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April 13, 2010

39th Parliament, 2nd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcripts 2010-Apr-13 (PDF)

L014 - Tue 13 Apr 2010 / Mar 13 avr 2010

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 13 April 2010 Mardi 13 avril 2010

ORDERS OF THE DAY

RETIREMENT HOMES ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR LES MAISONS

DE RETRAITE

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

POLISH COMMUNITY

LEGISLATIVE PAGES

ORAL QUESTIONS

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

PUBLIC TRANSIT

PUBLIC TRANSIT

LOCAL HEALTH

INTEGRATION NETWORKS

JUSTICE SYSTEM

PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS

AGRI-FOOD INDUSTRY

FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN

TOURISM

POVERTY

AGRI-FOOD INDUSTRY

TAXATION

FRENCH-LANGUAGE SERVICES

CONSUMER PROTECTION

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

JACKSON KUHN

KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE 2010

ONTARIO PHARMACISTS

CHILDREN’S TREATMENT CENTRES

HIGHWAY SERVICE CENTRES

TANNING SALONS

LEADING WOMEN,

BUILDING COMMUNITIES AWARD

CHRISTINA DOYLE

TYLER WILLIAM TODD

REPORTS BY COMMITTEES

COMITÉ PERMANENT

DE LA POLITIQUE SOCIALE /

STANDING COMMITTEE

ON SOCIAL POLICY

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

SKIN CANCER PREVENTION ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR LA PRÉVENTION

DU CANCER DE LA PEAU

GREAT LAKES SHORELINE

RIGHT OF PASSAGE ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR LE DROIT

DE PASSAGE SUR LE LITTORAL

DES GRANDS LACS

STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING

DAY ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR LA JOURNÉE

POUR L’ÉLIMINATION

DE LA TRAITE DES PERSONNES

CARBON MONOXIDE

AWARENESS WEEK ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR LA SEMAINE

DE LA SENSIBILISATION

AU MONOXYDE DE CARBONE

MADE IN ONTARIO ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR L’IDENTIFICATION

DES PRODUITS FAITS EN ONTARIO

MOTIONS

INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER

HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL DAY

PETITIONS

TAXATION

WATER QUALITY

ELMVALE DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL

TAXATION

ONTARIO PHARMACISTS

COMMUNITY SAFETY

TAXATION

WATER QUALITY

TUITION

FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN

HEALTH CARE

ORDERS OF THE DAY

ENERGY CONSUMER

PROTECTION ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR LA PROTECTION

DES CONSOMMATEURS D’ÉNERGIE

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

RETIREMENT HOMES ACT, 2010 /

LOI DE 2010 SUR LES MAISONS

DE RETRAITE

Mr. Phillips moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 21,

An Act to regulate retirement homes / Projet de loi 21, Loi réglementant les maisons de retraite.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Debate?

Hon. Gerry Phillips: I should inform the House that I’ll be sharing my time with my parliamentary assistant, the member for Brampton West.

I’m honoured to lead off this debate. If passed, it’s the first time in Ontario’s history that we are going to regulate our retirement home industry and our retirement home sector. If passed, the legislation will establish a regulatory body that will have the authority to identify, license, inspect and regulate our retirement home sector. We also will establish care and safety standards for our retirement homes.

Perhaps most importantly, we’ll ensure that residents of those retirement homes have clearly defined rights in terms of expectations around their contract, their relationship with the retirement home operator and freedom from any abuse—zero tolerance of that. If passed, this legislation will, I think, establish the appropriate oversight of an important part of our province.

If I might, I just want to acknowledge briefly the tremendous work of the staff at the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat. I’ve now been the minister for three months, so I’ve inherited this project and I’m proud that I have inherited it. I want to acknowledge the dedicated work by our staff, some of whom are here today.

I also want to acknowledge the work that has gone on around the province; we’ve had consultations in 12 different cities. There have been well over 800 different individuals and organizations that participated in those consultations, and they very much helped to shape the legislation that we’re looking at today.

I also want to acknowledge my predecessors. As I say, I’ve been the minister now for three months, so I have been lucky enough to have the responsibility for bringing forward this legislation, but my predecessors really helped to shape this. Particularly, I want to acknowledge Aileen Carroll, who was the minister responsible just before me. Really, she devoted a lot of her time and attention to this, and I get an opportunity to bring to fruition, I hope, much of her work.

Why is the legislation important? I think all members of the Legislature understand the changing demographics in our province. In just a few short years, probably in four or five years, there will be more seniors, people 65 years of age and older, than there are young people under 15—quite a dramatic change. Our number of seniors will more than double over the next 20 years, so we need, as a province, to continue to evolve to ensure that we provide the environment that maximizes our opportunities for seniors.

I probably need to declare a conflict here, in that I myself am a senior, so I am particularly interested. I hope it’s still appropriate that I proceed with this legislation.

My goal on behalf of the Legislature is, as I said earlier, to try and ensure that this province provides a maximum opportunity for seniors to live to their full potential. I would say that seniors can be anyone from a 90-year-old frail person in a nursing home to a 65-year-old person who is running marathons, continuing to be, perhaps, full-time employed in some endeavour and extremely active. I recognize and we recognize that breadth of seniors. We need to, in this province, ensure that we adapt to that complexity of seniors.

My own view is that there are six areas that we need to focus on. The one we often think of is health, but there’s also safety and security for seniors—everything from elder abuse to ensuring that they are secure from financial abuse; ensuring that we adapt our employment and volunteer sector to accommodate our changing demographics; that the language we use is age-friendly; that our communities change and adapt to make sure that our seniors are fully accommodated.

Obviously, an important

part is accommodation, where one lives. That’s what this legislation is dealing with, a part of that. For the members’ information there are, we believe, approximately 700 retirement homes in the province. When we say “we believe,” they are currently not identified, and that’s part of what this legislation will do. The estimate is 700 and there are approximately, we believe, 40,000 people who live in these retirement homes. It’s an important part of our province.

When we think of retirement homes, many of us think of the quality homes that exist in our communities, very well run, serving our seniors very well. We also recognize that there are some that aren’t as well run and some that aren’t serving our seniors as well as all of us would like.

I think all members of the Legislature appreciate the important role that seniors have played and continue to play in our province, and the responsibility we have to ensure, to the best of our ability, that when they select a retirement home, they can be confident of the safety and security and the treatment they will receive in that home.

I’m about to turn my opportunity here over to my parliamentary assistant, but I just want to say that I think this proposed act, if passed, will be an important additional milestone in the province of Ontario: the first time we regulate and license retirement homes. It is a solid step forward.

I look forward to the debate—I make the assumption that this bill will move to committee, where the public will have some opportunity, but that will be up to the Legislature to decide—and then to ultimate passage of the bill and, for the first time, as I say, the regulation, licensing and oversight of our retirement home sector.

With that, I’d like to turn the opportunity over to my colleague the member from Brampton West.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): The member for Brampton West.

Mr. Vic Dhillon: It’s a pleasure to share time today with Minister Phillips, the minister responsible for seniors, and it’s with great pride that I’m able to give this very important issue the time it deserves.

As the minister has mentioned, the proposed Retirement Homes Act is about our loved ones. Seniors have a very special place in our lives, whether it’s in their role as a mentor, grandparent, parent or friend. We count on their wisdom, experience and advice, and we want nothing more but the very best for them and the 40,000 seniors living in retirement homes today.

If passed, this act would create and protect residents’ rights including, among other things, the right to know the true cost of accommodation and the right to live in an environment that promotes zero tolerance of abuse and neglect.

The journey up until this point has been a long one, but I think we can all agree that anything that’s worth doing well takes time. We’re talking about improving the quality of life for our loved ones, and that means we want to make sure we’re doing this right.

The hard-working staff at the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat went across the province in 2007 to talk to more than 800 people in 12 cities about retirement homes. We talked to a lot of seniors, retirement home operators and seniors’ advocates. They told us what’s working and what’s not working, and they discussed expectations.

Here’s what people told us during those consultations. One message came through loud and clear over and over again from operators, residents and their families; that is, that the retirement home sector should be regulated. Participants also said we should recognize the range of care services available across the sector.

They told staff that any proposed regulation should not restrict the flexibility of operators to decide which care services to provide, and should not limit seniors’ choice about where they live. They also asked to keep the cost of regulation reasonable.

When asked about what the standards should cover, most felt there should be standards for any care service offered by a retirement home operator. More specifically, many participants said there should be standards for infection control and evacuation procedures. Groups in almost every city also felt there should be standards for assessment of residents’ care needs to ensure that residents are able to make an informed choice about their care and accommodation.

There was virtually unanimous agreement that restraints should not be permitted in retirement homes but that personal assistance devices, if used properly, would be okay.

Every group was asked who should be responsible for ensuring that care standards are met. Most agreed that enforcement should be handled by a third party—an independent body. Many groups told us that the responsibilities of an independent body should include helping homes meet requirements, inspecting homes, enforcing care standards and dealing with consumer complaints.

We also asked groups about what should happen to homes that don’t meet the standards. Most felt that the public had a right to know which homes were not meeting the standards, but only after operators had failed to take the proper steps to correct the problems. They told us that an independent body could and should use a variety of measures to ensure compliance with standards, starting from the least punitive fines, and only after other measures are exhausted should a licence be revoked.

We went away from those consultations, and armed with the insights and recommendations we heard, we went to work. Staff at the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat worked very hard with colleagues in other ministries, from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services, to develop legislation that, if passed, would not only ensure informed choice for our seniors but also ensure the viability of an industry that is expected to grow considerably over the next few years.

How will it do this? The proposed bill is split into several parts: fundamental principles and definition of a retirement home; the creation of the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority; licensing requirements; residents’ rights, care and safety; enforcement; appeals of licensing decisions or orders; and finally, important details such as the creation of regulations and a public register listing all retirement homes, their size, location and inspection results.

The first

part is about the fundamental principles that the minister responsible for seniors told us about before. A retirement home is to be operated so that it is a place where residents live with dignity, respect, privacy and autonomy, in security, safety and comfort, and can make informed choices about their care options. The proposed legislation defines a retirement home as a place that is occupied primarily by a person over the age of 65 who is unrelated to the owner, where there are at least two care services available from a list of 10, and potentially more, through regulations, if we find they are needed.

The minimum number of residents would be set at six through regulation so that we would have the flexibility to change this number if necessary.

The proposed legislation would apply to rental accommodations and would not include condos or life leases.

The second part of the proposed act would establish the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority. This authority would be responsible for licensing homes, educating operators and staff, and ensuring compliance through issuing orders and revoking licences, if necessary.

Specifically, this part would establish the board of directors’ qualifications and reappointment; define the mandate of the authority; provide the ability to set and collect fees, and to use these funds collected to carry out the mandate of the authority; create the positions of registrar, risk officer and complaints review officer within the authority and outline their responsibilities; require the authority to establish a code of ethics; and establish an emergency fund.

The next

section includes licensing requirements for all retirement homes. No retirement home would be able to operate in Ontario without a licence granted by the registrar. This part of the proposed act would also set out the following process for licensing requirements: eligibility criteria; the registrar’s powers, including the ability to make inquiries, conduct investigations and inspections, grant and refuse a licence, and impose conditions on those licences; the process for granting, refusing or placing conditions on a licence; and all reasonable costs associated with the registrar’s investigation or inspection to be paid by the applicant.

