Please join me in a few moments of silence and centering so we may be together in this place. Please join me in singing our in-gathering hymn. You may remain seated. It is number 110 and the words are listed in your order of service. Welcome to the first unit... Gosh, that was like a 60-year flashback to my old Methodist Church. Forgive me. Actually, you are at the first Unitarian Society of Madison and this is a community where curious seekers and nutty people gather to explore her spiritual, ethical, and social issues in an accepting and nurturing environment. Unitarian Universalism supports the freedom of conscience of each individual as together we seek to be a force for good in the world. My name is Karen Rose Gredler and on behalf of the entire congregation, I would like to extend a special welcome to visitors.  Newcomers are encouraged to stay for our fellowship hour after the service and to visit the library which is directly across from the center doors of this auditorium. Bring your beverages and your questions. Members of our staff and lay ministry will be on hand to welcome you. You may also look for persons holding teal stoneware coffee mugs. These are FUS members knowledgeable about our faith community who would welcome visiting with you. Experienced guides are generally available to give a building tour after each service and I understand that John Powell will be with us after the service today. Please meet him up by the windows on your left front of the auditorium if you would like to take a tour. We welcome children to stay for the duration of the service however because it is difficult for some people in attendance to hear in this lively acoustical environment.  The service can still be seen and heard well from those areas. This would also be an excellent time to turn off any devices that might disturb the service including cell phone ringers please. I'd now like to acknowledge those people who help our services run smoothly. This morning we have lay minister Tom Boykoff and we also had some help from another lay minister Anne Smiley. We had Becky Dick upstairs greeting and our ushers are Dan Bradley, Anne Ostrom and Mary Savage. Hospitality making those beverages available to us back in the kitchen is Nancy Kossup and Miss Nitschke. John Powell is a tour guide okay. Now please note the announcements in your red floors insert to your order of service for several announcements about today and the next couple of weeks. I would like to highlight three of these announcements. An opportunity fair is coming to a commons near you. How do I get involved in FUS? What are the social justice groups? I keep going a jealous group but I'm not quite sure what that is. Have you ever had so then conceded to our opportunity fair on October 22nd and 23rd after all three services? This is a time for you to learn about the opportunities available at FUS. Our programs will be represented service teams, advocacy teams, food haulers, shawl ministry, spiritual practice groups, lame ministry, exploration groups, chalice groups, choirs, religious education, and if you can imagine there's still much more. All of these are a way to deeply engage with other members in this large congregation and find your place here at FUS. Group representatives will be staffing tables spread throughout the commons and the crossing areas of our atrium building outside here. There will be friendly faces waiting to greet you and let you know about their program. And please remember even if you've been a member for 20 or 30 years there may be new information out there that you want to hear. Please stop by and see if there's something new for you that you'd like to get involved with. Today from 1.30 to 3 in the atrium auditorium, that's right here, please join M. Adams, co-executive director of Freedom, Inc., an organization that works with low income black and Hmong women. She was one of the contributors to the recently released National Movement for Black Lives platform and has been recognized by UW Madison as one of our seven most influential women of color for 2015-16. M. Adams is also the author of Forward from Ferguson. And on a somber note, our hearts are with David and Becky Briles as they mourn the loss of their son, Max, who passed away on Tuesday, October 11 as a result of complications of anorexia. A Remembrance Gathering is scheduled this weekend. It's scheduled for next weekend, October 18. No, is that this weekend? Yeah. October, I'm sorry, October 19 from 5 to 8 at the home of Greg and Leslie Kubeckis, 6008 Ridgewood Avenue in Manona, and an obituary will appear in Sunday's Wisconsin State Journal. And if you want to check on that address, you can see me because I'll have this announcement with me. Thank you. Thank you so much, Choristers. That was just absolutely lovely. Our opening words this morning are from one of the most accomplished female vocalists of the 20th century, the African American singer Marion Anderson. There are many persons ready to do what is right because in their hearts they know it is right. But they hesitate. They wait for the other fellow to take the first move, and he in turn is waiting for you. The minute a person whose word means a great deal dares to take the open-hearted and the courageous way, then many others are likely to follow. I invite you to rise in body and spirit for the lighting of our chalice. And please join your voices with mine as we read together our affirmation words, our chalice