's no question that it is an honour for us here in Ontario that so many people from across Asia have decided to come to this country, to this province, to help us build our future.

Unfortunately, things have not always been harmonious. As many in this chamber are well aware, we have had the history in Canada of the head tax on Chinese Canadians. Many decades passed before an apology was proffered for that terrible exercise in racist policy-making. Some beginning has been taken on redress, but that is a blot on our history.

Ninety-three years ago come this May, the Komagata Maru, a Japanese ship chartered by people from British India who wished to come to Canada, came to Vancouver. They were excluded by Premier Borden's racist Continuous Passage Act, and for two months they sat anchored outside Vancouver, on the point of starvation, finally driven back to British India, where a number were jailed and some were shot by the authorities. There is still not an apology to the South Asian community for that incident. Today, many things have changed.

The Asian community has pushed hard for human rights, has stood up and won things that apply to all of us, and for that we should be grateful. But I think we still owe an apology for the Komagata Maru.

We need parties in the federal Parliament to defeat Bill C-50, which will bring in arbitrary measures to the immigration procedure that must be defeated by Canadians who value the diversity of this country.

In this province, the Fair Access to Regulated Professions Act was not adequate to deal with recognition of credentials. The full Thomson report had to be implemented. Those things are outstanding on the agenda and should be dealt with to fully honour people in this province who are of Asian descent.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

Mr. Michael Prue: I rise to comment on the comments made by the Minister of Research and Innovation.

Towards the end of his speech, he had a quote from Alan Kay talking about the invention of the future, and perhaps I should remind the minister that there are other quotes that are equally applicable to what he had to say here today. One of the quotes that comes immediately to my mind is one by Harold A. Innes, the dean of history at the University of Toronto way back in 1936, in which he said that if an economist becomes certain of the solution to any problem, he can be equally certain that his solution is wrong.

I would invite the minister to ruminate on that, to think about it for just a few minutes, because he proposes to spend some $11 billion over a number of years in innovation. Now, we are not opposed to innovation. Innovation is a good thing. But he is going to be spending taxpayers' money and trying to tweak development in this province through the expenditure of that money. I would remind him that if he becomes that ingrained in his thought that this is the right solution, he can be equally sure that his solution is wrong.

I say that because I looked at what the minister had to say here today. He talked about how "Ontario is being affected by changes beyond our control." He immediately absolves himself and the government of the day of looking to things that can help the economy in ways other than innovation. He fails to mention that the province of Ontario can adopt an industrial hydro policy. He fails to mention that the province of Ontario can adopt a made-in-Ontario policy. He fails to mention that the province of Ontario can go the way of the manufacturing investment tax credit.

He goes on to talk about cutting taxes, the capital tax that businesses told us to cut. I'm sure they told you to cut those taxes; they all did, and you obliged only so well. In so doing, you also cut the taxes of the oil companies. You also cut the taxes of the major banks that are making billions of dollars in profit and laying people off at the same time.

He went on to talk about partnering with key business sectors, and I'm sure he has done that, too. We've seen the experience at Dell, where he invested $11 million only to see the people laid off. Yesterday, we read about the sad scenario in Oshawa, where millions of dollars have been spent only to see the layoff of an entire—

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

LEGISLATIVE PAGES

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I beg the indulgence of the House to allow the pages an opportunity to assemble for introduction.

I would ask all members to join me in welcoming this group of legislative pages serving in the first session of the 39th Parliament: Jack Aloise, York—Simcoe; Sheilagh Brenegan, Burlington; Matthew Chaput, St. Catharines; Vanessa Chiarello, Nickel Belt; Jasdeep Dulku, Bramalea—Gore—Malton; Mikaela Henderson, Kingston and the Islands; Hannah Jansen, Huron—Bruce; Rafaël Lemmens—Chapdelaine, Toronto Centre; Isabelle Love, Guelph; Thomas Parker, Barrie; Emily Philp—Tsujiuchi, St.

Paul's; Bilaal Rajan, Richmond Hill; Adam Russolo, Chatham—Kent—Essex; Arjun Sawhney, Mississauga—Erindale; Jillian Skinner, Markham—Unionville; Peter Smith, Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock; Evelyn Steele, Sault Ste. Marie; Dario Toman, Etobicoke Centre; Naomi Turner, Kitchener—Conestoga; Cali van Bommel, Elgin—Middlesex—London; Joanna Wang, Scarborough—Agincourt; Matthew Wilson, Beaches—East York.

A warm welcome to our new group of pages.

VISITORS

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): On behalf of the member from Beaches—East York, we'd like to welcome Fraser Wilson in the west members' gallery, father of page Matthew Wilson.

On behalf of the member from Trinity—Spadina, we would like to welcome, in the west public gallery, Roger Couvrette of OPSECAAT and OPSEU members.

In the west public gallery, on behalf of page Hannah Jansen, her granny Nancy Millson and her mother, Val Millson.

On behalf of page Bilaal Rajan, in the east public gallery, Shamin Rajan, his mother. Welcome today.

On behalf of the member from Davenport, Captain Pedro Lauret of the Portuguese navy, and his wife and Mr. Carlos Morgadino, president of the Portuguese Cultural Association, in the east members' gallery.

In the east members' gallery, again on behalf of the member from Davenport, Georgina Bencsik, president of Youth in Motion, and Victoria Zeppa, a student. Welcome.

On behalf of the member from Mississauga—Erindale, in the east members' gallery, I'd like to welcome Ravi and Kiran Sawhney and Alisha Sawhney, parents and sister of page Arjun Sawhney, who is also the captain for the day.

Welcome to all of our guests.

ORAL QUESTIONS

NATIVE LAND DISPUTES

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: My question is to the Premier, and it has to do with our concern regarding escalating illegal acts under the guise of native protests and your tendency to look the other way or, on occasion, try to fob off responsibility.

We saw blockades in Deseronto this past weekend. In Caledonia, a blockade on the Highway 6 overpass was in place for four days and apparently just cleared today—clearly an illegal act that has nothing to do with the land claims.

In a scrum this morning, the Premier was asked about why he would continue to negotiate with lawbreakers, and he indicated he would refer the issue to the OPP for their advice. I have to ask the Premier, why would you want to throw off your responsibility, in terms of whether to negotiate with lawbreakers, to the OPP? Do you not appreciate your responsibilities?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.

Hon. Michael Bryant: I know all members of this House would agree that the work of the OPP over the course of the weekend was excellent. As Chief Commissioner Fantino stated, their job and their responsibility is to do their best to keep the peace. As the member said, in fact the Highway 6 bypass is cleared and being inspected by Ministry of Transportation officials. The blockade in Deseronto has been cleared for more than 36 hours. As well, the rail lines are cleared and the trains are running again. I think it's a real credit to the work of the OPP, who were able to keep the peace.

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: Given that response, all reasonable people can understand the frustration of Haldimand Mayor Marie Trainer when she says she doesn't know where to turn for help.

This government refuses to break off negotiations with lawbreakers. You provide electricity and water to an illegally occupied site. You fail to ask for a police investigation of what I think can be fairly described as extortion demands in the Brantford area, and you ignore illegal smoke shop operations that impact our kids. Minister, do you appreciate the damage you're doing to society and public order by sending this message?

Hon. Michael Bryant: I know the member knows and would want to acknowledge that on-reserve regulation of what Minister Clement refers to as manufacturers' compliance with federal tobacco control legislation is a matter for the federal government. I understand his point about off-reserve. I note, though, that the federal Minister of Health has said that undertaking on-site compliance activities—I guess regulation—on the Six Nations reserve—

Hon. James J. Bradley: That's Tony Clement.

Hon. Michael Bryant: Minister Tony Clement—within the current climate could expose Health Canada inspectors to risks and, for this reason, on-site inspections have been temporarily suspended. This is the federal Minister of Health saying it is the position of the federal government that, yes, there are in fact smoke shacks that are offside of the federal law, but no, the federal government will not intervene.

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: If the minister wants to run federally, there's an election coming up.

I want to stress the collateral damage your government's apparent ambivalence toward lawlessness by certain individuals is having on children. We know the children of Caledonia have unfettered access to cheap and illegal cigarettes sold at a smoke shop located on provincially owned property only metres from a school. You're knowingly permitting the health of kids to be put at risk. In Deseronto, the public school was evacuated yesterday. It's closed today due to so-called "native protests." It's not known when the school will reopen.