The proposed Retirement Homes Act would establish residents’ rights that would be fully respected and promoted by the licensees of any retirement home in Ontario.

The following protections would be included: the right to clear information about the contents of a resident’s contract with the retirement home, specifically the different types of accommodation and care services provided in the home and their costs; the right to an individualized plan of care based on an assessment of a resident’s needs; the right to contract with external care providers if residents so choose; and the right to know about the protections available to residents, including the home’s complaints process and whistle-blowing protections.

Licensees would be required to comply with care and safety standards, which would be set out in regulation.

We’re looking at several approaches to the development of standards to ensure we come up with the best fit for Ontario. We would work with industry partners and seniors’ groups to ensure the standards address the broad range of care needs of residents; these standards are workable in Ontario’s retirement home sector; and they allow for more informed decision-making, safety and consistency across all retirement homes.

A possible care standard could involve extra training for front-line staff on abuse recognition and prevention and mental health issues, including caring for persons with dementia, behaviour management and the use of personal assistance devices. It could include setting maximum limits for the temperature of bath water.

Safety standards could detail requirements such as specific skills and training for staff in dealing with emergency and evacuation procedures. They could include certain requirements for infection prevention and control programs or a written policy to promote zero tolerance of abuse and neglect of residents.

All retirement homes would be required to develop a plan of care for every resident upon entering a home. This plan would need to be reviewed at least every six months, based on an assessment of a resident’s care needs, and would require a resident’s full participation and permission.

The next

section of the proposed act also spells out the following protections:

Zero tolerance of abuse and neglect: Licensees would be required to protect residents from abuse by anyone and ensure that residents are not neglected by staff. Licensees would be required to develop a written policy on zero tolerance of abuse and neglect.

An absolute prohibition on the use of restraints: The prohibition would not apply to the common-law duty to restrain a person when there is imminent harm possible to the person or others. Every licensee would need to keep records about how often this common-law duty has been used.

Licensees would only be permitted to use personal assistance devices if they are included in a resident’s plan of care; for example, temporary supports to help keep a person upright. The use of these devices would have to be considered by the resident or the resident’s substitute decision-maker and used according to the manufacturer’s operating instructions.

Licensees would have to ensure that staff do not confine a resident to a secure unit unless certain rules set out by the act are met. For example, the use of confinement would have to be outlined in the resident’s plan of care and consented to by the resident or the resident’s substitute decision-maker. Residents would also have the right to contact a rights adviser on these situations.

Licensees would have to establish a residents’ council if requested by the residents of the retirement home. Licensees would have to provide an assistant to support the council, respond to items raised by the council and not interfere with the council’s operations.

Licensees would be required to screen staff and volunteers and ensure they receive minimum training in areas such as care and safety.

I’m very proud to say that improved fire safety is another important protection we’re reinforcing in our proposed act. We recognize the importance of the building and fire codes as the primary source for fire safety, so our proposed act would require every retirement home to comply with all existing fire and safety requirements under those codes. If this legislation passes, we would, for the first time, have a public listing of retirement homes that would include information on whether they have sprinklers. This information would support people in their choice of retirement home, and help our fire and police services know more about the retirement homes in their communities.

It’s worth noting that sprinklers are just one of many tools we can use in addressing fire safety. In fact, a recent letter from the Ontario Professional Fire Fighters Association states that sprinklers “are not a magic bullet.” The letter goes on to say that “all factors must be considered, from existing code compliances to implementing approved fire safety plans to proper emergency response capabilities.”

This legislation, if passed, would require all homes to have specific evacuation plans for fire and other emergencies. It would also require that all retirement home staff be trained in fire prevention and safety. Further to these measures, retirement homes would be required to include any fire and safety plans in the information packages given to every resident, and an explanation of the measures to be taken in case of a fire would have to be posted in the home. We know that there are particular concerns about fires that occur at night. Our proposed legislation would require that information about night-time staffing levels also be included in that information package.

These measures would not only give seniors important information about fire safety as they consider retirement home accommodations; they would also reassure residents living in licensed retirement homes that fire and building code requirements have been met, that staff have been trained and that there are emergency and evacuation plans in place.

The next part of this Retirement Homes Act deals with the enforcement powers of the authority’s registrar. This includes inspections, the complaints process, different orders that can be made by the registrar and offences under the act.

This

section would include: the timing of inspections, including surprise inspections, and the powers of the inspector; the circumstances for when a warrant is required; and the emergency powers available to the inspector when faced with extenuating circumstances.

It would also set out the process for complaints to the registrar. In addition to obligating retirement homes to have an internal complaints process for residents, the act would, if passed, give residents, their families or caregivers the right to go directly to the authority’s registrar with concerns about care and safety. The registrar would review each complaint and, based on the nature of the complaint, investigate further and take appropriate action or decide to take no action. The registrar would then notify the complainant about the decision.

Complainants who are unhappy with the registrar’s decision would be able to write to the complaints review officer to review the process used by the registrar to reach his or her decision. The complaints review officer would ensure that all information was considered in making the decision.

Orders of the registrar would be broken down into various separate categories: a person suspected of operating a retirement home without a licence would be ordered to either apply for a licence or cease operating a retirement home; a licensee who has breached a requirement under the act would be given a compliance order; orders to employ or retain, at the licensee’s expense, one or more people to manage or assist in managing the retirement home; orders to pay a financial penalty; and finally, as a last resort, revoking the licence for the retirement home.

Before a revocation order can be made, a notice of intent would first be sent to the licensee to allow the licensee time to respond to the issues raised by the registrar.

I’d now like to talk about how the proposed act deals with the appeals process for anyone served with a licensing decision or a registrar’s order. Anyone served with a licensing decision or a registrar’s order would be able to appeal the registrar’s decision to the Licence Appeal Tribunal. They could also appeal the tribunal’s decision to Divisional Court on questions of law.

There are other general, but key, requirements set out by the act, including:

—creating a public retirement home register by the authority, listing details about the licensed retirement homes, including location, number of residents, inspection results and whether or not they have sprinklers;

—confidentiality clauses to protect information collected by the authority;

—protection for whistle-blowers; and

—regulations for caregivers; different classes of licences, defining what constitutes physical, financial, verbal, emotional or sexual abuse; licensing requirements; and financial penalties, which include the amounts and criteria, and this information to be included in an order for payment; information governing the review by the LAT of the proposed order for payment of an administrative penalty; and regulations leading to how the emergency fund would be used.

There would also be a requirement for a review of the act to be undertaken by the minister within five years of proclamation, and for this review to be tabled in the Legislature.

In conclusion, this proposed act addresses virtually all of the recommendations we heard during our consultations, from requiring care standards for any care service offered by a retirement home, to establishing a third party independent regulatory body to enforce those standards, to creating and protecting residents’ rights. Ultimately, this act is about ensuring that Ontario’s seniors are able to maintain the independence they hold dear. It’s about ensuring they are treated with respect and that they can have peace of mind knowing they are able to make informed choices about living in any retirement home in the province of Ontario.

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

Mr. John O’Toole: I’m very pleased to respond to Bill 21. At this point, I’m actually anxious to hear from our critic, the member from Cambridge, who has studied the bill and who, I think, has a lot of valid comments. I’m only responding to his remarks in the media with respect to the introduction of this bill, and I think he summed it up quite succinctly when he said that the government is really avoiding the obvious question of the backlog in emergency rooms in our hospitals today.

This is primarily caused by ALC—alternative level of care—patients, who can’t be discharged because they have accompanying medical issues, which puts a lot of costs onto the hospitals, and there is a jam-up with the family. What’s missing here is a plan for long-term care. In the election they promised—they make a lot of promises, but most of them never come true. The real issue here is that the promise that they were going to create or at least modernize some of the long-term-care facilities in Ontario simply hasn’t happened. Unfortunately, the families and the individuals are in a situation that isn’t particularly good for them.

The other part of it is that there was the inquest of the 92-year-old woman who died in a retirement home, suggesting that the case there was that she really should have been in a more appropriate setting. I am interested in the remarks, in a few minutes, by our member from Cambridge, who has worked on this and is very familiar with the issues involved.

At the end of the day, I think that vulnerable people were probably in favour of a good part of this bill. I can tell from personal experience that regulation is already happening in my riding. I have power of attorney for my mother-in-law, who fell and couldn’t be discharged. Eventually, the hospital wanted the bed, and pretty soon I had to pay for retirement. There is no funding in retirement homes and that’s the real issue here. There’s no money—

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): The member for Nickel Belt.

M me France Gélinas: I must say that I have been waiting for the regulation of retirement homes for a long time. The bill was a long time in coming, and I was kind of glad that it finally came out. So this is a little positive step.

I would say that the aim of the bill is what we all want: We want to protect the frail elderly, who make up the great majority of people who live in retirement homes. We want to give them some sort of protection and make sure we protect them from abuse at every level, and the bill aims at doing this.

Unfortunately, there is an ocean between what the goals are and what will actually come out. One of the key pieces of the bill is the establishment of an oversight mechanism. There is nothing in the bill that prevents the oversight mechanism from being dominated by the major players within the industry. Basically, you would have the owners and representatives of retirement homes policing themselves. This is a system that does not give the frail, the elderly in Ontario the protection they deserve and the protection that the government has set out in this bill to provide, and that brings me great worries.

When the introduction by the honourable minister and his parliamentary assistants was laid out—I think they’re going in the right direction, but I think the bill needs stronger teeth in order to achieve what they wanted to achieve. At the end of the day, we want the tragedy that happened in Ottawa, where a woman died, the tragedies that are happening right now in retirement homes, to end. This bill is not going to do that.

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

Mr. Jeff Leal: I certainly appreciated the comments this morning of the minister without portfolio responsible for seniors in the province of Ontario and indeed his parliamentary assistant. It goes without saying that this legislation, Bill 21, I think is something that will pass this House. I think in many ways it’s a non-partisan issue, because we’re all very concerned about our elderly citizens in the province of Ontario. Many of them, of course, are veterans. I know the youngest of those World War II veterans are in their mid-80s.

I was just recently reading in a Legion publication that in fact 400 to 500 World War II veterans are dying each week now across Canada, because they are a very declining group. And there are others, the people who have made investments in our communities. Those community leaders now find themselves in retirement homes. This piece of legislation will bring about a framework to make sure that a spouse, a loved one, a family member can have confidence in what is taking place in our retirement homes across the province of Ontario.

This piece of legislation is certainly long overdue, and I salute previous ministers for seniors in the province for working on this particular area for a lengthy period of time. Over 800 people have participated in the public consultations, and it would be my view that all parties in this House will work in a very co-operative spirit to make sure that Bill 21 is the very best piece of legislation possible to look after our very fragile citizens in the province of Ontario.

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

Mr. Randy Hillier: This Bill 21, although well-intended, causes me a little bit of concern as I read through it. It’s clear, from my reading of it, that the government is confusing long-term-care facilities and retirement homes, and actually maybe creeping and pushing or increasing the role of retirement homes into that of a long-term-care facility. Listening to the member speaking, talking about frail elderly people and war veterans etc., not everybody—I would put this position forward: People who go to retirement homes are actually independent living members of society, residents.