lighting words. May we find the courage to live our faith, to speak our truth, and to strive together for a world where freedom abounds, peace prevails and justice is done. May we know the fullness of life without fear and of security without oppression. May we hold one another in the deep and tender places of compassion and know that the divine spark within makes soulmates of us all. Now in the spirit of soulmates, please turn and exchange a warm greeting with your neighbor. Please be seated. And with the exception of the kids in the choristers, I would invite other children to come forward for the message for all ages. Oh, a lot of energy there. So there are going to be some pictures about this story that are going to be up on the screen. So you kind of want to watch those so that you can see who we're talking about this morning. So most of you are in school, right? Okay. So has there ever been a time when someone came into your class and they hadn't been in your class before, so they were a new person and the teacher introduced them, hello, this is a new student and she or he is going to be with you for the rest of the year. Anybody ever had that experience happen? Has that ever happened to somebody, to one of you? Two people like that. Okay, well, this is a story about a little girl who came into someone's class and when that happens, what do you think would be the good thing to do when a new student comes? Welcome them, that's right. Ask them their name. You might give them a present. Yeah, that would be a good thing to do. How about maybe play with them? Would you want to play with them? Yeah. Yeah, you definitely want to play with them. Okay, so one more. Bring them some candy. Wow. Particularly after Halloween. Ah, right. Ah, gotcha. Okay, so this is a story about a little girl named Maya and it's being told by another little girl named Chloe. Any Chloe's here? No. So Chloe says, that winter, snow fell on everything, turning the whole world a brilliant white. And one morning she says, as we settled down into our seats, the classroom door opened and the principal came in and she had this little girl with her and she said, this is Maya. Maya looked down at the floor. I think I heard her whisper, hello. We all stared at her. Her coat was open and the clothes beneath her coat looked kind of old and ragged. And her shoes, they were spring shoes. They weren't shoes that were made for the snow and a strap on one of her shoes had even broken. Our teacher, Mrs. Albert said, say good morning to our new student. But most of us didn't say anything. Now the only seat that was open was the seat next to me, Chloe says. And that's where the teacher put Maya. And on that first day, Maya turned to me and she smiled. But you know what? I didn't smile back. In fact, I moved my chair and myself and my books a little farther away from her. And every day after that, when Maya came into the classroom and said hello, I just looked away. Now my best friends that year were Kendra and Sophie. And at lunchtime, we would walk around the schoolyard. Our fingers laced together and we would whisper secrets into each other's ears. Is that what you guys do at recess? Yeah. So one day we were next to the slide and Maya came over to us and she held out her hand. And in her hand, she had these shiny jacks and a bright red ball that she had gotten for her birthday. It's a high bouncing ball, she said to us. But none of us wanted to play with Maya. And so Maya played a game with herself. Well, that afternoon when we got back into the classroom, Maya whispered to me, bet you can't guess who the new jack's champion of the world is. And behind me, Andrew whispered, Chloe's got a new friend, Chloe's got a new friend. She's not my friend, I whispered back. The weeks passed and every day we whispered among ourselves about Maya laughing at her clothes and her shoes and the strange food that she brought with her to school.  And whenever she would ask us to play with her, we said no. So the days they began to grow warmer and warmer and the pond thawed, grass began growing where the snow had been and one day Maya came to school wearing a very pretty dress and some fancy shoes, but it was clear that the dress and the shoes looked like they belonged to another girl before Maya. My friend Kendra said, I've got a new name for her. Never knew. Everything she has came from a second-hand store. We all laughed at that. Yeah, and Maya, after we laughed at her, she stood over by the fence and she was holding a jump rope and she did not come over to ask if we wanted to play jump rope with her. And after a while, she rolled the ends around her hands and she started jumping and she jumped around the whole schoolyard without stopping. She didn't look up once. She just jumped and she jumped and she jumped. And the next day, Maya's seat in the classroom was empty. In class that morning, we were talking about kindness and Miss Albert brought this big bowl of water and she set it in front of us and we all gathered around her and watched as she dropped a stone into the water and the waves rippled out away from the stone. And she said to us, this is what kindness does.  