Minister, your Neville Chamberlain approach to equal application of the rule of law is jeopardizing public safety in this province, with kids as part of the collateral damage. Do you even recognize that?

Hon. Michael Bryant: This is just the problem, that facts such as the member just stated are not in fact the case. The member ought to know, before he says it in question period, that the superintendent and staff at the said school are in the school today. It is not the case at all as the member described. In fact, the kids are going back to school.

I've been directing this through the chair, Mr. Speaker, and I'll say to you again that it's very important that members asking questions and the government giving answers need to provide the facts. I know the member wouldn't want to stir things up over there. What we want to do is try to keep the peace and that's what we'll continue to do.

ONTARIO ECONOMY

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: A question to the Premier regarding the state of Ontario's economy and continuing job losses: Yesterday we mentioned the distinction you held of being the Premier of the only province in Canada currently in recession. Today the Premier earned the distinction of putting Ontario into have-not status for the first time in 50 years, according to a report issued by TD today. Premier, you've taken Ontario from being a province that gives a hand up to one that soon will be taking handouts from the rest of Canada. Is that a legacy to be proud of?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I welcome the question and I thank the folks at TD for introducing some important information into the debate here. One of the things my colleague opposite will want to note in the document which he's referencing is that Ontario found itself as an equalization-receiving recipient I think from 1977 to 1983. But the feds changed the formula, so we didn't receive any money.

From an Ontarian's perspective, I think there's a very simple question here. How is it that we can be a have-not if we're sending $20 billion annually to the rest of the country? I think that tells us something about the formula. Just one small example: Every year we receive $800 million less for our health care than Canadians do elsewhere. On a per capita basis, we're getting close to $1 billion less every year here in Ontario than we would get if we were living in other parts of the country. Again the question for Ontarians is, if we're a have-not province, why are we sending $20 billion every year to the rest of the country?

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: Well, that is a question to be pursued. I don't deny that. But the evidence of the sad state of Ontario's economy continues to fall at the Premier's feet.

Today we learned that 500 jobs will be cut at the Campbell's plant in Listowel. That's just devastating, as you can appreciate, to a small community. Yesterday we learned of almost 1,000 jobs lost at General Motors in Oshawa. The economic development minister's response to that was, "We hope GM will change its mind." Premier, when will you accept the reality that your taxing, spending and regulatory policies are doing serious damage to the economic well-being of this province?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Nobody is questioning that these are in fact challenging economic times. There are some very difficult circumstances being faced by communities, including those just referenced by my colleague, and families directly affected by job loss. There's no doubt about that whatsoever.

But I think the last thing we should be doing to support those communities, to support those families, is to take $5 billion out of our revenues and make cuts to their health care and cuts to their education. I think that's the wrong way to go. Instead, we are continuing to ensure that those health care services and those educational programs remain.

And we're adding to them. Our most recent budget invested $1.5 billion into the skills and education of Ontario workers. We think the way for us to grow strong is not to look for oil and gas, because it's not there; we're going to have to find the strength in our people, as we traditionally have done, in the province of Ontario. That is why we will continue to invest in our people and continue to protect those public services on which they have to be able to depend.

Mr. John O'Toole: My question is also directed, as a supplementary, to the Premier. You're talking about the $1.5-million investment in jobs strategy. The question then becomes, in what jobs? I think the people of Ontario are sick and tired that you really don't have a plan, and the investors are now becoming rather cynical about it.

They've seen this movie before: $11 million by the McGuinty government invested in the technology industry with Dell computers. What have we seen just last week? Thanks to your investment with no plan, 1,100 jobs lost. General Motors was to receive $235 million. Again, what did we hear just yesterday? Almost 1,000 jobs lost.

Premier, these aren't just numbers; these are hard-earned tax dollars that have been squandered by your government. The job losses represent families that have lost confidence in you. What do you have to say to the families who've run out of listening to your vacuous promises?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I'm pleased to speak to any specific of any partnership we have entered into with any business in Ontario. Let's take Dell for a moment—something that happened in my hometown. Obviously we feel for those families that have been affected by this, but the money we invested through that partnership was directly into training for those workers. The good news is that the workers now have that training, it's now part of them, and they can take that with them elsewhere. That's not money that we gave for operating dollars or money that we gave for capital investment. We invested in skills for the workers there.

When it comes to monies we've invested by means of partnerships with the auto sector, each and every one of those investments has been strengthened by a contract. There are specific obligations to be met by the other side, and they've honoured those in each and every instance.

Perhaps my friend is saying that we should leave well enough alone and allow the economy to unfold as it is. We just don't see it that way. We think we've got a responsibility to find ways to partner with business, to partner with labour and to partner with workers to make sure that we grow stronger together.

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Mr. Howard Hampton: To the Premier: Yesterday, General Motors announced the layoff of another 1,000 workers at the Oshawa truck plant. Just a couple of years ago, the McGuinty government, with much fanfare, announced an agreement whereby it gave General Motors in Oshawa $235 million of the people's money. Will the Premier admit that when he handed General Motors $235 million of the people's money, the McGuinty government failed to negotiate meaningful job guarantees for Oshawa workers?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I thought that you could count on the NDP at least to support us as we worked with the CAW and the auto sector in Ontario to invest in the expansion of the auto industry in our province.

I chatted yesterday, once again, with Buzz Hargrove. We talked about this particular issue. We talked about the new agreement they've entered into with Ford—which I am sure is going to be a competitive force to be reckoned with—as we fight for more investment against the US.

But I can tell you that in each and every instance where we have invested and partnered with the auto sector, there are specific agreements and specific obligations that have to be honoured on the part of the industry, and they've done that. The fact of the matter is, the US economy continues to slow down. There's a lesser demand for the product that we've been making here, and that has had an impact on us. That's unfortunate, but we will continue to work with both the CAW and GM—

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

Mr. Howard Hampton: A competent jobs strategy sets out guarantees and real penalties if an employer fails to keep those guarantees. Since that $235-million handout to General Motors, they announced layoffs of 1,200 in August and now a further 1,000. Two thousand workers are out the door without anything to look forward to. We saw a similar situation with Dell in Ottawa: Dell gets millions of dollars of public money and then lays off 1,200 workers. The question is this: Is the McGuinty government jobs plan really all about $235 million for General Motors while 2,000 workers get put out in the street?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I think we should look at the net result of the efforts we've made on behalf of Ontarians in the last four years. We invested, through our automotive strategy fund, $500 million, and we landed $7.5 billion by way of new investment. For the first time, we are now the number one auto producer in North America. We've beat out Michigan now for four years in a row. We landed a new assembly plant with Toyota. Those are good jobs. Those are helping families, they're helping strengthen their communities and they're helping strengthen the quality of the public services that we continue to afford here in the province of Ontario.

Just recently, Ford has announced that they're looking for 500 new workers at their plant. The Minister of Economic Development and Trade tells me that we're about to build GM's first new hybrid truck in North America right here in Ontario. There have been some losses, but we continue to move forward together.

Mr. Howard Hampton: I don't know how you can call the loss of 200,000 manufacturing jobs in Ontario "moving forward." By any measure, it is economic decline. The fact is this: There are competent ways to sustain jobs, but giving tens of millions of dollars to Dell and then watching them lay off 1,200 workers and giving $235 million to General Motors and watching them lay off 2,000 workers is not moving forward; it's more losses. Premier, how many more workers in Ontario will have to lose their jobs before the McGuinty government puts forward a real jobs strategy to help sustain jobs rather than lose jobs?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I think the single most important thing that we can do is to continue to invest in the skills and education of our workers. Our single greatest resource is not something in this province that is found beneath our feet; it's between our ears. That's why, in our most recent budget, we put forward a $1.5-billion new initiative investing in the skills and education of our workers. We've done something without precedent in the history of this country. We said that for 20,000 workers who've lost their jobs, here are—for the first time—long-term training opportunities.

So if you lose your job in the forestry sector, for example, and you want to move over into the mining sector, we'll cover up to $28,000 in a two-year training program. That will include daycare, transportation, and potentially some housing costs.