They’re going to a retirement home. They fully have their faculties and are competent and capable of living independently. This bill is transposing that view that everybody who goes to a retirement home is in need of government oversight and care.

I think the member from Durham hit it on the head here. Is this the result of this government not providing adequate resources in the long-term-care facilities? Are they not building enough beds for long-term care and alternative levels of care and therefore now trying to impose long-term-care requirements in the retirement field? If you look at what a resident retirement home is in the act, it really opens it up to any apartment building of more than six units that would fall under this act.

I really would like the government to reconsider and take another look at this bill and how it’s going to affect—

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Thank you. Response? The minister without portfolio and responsible for seniors.

Hon. Gerry Phillips: I appreciate the comments from my colleagues here.

To the member from Nickel Belt: She makes a reasonable point on the oversight body. Her concern, I think, was that it not be dominated by the industry spokespeople. I think I can reassure her on that. Firstly, the chair would be appointed by the government, so we have control on that. We would appoint not a majority of the board members but a significant number of the board members. We have told the industry that we’re looking for board members who understand the industry but are not there representing the industry. As we go through the debate, I hope she’ll feel confident that the regulatory body will be representing the interests of the residents pretty clearly.

I appreciate the comments from my colleague from Peterborough that this is about finding ways that we provide accommodation with confidence for our seniors.

To the members for Lanark–Frontenac–Lennox and Addington—my apologies; it’s a long one—and Durham: They both made the same point, I think. We are responding here to province-wide consultations from people who are residents of retirement homes, seniors’ organizations and industry.

This is about retirement homes. I’m happy to debate long-term-care homes and what we’ve done there. I think we’ve added at least 8,000 new beds there. But this is about retirement homes and responding to the consultations—

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): Thank you very much. Further debate?

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: I’m pleased to rise today to discuss Bill 21, a bill with some 127 clauses dealing with upgrading the retirement home field, which at the present time has no licensing and little in the way of regulation other than that dealing with the physical surroundings under municipal bylaws.

In order to discuss retirement homes, we have to discuss how we are going to treat our seniors in the future. I, like the honourable minister, happen to be a senior but that doesn’t change things. We are both, I believe, intent on ensuring that our seniors live comfortable, capable lives and are treated with respect.

However, we have to define what we’re dealing with. Retirement homes at the present time are basically unregulated. This act, for the first time, will regulate them by the provincial government, and that is a good thing.

This is a private enterprise, or non-profit enterprise, dealing with retirement homes. There are approximately 43,000 residents in retirement homes in the province of Ontario. The homes receive nothing in the way of assistance from this government. They are totally separate from this government. They do not receive any funds from this government for caring for their seniors.

So who pays for it? Well, the seniors do. The seniors pay for not only the rent and the food, but they pay for every single service. Those services that are the most important when you’re dealing with a senior are personal services.

Now, let’s turn for a moment to long-term-care facilities. They are very similar, if you look at the plan, to retirement homes except that they do receive a subsidy—it could be as high as $40,000 per resident—and that money is allocated for their personal care. It’s a very expensive project. Here we have long-term-care residents whose homes or residences receive $40,000 per resident in subsidies from this government, and we have retirement homes that receive nothing in the way of subsidies from this government. So when the retirement homes talk about personal care, that is all going to be borne by the resident.

There’s nothing wrong with that. We can have two standards: long-term-care facilities and retirement homes. The only problem would seem to be the negligence of this government in establishing more long-term-care beds that will be required for the seniors in this province. As the minister said, in a short 10 years, our seniors are going to double. We have just seen the beginning of the baby boomers starting to retire and starting to require greater service in their advancing years.

What’s happening in the long-term-care-facility world? I could discuss that for hours, but I chose an

article by Christina Blizzard of the Toronto Sun which, I think, gives the flavour of what’s going on in long-term care.

“It’s barbaric. Imagine asking a family to put their frail, 89-year-old mom with failing eyesight into a home almost three hours away from her family, her friends, her doctors and her support system.

“Yet that’s the devastating choice that’s being offered Maureen Cross in the northwestern Ontario town of Kenora.

“After surgery in Winnipeg, Cross’s mother, Bernice, decided she could no longer live alone and needed to be in long-term care.

“‘She was not in any shape to go anywhere except there,’ Cross said in a telephone interview.

“‘She feared being by herself.’

“Imagine the shock she got when she was told by the community care access centre ... that her mother would have to go to a home in Fort Frances, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from her home.

“She’s not alone. Right across the province, alternate level of care ... patients—those who are chronically ill and need long-term care—are being told they can’t stay in hospital and must move to a long-term facility that may be hours from friends and family.

“Kenora-Rainy River MPP Howard Hampton says” the LHINs “are being told to get chronically ill patients out of hospitals and into long-term facilities.

“Without enough beds, though, patients are being forced into neighbouring communities, or wherever a vacancy occurs.

“New Democrat health critic France Gélinas says she’s been dealing with this issue in her Nickel Belt riding for the past five years. Now it’s spreading across the province.”

It’s happening in Cambridge; it’s happening in our region. We have, as I understand it, about 36 individuals, seniors, who now call the Cambridge Memorial Hospital their home—their home, ladies and gentlemen.

Members, a hospital is not a home; it is a place where one goes when one is ill. But they are there. They call it their home now because there is no place for them to go.

“When a hospital gets too backed up with ALC patients, it asks for a 1-A classification, meaning it gets priority to transfer the patient to the first available long-term-care facility, no matter where it is.

“That’s causing heartbreak, with husbands and wives being split up.”

In my short tenure as an MPP, I’ve had at least two cases where husbands and wives were in fact split up. If you can imagine individuals who have lived together—in matrimonial bliss, we all like to think—for many, many years, and now they are sent to separate cities. Now, they were corrected by the community care access centre in our area. However, it did occur and it lasted for months.

“The irony in Kenora is there are 20 beds available in a home for the aged. They just don’t have the funding to open them, Hampton reports.

“This is disgraceful.

“In many ways we have a wonderful health system. We have skilled doctors and caring nurses who go the extra mile for patients.

“Sadly, to access that care, patients often have to negotiate a bureaucratic nightmare of red tape.

“The government has downloaded responsibility for health spending to these faceless LHINs”—and now I am afraid that they are going to be downloading the costs of taking care of our aged in retirement homes by privatizing our health care system.

“At the very time when our parents and grandparents most need their loved ones around them, they are shipped off to an unfamiliar place to die among strangers.

“People who have lived and worked all their lives in communities like these should be allowed the dignity of being cared [for] close to the family, close to those who love them, in their final days.

“This is a heartless bureaucracy gone crazy. You can’t ship frail old people out of town just so you can balance the books.”

Unfortunately, I believe that’s what’s happening in our long-term-care facilities, and to find out what this government is doing is very difficult. We’ve been trying now for a few weeks, and it’s most difficult. So, like the public, let’s find out what the government is doing.

I went to the website of the Minister of Health, and it says on the website at the present time, “As of February 14, 2008, the following beds have opened since October 2003”—which is the date of the election of the McGuinty government. It’s headed, “7,712—new”—7,712 beds have opened. What does that mean? Notice the careful word “opened”—not tendered, not approved, not subsidized, not built by the government, but opened. Most of those beds, quite frankly, were part of a program of the former government to build 20,000 new beds in this province; of course, not all of them were built, but they were all tendered.

So there was no further tendering required, there were no further approvals required, and most of those 7,712 beds were, in fact, a slop over of part of those 20,000 beds.

This government did redevelop 8,958, which is a good thing; that’s great. Some of them needed redevelopment, and that was done. Unfortunately, it does not add to the number of new beds, though I certainly applaud the government for redeveloping these beds.

Then it says, “In the summer 2007”—coincidentally, by the way, with the upcoming election, which I guess was in 2007, the last one—wow: 2,412 new beds. We’re talking about 76,000 beds outstanding in the province of Ontario, and this government, for the first time after four years in office, is planing to build 2,412 beds. Wow. They went to all the openings with the bells and whistles, and they cut the ribbons because they had nothing to do with it. They did not approve those beds. They did not subsidize those beds in any way. The building of them—they did not get a building permit.

They didn’t tender them—that was already done. All they did was cut the ribbon, and on their website they say they’ve opened 8,800 beds. I don’t even know whether they’ve opened up the 2,412 they planned in 2007.

We are having difficulty finding information, but if we go to the secretariat of seniors to find out what’s going on, I think—it’s much more honest, if I may put it that way, and knowing the minister, I can understand why.

It says that since 2003 the government has redeveloped 8,032 beds—which is close to the 8,958 redeveloped, according to the Minister of Health—and will be opening an additional 1,942 beds over the next few years. That’s great. It’s a pretty paltry amount of beds, considering we have all of these people piling up in our hospitals. What disrespect.

Our seniors have worked in this country. They have built our wealth, they have raised we who sit in this House, and we make them live in a hospital and call the hospital their home. That is not respect. Maybe we didn’t intend it, but it is not respect from any member of this Legislature.

What is happening? I think the following beds have been open since October, the 7,712. We know that maybe 1,900 of those were approved in some way by this government, but I don’t think so. This reference in the secretariat website doesn’t mention one new bed, except that there are plans to build 1,942 new beds, which I don’t understand because it says in the—what confusion; what confusion between two silos of our government. They don’t know what the right hand and the left hand are doing.

It definitely says—this is the Ministry of Health—that in the summer of 2007, 2,412 new long-term beds were awarded to meet the growing demand in key communities across the province. If there were beds being built in long-term-care facilities by this government, then by their own website, it looks like it’s something in the order of a maximum of 4,000. Considering they’ve been elected twice now, that’s eight years. So they’ve possibly built that amount, which, if I take a look at the arithmetic—and I’m not good at arithmetic—76,000 beds presently exist, and those beds, well, that’s less than 4%.

How are we possibly going to give our long-term-care people, our seniors, who we know are going to double—how is this Legislature going to care for these people if we’re not building long-term-care facilities, which cost this government $40,000 a bed per year? Where are these people going to go? Can we leave them in the hospital? A hospital is not a home. I think we all agree that they shouldn’t be in a hospital—plus it’s extremely expensive for them to reside in the hospital with all the hospital services and take up a bed that is needed for individuals in the acute care process.

So where are they going to go? Are their kids going to take care of them? Possibly. Can they stay in their homes? That’s the best alternative of all. And this government has started a program—I don’t agree that it’s strong enough or large enough. However, they have recognized that the best place for a senior is in their home. So if they can’t be in their home and they need care, where are they going to go?

The long-term-care facilities are full. So, in effect, the government has put a cap on their spending for long-term-care facilities: $40,000 a bed, and that is for the present 76,000 beds, and if we don’t increase that, then they put a cap on that. And let the rest of them go to a privatized retirement home. So we can see what is happening. The seniors who are looking for a place where they can receive care are now going to be moved to private enterprise, and they are going to pay.

We know that many of our seniors unfortunately do not even have pensions. I think 70% of the residents of Ontario are not involved in a pension plan, including the members of this Legislature, by the way, who voted to do away with our pensions in 1995.