And then Miss Albert let each one of us drop a stone as we told her one kind thing that we had done. When it came my turn, I stood there holding Miss Albert's rock in my hand silent and Miss Albert said, even small things can count, Chloe, but I couldn't think of a single kind thing I'd done and so I just passed the rock back to the teacher. Yeah. And Maya, well, she didn't come to school the next day and she didn't come to school the day after that and I walked to school slowly hoping, just hoping that this would be the day that Maya would return and she would give me a big smile and I would smile back at her. And I promised this would be the day that I would say hello to her because as Miss Albert said, each kindness makes the world just a little bit kinder. But Maya's seat, it remained empty. And then one day Miss Albert announced that Maya wasn't coming back, that her family had in fact moved away and then she told us, take out your book students, it's time for spelling. That afternoon I walked home alone and when I reached the pond, a throat filled with all the things that I wished I would have said, the things that were kind that I could have said to Maya. And I threw small stones into the pond watching over and over how the water rippled away, out, out, and away. I watched the water ripple as the sun set through the trees and the chance of a kindness to Maya became more and more, ever more gone. And that's the end of the story. And it's not a happy story, is it? Not all stories have a happy ending. And I think it probably should tell us that when we're in school that there are those kids that will come in school that are just a little bit different and maybe because they're new and we've already got our friends that we don't have any time for anybody new and to show them some kindness and to perhaps give them a piece of candy or something like that. So when new kids come into your class then we hope that you'll treat them with kindness and make friends with them. Become what we call an ally to that person. So thank you for listening to me today and now we're going to have you stay right here as our co-starters and cherubs sing us another song. Wonderful. Thank you so much. And now we invite our children to depart for their classes. You guys finished wrestling? Luther King's 1963 letter from the Birmingham City Jail. I must make two honest confessions to you, my Christian and Jewish brothers. First I must confess that over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. And I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's greatest stumbling block in the stride toward freedom is not the white citizen counselor, not the Ku Klux Klaner, but the white moderate who is more devoted to order than to justice, who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice, who constantly says, I agree with you in the goal that you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action. The person who paternalistically feels that he can set the timetable for another man's freedom, shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection. I guess I should have realized that few members of a race that has oppressed another race can understand or appreciate the deep groans, the passionate yearnings of those who have been oppressed. Fewer still have the vision to see that injustice must be rooted out by strong, persistent, and determined action. I am thankful, however, that some of my white brothers and sisters have grasped the meaning of this social revolution and they have committed themselves to it. They are still too small in quantity, but they are big in quality. I invite you now to rise in body or in spirit as we sing together hymn number 124. Please be seated. As many of you probably know, the Major League Baseball Playoffs are now underway, and many fans are wondering whether the hapless Chicago Cubs will at long last break through and win the World Series that has eluded them for better than a hundred years. This is perhaps a record of futility unmatched in the history of sports, so we are all eyes and all ears, are we not? But I would like to begin my reflections today, not with a shout out to the Chicago Cubs, but by sharing the quest for another record, one that many observers felt would never be broken. And that was the career home run record established by the legendary Babe Ruth. The Bambino, as he was known, hit 714 four-baggers over the course of two decades, and that record stood untouched for almost four decades. But in the early 1970s, it became clear that a Milwaukee player, yes, a Milwaukee Braves player by the name of Hank Aaron, had a shot at that record. Now, Henry Louis Aaron was a quiet, unassuming figure, often described by teammates and opponents alike as a gentleman. But as his home run total continued to rise, and as it was expected to eclipse Ruth's accomplishment, Henry Aaron's life became a veritable nightmare. So much hate mail was sent to him that the U.S. Post Office awarded him a plaque for receiving the highest volume of mail of any civilian. The FBI investigated numerous death threats. A bodyguard accompanied him to the field each day, yes, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and there was even an attempted kidnap of his young daughter. Aaron's main antagonist during his quest for the career home run title one observer wrote, was not Babe Ruth's ghost, but the racial hostility of America's baseball fans. One Homer short of the record at the end of 1973, one Homer short, Aaron admitted that he might not live to see the 1974 season. It still hurts inside, he later acknowledged, because it chipped away at a part of my life that I will never have again. I did not enjoy myself, and it was hard for me to not enjoy something that I worked so very hard for. So as