We are working as hard as we can to get Ontarians back on their feet. I have every confidence that this economy is going to grow stronger because I have fundamental confidence in the strength, abilities, determination and entrepreneurialism of Ontarians.

ONTARIO ECONOMY

Mr. Howard Hampton: To the Premier: The 2,000 Oshawa workers who are out on the street are skilled workers. They are electricians. They are instrument mechanics. They are people who are used to working with computer-aided technology. These are skilled people.

But it's not just Oshawa. Further grim news in Listowel: Campbell Soups shutting down its plant and putting 500 people out on the street in a community of only 6,500 people.

My question is this: Will the Premier tell these workers and their families, "This too shall pass," or are we finally going to see a real strategy to sustain jobs from the McGuinty government?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: We have a strategy. It's a smart strategy, it's an effective strategy and it's one that we're going to continue to implement. It's just that the leader of the NDP doesn't like it.

Let me just revisit that strategy one more time. It's a five-point plan to grow this economy. First of all, we are cutting business taxes in an affordable and effective way. Secondly, we are continuing to invest in innovation so that we can turn our ideas into more jobs. We're also investing heavily in infrastructure. That creates jobs in the short term and enhances our productivity in the long term. We're also continuing to invest in strategic partnerships. That's how we landed the new jobs we have here in the auto sector.

Overall, this is working well. There are some challenges, no doubt about it, but we're ahead 450,000 net new jobs during the course of the past four and a half years. I'd love to be able to say that we're never going to lose a job, but I think, over the long term, we are certainly continuing to make real progress.

Mr. Howard Hampton: Premier, jobs in Brantford, where you go to the call centre and you get sent out to a job for six weeks, or jobs at McDonald's or Tim Hortons are not the kinds of jobs that sustain families and communities. That is the problem.

Earlier today, TD Economics issued a special report indicating that Ontario will have to start accepting federal equalization payments in 2010 because of Ontario's economic decline.

Premier, there is still time to do something about this. We have suggested a refundable manufacturing investment tax credit to help manufacturers. We suggested a reasonable industrial hydro rate to help manufacturers. We have suggested a 50% Buy Ontario strategy, which has been very successful in the United States. Are you going to continue to stand by and watch thousands of good jobs disappear in Ontario or are you finally going to adopt a jobs strategy?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I'll give the leader of the NDP one thing: He's certainly consistent when it comes to his manufacturing tax credit. But we've got something better: We have retroactively reduced and in some cases eliminated capital taxes. That means $190 million to be delivered very shortly to needy manufacturers.

Hon. Dwight Duncan: You voted against it.

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: The leader of the NDP voted against that—you'd think he'd want to do something that puts money in the hands of needy manufacturers and resource-based industries—yesterday.

I understand where he is coming from, but I just don't buy the delayed support that he would offer to the manufacturing and resource-based sectors. We instead prefer to reduce those capital taxes retroactively, to eliminate them in some cases. That will provide immediate support to our manufacturers, which is when they need it.

Mr. Howard Hampton: The banks and insurance companies cheer the reductions in the capital tax, but they have hundreds of millions of dollars of profits and hardly need a tax cut. Other provinces, such as Manitoba, have implemented a refundable manufacturing investment tax credit, and they are not losing manufacturing jobs the way Ontario is. Quebec has adopted the same strategy. Their economy is doing better than Ontario's on the jobs front, but the McGuinty government refuses to adopt these measures.

I ask again: How many thousands of Ontario workers will have to lose their jobs before the McGuinty government comes forward with a serious jobs strategy instead of simply giving handouts to corporations like General Motors?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: My colleague likes to make reference to what's happening in other parts of the country, and it's always important to pay attention. Not all comparisons are fair. They've got, in many cases, strong resource-based, commodity-based economies which are growing like gangbusters because of what's happening to oil and gas in international markets. But I think it's worthwhile taking a look at what Manitoba just recently did in their budget.

I have a note here that says, "The hard-hit manufacturing sector will see its corporation capital tax wiped out this July—two years earlier than planned." It says, "The move is intended to help exporters deal with the rising loonie and weakened demand in the United States."

Well, we did it here first. Manitoba is adopting our approach. I can understand why they're doing that. What they've done implicitly in adopting our approach is rejecting the leader of the NDP's approach.

NATIVE LAND DISPUTES

Mr. Toby Barrett: My question is for the Premier. Premier, on Sunday morning, my wife and I came upon a barricade. They were burning logs. There was a van across the road. I had a truck and a trailer. I couldn't back up. There were cars behind me. So I got out and chatted with this young couple. There were two young children with them eating ice cream cones. Barricades have become the new normal in the McGuinty Ontario, certainly where we were on old Highway 2 in Tyendinaga.

This has been going on for a year. Area people don't know who is in charge. We took the detour and got into Deseronto, and they don't even know who their MPP is in Deseronto. Premier—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I ask the member to refrain from personal attacks on any of our members. Thank you.

Mr. Toby Barrett: I do not mean to attack the Premier, but this barricade was in Minister Dombrowsky's riding. We don't hear from her. Have you directed your minister to hide? Have you directed your cabinet colleague to be unavailable from—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Premier.

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.

Hon. Michael Bryant: Isn't that just typical? Mr. Tory was saying, over the weekend, "I would not have people sitting at the table who show disrespect for the law." Well, apparently, he makes an exception for his caucus table, because just as the member is engaging in an inappropriate attack against the minister, Mr. Hillier, the member for Lanark, as we all know, distributed photos of a dead deer with bullet—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock for a moment, please. It sounds like Bert Johnson is in the room. I just remind all members on all sides that even if they're going to be quoting from a document, if it's an attack against another member, that is not something that is appropriate for this chamber. You can make your comments, but please don't be engaging in personal attacks against individual members. Thank you.

Hon. Michael Bryant: Absolutely, and that's why shooting a deer and naming it Leona is just wrong.

I think it's important here that we recognize that there are two approaches: one is to try to seek peace in the community and seek a resolution, and the other one is particularly divisive.

Mr. Toby Barrett: On a positive note, local people do appreciate the OPP making arrests at Deseronto, and as Commissioner Fantino stated in an April 25 news release: "This violent criminal activity occurred outside of any legitimate protest and will not be tolerated."

April 26, and I quote: "Those responsible for criminal activity will be held accountable."

But back in Caledonia, ATVs storm into town, barricades go up on the railway and provincial Highway 6, and all of this not because of the land claim, as you know, Minister Bryant, but to show solidarity with aboriginal protesters in eastern Ontario.

We know the people have got the barricades moved for now, but my concern is the double standard. Those responsible for criminal activity are arrested in Deseronto, and no reports of arrests in Caledonia. Why the double standard?

Hon. Michael Bryant: The allegation that the member seems to be making—and I know he wouldn't want to make this allegation—would be against the standard set by the very institution and the people who in fact engage in decisions of police operations. That is, as the member knows, the OPP.

The member congratulates the OPP for their work in Deseronto, but I would have thought the community was supportive as well of the work the OPP did in keeping the peace. They make decisions, operational decisions, in Deseronto. They make decisions, operational decisions, in Caledonia.

The member knows that it was a recommendation of the Ipperwash commission that those lines be clearly drawn between police operational decisions on the one hand and government decisions on the other hand. So I'm sure the member would not be encouraging us to direct the police.

POVERTY

Mr. Michael Prue: My question is for the Minister of Children and Youth Services. Last week in this House, the co-chair of the cabinet committee on poverty reduction, the Deputy Premier, said he did not know when public consultations for a poverty reduction plan might finally start. He said he would check with the lead minister. We haven't heard back from him yet, nor have we heard from the lead minister. Why won't this minister tell us when public consultations will finally start?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I have to tell you I'm delighted with the interest of the members opposite on this very important initiative to develop a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy for the province of Ontario, complete with measures and targets.

It's a tremendous opportunity to bring together the strength of government and the entire community and focus our attention on reducing poverty in this province. I can assure the member opposite that we have begun talking to people—as you are well aware—and I look forward to announcing the consultation in the very short next few days.

Mr. Michael Prue: When I listen to the minister speak, I am reminded of an old American proverb that goes something like this: "A secret is either too good to keep or too bad not to tell." I would guess it's probably the latter.