Mr. John O’Toole: Who the heck thought of that idea?

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: Yes. I must say, unfortunately—

Interjections.

Hon. James J. Bradley: Don’t you have a pension?

Mr. John O’Toole: Yes, we do. We have one. It’s called a defined contribution plan.

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: We won’t get into that, but I must admit I have made some bad mistakes in my life, and that happens to be one of them.

Mr. John O’Toole: Way to go, Gerry.

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: So where are we? We’re going to be cut off early today and I’ll have to continue tomorrow or the next day, whenever the government chooses to

schedule it.

The question is, if we’re going to get this enormous shift of our seniors—our seniors say they cannot take care of themselves. There are seniors who require personal care. Where are they going to go? This government says, “I don’t think you’re going to come to a long-term-care facility because we’re not building any anymore, or if we are, they’re just minute amounts.”

So where in heaven’s name are the seniors in need going to go? They’re going to have to go to a retirement home, and that is why this bill is presented at this time. The need is there. Everybody admits it. Double the seniors in a short 10-year period, a decade, and they will not have a place to live, so they’re going to have to go into retirement homes.

We’re building up a mini long-term-care facility. It’s becoming the same because services will be offered. They’ll be able to bring in services from outside. However, it is going to be at their dollar, and if they don’t have their dollar, I don’t know who is going to take care of them. I guess they can apply for social assistance. They have their Canada pension, but that’s all going to be taken away. And the services, again—are we really going to save any money?

I don’t know, but we certainly are going to cap the money that we are spending in the amount of $40,000 a bed, because if we don’t build these long-term-care facilities, if we don’t build these beds, then the $40,000 is not spent, so that will be a saving.

And, boy, to save money by privatizing our health care system—there are other ways. This government—no wonder it is scrambling to introduce the harmonized tax. It’s scrambling for bucks, because it is in a corner. They have spent without reason over the past few years. They’ve increased the number of civil servants. They’ve increased the spending, and they don’t know where the money is coming from.

We’ve been saying for seven years that this government has no plan, and it doesn’t. Ad hoc, it’s now starting to scramble to save money, and this retirement bill, though a good bill on its own—if they were building long-term-care facilities, I would be standing here with a flag and saying, “This is the best bill this government has ever presented to this House. We’re going to look at the details, and we’re going to vote for it wholeheartedly.”

Interjection: “However....”

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: However, what is the motive of this government? Do they really care about taking care of our seniors in need? They haven’t shown that in the past, by their lack of building of long-term-care facilities. They just haven’t shown it. All of a sudden, eureka. They have been struck by lightning and they see the light. They realize that in only 10 short years, a decade, we are going to double our seniors.

Where are they going to live? Where am I going to live when I turn 80 to 85? Where is the minister going to live? We’ve got some seniors in our caucus, and we have some seniors across the—where are they going to live? Do they have enough money? They don’t have a pension plan; I can tell you that. Are they going to be on social assistance?

Mr. John O’Toole: Some of them have pensions. I can tell you that right now.

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: If they came from former professions, possibly they have them.

Interjections.

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: We need a little order here. There’s more talking going on from my side. I can hardly hear myself think.

Interjections.

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

Mr. Bill Murdoch: We’re helping you out.

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: Please. Either listen or leave.

Mr. Bill Murdoch: You’d better not say that. We’re listening. We’re listening.

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: I made my position clear: that this bill puts us on the slippery slope to privatized health care. We are shifting our future seniors’ population from a government-run, subsidized long-term-care facility to a privatized, not-government-run—it is going to be governed by a self-governing body. It’s not going to be governed by this government. As a matter of fact, on that self-governing body, a majority of the people, the directors, will have to come from the industry. That’s right in the act. A majority of individuals will come from industry, not government appointees who are looking out for the public.

There’s no doubt that this is privatization. The regulating of retirement homes tells me this government has no plan to invest in new long-term-care facilities and is abandoning the needs of seniors.

As I’ve already read to you from the Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat, it says that they will be opening an additional 1,942—this is a promise made by that famous individual Premier McGuinty. I can’t recall him keeping a promise. But his promise is—listen; this is big news. We’re going to have a doubling of seniors within 10 years, and Premier McGuinty is going to build an additional 1,942 new long-term-care beds over the next few years. Can you imagine?

Well, you know, I have now been the member for Cambridge for approximately 14 years. For the last six or seven years, the minister or the Premier have arrived in my riding, or in the region of Waterloo, and when asked, “When will the extension of Cambridge Memorial happen? When will it be built?” the answer is always the same. It’s wonderful.

Mr. John O’Toole: Never.

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: No, no, it’s more clever than that: “It’s not a question of its need, it’s just a question of when.” Well, that’s an answer. It’s a favourable answer, too. It tells me that sometime down the road, Cambridge Memorial Hospital will have an expansion which, way back in 1996, a health commission recognized as necessary because it’s a fast-growing community.

Interjection: Who was the Premier then?

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: It wasn’t built under Premier Harris. But I must admit that this Premier, Premier McGuinty, has promised to build it, because it’s not a question of why or whether it’s needed. It’s going to be built; the only question is when.

Well, listen to this: There will be “an additional 1,942 more beds over the next few years.” By golly. How many years is that? What’s “the next few years”? Does that mean it’s going to be built next year, 1,900 beds? Two years from now, five years, 10 years? That’s about as loosey-goosey as you can go, and those are the kinds of answers that we get. This government rules by announcements. It never gets things done, it just makes announcements—

Interjection: And promises.

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: And of course promises. The papers pick it up, especially their favourite paper, that they leak all the information to and then it has to repay those favours. They just leak all this stuff, they make promises and announcements, and there never seems to be a completion or execution of those promises.

Hey, some people would say that’s clever; it’s almost Machiavellian. And it does happen. It works for a little while, because the people of Ontario and Canada are really open. They honestly believe that the Legislatures and the governments are working on their behalf—and for the most part, we are. I’ve never questioned the motive of any of the individuals in this Legislature, because we are all working for the good of the people of our constituencies and our province. No doubt about it. However, they do expect to see execution of promises. They do expect to see finalization of promises, and that is not occurring.

That is one problem we have in our society, where people are looking, to some degree, askance at our politicians. They’re saying, “Well, I don’t know. They keep promising these things and nothing ever seems to happen.” That “next few years”—I don’t think it’s going to be ready for me, let’s put it that way.

To quote the press release posted by this government’s website two months ago, “Ontario is rebuilding 4,183 existing beds and updating facilities at 37 long-term-care homes.” The number seems to change every time I go through the paper and the websites. These are not new beds; these are existing beds, and you are insulting the seniors of this province by implying that are you in fact looking out for their future needs.

Many seniors in Ontario cannot afford to live at privately owned retirement homes. Rooms at retirement homes cost between $1,500 and $5,000 a month—as a matter of fact, we have one that’s more expensive in our riding—and they are not subsidized by any government.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Julia Munro): It is now 10:15 and this House stands recessed until 10:30.

The House recessed from 1015 to 1030.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

Hon. Carol Mitchell: I’m very pleased to let everyone know in the House that Bette Jean Crews, the president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture is here—if you’d please stand; Wilma Jeffray, the chair of Ontario Pork; Steve Illick, a director of Ontario Pork; John Gillespie, director, Ontario Cattlemen’s Association; Judy Dirksen, the chair of the Ontario Veal Association; and Brian Gilroy, the chair of Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers. Welcome very much to all of you.

I just want to say there’s a reception in rooms 228 and 230. All members are welcome, and they’re looking forward to the conversation. Thank you for your hard work.

Mr. Khalil Ramal: I would like to introduce the parents of page Ahsan Irfan: the grandfather, Taj Rahim; the father, Nadeem Irfan; the mother, Tahira Irfan; and the sister, Aisha Irfan. They are in the east gallery.

Hon. Mr. Wilkinson: I’m delighted to introduce to my colleagues my uncle Tom Wilkinson, originally of Montreal, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and now Ottawa, Ontario. He’s joined by one of my brothers, Peter. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Bill Mauro: I’m very pleased today to introduce to the Legislative Assembly members of the Ontario provincial council of the Catholic Women’s League. Visiting with us here and sitting in the members’ east lobby, we have Shari Guinta, who is the president; Margaret Ann Jacobs, the past president; Anne Madden, who is the chair of the legislation standing committee; Marlene Pavletic, who is president-elect, and Marlene is from Thunder Bay; and Pauline Krupa, who is the chair of the resolutions standing committee. Pauline is also from Thunder Bay, an old east-ender.

I want to thank the Premier and many of the ministers, who have taken the time to find and accommodate this group for meetings in the last couple of days. Thank you very much.

Hon. Kathleen O. Wynne: I’d like to introduce the grandparents of page Sabina Midgen, grandmother Gloria Midgen and grandfather Sid Midgen, who are here with us today.

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: I’d just like to introduce a good friend of ours, Matt Gibson, who used to work for us here at PC caucus. It’s nice to see him in the gallery today.

POLISH COMMUNITY

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I just want to correct the Speaker’s record from yesterday. I appreciated the comments that were made in regard to the Polish community. I think it’s important to reinforce that our heartfelt sorrow goes out to the Polish community all across Ontario. For the members’ information, the flags will be flying at half-staff here at Queen’s Park.

LEGISLATIVE PAGES

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I’d ask all members to join me in welcoming this group of pages, and ask the pages to assemble for introduction, please.

I’d ask all members to join me in welcoming this group of legislative pages serving in the second session of the 39th Parliament: Andrew Bacic, Chatham–Kent–Essex; Harry Chen, Willowdale; Mitchell Erickson, Lambton–Kent–Middlesex; Darcy Feagan, Welland; Georgina Hadjiyianni, Pickering–Scarborough East; Kate Hickey, Timmins–James Bay; Aliyana Hirji, Richmond Hill; Ahsan Irfan, Markham–Unionville; Carrington Knight, Hamilton Centre; Zachery Lang, Kenora–Rainy River; Tara Leithead, Etobicoke Centre; Marie Leunissen, London–Fanshawe; Sabina Midgen, Don Valley West; Tudor Mititelu, Ottawa South; Ara Mooradian, Simcoe North; Courtney Mullally, Nickel Belt; Khaleel Rajwani, Scarborough–Agincourt; Kyle Rutherford, Oxford; Max Silverberg, St.

Catharines; Owen Singer, St. Paul’s; Andrea Strathdee, Perth–Wellington; and Avery Watters, Durham.

Welcome to our pages. I hope you enjoy your session. Please reassume your positions.

ORAL QUESTIONS

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

Mr. Tim Hudak: A question to the Premier: Premier, sadly, today marks six months since I called on you to hold a full public inquiry into the billion-dollar eHealth boondoggle. Sadly, for Ontario families, the Premier continues to ignore this. He won’t send in the police to investigate, and now we see the same Liberal-friendly consultants who got rich at eHealth getting rich at the local health integration networks through favourable treatment.

Today, I announced a number of initiatives to improve accountability and transparency in government, including posting online all government contracts for goods and services worth $10,000 or more. Premier, will you put that into play and will you call for a full eHealth inquiry, or will you do both?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I appreciate the question. I think it’s important that we keep in mind some of the facts connected with eHealth. In particular, I want to quote from the Auditor General’s report. He said, “We were aware of the allegations that ‘party politics’ may have entered into the awarding of contracts and that those awarding the contracts may have obtained a personal benefit from the firms getting the work—but we saw no evidence of this during our work.”