I was thinking about what it means to be a white ally to people of color, as I was reviewing the literature, as I was soliciting various opinions, one suggestion that I encountered was this from Paul Keeville. To begin with, he says, we must understand and we must learn from the history of whiteness and of racism. The Aaron story is a case in point. But baseball aside, there is a more significant development in the history of American race relations that bears particular mentioning because it has undoubtedly conditioned the perceptions of a good many of us white people. Now perhaps those of you who subscribed to Netflix, watched or heard of a documentary entitled 13th, which premiered on October 7th, just a week ago. How many people saw 13th? A couple of you. That documentary focuses on the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which abolished slavery. And the text of the 13th Amendment reads, neither slavery nor involuntary servitude accept as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their jurisdiction. Despite its admirable intent, the abolishment of slavery, which Abraham Lincoln fought very hard for, this amendment contained a loophole large enough to drive a chain gang through, accept as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted. And in mortal fear that newly liberated slaves would begin to claim rights and privileges that historically had been reserved for whites, policy makers, white policy makers throughout the South began passing and rigorously enforcing a wide assortment of so-called black codes. And these were statutes designed to criminalize conduct that heretofore had been the prerogative of any and all citizens and thus the right to travel freely, to pursue work of one's choosing, to own a firearm or even a knife, many others, these rights were curtailed exclusively for African Americans. And the cumulative effect was to recreate a slave culture through the machinations of white-dominated courts and county sheriff's offices. As Douglas Blackmon documents in his book Slavery by Another Name, this system retarded African American social and economic development for the next 100 years. Black codes remained in place in many states right through the middle of the 20th century. And both inside and outside of the South, they had the nefarious effect of planting in white mines the image of the black man as criminal, a dangerous malifactor. This is a legacy that continues to haunt us even to the present day. Now I suspect that many well-intentioned, many progressive whites would deny that they have been conditioned by this old stereotype. And while this may indeed be true at the conscious level, most white Americans do develop and retain implicit biases that to some extent affect our deportment to a much greater degree than we would care to admit. Now there's been a lot of data on implicit racial bias that's been compiled in recent years thanks to a test that was developed by scholars at Harvard University. To date, more than 3 million Americans of all races, including members of the Madison Police Department, have completed this implicit bias test. And it tells us, this test tells us, Tim Wise notes, that the vast majority of us have internalized certain racist and prejudicial beliefs about people of color. This doesn't mean we're bad people. It doesn't mean we are incorrigible racists. We develop these unconscious biases simply by being here and being subject to certain cultural cues. Advertising works wise continues. And we have been subjected, white America has been subjected to a whole lot of negative advertising. And you know what can be a little scary to take Harvard's online test? It even contains an admonition before you even begin that if you are not prepared for what might be some disturbing results, don't proceed. But I swallowed hard and took the plunge. And guess what? I didn't do very well. The test revealed that at the unconscious level, I exhibit a decided preference for white people over people of color. Was I disappointed? Shagrin by that result? You betcha. Because I've been for many years an activist. I know my history. I am fully aware of and disturbed by the glaring racial inequities in our society. But at a deeper level, at age 65, almost 66, I am seriously biased. But in the end, I'm glad to know this about myself. As the Christian pastor and social activist Jim Wallace has said, America's original sin is racism. Transmitted through the generations, this meme has left its taint on a great many of us. The question is not, do we have it? Most of us do. But what do we do with that knowledge? That's the pertinent question. I attended services at Christ the Solid Rock Church two Sundays ago. I go there as often as I can when I don't have duties here. And Everett Mitchell is the pastor of that church. He's also now a Dane County circuit court judge. And at one point in Everett's sermon, which was focused on reaching for delayed goals, he assured his listeners that you don't have to be perfect, just honest. Be honest about what's holding you back. Be honest about your fears and your reservations. Be honest about your ignorance and your confusion. Be honest about who you are. Because if we can just be honest with ourselves and accept the fact that very few of us in this racially charged culture can claim to be truly colorblind, if we can admit to that, then we can be more authentic. William Faulkner once said, if the past is never dead, it's not even