Yesterday a coalition of anti-poverty groups wrote to the minister. They too fear that consultations will be narrowly circumscribed. I fear, personally, that a website to seek thoughts on reducing poverty is about all that is going to be announced by this minister.

Why won't the minister tell Ontarians that the government is serious about poverty reduction by committing to province-wide consultations now?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Let me just reiterate how very excited I am about the prospects to develop, in consultation with the people of Ontario, a comprehensive poverty reduction strategy. I'm sure the member opposite will be very anxious to hear exactly where we're going to be, and we'll let him know very soon.

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Mr. Khalil Ramal: My question is to the Minister of the Environment: The 2008 budget proposes $56 million to clean up a PCB storage site located in my community of London—Fanshawe.

Since this announcement, there have been a number of concerns raised by residents of my community. They are worried that this site has been a hazard to their health and the health of their families. They are concerned that when the government talks about doing a cleanup, it's because our land and water are contaminated by PCBs.

Why is the government committed to doing this cleanup now? Have the families in London—Fanshawe been at risk because of this storage site?

Hon. John Gerretsen: I appreciate the question from the member, because I know there have been some concerns expressed about that. He's quite correct that the budget included $56 million to destroy the PCBs that are contained in a secure storage site in London. The ministry established the Pottersburg PCB storage site in the 1980s to ensure the secure storage of these PCBs until they could be safely and cost-effectively destroyed. At the time, there was simply no practical way of destroying them. The creek and the contaminated soils were completely cleaned up of PCBs at that time.

The PCBs have been in safe and secure storage ever since. There has been absolutely no risk to the community from this storage facility. We're going to remove the PCBs from the Pottersburg Creek storage site to ensure that they will never be released into the natural environment.

Mr. Khalil Ramal: I'm pleased to hear that these materials have been safely and securely stored and that families in our community were not at risk.

I'm hearing other concerns from residents in my riding about this issue. They are asking why the ministry is proposing to remove the materials from the site to destroy them and whether this new activity at the site might cause any risk to the residents of London—Fanshawe. They want to know how this cleanup will happen. My community has many questions about this project. In fact, there is a meeting in my community tomorrow night on this very topic. I want to ensure that my community gets all the answers and the information they need on this important issue.

Hon. John Gerretsen: I certainly compliment this member on being on top of this issue, and he has been for some time.

When the site was established back in the 1980s, the ministry made clear that the storage site was a temporary solution. And now, at this time, there are effective ways of destroying the PCB material and therefore we're taking action.

I can't tell you exactly what the process will be. The ministry will be putting out requests for proposals through an open and transparent process to determine the best way to get the work done. I can assure you and the other members that the PCBs at this site will be destroyed in a manner that is protective of human health and the environment.

Like you, I want to ensure that residents have all the information they're looking for. As a matter of fact, that's why the ministry is having a public meeting in co-operation with the local public health unit to provide information and answer questions from the community on May 9, next week. I would encourage everyone in the community who has any questions or is interested in this issue to attend that meeting.

TOBACCO CONTROL

Ms. Laurie Scott: My question is intended for the Minister of Health Promotion, but I will ask the Premier. Statistics show evidence of experimentation with tobacco was found in grade 5. By grade 7, 16% of students have smoked in their lifetime. By grade 11, 22% of students have smoked in their lifetime and more than half of those are smoking every day. These disturbing statistics are taken from a student health survey from the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit.

Premier, what do you have to say to the parents of the children who are subjected to the pressures of smoking from a vendor on crown land, just metres from their school?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Health.

Hon. George Smitherman: I know that my colleague the Minister of Health Promotion would wish that she was here to talk about some of the progress—

Interjections.

Hon. George Smitherman: I apologize, Mr. Speaker. The matter at hand raised by the honourable member about the necessity of government well supporting efforts to stop kids from taking up tobacco in the first place is a matter that we all take seriously in this House. But questions with respect to the role of the Smoke-Free Ontario Act and the role of the official opposition in some supporting and many not supporting that initiative is a serious matter that must be raised.

Through the initiatives, including a very aggressive marketing campaign, we've seen a marked reduction in the uptake of tobacco among younger people in the province of Ontario—evidence, I think, of progress in the act. But we agree with the honourable member overall about the necessity to continue to have strong government actions to reduce the likelihood that young people will take up smoking in the first place.

Ms. Laurie Scott: I thank the minister for his response. He really doesn't address the question.

The Minister of Health Promotion states that "public health officials have visited 5,500 tobacco vendors" and are "distributing 30,000 educational kits to vendors across Ontario," but have any of those visits been to the vendor on Argyle Street in Caledonia? Have there been any educational kits provided to this vendor, or is this a double standard in the province of Ontario that the people on Argyle Street in Caledonia are treated differently?

Hon. George Smitherman: I think the honourable member would want to know that our partners in delivering these sorts of programs are of course the public health units across Ontario. The activities that they take on are very often guided by their own local awareness of the situation and the demographics in the particular area they're representing. But there is no doubt that alongside our initiative in the Smoke-Free Ontario Act has been to enhance the capacity of the public health units to proactively get out there and seek to enhance the quality of the battle against kids taking up tobacco in the first place.

We accept the honourable member's encouragement that these initiatives should continue to be resourced and look for all opportunities to encourage young people in Ontario to think twice before taking up and addressing the devils of tobacco.

AUTISM TREATMENT

Ms. Andrea Horwath: To the Minister of Children and Youth Services: For almost two weeks now, the McGuinty government has kept its quarterly IBI wait list numbers from coming to light. Finally, I obtained the latest quarterly numbers, and the shocking secret is finally out: There are now 1,511 children with autism languishing in Ontario. That's a 4.5% increase since the December figures came out. Why won't this government admit its dismal failure to provide services for children with autism and to get those wait lists down in Ontario? Why are they not serious about helping these families and these children?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Let me be really clear about this. The challenges faced by children with autism and their families are enormous. We have made tremendous progress, though, in providing services to these children, and we are continuing to aggressively improve services.

Let's just take a step back and think about this. Ten years ago, there were no IBI services for children with autism in this province—zero. Since we were elected in 2003, the number of children receiving IBI therapy has more than tripled. Actually, it's three and a half times the number when we first took office. Our spending on IBI has more than tripled. We are supporting the entire family with respite services. The next step is going to be preparing our schools—

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: This minister knows that there's really no plan in place. Funding is being used right now to train administrators and to help principals make plans, but there are no additional services for children being provided.

Parents are worried. They're worried about a new benchmarking scheme that's going to be used to withdraw services from children. Parents are scared to death to send their children into schools, where they know the services aren't there for their kids.

Why won't the McGuinty government make good on its promise to provide the services that children with autism need and deserve? How much longer are you going to make them wait?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: To the Minister of Education.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: We know that in order for children with autism to be able to achieve, they need to get into the schools, into the mainstream, as quickly as possible. What we're doing is training those adults. The member opposite speaks disdainfully of training principals and training professionals in the schools, which makes no sense, because what we have to do is make sure that those educators have the training. We have put millions of dollars into summer training programs.

That training is ongoing, not just for the administrators and teachers but also the educational assistants and the people who are working on the front lines with those children so that children can get the service they need when they need it, in the schools, in the classroom, so that parents can feel confident that their children will get the ability and the opportunity to achieve in a mainstream classroom.

POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

Mr. David Orazietti: My question is for the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. My riding of Sault Ste. Marie is home to Sault College and Algoma University College, which offer quality programs to many rural and northern students.

Recently, Sault College opened a 195-seat videoconferencing and lecture theatre with the help of a $750,000 investment from our government. While the new multimedia centre will play a vital role in expanding distance education, many of these students travel long distances every day to attend classes because there is simply no closer alternative. Others who live on campus are unable to see their families for long periods of time because they cannot afford to travel home. Minister, can you tell me what our government is doing to help these students get to and from their classes?

Hon. John Milloy: I want to thank the member for the question and acknowledge his great support for post-secondary education, especially in his own community with both Sault College and Algoma.

I just want to inform the member and the House that the government does recognize the unique challenges faced by individuals living in northern and rural ridings. In fact, studies have shown that living in an isolated point can be a deterrence to attending a post-secondary institution. That's why I was very proud that on April 10 this year, just several weeks ago, our Premier announced $27 million for a new distance grant to assist with transportation costs for approximately 24,000 students living in rural and remote areas.