I just want to take this opportunity to remind my honourable colleague of the specific finding made by the Auditor General, in spite of which my honourable colleague seems to make allegations without foundation

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: We know that the Premier has no intention of revisiting that billion-dollar boondoggle that saw Liberal-friendly consultants get rich and Ontario families get nothing in return. The result is that the same Liberal-friendly consultants are now getting away with untendered contracts and special deals at his LHINs. The Premier has given all kinds of excuses about procurement rules and asterisks and exceptions. We think Ontario families deserve better, and that’s why we’ve brought forward reforms like posting all contracts $10,000 or over online, expanding freedom-of-information laws to all provincial public bodies, and posting expenses for all employees of those bodies online.

Premier, will you accept these changes so Ontario families can track what you’re up to?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: The honourable member says that he’s in favour of added accountability and transparency, but when we expanded the freedom-of-information legislation to cover OPG and Hydro One, they opposed that. We took it beyond that and expanded it to include universities and Cancer Care. I’m proud to report that our response rate for new requests is now at over 85%, in contrast to 50% with the Conservatives.

We’ve also expanded the role of the auditor to conduct value-for-money audits on the broader public sector—for our hospitals for the first time, schools, universities and long-term-care homes.

We have made significant progress when it comes to enhancing accountability and transparency. The question, of course, that goes begging is why my honourable colleague did not support those efforts on our part.

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

Mr. Tim Hudak: Sadly, there is no doubt that the culture of entitlement has set in deep across the McGuinty government. It continues to this day to look the other way when the LHINs are involved in similar scandals as we saw with the eHealth boondoggle.

To date, we have seen some $3.6 billion in sweetheart deals that have involved Liberal-friendly consultants. If he had adopted these accountability measures, we would not have seen eHealth, we would not have seen the Windsor Energy Centre, we would not have seen this kind of gross severance to HST tax collectors who have not lost a day on the job, the Samsung deal, Cancer Care Ontario or the LHIN scandals, just to name a few.

Premier, these are good proposals. They will let Ontario families be watchdogs over the provincial government. Why do you oppose these good accountability initiatives?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Let me speak to some of the other measures that we have put in place, which were opposed by my honourable colleague.

We have in place now a new law in Ontario called the Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Act. It forces the government to get the Auditor General to sign off on the books before an election so that we can never again have a hidden deficit. My honourable colleagues opposed that legislation. We have a new public service act which provides, for the first time, whistle-blower protection for our workers. My colleagues opposite opposed that as well. And when it comes to expenses, we have in fact tightened the rules for greater transparency around ministers, staff travel and meal expenses.

We’ve also included in that number our 22 biggest agencies and our LHINs because we think that’s the right thing to do.

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY

Mr. Tim Hudak: Sadly, every time the McGuinty Liberals get their hands caught in the cookie jar, all we see from Dalton McGuinty is a crocodile tear and a commitment to do better.

I don’t believe that anybody is beyond redemption. Premier, here is your chance to bring real accountability and transparency measures to bear that will let every Ontario family be a watchdog over government spending. If you had adopted these proposals, we would not have seen Cancer Care Ontario expensing $75 for cupcakes for a baby shower. We would not have seen your $2,700-a-day eHealth and LHIN consultants, who expensed at the same time $3 lattes and muffins, because you would have had to post that proactively for every Ontario taxpayer to see.

Premier, I’ll ask you again: Will you adopt these good proposals to improve accountability in provincial government?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I appreciate the ongoing efforts by my honourable colleague to make something of nothing, to lend the appearance of solidity, as somebody once said, to smoke.

Let me tell you about something else we’ve done, which my honourable colleagues opposed. They claim that they’re in favour of transparency and accountability, but their actions state otherwise. When it comes to salary disclosure, we’ve expanded the sunshine list to include Hydro One and OPG workers. My honourable colleagues opposed that. We have also put in place new public reporting measures, for example, our wait times website, posted online so people know what’s going on in their hospital. We have a patient safety website, where patient safety indicators and death rates are now posted online for the first time. We have a class size tracker. Again, it speaks to our—

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

Mr. Tim Hudak: Back the Premier: Premier, you’ve expanded the sunshine list all right; you’ve tripled it under your watch in government. It’s now at 60,000 people, while Ontario families who pay the bills are left struggling. Ontario families want to know, because behind every government contract and every government expense account is an Ontario family who pays the bill.

Your Liberal friend Steve Mahoney would have had to think twice before he spent $272 on a GPS to find his way back from his trip to South Carolina. You wouldn’t have seen the types of abuse at Cancer Care Ontario that saw contracts with your Liberal friends at Courtyard grow to some $20 million and 22 secret agreements.

Premier, will you embrace these real reforms based on best practices to give Ontario taxpayers insight into your—

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

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Again my honourable colleague stands in opposition to the specific measures we’ve put in place to heighten accountability and transparency.

I want to make reference to a story that appeared June 4, 2002, in the Tribune: “Former tourism minister Tim Hudak and his staff racked up booze and food bills of more than $1,000 a month and put taxpayers on the hook for his $12.25 fishing licence, according to government documents obtained by the Toronto Star.” I think that speaks to the—well, it says something interesting about the position adopted by my honourable colleague today.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Tim Hudak: Premier, if you had adopted the—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock. Members will please come to order. Minister of Economic Development, Minister of Municipal Affairs, the member from Peterborough.

Please continue.

Mr. Tim Hudak: Premier, had you adopted the Ontario PC accountability proposals for all public bodies for contracts worth $10,000, then—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Member from Brant.

Start the clock. Please continue.

Mr. Tim Hudak: —then eHealth would have had to post the $10 million in sweetheart deals handed out to Liberal-connected Courtyard Group. Cancer Care Ontario would have had to disclose the $18.7 million they handed out to your friends at the Courtyard Group, and the Toronto Central, Champlain, South East, South West and Mississauga Halton LHINs would have had to post their untendered contracts with Courtyard too.

Premier, why do you stand against our proposal to post these expenses online so Ontario families know—

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

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Speaker, I want to quote from the same story again: “Hudak and his office staff spent $23,633.55 on travel, hotels, plants, meals and assorted other expenses, including gum, doughnuts and napkins.”

Again I would ask, at a minimum, that my honourable colleague lend his support to the real and necessary accountability measures that we’ve already put in place in Ontario.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is to the Premier. In 2007, the Premier committed to building public transit in Toronto and across Ontario, declaring that “the time to make this sort of ambitious but realistic investment is now.”

The jobs are still needed. The smog hasn’t gone away. Parents are still scrambling to get home in time to feed the kids. Why has the Premier broken his promise?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: We’re proud of what we have been able to do, working with Ontarians, thus far when it comes to investing in public transit. Since 2003, province-wide we have invested $9.3 billion, which, I believe, is about $9.3 billion more than the previous government did.

We have kept the commitment for all our projects. We have, however, adjusted the timetable. I know that my honourable colleague will recognize and understand that we have been struck by this great recession. It does call for some changes in terms of our timetable for making new investments, so we have decided to extend the period over which we will invest in new public transit projects in the city of Toronto and in the GTA. I think that’s reasonable and responsible given our circumstances.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: In Toronto, light rail transit was going to provide people in some of the city’s neediest neighbourhoods a better way to commute to get to work in the morning, to get home earlier to spend more time with their children, to get to school. Why is the Premier betraying these Torontonians and the neighbourhoods that they call home?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: My colleague makes a good argument about the importance of investing in public transit. That’s why we have made those investments, and that’s why we will continue to make those investments.

We’ve made the largest investment in Toronto public transit in a generation, including the following: $3.5 billion since 2003 to the city of Toronto; when it comes to the gas tax, $688 million over the first five years of the program; and $870 million to extend the TTC subway to York region. We’ve got two tunnelling machines that have been purchased, and work is under way.

We continue to make significant investments in public transit in the city of Toronto as we speak.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The Premier may deserve some credit from his corporate buddies at SNC-Lavalin. He’s moving full-smog ahead with a private diesel train that’s going to take well-heeled business travellers from downtown to the airport, but a working parent in Rexdale or Mount Dennis or Malvern is going to have to keep waiting.

Why are the people who most need better public transit the ones most hurt by the Premier’s broken promise?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I implore my honourable colleague to understand the nature of the financial challenge before us. We can’t do everything as quickly as we would like. We never could, but especially as a result of this great recession, we’ve had to make some changes to our plans. So instead of taking money out of health care, out of schools or out of supports for our vulnerable, we’ve merely decided to stretch out the investment that we fully intend to continue to make in public transit projects in the city of Toronto. Again, I believe that’s reasonable and responsible in the circumstances.

PUBLIC TRANSIT

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Back to the Premier. Toronto transit riders aren’t the only ones getting railroaded by this government. The end of the bus replacement program leaves people in Ottawa, London, Hamilton, Sudbury and Windsor waiting longer. Their buses are aging, and it also is stopping cleaner hybrids from getting on the road.

Why is the Premier’s restraint program whacking people who need public transit and want cleaner air?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Again, it’s about making choices. My honourable colleague, through her line of questioning, would convey that somehow we can have it all. I’d love to have it all but we can’t.

I can tell you what we have done, again with respect to investing in buses. Since 2003, we’ve invested over $700 million for new TTC hybrid buses, subway cars, track repairs and improvements; another over $400 million for replacements of over 200 streetcars; and we’re, of course, also investing in highways and roads along the way.

It’s a matter of making choices. It’s a matter of making sure we give effect to people’s priorities in the greatest way possible. That includes their health care, education, supports for our vulnerable, protection of the environment and continuing investments in our public transit system.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The Premier is leaving people of Ontario without transit choices. That’s the point of these questions. For transit to work as an alternative, it needs to actually be affordable. Ottawa transit users just saw their fares jump 8% to $3.25, and the price of a monthly bus pass in Hamilton is up 22% over the past three years.

Does the Premier think that making transit users pay more is a good way of getting more people out of their cars?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: Again, in an ideal world the cost of public transit would never go up again, but we don’t live in that world, we live in this one. I think what we can do is commit ourselves, all of us, to making investments in public transit as quickly as we can and in keeping with our accountability for giving expression to other priorities embraced by the people of Ontario. So we have found a way, in fact, to continue to invest in health care, to continue to invest in our schools. We’ve heightened supports for our vulnerable this year. We continue to have in place environmental protections.

And the fact is, we continue to invest more in public transit. We just can’t invest as quickly as we thought we might prior to the recession, with the fallout effect of that, but again, I think that’s responsible in the circumstances.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Let’s be clear about where New Democrats stand on transit and where the McGuinty government stands.

On that side, they believe that private diesel trains are more important than light rail. On that side, they’re willing to keep polluting buses on the road. On that side, they’re willing to let fares rise and rise and rise.

Over here, we support Toronto’s Transit City. Over here, we support better, more affordable public transit across Ontario, and we support the jobs that will come with increased public transit investments.