Students living at home and commuting more than 80 kilometres one way to a post-secondary institution because there is not one of the same type closer to home will be eligible for a $500 grant per school term. As well, students—

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

Mr. David Orazietti: Thank you, Minister. That's great news for Ontario's students. Helping students attend their classes and make occasional trips home to their families will no doubt help ensure that more students have greater access to post-secondary education and stay in school. Initiatives like these will create more opportunities for students coming from rural and northern communities.

As more students choose Ontario's post-secondary educational institutions, the demands on our colleges and universities continue to increase. Can you tell us what else in addition we are doing to ensure that all of Ontario's students have access to an affordable, first-rate post-secondary education?

Hon. John Milloy: Unfortunately, with the time we're allotted to answer a question, we've done so much, I don't have enough time. So let me continue on the distance to say that students who go away to school because there's not one of the same type within 80 kilometres of their home will be eligible for a grant.

The initiative that was announced by the Premier builds on the Reaching Higher plan—$6.2 billion, one of the greatest investments in post-secondary education in this province's history. We're investing $1.5 billion of that in student assistance, helping 150,000 students per year. We've tripled the number of grants available to students, with one in four students in this province—approximately 120,000—receiving non-repayable grants. We've increased the operating funding for colleges and universities by 58% since 2003, and we are seeing those results with one of the highest participation rates in post-secondary education—

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

TOBACCO CONTROL

Ms. Laurie Scott: My question is intended for the Minister of Public Infrastructure Renewal, but I will ask the Premier. The description for the address is Plank Road at the intersection of provincial Highway 6 and Argyle Street in Caledonia. On that crown-owned land there is currently a vendor who is operating a cigarette shop. As this is taxpayer-owned land and is therefore entrusted to your responsibility as the government, can you confirm if your minister responsible is collecting rent from this particular vendor, and if not, why not?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: The Minister of Aboriginal Affairs.

Hon. Michael Bryant: The minister responsible sent an eviction notice to the people operating on that land some weeks ago. The position of the federal government when asked a very similar question by the mayor of Caledonia was that at this time, said Minister Clement, they would not be inspecting.

It's interesting that we're having an opposition day motion on a smoke shack, but it's nonetheless an important debate, one that's taking place around contraband tobacco. I want to make it clear that I'm sure the member isn't suggesting that the government direct the OPP to go forth and kick down the door of that smoke shack. I'm sure the member isn't suggesting that.

Ms. Laurie Scott: It's very interesting news that the government has sent an eviction notice. I wonder when the government sent the eviction notice to the vendor. But this was still an illegal operation. Why are there two-tier levels of enforcement in the province of Ontario? When did you send the eviction notice out, and why didn't you deal with it before?

Hon. Michael Bryant: Again, you're not going to get any disagreement here with respect to the government's position on contraband tobacco and on a smoke-free Ontario. But I note that when the president and CEO of CAMH, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, wrote a lengthy letter about the need for government to take prompt action on addressing contraband tobacco, it was a letter that was addressed to the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada, because in fact, as the member knows, the contraband tobacco issue does, yes, involve contraband tobacco being sold on reserve, and the member will know that would be federal jurisdiction.

I'm sure that the member shows the same concern towards Conservative Minister Tony Clement and the Right Honourable Stephen Harper as is shown for the provincial government. Again, I look forward to further opposition debate this afternoon on this—

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

APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING

Mr. Rosario Marchese: My question is to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. The Ottawa Citizen asked the minister on Friday what training Dell employees received. He said he didn't know. The weekend has passed. Can the minister tell me how many weeks of training Dell employees received before the company took government money and skedaddled away?

Hon. John Milloy: I'm very proud that our government entered into a partnership with Dell, which provided training for over 1,800 apprentices at Dell over a three-year period for three different apprenticeships. What it did is, it gave them the type of training which not only allowed them to work at Dell, but they were transferable skills that they could take elsewhere. I note, and I think the Minister of Finance noted last week, the number of employers in the Ottawa area who have said that the skills that they had were valuable, and they were the type of jobs that they could move into.

Mr. Rosario Marchese: An

article that appeared in August 2005, in the Ottawa Citizen, stated that Dell computers only gave three weeks of training to their employees. In my view, that's not real apprenticeship. This government paid millions of dollars, $5,000 per employee per year, to a company that paid their workers wages of $25,000, in order to persuade them to set up shop in Ontario.

Now the company's gone, the workers are unemployed, and the minister doesn't even know how much training they've received. Based on this fiasco, will the minister make sure that apprenticeship tax credit money is going towards real training and that what happened with Dell won't happen to them again?

Hon. John Milloy: The information put forward by the member is quite frankly wrong. Each of the three trades required approximately 4,000 hours of both in-school and on-the-job training before successful individuals were awarded the certificate. Information technology support agent: 3,340 hours of on-the-job training—

Interjections.

Hon. John Milloy: I cannot believe that they would belittle jobs of 1,800 people in Ottawa.

Information technology call centre inside sales agent: 3,730 hours of on-the-job training and 270 hours—nine weeks—of in-school training;

Information call centre customer care agent: 3,730 hours of on-the-job training and nine weeks of in-school training.

Let me quote David Weedmark, managing partner of AIM Group's IT services division: "I would say over the next couple of months"—the employees trained at Dell—"a third to a"—

Mr. Peter Kormos: No one is available at the moment; please hold.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I just remind the member for Welland—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I ask the member for Welland and the member for Trinity—Spadina. Thank you.

The member for Hamilton Mountain.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Ms. Sophia Aggelonitis: My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Minister, some people in my riding benefit from this government's assistance when it comes to affordable housing. After severe underfunding at the hands of the previous government, I know this government is back in the housing business. I want to thank the local service manager and the municipal government for their support in delivering affordable housing programs to my riding.

Can the minister please tell me what this government is doing to continue to support families in my riding of Hamilton Mountain who rely on affordable housing?

Hon. Jim Watson: Let me thank the honourable member from Hamilton Mountain. We're very proud to be back in the affordable housing business. In fact, the city of Hamilton was the recipient of $5.6 million for repair and rehabilitation money, part of a $100-million fund of Premier McGuinty's government in the 2008 budget.

We have funding for 35,000 rent supplements. We also have released the lowest average rent increase in Ontario history—1.4% under the Residential Tenancies Act.

Interjections.

Hon. Jim Watson: My friends from the NDP, who are laughing at the unemployed in Ottawa—as an Ottawa member, I don't appreciate that kind of rude behaviour to the people of Ottawa.

We also have the rent bank, which has prevented 13,200 evictions, thanks to this initiative that was promised in the 2003 campaign, and we're delivering.

Ms. Sophia Aggelonitis: I want to thank the minister for the answer, but I also want to ask him about the future of the Ontario rent bank. The assistance provided by the Ontario rent bank has helped thousands of Ontario households get through temporary financial difficulties so that they can keep a roof over their heads. In my riding of Hamilton Mountain, some people rely on help to pay their rent. The Ontario rent bank is a popular tool that helps families stay in their homes, but some local service managers are running out of money.

Minister, what are you doing to help the service managers keep providing rent bank monies to families in my riding?

Hon. Jim Watson: I'm very proud of the rent bank. For those people who are not familiar with it, from time to time, some of our fellow citizens do have difficulty making their rent. They may perhaps have been laid off or have lost their jobs on a temporary basis. Often that one month or two months of rent is just not available.

Interjections.

Hon. Jim Watson: And here we have the spectacle of the NDP laughing at a housing program that they voted against.

This rent bank program is important. It has helped prevent 13,200 tenants from being evicted. It saved over $7.7 million in emergency shelter costs. It gives people the dignity of a roof over their head. Some service managers are having difficulty because of a lack of funding. We will be there to help those individuals and to help those service managers by providing funding, as we have since 2004, for a total of $18.8 million. We're very proud of the program.

PLANT CLOSURE

Mr. Tim Hudak: I have a question to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade concerning the 120 plant workers who lost their jobs at CanGro and the 150 affected tender fruit growers in the area.

Last week, I asked the minister why she walked away from two offers to purchase and operate that plant. The minister replied, and I'm quoting from Hansard, "We were at the table, making the offers that we have made."

Minister, can you tell the members of the Legislature and the people of Hamilton and Niagara exactly what offers the government put on the table?

Hon. Sandra Pupatello: I'm very happy to address this issue once again, and in particular for the people of Niagara. What's very important to us in this government is that we have a canning business in Ontario. This is one of the remaining few in the nation, and in particular we wanted it right here in Ontario.

The difficulty is this: When the Ontario government comes to the table to discuss with CanGro the opportunity to work with partners to be able to purchase the operation from CanGro, we actually need CanGro to participate in that kind of a deal. We, all of us at the table, are not successful in keeping CanGro at the table to want to participate in a sale. That is a very critical piece to have in order to make something work. You need the company to want to sell. It was a very, very difficult discussion to see that we could not get that kind of participation from CanGro.

Mr. Tim Hudak: We contacted both of the potential buyers about the minister's fanciful tales and, to put it politely—

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I ask the honourable member to withdraw the comment.

Mr. Tim Hudak: I withdraw.

We asked both of the potential buyers about the minister's tale and, to put it politely, they said, "Horse feathers." In fact, they both had co-operated with CanGro to make proposals to the province of Ontario. I don't know if we'll ever find out exactly why the McGuinty government chose to let this deal collapse and see the plant close down, but it brought up the very frustrating image of the minister in China cutting a ribbon, while pink slips are being handed out to workers in Niagara.

Minister, with the plant now closing and with trees being pulled out of the ground, what are you going to do today to help Niagara tender fruit growers and the 100 displaced workers?

Hon. Sandra Pupatello: I have to tell you that I too had questions when we knew, after becoming the government in 2003, that that government, and that member in particular, participated in giving CanGro $4 million. We find out today, of course, that there were no strings, like the opportunity to keep them in operation in Ontario, attached to this $4 million. The money, in fact, was for equipment to help them become more productive—things that should have helped CanGro.

We too would still like to see CanGro here. In the absence of that, we would like to see groups come together locally. The government is not in the business of canning, but we are in the business of looking to see how something could work. We would need to see that production would still exist after a year. We would need to see that there are tender fruit growers who would provide the feedstock for canning. These are the kinds of components that the taxpayers would expect us to participate in, and I would appreciate —

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

AIR QUALITY

Mr. Peter Tabuns: A question for the Minister of the Environment: Algoma Steel wants to restart blast furnace number six without adequate pollution controls. Will you withhold a certificate of approval for start-up until a baghouse is in place?

Hon. John Gerretsen: As the member well knows, the federal member in that particular riding raised this issue, as well as our own member there, and we responded to it immediately.

Obviously, we're very much interested in the air quality in Algoma. We're looking at various aspects as to how it can be dealt with. We want to make sure that the air quality is not only good for the people of Sault Ste. Marie, but through the entire province. I can assure you that we will come up with a solution to this particular problem, so that the kind of situation that exists there right now will not occur in the future.

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Even for this minister that was an extraordinarily vague response. Will he or will he not require that a baghouse be in place before he issues a certificate of approval?

Hon. John Gerretsen: You know, air quality issues are a concern to this government, but they're also probably one of the toughest things to deal with within the entire Ministry of the Environment because, of course, air quality is not only created by particular circumstances in a particular area, but comes from elsewhere in North America as well.

I can tell you that we're studying this matter; we're looking into it. We want to make sure that the air quality for the people of Sault Ste. Marie and the people of this area is the best it can possibly be. But we also want to make sure that the jobs that are involved at Algoma Steel are obviously going to be protected in whatever way we can. We're taking the environment in that area very seriously, and we will make sure that whatever needs to be done is going to be done.

IMMIGRANTS' SKILLS

Mr. Charles Sousa: My question is for the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. We know that many in this House were excited about the recent expansion of Ontario's pilot provincial nominee program. For the first time ever, the government of Ontario now has the ability to nominate, among recent post-secondary graduates from across the country, individuals to the federal government to be fast-tracked for permanent residency status.

Would the minister tell us how this program will help address Ontario's labour market needs?

Hon. Michael Chan: Many thanks to the honourable member from Mississauga South for bringing this matter to the Legislature's attention. The Ontario pilot provincial nominee program is the first of its kind in this province. With the most recent revision, the program is now available to graduating university and college students who have received an offer of full-time employment in the province of Ontario.

The pilot provincial nominee program allows the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration to work together with our federal counterparts at Citizenship and Immigration Canada to address Ontario's labour market needs by nominating up to 500 newcomers annually.

Mr. Charles Sousa: With world-class post-secondary institutions in many ridings around the province, I know that this pilot program has generated a large amount of excitement. There are 35,000 international students studying at post-secondary institutions in Ontario and many more around the country. With such a tremendous pool of international students to draw from, Ontario is well positioned indeed for the challenges of the 21st century. Would the minister tell us what the response to the program has been like, and how does the program help businesses and individuals alike?

Hon. Michael Chan: Ontario has a proud history of welcoming newcomers. Our province has benefited greatly from the successive waves of immigration.

Studies have shown that Canada's newcomers who have the opportunity to study and work in Canada face fewer barriers to integration. They also achieve economic success at a higher rate. The honourable member is correct in pointing out that this is a pilot program. However, it's on track to be one of the most successful provincial nominee programs in the country. The McGuinty government's commitment to newcomers remains strong. We in the government know that when newcomers succeed, Ontario succeeds.

CORRECTION OF RECORD

Hon. Michael Bryant: On a point of order, Mr. Speaker: I wish to correct my own record. In an answer to a question, I said to the member that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal had issued an eviction notice. That is not the case. It was in fact Six Nations Council Chief Bill Montour who issued the eviction notice. My regrets, Mr. Speaker .

VISITORS

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I just want to take this opportunity on behalf of the leader of the third party to introduce some students who are visiting Queen's Park today from Henry Kelsey Senior Public School along with their teacher, Yvette Blackburn. We hope they enjoy their visit.

PETITIONS

LORD'S PRAYER

Mr. Bill Murdoch: I have a petition from the Shallow Lake United Church, the Louise Women's Institute and the Central Westside United Church in Owen Sound, and it's to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

"Whereas the current Liberal government is proposing to eliminate the Lord's Prayer from daily proceedings in the Ontario Legislature; and

"Whereas the recitation of the Lord's Prayer has opened the Legislature every day since the 19th century; and

"Whereas the Lord's Prayer's message of forgiveness and the avoidance of evil is universal to the human condition; it is a valuable guide and lesson for a chamber that is too often an arena for conflict; and

"Whereas recognizing the diversity of the people of Ontario should be an inclusive process, not one which excludes traditions such as the Lord's Prayer;

"Therefore we, the undersigned, ask the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to preserve the daily recitation of the Lord's Prayer by the Speaker in the Legislature."

I've also signed this.

COMMUNITY COLLEGES

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

M me France Gélinas: I have a petition from the part-time workers in colleges in Sudbury.

"Whereas part-time college workers in Ontario have been waiting for 30 years for bargaining rights; and

"Whereas thousands of part-time college workers have signed OPSEU cards, and the Ontario Labour Relations Board failed to order a timely representation vote; and

"Whereas the Ontario government must immediately make good on its promise to extend bargaining rights to college part-timers;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

"The McGuinty government must immediately pass legislation legalizing the rights of college part-timers to organize, and direct the colleges to immediately recognize OPSEU as the bargaining agent for part-time college workers."

I support this petition and will affix my name to it and give it to page Arjun.

FIREARMS CONTROL

Mr. Dave Levac: I'm pleased to stand to provide a petition to stop unlawful firearms in vehicles and support Bill 56. This is to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

"Whereas innocent people are being victimized by the growing number of unlawful firearms in our communities; and

"Whereas police officers, military personnel and lawfully licensed persons are the only people allowed to possess firearms; and

"Whereas a growing number of unlawful firearms are transported, smuggled and found in motor vehicles;"—trunks and elsewhere—"and

"Whereas impounding motor vehicles and suspending driver's licences of persons possessing unlawful firearms in motor vehicles would aid the police in their efforts to make our streets safer;"—and to keep them safe—

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to pass Bill 56, entitled the Unlawful Firearms in Vehicles Act, 2008, into law, so that we can reduce the number of crimes involving firearms in our communities."