When will the Premier quit making empty promises and just support what we support?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I think it was Mario Cuomo, a very successful American politician, who made reference to the poetry of opposition and the prose of government. We necessarily have to work in prose. We’ve got to deal with the real facts, and the real facts are that we can’t do everything we’d like to do as quickly as we’d like, so we’ve got to make some choices.

I’m proud of the fact that we’ve found ways to make considerable investments in public transit during the course of the last six years. I’m proud of the new infrastructure that is up and running, the new rolling stock and new tracks and the new roofs that we’ve put in place.

The fact of the matter is, we’ve had to make an adjustment, given the consequences of the great recession. We will continue to find ways going forward, working with all our municipal partners, to ensure that those people who wish to avail themselves of good-quality public transit do in fact have access to that and have reason to be hopeful.

LOCAL HEALTH

INTEGRATION NETWORKS

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: My question is for the Premier.

Last year, you announced new rules that you said would stop expense scandals like what happened at OLG and eHealth, but the rules do not apply to the LHINs. How do we know? Because we called the Integrity Commissioner and asked.

So I have a very simple question: Did you leave a loophole in accountability rules so your hand-picked appointees and Liberal-friendly consultants can continue to make Ontario patients cover the lattes, the cupcake parties, the GPSs and other expenses?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: I think I note a certain line of questioning and a theme developing here. I’m not sure it’s in keeping with the highest priorities of the people of Ontario, but of course it’s up to the Conservative Party to make their own determination in this regard.

Just to be clear, we have insisted that the people who work for our local health integration networks in fact post their expenses online. I’m not sure my colleagues understand that, but that’s a change that we made some time ago.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: I think I just heard the Premier of Ontario say that accountability is not an important and pressing issue in the province of Ontario, and that’s wrong, because at eHealth, Liberal-friendly consultants at Courtyard were reimbursed thousands of dollars without receipts.

Our freedom-of-information records reveal that the Premier’s LHINs are still reimbursing expenses in spite of his new rules. The South West LHIN paid over $4,000 to Courtyard without receipts. The North West LHIN reimbursed over $19,000. Others have done the same thing. At eHealth, this sort of abuse cost you a CEO , a chair, a deputy minister and a minister.

If you won’t adopt the Ontario PC proposals for greater accountability, then how will you enforce accountability for untendered contracts and consultant expenses at local health integration networks?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Health.

Hon. Deborah Matthews: I’m more than happy to discuss the issues you’ve raised today, but I want to go back to a question you raised yesterday about the reporting of people who are seconded to the LHINs, who are paid by hospitals.

I have done a little bit of homework, and I think the member opposite will be interested in this.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Order.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock. I want to hear questions and answers, and with loud noise in the chamber, I cannot hear those questions and those answers.

Minister?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: The individuals you named yesterday were actually on the sunshine list. We committed to post people who are working for the ministry separately as opposed to in their hospitals, and we did that. All of the people who were mentioned yesterday are highly qualified professionals doing very important work and providing valuable expertise to the LHIN.

In the Waterloo Wellington LHIN, Gloria Whitson-Shea is an employee of the hospital. She’s seconded to the LHIN to provide leadership around clinical initiatives that are focused on improving—

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

JUSTICE SYSTEM

Mr. Peter Kormos: To the Attorney General: Former MP Rahim Jaffer was caught drunk driving and with Lord only knows how much cocaine in his possession, yet he walked away with the serious charges withdrawn and but a slap on the wrist. Since the matter is no longer before the courts, will the Attorney General tell Ontarians what the justification is for Jaffer’s sweetheart plea-bargain deal?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: I suppose it’s only in the Legislature that questions like that could be asked, which really say things that don’t respect the process. We have a trial process in this province, and the trial process applies equally—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The member from Cambridge will withdraw the comment that he just made.

Mr. Gerry Martiniuk: I certainly withdraw it.

Hon. Christopher Bentley: The trial process exists for those people whose names we recognize in the same way as it exists for those whose names we don’t. Cases only proceed—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The member from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound will withdraw his comment, please. I have good hearing, even with the noise.

Mr. Bill Murdoch: I’ll withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): No, you need to stand and withdraw it.

Mr. Bill Murdoch: I wasn’t talking to you, but I withdraw it if you thought it was in your way.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Minister?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: Cases only proceed if they can be proven in court. If they can’t, it’s the responsibility of those presiding and the crown attorney to take the appropriate action.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Peter Kormos: The public has every right to know what went on here. People in Ontario see a well-connected individual, a former MP, husband of a high-profile, dare I say it, cabinet minister. They see him blatantly break the law, serious offences like drunk driving and possession of cocaine, and then get off scot-free. It raises troubling questions.

The Attorney General has the opportunity to clear the air here and explain what went on and why those charges were withdrawn. Why won’t the Attorney General simply provide that explanation?

Hon. Christopher Bentley: I’ve provided it, as did the crown in court, and as I’ve answered the questions before.

But what would be interesting is to cast our mind back to when my friend practised in the courts, either in Welland or surrounding jurisdictions. One could imagine what his reaction would have been if somebody asked questions of one of his clients after the case had concluded with the same type of approach that he has taken here today.

We would have heard about the sanctity of the process, the fact that people are presumed innocent, the fact that we must respect criminal trials and criminal process, and the fact that the law should apply equally whether you happen to know or don’t happen to know, or want to make a statement about somebody or don’t. The law applies equally to all and my friend knows that. He is a lawyer and he needs to respect that, with respect.

PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY

Mrs. Maria Van Bommel: My question is for the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. My constituency office is getting calls from constituents who are concerned that the pharmacists will be cutting services to make up for the removal of the professional allowances; that is, the rebates paid to pharmacies by generic drug companies to stock products on their shelves. We have heard that both Loblaw and Shoppers Drug Mart are reviewing the drug reforms announced last week, and that possible reductions in patient services could result.

We’ve already heard that Shoppers Drug Mart will be reducing store hours in London, with additional reductions in pharmacy hours—this before any of the government’s proposed reforms are actually in place.

Families have a lot of questions about the government’s plan on lower drug prices. Could the minister please tell this House what the government is doing—

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

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Thanks to the member. We are committed to moving to a system that increases access to lower drug costs and to directly funding services to patients in pharmacies. I know that Big Pharmacy is actively opposing this move. Yesterday, I sent a letter to the Ontario Pharmacists’ Association, the Canadian Association of Chain Drug Stores and the Independent Pharmacists of Ontario. I asked these groups to confirm that patients will continue to receive the medicines that they need.

I am deeply disappointed that Shoppers Drug Mart announced that they’re putting the people of London, my hometown, in the middle of this debate. However, I am very happy that not all pharmacy retailers are following that course. Loblaw, for example, is taking the responsible route and assuring its customers that it’s business as usual for all of its Ontario in-store pharmacies.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Rick Johnson: I appreciate the minister’s response. I think that my constituents will be supportive of increasing access to the much-needed drugs and additional services delivered by pharmacists.

In my riding of Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock, my constituents also have a lot of questions about the government’s plan. Pharmacies are a vital hub for patient services. My constituents rely on their local pharmacists to ensure safe and effective use of medications. I know that the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Association for Retired Persons applaud these changes, saying they will improve access to important drugs.

My constituents need to know how their pharmacies’ services will be maintained, especially since they live in a rural area. Could the minister please tell the House and the people of Ontario how these changes will affect rural Ontario?

Hon. Deborah Matthews: Let’s remind ourselves why we’re making these changes. We’re making these changes for patients who need access to medication, we’re making these changes for hard-working Ontarians who are paying too much for generic drugs, and we’re making these changes for the taxpayers who deserve a government that will stand up for them when they aren’t getting value for money.

Supporting access to pharmacies in rural areas is an integral part of our plan. That’s why we’re proposing to set up a $22-million fund to ensure financial support for rural pharmacists: in order to maintain access for patients in rural and underserviced communities. We’re also increasing the dispensing fees by up to $4 for pharmacies in rural and underserviced areas; that’s the dispensing fee we pay as a government. We’re doing it because we know how important it is to make sure that people who live in rural Ontario have access to pharmacy services close to home.

ASSISTANCE TO FARMERS

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: My question is to the Minister of Agriculture. Last week, the Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition held a town hall meeting to reinforce their urgent need for your support. According to the Stratford Beacon Herald, even your Minister of Revenue says that this government needs to do more for the farmers.

I want to commend the coalition for coming together to speak with one voice on behalf of our farmers; that is their role. Your role, Minister, is to not be a lobbyist but to take action to help them. Will you commit today to reinstate the grains and oilseeds risk management program and to use the new money in the budget towards a broader business risk management program, as the coalition has requested?

Hon. Carol Mitchell: I’m very pleased to be able to respond to this. First, I want to thank the coalition for coming in today and talking to all the members of this House. I want every member to take the opportunity to have that conversation.

Getting this right is critical for our agricultural community. Our agri-food industry is such an important component within the province, and income stabilization is something that is a critical piece. We recognize that from this side of the House. The previous minister asked the coalition to be formed: all the non-supply-managed sector and all the commodities sitting at the table, working our way through to develop a business plan. We are committed to—

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

Mr. Ernie Hardeman: Madam Minister, farmers don’t need another lobbyist unless it’s someone at the cabinet table lobbying your cabinet. They need action. It’s not enough to talk about supporting them or to sing about the good things that grow in Ontario.

You asked farmer organizations to work together, as you mentioned, and they have. You asked them to put forward a proposal, and they have.

I’ll ask you once again: Will you answer the question? That’s all I’m asking. Will you commit today to reinstate the grain and oilseeds risk management program and use the new money in the budget towards a broader business risk management program, as the coalition has requested?

Hon. Carol Mitchell: I think it’s really—this is a critical piece, and we need to make our position quite clear, because the members from across the way did talk about me becoming a lobbyist. I tell you this: I’m prepared to go to our federal government and say that they have always been a part of income stabilization. We want to know, the farmers want to know—

Interjections.

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

Interjections.

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

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The members will please come to order. I agree with the suggestion that was made yesterday from the honourable member from Oshawa. I think maybe we’ll start serving decaffeinated coffee.

Hon. Carol Mitchell: Mr. Speaker, if that decaffeinated coffee was grown in Ontario, we would be very much in favour of it.

One thing I want to go on and say—

Interjections.

Hon. Carol Mitchell: I never like to miss an opportunity to stand up for my farmers.

We know that what they want is predictability. They want accountability. They want bankability. They want stability. We recognize—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): When I’m standing, you’re to be sitting.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Stop the clock. Members, the clock is stopped.

I’m being generous to you right now, because there’s as much noise coming from the opposition side as there is from the government.

New question.

AGRI-FOOD INDUSTRY

Mr. Howard Hampton: My question is for the Premier. Getting local food into Ontario schools and hospitals is a win-win idea. It helps Ontario farmers who are struggling to survive; it improves nutrition for students and patients. A year ago, at the 2009 Premier’s summit on agri-food, the Premier promised $24 million to get more Ontario-grown food into our schools and hospitals.

My question is, one year later, what has happened to the $24 million that was promised?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Agriculture.

Hon. Carol Mitchell: Thank you, Premier, and thank you very much for the question.

One of the things that I wanted to make reference to was that, yesterday, we were able to celebrate the sixth annual Premier’s ag summit. One of the things that we talked about was how to increase the capacity of our local food. We recognize that income stabilization is one part of it, but actually increasing the capacity of our local food and working with our processing and how we can do that through Open Ontario.

Interjection.

Hon. Carol Mitchell: I’m looking forward to the supplementary as well, but one of the things I want to talk about is that there are many ways that we can do that. When we look at increasing our capacity, it’s getting more of our local food on the shelves; it’s also working towards plans from our government as well. That’s how we can increase the capacity—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): That’s not appropriate.

Mr. John Yakabuski: I apologize.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): It would be better if you apologized to the member.

Mr. John Yakabuski: My apologies.

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

Supplementary?

Mr. Howard Hampton: The Ontario Agriculture Sustainability Coalition tells us that another Premier’s summit on agri-food has come and gone but not a single penny of the $24 million that was promised a year ago has in fact been invested or spent. Ontario, in fact, is falling behind states like Illinois and cities like Toronto and Markham, where government-funded bodies are required to buy local and sustainable food to be served. More and more farmers are losing their farms and their livelihoods, yet the $24 million that was promised is yet to appear.

My question is, will the $24 million that was promised a year ago finally appear, and will it be used for what it was promised for?

Hon. Carol Mitchell: One of the things that has been very successful is the Buy Local. We see so much of a rebirth, a refresh of our markets that are open, and we see it on the retail shelves as well. We recognize the government purchasing policies. Is there more that we can do? We recognize that. The strategy going forward is being developed.

But let’s talk about the good things that have happened: investment of over $56 million in Buy Local. I can tell you, from my agricultural commodities, that has made a tremendous difference. When we think about the brand recognition of Foodland Ontario, it’s 96%. People want to buy that brand. There is more work to do. But let’s reflect on—

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

FULL-DAY KINDERGARTEN

Mr. Khalil Ramal: My question is to the Minister of Education. Minister, when our legislation for full-day learning was released earlier in the session, there were a number of concerns raised by some stakeholders about issues such as the impact on the child care industry and the roles of teachers and ECEs. As you know, yesterday we passed this bill at the Standing Committee on Social Policy. I know some changes are being made to Bill 242.

Can you tell us what you have changed in order to address the concern of our community and the stakeholders, especially our partners in the education system?

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: I’m happy that the honourable member asked the question today, because there has been a good deal of feedback from our stakeholders, and from parents particularly, in the province of Ontario as we prepare to introduce Bill 242 for third reading debate.

I want to say that we have been listening very carefully to our stakeholders on the issues that they have brought to us. One of the very key issues, of course, was the ability of third party providers to have a role to play with the initiative as it moves forward. I believe that the legislation will clarify the opportunities that third party providers will have with school boards for programs for six- to 12-year-olds—very, very important.

We understand that we are going to need to provide some flexibility in certain circumstances, and we look forward in regulation—

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

Mr. Khalil Ramal: Minister, my constituents in the riding of London–Fanshawe are looking forward to having their children take

part in this exciting program. They understand the benefits that can be provided to their children as a result of participating in full-day learning.

Yesterday, I read an

article in the Toronto Star, in which some trustees in some GTA school boards expressed concern about the cost of full-day learning and the funding which our government has provided. The trustees also were concerned that the curriculum for the program is not available. With the next school year coming soon, they feel there may not be enough time to adequately support the program.

Can the minister explain to us how we can address this issue for the trustees, our community and the stakeholders in the province of Ontario?

Hon. Leona Dombrowsky: First of all, with regard to the issue around funding, we have committed $200 million. The legislation has not yet been introduced for third reading, so I would suggest that concerns around what will be required by boards might be a little premature until we have the legislation and the regulations in place. We have set aside $200 million. In addition to that, we have also committed $245 million for capital to deliver to school boards to enable them to accept these young students.

With respect to the curriculum, this will be a program that we are working with. We do hope to announce the results of that consultation very soon with the program that we would like to be used as we roll out this very important initiative.

TOURISM

Mr. Ted Arnott: My question is for the new Minister of Tourism. Is the minister embarrassed that tourism wasn’t mentioned in the throne speech, wasn’t mentioned in the budget and isn’t even mentioned in the “oops” plan?

Hon. Michael Chan: Thank you very much for the question. There are challenges in the tourism industry; for example, the high dollar, the border crossings, and also the economy in general. Because of those challenges, my ministry continues to invest in tourism as well as culture. Since 2003, my ministry has invested $700 million in tourism agencies.

We will continue to invest in tourism as well as culture. Thank you very much for the question.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Mr. Ted Arnott: The minister should be embarrassed. Tourism in Ontario needs a champion, not an apologist.

The latest statistics show that tourism spending in Canada is up, but visits to Ontario are way down, even from last year’s poor results. Fewer visitors are coming to Ontario from the US and fewer visitors from overseas. Employment in tourism-related industries is down. The only thing going up in Ontario is taxes. I’m hearing from the industry that the HST this summer will kill tourism.

Will the minister admit that the government has run out of ideas and run out of gas, is running out of time and in 18 months is going to be run out of town by the voters of Ontario?

Hon. Michael Chan: Thank you again for the question. We are proud of the tourism industry in Ontario. We understand those challenges. That’s why our government introduced the harmonized sales tax. It will help tourism business. According to the Jack Mintz report, it will attract $47 billion in investment—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Please continue.

Hon. Michael Chan: As well, it will create over 500,000 jobs, according to the report.

We are doing more. We are dividing Ontario into 13 new tourism regions. That will improve and coordinate tourism markets. It will attract more visitors. As well, it will generate more economic impact for this province.

POVERTY

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is to the Premier. There’s more and more documented evidence that poverty is on the rise in Ontario. The Hamilton Spectator is currently running a 10-part series on poverty. The indicators in Hamilton are alarming, to say the least. Shockingly, according to the Spectator’s research, life expectancy is 21 years lower in Hamilton’s low-income neighbourhoods.

The Premier will claim that he has a strategy to reduce poverty. Why is it failing so miserably?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Community and Social Services.

Hon. Madeleine Meilleur: The member is asking a good question, because we know that the income of people has an impact on the health of people. That’s why, since we came to power, we have been investing in social assistance. This year it’s going to be a 12% increase.

We know that there is more to do, and we will continue to do more. For instance, the four- and five-year-old full-day learning at school is huge. It will help to reduce poverty, because we will be able to identify these poor families early and get involved and help them to have a better life condition.

In the supplementary, I will continue to say what we have done so far.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: I’m horrified by the response from the minister. The poverty situation in Hamilton is absolutely dire, and evidence points to the McGuinty government’s utter inaction since they came into office.

Province-wide, we have seen a 19% increase in food bank use, a 4.2% increase in people waiting for affordable housing, and a 10% jump in the number of men, women and children living in shelters in communities like Ottawa. Yet six of eight government poverty indicators will not even be available until after the next election.

Is that the Premier’s way of intentionally hiding his government’s abject failure to improve the lives of Ontario’s neediest?

Hon. Madeleine Meilleur: I’ll refer the question to the Minister of Children and Youth Services.

Hon. Laurel C. Broten: I’m pleased to have a chance to speak to this critically important issue. First of all, I want to thank the Hamilton Spectator and McMaster University health research faculty member Neil Johnston for the work that they’re doing on the Code Red series. It raises important issues, issues that our government has been diligent and aggressive in tackling. We are not scared of tackling issues that are long-standing, province-wide and around the world.

If we want to talk about how this is a cross-government approach to the reduction of poverty, let’s talk about $63.5 million that has been invested in child care. Let’s talk about $200 million—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The member from Hamilton East–Stoney Creek will please come to order.

Mr. Paul Miller: Twenty per cent of the people in our area are living below the poverty level. What are you doing about it?

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): The member from Hamilton—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): No.

Minister?

Hon. Laurel C. Broten: Some 35,000 children in nearly 600 schools across Ontario will start all-day junior kindergarten and senior kindergarten this year; an increase in the Ontario child benefit, which is $1,100 per child. If we want to focus specifically on Hamilton, listen to these numbers—these are the investments in Hamilton families: $493,000 in 131 student nutrition centres; $782,000 in 23 priority schools; $800,000 in 11 parenting and family literacy centres. That’s our commitment to the people of—

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

AGRI-FOOD INDUSTRY

Mr. Pat Hoy: My question is to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Yesterday you hosted, along with the Premier, the sixth annual Premier’s summit on agri-food. The hard work and dedication in hosting these summits is very much appreciated by members from my own rural community of Chatham–Kent–Essex, as well as by farmers across the province. They put the spotlight on agriculture in this province and allow us to keep track of the progress we have made and the steps we need to take it further as we move forward in helping strengthen the agricultural sector.

Minister, can you please tell this House about some of the highlights from yesterday’s Premier’s summit on agri-food?

Hon. Carol Mitchell: Thank you very much for the question. We recognize the industry’s important contribution to our economy and to research and innovation in this province. The summit brought together stakeholders from across Ontario’s agri-food industry to create a dialogue on the issues and challenges facing the industry. The Premier’s summit provides opportunities for our industry partners to liaison with the Premier, cabinet ministers and other MPPs, and to bring ideas forward to government.

The theme of the 2010 summit was, “Translating consumer demand into market realities.” The agenda featured keynote speakers and seminars discussing the many successful partnerships in the industry.

Ontario’s farmers and food processors have helped to create a world-class agri-food sector, and they continue to be innovative. By supporting innovative ideas and fostering—

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

Mr. Pat Hoy: The Premier’s summit, held over the past six years, has provided an excellent opportunity for the agri-food industry from across the province to sit down with our Premier and the minister to discuss the many challenges and opportunities that exist in the agricultural sector in this province. The McGuinty government knows that Ontario farmers make significant contributions to our strong economy through innovation, new market opportunities and value-added products. Our government’s on the right track in encouraging innovation in the agri-food sector through the establishment of the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence.

Could the minister provide this House and the farmers in my riding with more information about the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence?

Hon. Carol Mitchell: To further foster innovation in the industry, our government established the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence in 2006. That is a $2.5-million program, and it’s to be awarded to outstanding farmer innovators annually, over five years.

Since the program’s inception, over 700 applications have been received, and the Leamington Area Drip Irrigation group received the Premier’s Award of $100,000 for improving water efficiency by constructing a new, 36-kilometre pipeline communal irrigation system for local producers. The system irrigates 2,500 acres of Ontario tomatoes.

Tigchelaar Berry Farms received the Minister’s Award of $50,000 for adopting a new production technique to expand its day-neutral strawberry operations, enabling it to provide fresh Ontario strawberries to consumers for nearly six months of the year.

TAXATION

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: My question is for the Premier. We are now 79 days away from the HST being applied to gas, home heating, fuel and other items that Ontario families rely on every single day. Not only did Andrew Steele, a top Liberal adviser and your former so-called strategic adviser, let on that you will be raising the HST, but my colleague from Thornhill yesterday gave the finance minister the opportunity to deny you would be raising the HST.

He didn’t take that opportunity, so we’re going to ask you again: Are you going to raise the HST?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: No, we will not be raising the HST.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Start the clock. The members will please come to order; the minister of economic development and the member from Halton, as well.