I sign my name to this petition in support and hand it to Matthew, our page.

LORD'S PRAYER

Mr. John O'Toole: I'm pleased to present a petition on behalf of my constituents, more specifically from Trulls Road Free Methodist Church in my riding of Durham, which reads as follows:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the current Liberal government is proposing to eliminate the Lord's Prayer from its place at the beginning of daily proceedings in the Legislature; and

"Whereas the recitation of the Lord's Prayer has opened the Legislature every day since the 19th century; and

"Whereas the Lord's Prayer's message of forgiveness and the avoidance of evil is universal to the human condition: It is a valuable guide and lesson for a chamber that is too often an arena of conflict; and

"Whereas recognizing the diversity of the people of Ontario should be an inclusive process, not one which excludes traditions such as the Lord's Prayer;

"Therefore we, the undersigned, ask the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to preserve the daily recitation of the Lord's Prayer by the Speaker in the Legislature."

I'm pleased to present this on behalf of my constituents and present it to Cali, one of the new pages who started today.

HOME CARE

M me France Gélinas: I have a petition from SEIU and the people from Spanish, Serpent River and Blind River.

"Whereas the Ontario government has continued the practice of competitive bidding for home care services; and

"Whereas the competitive bidding process has increased the privatization of Ontario's health care delivery, in direct violation of the Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act, 2004; and

"Whereas competitive bidding for home care services has decreased both the continuity and quality of care available to home care clients; and

"Whereas home care workers do not enjoy the same employment rights, such as successor rights, as all other Ontario workers have, which deprives them of termination rights, seniority rights and the right to move with their work when their employer agency loses a contract;..."

They ask the Ontario government:

"(1) to immediately stop the competitive bidding for home care services so home care clients can receive the continuity and quality of care they deserve; and

"(2) to extend successor rights under the Labour Relations Act to home care workers to ensure the home care sector is able to retain a workforce that is responsive to clients' needs."

I support this petition. I'll sign my name to it and send it with page Matthew.

FIREARMS CONTROL

Mr. Pat Hoy: "To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas innocent people are being victimized by the growing number of unlawful firearms in our communities; and

"Whereas police officers, military personnel and lawfully licensed persons are the only people allowed to possess firearms; and

"Whereas a growing number of unlawful firearms are transported, smuggled and found in motor vehicles; and

"Whereas impounding motor vehicles and suspending drivers' licences of persons possessing unlawful firearms in motor vehicles would aid the police in their efforts to make our streets safer;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to pass Bill 56, entitled the Unlawful Firearms in Vehicles Act, 2008, into law so that we can reduce the number of crimes involving firearms in our communities."

I too have signed this petition.

LORD'S PRAYER

Mr. Jerry J. Ouellette: I have a petition that reads:

"To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the current Liberal government is proposing to eliminate the Lord's Prayer from its place at the beginning of daily proceedings in the Legislature; and

"Whereas the Speaker has received over 4,200 calls regarding this issue; and

"Whereas the recitation of the Lord's Prayer has been an integral part of our spiritual and parliamentary tradition since it was first established in 1793 under Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe; and

"Whereas the Lord's Prayer's message is one of forgiveness, of providing for those in need of their 'daily bread' and of preserving us from the evils that we may fall into; it is a valuable guide and lesson for a chamber that is too often an arena for conflict; and

"Whereas recognizing the diversity of the people of Ontario should be an inclusive process, not one which excludes traditions such as the Lord's Prayer;

"Therefore we, the undersigned, respectfully petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to preserve the daily recitation of the Lord's Prayer by the Speaker in the Legislature."

I affix my name in full support.

HOME CARE

M me France Gélinas: I have a petition from the Service Employees International Union and the people of Kitchener, Zurich, Clinton and Bayfield.

"Whereas the Ontario government has continued the practice of competitive bidding for home care services; and

"Whereas the competitive bidding process has increased the privatization of Ontario's health care delivery, in direct violation of the Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act, 2004; and

"Whereas competitive bidding for home care services has decreased both the continuity and quality of care available to home care clients; and

"Whereas home care workers do not enjoy the same employment rights, such as successor rights, as all other Ontario workers have, which deprives them of termination rights, seniority rights and the right to move with their work when their employer agency loses a contract;..."

They ask the Ontario government:

"(1) to immediately stop the competitive bidding for home care services so home care clients can receive the continuity and quality of care they deserve; and

"(2) to extend successor rights under the Labour Relations Act to home care workers to ensure the home care sector is able to retain a workforce that is responsive to clients' needs."

I support this petition, will sign my name to it and send it with Emily.

HOSPITAL FUNDING

Mr. Bob Delaney: I'm pleased to read this petition to the Ontario Legislative Assembly and I'd like to thank Dr. Neil Woolfson of Mississauga and his patients for having sent it to me. It reads as follows:

"Whereas wait times for access to surgical procedures in the western GTA area served by the Mississauga Halton LHIN are growing despite the vigorous capital project activity at the hospitals within the Mississauga Halton LHIN boundaries; and

"Whereas 'day surgery' procedures could be performed in an off-site facility, thus greatly increasing the ability of surgeons to perform more procedures, alleviating wait times for patients, and freeing up operating theatre space in hospitals for more complex procedures that may require post-operative intensive care unit support and a longer length of stay in hospital;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

"That the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care allocate funds in its 2008-09 capital budget to begin planning and construction of an ambulatory surgery centre located in western Mississauga to serve the Mississauga-Halton area and enable greater access to 'day surgery' procedures that comprise about four fifths of all surgical procedures performed."

I am pleased to sign and certainly support this petition and to ask page Bilaal to carry it for me

LORD'S PRAYER

Mr. Ted Chudleigh: I have a petition for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the current Liberal government is proposing to eliminate the Lord's Prayer from its place at the beginning of daily proceedings in the Legislature; and

"Whereas the recitation of the Lord's Prayer has opened the Legislature every day since the 19th century; and

"Whereas the Lord's Prayer's message of forgiveness and the avoidance of evil is universal to the human condition: It is a valuable guide and lesson for a chamber that is too often an arena of conflict; and

"Whereas recognizing the diversity of the people of Ontario should be an inclusive process, not one which excludes traditions such as the Lord's Prayer;

"Therefore we, the undersigned, ask the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to preserve the daily recitation of the Lord's Prayer by the Speaker in the Legislature."

HOSPITAL FUNDING

Mr. Joe Dickson: "To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas the Central East local health integration network board of directors has approved the Rouge Valley Health System's deficit elimination plan, subject to public meetings; and

"Whereas it is important to ensure that the new birthing unit at Centenary hospital, a $20-million expansion that will see 16 new labour, delivery, recovery and postpartum (LDRP) birthing rooms and an additional 21 postpartum rooms added by October 2008, will not cause any decline in the pediatric services currently provided at the Ajax-Pickering hospital; and

"Whereas the significant expansion of the Ajax-Pickering hospital, the largest in its 53-year history, a project that could reach $100 million, of which 90% is funded by the Ontario government—it is important to continue to have a complete maternity unit at the Ajax hospital; and

"Whereas it is also imperative for the Rouge Valley Health System to balance its budget, eliminate its deficit and debt and realize the benefits of additional Ontario government funding; and

"Whereas the parents of Ajax and Pickering deserve the right to have their children born in their own community, where they have chosen to live and work;

"Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

"That the Rouge Valley Health System continue to provide the current level of service; and

"That our Ajax-Pickering hospital now serves the fastest-growing communities of west Durham; and

"That the Ajax-Pickering hospital retain its full maternity unit."

I will affix my signature to that and pass it to Matthew.

HOSPITAL FUNDING

Mr. Bruce Crozier: In co-operation with my colleague from Mississauga—Streetsville, I read this petition to the Ontario Legislative Assembly:

"Western Mississauga ambulatory surgery centre:

"Whereas wait times for access to surgical procedures in the western GTA area served by the Mississauga Halton LHIN are growing despite the vigorous capital project activity at the hospitals within the Mississauga Halton LHIN boundaries; and

"Whereas 'day surgery' procedures could be performed in an off-site facility, thus greatly increasing the ability of surgeons to perform more procedures, alleviating wait times for patients, and freeing up operating theatre space in hospitals for more complex procedures that may require post-operative intensive care unit support and a longer length of stay in hospital;

"We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

"That the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care allocate funds in its 2008-09 capital budget to begin planning and construction of an ambulatory surgery centre located in western Mississauga to serve the Mississauga-Halton area and enable greater access to 'day surgery' procedures that comprise about four fifths of all surgical procedures performed."