Supplementary?

Ms. Lisa MacLeod: I wish we could believe, every time Mr. McGuinty said he would not raise our taxes, that he wouldn’t. But each day that the HST is closer to kicking in, Ontario families learn a new deal about the McGuinty Liberals and their greedy tax grab. One day, it’s that you are using the first $25 million collected to pay so-called severances to HST tax collectors who are not losing their jobs; the next day, your so-called top Liberal adviser, Andrew Steele, is letting on that you’re going to hike the HST the first chance you get.

Today, we learn that the Ontario PCs were right all along about the HST applying to rent. So back to the Premier: Why did you say that the HST would not apply to rent when it will?

Hon. Dalton McGuinty: To the Minister of Revenue.

Hon. John Wilkinson: Let’s be very clear in the province of Ontario: There is no PST or GST applied to rent and there will be no HST applied to rent. That’s very obvious. Again, it’s part of a campaign of people who are not telling the entire story. Let’s remind people that by filing their income tax return there are millions of Ontarians who are going to receive billions of dollars’ worth of transitional payments merely by filling in their tax return, which is due at the end of April.

I know that the members opposite are opposed to some $3.9 billion worth of transitional payments being made to the people of Ontario, and they are quite surprised when they find out that that party voted against that, as well as $400 million to our small business owners, whom they purport to represent—but they are opposed to that $400 million. By filing their tax return, people today will be receiving—

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

FRENCH-LANGUAGE SERVICES

It is very important that the message that we provide in regard to our tax reform is one that is clear and concise and understandable in both of the great official languages of this province. I say to the member that I’d be more than happy to work with her on the issues that she has raised today.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): Supplementary?

L’hon. John Wilkinson: Pour la ministre déléguée aux Affaires francophones.

Quant aux quatre ans et cinq ans à temps plein : oui, c’est un modèle qui a été calqué sur les conseils scolaires francophones. On est en consultation présentement, et on apprécie beaucoup les commentaires qui sont faits par les francophones, les conseils scolaires francophones, les parents et les garderies. Je suis persuadée que la ministre de l’Éducation va prendre tous ces commentaires-là en considération lorsqu’on va présenter en troisième lecture ce projet de loi.

CONSUMER PROTECTION

Mrs. Liz Sandals: My question is to the Minister of Consumer Services. With the arrival of this amazing spring weather, many homeowners are planning home renovations. Some are making needed fixes like roof repairs, and some are adding additions to their homes or making cosmetic improvements. I see that many of these renovations are starting right now in Guelph. But I’ve heard from my constituents and, quite frankly, from family members and friends in other parts of the province that some contractors request and then receive large deposits to do the work, start the work, make a mess, go away and never show up to finish the job.

How should my constituents proceed in order to ensure they get the work that they’ve actually paid for?

Hon. Sophia Aggelonitis: Thank you very much to the member from Guelph. She’s a great advocate for consumer protection in her riding. First, I would also like to say that I am sorry that some of your constituents have had to deal with an unfortunate situation, but the Ministry of Consumer Services is here to help. We have a great deal of information to provide to Ontarians to make informed decisions when choosing a contractor to renovate their homes.

It is spring, and we know that a lot of Ontarians will be doing some renovations. What I’d like to do is just offer some helpful hints. First, avoid companies that require large deposits upfront. Second, always get a written contract before the work begins, with the name and the address of the contractor. Third, make sure that all the prices are broken—

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

Mrs. Liz Sandals: It’s good to see that the ministry is available to help consumers with issues like this, including issues with home contractors.

The other issue I’ve heard in this area from my constituents is that sometimes contractors provide a quote for work to a consumer, but when the work is actually finished, somehow the price is double the original quote.

Minister, what should an Ontarian dealing with this issue do in this situation? What is the recourse that a consumer has when a contractor engages in these practices?

Hon. James J. Bradley: Good question.

Hon. Sophia Aggelonitis: Great question. First, of course, they should call the Ministry of Consumer Services because we are here to help. But what we also do: Contractors that don’t abide by the law are subject to penalties, including fines and even jail terms. An individual who is convicted under the Consumer Protection Act, including a contractor, may receive a maximum sentence of two years less a day in jail and maximum fines of up to $50,000. The Ministry of Consumer Services is here to help, and we encourage people to call us for help.

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

The House recessed from 1140 to 1500.

INTRODUCTION OF VISITORS

Mr. Khalil Ramal: I would like to introduce Dr. Danny Ghazarian, from Princess Margaret Hospital; Annette Cyr, with her friends Jo-Anne Adams and Terra Mason, all from the Melanoma Network of Canada; and Dr. Cheryl Rosen, representing the Canadian Dermatology Association. They’re in the west gallery. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Peter Shurman: Thank you for the opportunity. I would like to introduce my wife, Carole Shurman, in the west members’ gallery.

M me France Gélinas: It is my pleasure to introduce Kathleen Perchaluk, from the Canadian Cancer Society, who is here at Queen’s Park today.

Mr. Reza Moridi: It is my pleasure to introduce Christina Doyle and her husband, Gerry Doyle, in the members’ gallery. They’re from Richmond Hill.

The Speaker (Hon. Steve Peters): I’d like all members to join me in welcoming to the Speaker’s gallery today Lynn Morrison, the Acting Integrity Commissioner, and Valerie Jepson, counsel at the Office of the Integrity Commissioner. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

JACKSON KUHN

Mr. Norm Miller: I’m pleased to announce that on March 29, a young man from Parry Sound–Muskoka, Jackson Kuhn, was honoured with the Junior Citizen of the Year Award.

The award is given to a select group of young people who dedicate their time and efforts toward a variety of good causes for their communities that have lasting impacts locally and around the world. These young people demonstrate leadership, determination, passion, initiative, creativity and motivation.

Jackson, who is a resident of Parry Sound, was recognized for his efforts in and around his community. He’s an exceptional student, a wonderful athlete and a selfless volunteer. He’s also a great motivator of other youth, especially in raising awareness around environmental issues.

The honour was bestowed on Jackson and the other outstanding young people by the Honourable David Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, at a ceremony held here at Queen’s Park.

In addition to being a Junior Citizen of the Year and excelling in his studies, Jackson was also the recipient of the Bobby Orr Hall of Fame Top Defenceman Award for 2009.

I want to extend my sincerest congratulations to Jackson and his proud parents, Debbie and Mark Dudas, on this extraordinary achievement. I wish him luck in his future endeavours.

I want to thank the community newspaper association for rewarding these outstanding junior citizens for their fantastic achievements.

KRAFT HOCKEYVILLE 2010

Mr. Ted McMeekin: I understand I have unanimous consent to wear this sweater for the duration of my statement.

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

Mr. Ted McMeekin: Thank you. It’s with great pleasure that I rise today to congratulate the town of Dundas on winning CBC’s Hockeyville 2010 with over one million votes. Dundas is Hockeyville. It was our community spirit and enthusiasm for hockey that gave them the big win in this competition.

I’m also very pleased to announce that the Dundas Real McCoys just won the Renwick Cup in Thunder Bay and will be travelling next week to represent Ontario in Fort St. John, BC, and competing at the Allan Cup. I wish them well and know they will do us proud.

To everyone who voted for Dundas for Hockeyville, we say a big thank you.

To Barry Forth and his “gotta be Dundas” team, I say: Well done.

Rick Vaive was the first and perhaps the last Toronto Maple Leaf to score 50 goals in three consecutive seasons, and I have his jersey on. But in Dundas we know that Rick’s most important hockey years were those he played with the Dundas Real McCoys.

I’m sure all members of this assembly want to join in congratulating Dundas on winning Hockeyville 2010 and in wishing our Dundas Real McCoys, who will represent Ontario in British Columbia, all the best as they battle for the Allan Cup.

ONTARIO PHARMACISTS

Mr. John O’Toole: I’d like to read one of the postcards I’ve received from one of my constituents, one of the postcards they’ve received in support of community pharmacists in my riding.

The postcards are addressed to Dalton McGuinty and they read as follows: “I want to know I can talk to my pharmacist after work, when I can’t get to my doctor’s office or when my doctor’s office is closed. I want to know that my pharmacy will continue to be able to provide valuable health care services in my community.”

I’d like to thank the Durham riding pharmacists who have taken the time to keep me informed on the dialogue they’ve been having with the minister, pharmacists like Neale McLean of Clinic Pharmacy in Bowmanville; Tino Montopoli of Stutt’s Pharmacy in Orono, Ontario; George Tadros and Mark Borutskie of IDA Pharmacy in Bowmanville; Doug Brown, Lorraine Watson and Lisa Brown at the Shoppers Drug Marts in Port Perry, Uxbridge and Bowmanville.

The professional allowance this government wants to take away helps keep the doors open at community pharmacies in Ontario. In my opinion, the recent health care changes by the McGuinty government are simply another case of downloading services to people.

I urge this government to listen to patients, the pharmacists and certainly the pharmacy staff and all the stakeholders. We need to find a fair solution that will be good for medicine, good for Ontario and good for the pharmacies of the province of Ontario.

Later this afternoon, I’ll be reading a bunch of petitions that I’m receiving. This is a serious issue of restricting access to health care—

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

CHILDREN’S TREATMENT CENTRES

Mr. Dave Levac: Recently the Ontario government announced $9 million in funding for 20 children’s treatment centres across the province. These centres serve more than 58,000 kids in Ontario every year and provide rehabilitation services to children and youth with moderate to severe disabilities and other special needs.

Lansdowne Children’s Centre, in the riding of Brant, will be able to continue and to expand upon the great work that they do, assisting children in need—very helpful to them, their parents and the schools.

Securing the funding for children’s treatment centres was a collaborative effort and there are many people I want to acknowledge and thank: Linda Kenny, the CEO of OACRS, who was instrumental throughout the process; Minister Broten, for her commitment to and advocacy for children’s issues; Minister Duncan, for finding the funds for this investment; the executive director of Lansdowne Children’s Centre, Rita-Marie Hadley, for her communication and passion, along with the entire staff and the board members of Lansdowne Children’s Centre; and of course, the Premier, who recognized that investments in these kinds of centres follow the core of our government’s belief in helping those in need and assisting those who need it the most.

A very special thank you to the south-central caucus region, to Minister Bradley, MPP McMeekin, Minister Aggelonitis and MPP Craitor. Thank you to the women’s caucus as well.

Thank you to each and every one of the members of this House who know and are very strong supporters of each of these regional treatment centres in Ontario for our children.

On Saturday, May 15, the sixth annual charity motorcycle ride for Lansdowne Children’s Centre will be happening at the Brantford and District Civic Centre.

Finally, in closing, locally, thank you to the Rotary Club and the local sponsors. Most of all, in the entire province of Ontario, I thank the parents for these special children. We heard you; we love you.

HIGHWAY SERVICE CENTRES

Mr. Steve Clark: Last week, we finally heard the government’s long-awaited construction announcement of Highway 401 service centres. I still can’t understand why they were closed down in the first place without a redevelopment plan in place.

Last September, my riding’s two service centres in Mallorytown closed, and the loss of 250 jobs was mind-boggling with no government plan.

The Ministry of Transportation held a public information session in January and clearly h