I'm sure page Sheilagh will take this to the table for me.

HOSPITAL FUNDING

Mr. Joe Dickson: Because of the time element, I will commence partway through this petition:

"Whereas, despite the significant expansion of the Ajax-Pickering hospital, its largest in its 53-year history, a project that could reach $100 million, of which 90% is funded by the Ontario government, this plan now calls for the ill-advised transfer of 20 mental health unit beds from Ajax-Pickering hospital to the Centenary health centre in Scarborough; and

"Whereas one of the factors for the successful treatment of patients in the mental health unit is support from family and friends, and the distance to Centenary health centre would negatively impact on the quality care for residents of Ajax and Pickering; and

"Whereas it is also imperative for Rouge Valley Health System to balance its budget, eliminate its deficit and debt and realize the benefits of additional Ontario government funding;

"We, the undersigned, therefore petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

"That the Rouge Valley Health System continue to provide the current level of service to our Ajax-Pickering hospital, which now serves the fastest-growing communities of west Durham; and

"That the Ajax-Pickering hospital retain the badly needed 20-bed mental health unit."

I will affix my signature, and pass it to Thomas.

OPPOSITION DAY

TOBACCO CONTROL

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: I move that

whereas one of the goals of the Ontario smoke-free strategy is "to prevent smoking among Ontario's children, youth and young adults"; and

Whereas, according to the Ministry of Health Promotion's website, each year 90,000 kids in Ontario try smoking; and

Whereas an illegal smoke shop is operating on provincial land on Argyle Street in downtown Caledonia; and

Whereas the said smoke shop is located within metres of Notre Dame elementary school and within a kilometre of a local high school; and

Whereas residents in Caledonia report seeing children riding bicycles with cartons of cigarettes on their handlebars; and

Whereas illegal smoke shops are selling untested cigarettes without warnings to children and without asking for identification; and

Whereas the McGuinty Liberal government refuses to shut down illegal smoke shops in Ontario, particularly the one on Argyle Street in Caledonia;

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario calls upon the McGuinty government to move immediately to shut down all illegal smoke shops in Ontario and prosecute vendors of illegal cigarettes to the fullest extent of the law.

That is addressed to the Premier.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Mr. Runciman has moved opposition day motion number 2. I'm pleased to recognize the Leader of the Opposition to lead off.

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate you recognizing me.

I want to say at the outset that this, from the perspective of the official opposition, the Progressive Conservative Party, is essentially a health issue. We're primarily concerned about the health of children in the Caledonia area, but well beyond that as well, in terms of the impact of illegal smoke shops operating apparently with impunity within the province of Ontario.

When we've had debates and discussions in this House over the years related to curtailing smoking in Ontario and curbs on smoking in Ontario, we've frequently had groups in the gallery who are adamantly opposed to smoking, no matter where it might occur in the province. I remember a gentleman by the name of Garfield Mahood who was here on virtually every occasion. But strangely, we don't see those people with respect to this issue.

We clearly don't hear the government, but we don't see all of those other people who professed on a regular basis in the past to be concerned about the impacts of smoking—second-hand smoke in restaurants, bars, lounges, etc.—in public places. Of course, this Legislature and governments past and present have moved to address that issue.

But here we have a situation where I think it's legitimate to ask about the sincerity of people who can make that kind of distinction, who can say it's wrong for vendors in legal operations, primarily in convenience stores in this province, to do certain things in terms of sale of cigarettes, but essentially ignore illegal operations that are making cheap and illegal cigarettes available, in many instances, to kids.

I suggest this is a sort of conspiracy of silence. I would call it a deathly silence. I think "deathly" is an appropriate word to use because I think we all agree that cigarettes kill, and not just the ones that are sold in convenience stores.

Where are the folks? Where are the people speaking up about this issue? Where is the Minister of Health Promotion? When she is asked questions about these kind of operations in Ontario, she declines to answer. She refers the question to the Solicitor General, who then obfuscates and talks about other issues, rather than the question directed to the Minister of Health Promotion dealing with the sale of illegal cigarettes to children in this province.

We're told that currently 38% of the cigarettes in Ontario are now coming through illegal operations. I say "conspiracy of silence." Regrettably, I say this: It even seems to extend to some elements of the media. We've raised this issue on a number of occasions in this place, and I recall—I could be mistaken—Christina Blizzard of the Toronto Sun as the only one who has written or reported on this issue.

When we originally raised the issue with the Minister of Health Promotion, there was a huge scrum of the minister outside, all kinds of television cameras, yet nothing appeared on the electronic media, and nothing in the print media. I'm not sure what happens, whether the editors at the television stations and the print operations simply cut that off. I'm not sure. The reality is, it's not just the government, it's not just the lobby groups that lobby against smoking, it's also to some degree, regrettably, the media that don't want to touch this, which I agree is a rather sensitive issue. There's no question about it.

It is a real problem. We're talking about cigarettes where there are no warning signs, no labels, no understanding of where these cigarettes or the tobacco in these cigarettes are coming from, or what's contained in that tobacco. There's no lab analysis required and no indication of the contents.

We just have to go back to a police raid recently where hundreds of thousands of illegal cigarettes were found coming in from China, and a number of arrests occurred as a result. Well, that's the kind of thing that's happening. Those kinds of products are getting into these stores and being dispensed, and who knows what is contained in the tobacco? Certainly in the Caledonia area, with the store that we've cited in the motion, we know that cigarettes are being sold to minors, to kids. We've had people telling us about kids going away from there with cartons of cigarettes on their bicycle handles. These are very serious operations.

When you talk about these legal operations—and I'm talking primarily of convenience stores. I was in a convenience store recently in my hometown of Brockville and I met a very young guy, who is operating this, having a real struggle to make ends meet in this operation. He was working on putting shelves underneath, where cigarettes would be out of sight—he couldn't afford to hire anyone—to hide cigarettes from public view.

He was telling me that within the last month he has had two inspectors in to ensure that he's doing it and that his cigarettes—he's complying with the Smoke-Free Ontario Act requirements. He has also had an audit—two inspections and an audit in less than two months of a young Ontarian paying his taxes, abiding by the law. That's the kind of—I would suggest—harassment by the bureaucracy while they ignore all of these illegal operations, with the endorsement of this Liberal government. That's the reality: with the endorsement of this Liberal government.

Turn a blind eye to lawlessness: That's essentially what's happening, and at the same time jeopardize the health of young people in this province.

You can be so self-righteous—we see it day after day in the Liberal ranks across the room here—about issues like this: "We're going to protect the health of Ontarians." But here, when we're talking about 38% of the cigarettes being sold in this province going through illegal operations, they won't even answer a question about it. They won't respond.

Mr. Robert Bailey: Shameful.

Mr. Robert W. Runciman: It is indeed shameful. They're putting at risk the health of young people and many other Ontarians, and the Minister of Aboriginal Affairs has the gall to get up here today and say, "We're going to kick these folks off the land." Then he gets up and corrects his own record and says, "No, we're not going to kick them off; Six Nations is going to kick them off." Who owns the property? Have you ceded ownership of the property? There's nothing but mumbo-jumbo, no real effort to justify a position—which is unjustifiable, without question.

This government has a lot to explain. They cannot explain it. We call upon them to shut down these illegal operations and protect the health of our children.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Ted Arnott): Further debate?

Mr. Rosario Marchese: I am happy to say a few words on this particular motion. I want to say that parts of this motion are things that I personally can support and other parts of the motion trouble me a little bit.

When the member from Leeds—Grenville talks about the issue being a health-related issue, I say, yes, that's a good point, and we could and should be talking about that. I am interested in this whole issue a great deal because I am not a smoker. I find cigarettes offensive and distasteful, although I have indulged in a cigar from time to time, I have to admit. But every effort that we have made over the years to try to discourage people from smoking is an effort that I support.

Over the last 20 years, people have made an effort to persuade governments that we need to be tough on the issue of smoking because it kills individuals and it affects their families and because it's an incredible health burden on societ