past. If we are going to be allies, we need to know our history and how it continues to contribute to our own conditioning. And without such awareness, we are so much more likely to dismiss the discomforting narratives that persons of color try to tell us. Or we try to reframe those stories in ways that reconfirm our preexisting biases. And so, for instance, a Guardian newspaper recently reported that 38% of unarmed individuals killed by U.S. law enforcement, 38% are black, even though they constitute only 13% of the general population. That is an alarming statistic and it should be telling us something, not just about trigger happy officers, but about publicly approved laws and policies that countenance that kind of carnage. But when such killings occur, the first thing that typically happens is for the victim to come under closer scrutiny. What did he or she do to provoke or to present a threat to law enforcement? It took Tulsa police 30 seconds to kill unarmed Terrence Crutcher, whose car had stalled out on the highway. And on a recording that was made at the scene, officers can be heard describing this music-loving father of four as a, quote, big bad dude, and thus someone capable of causing considerable mayhem. A toxicology report is now being presented as evidence that Crutcher was under the influence of drugs, acting erratically, and thus a candidate for the application of lethal force. True or not, every time an assessment like that is made, it allows white America to beg the question of reform and to ignore calls for a searching examination of the policies and the protocols that disproportionately affect people of color. You know, statistics indicate that as a white person, I am four or five times more likely to be criminally victimized by another white person as by a person of color. But black people, not white people, are still much more likely to be regarded as potential predators. And we know this for a fact because white people, when they are asked whether they support the death penalty, become more likely to articulate support for the death penalty after they know that it disproportionately affects African-Americans. Only an exaggerated fear of black violence can explain a paradoxical result like that one. So in addition to an awareness of bias, acknowledging privilege, that is another prerequisite for any prospective ally.   But white privilege is a reality that 25% of white Americans completely deny exists. And another 50% believe that it's only marginally significant. But the facts demonstrate otherwise. There was a recent column in The New Yorker by James Surowicki, who is the economic reporter for that particular magazine. And Surowicki's column addressed the wealth gap, noting that white households possess on average seven times as much wealth as the average African-American household, seven times. This is not for lack of effort on the part of African-Americans because blacks and whites in this country have both worked very hard. But historically, whites have been amply rewarded for their work, while historically, the fruits of black labor have often ended up where? In white pockets. The wealth gap, Surowicki writes, is attributable to a toxic combination of institutionalized discrimination, persistent racism, and policies that amplify inequality. History and legacy created the racial gap. The sociologist Thomas Shapiro told Surowicki. And policies have maintained that gap. And together, he says, they contribute to the hidden cost of being African-American. As Angela Blackwell observed at last year's YWCA Racial Summit, the question is not how African-Americans got into this situation. It's rather, how did we allow it to happen? There are many other facets to the privilege equation. And there are many resources that you can draw upon in our own library, or my own reflections on this very topic from last January. But that's all about education. And that's only one part of what it means to be an ally. Because once you become convinced, the harder part is trying to convince others. These are difficult conversations to have with people that you care about, Kirsten Claude-Feller acknowledges. But even if those conversations get awkward, do it anyway. And do it in a manner that moves the discussion forward rather than shutting it down. Brittany Cooper, professor of African and gender studies at Rutgers University, concurs saying white people should recognize that the best way to be a good ally is to go to work among yourselves to create more allies. Use your privilege to confront racial injustice. So over and above education, over and above honest self-assessment, there is this active dimension to ally-ship. You know, our English word comes from the Latin oligare. It's a verb. It literally means to bind to. Ally is a noun in English. But following the Latin, it should also be treated as a verb. Because as Francesca Ramsey says, telling me you're an ally, that's not nearly enough. Working to change hearts and minds in the white community, that represents one important action that any of us can take. But it demands a certain level of courage. Because as the YWCA's executive director Rachel Krinsky discovered, the response that you can get when you try to make that case can be defensive. It can even be vitriolic. And if we find that scary, if we find it off-putting, then perhaps we need to reacquaint ourselves with another piece of our nation's history, the civil rights era.  Because these individuals were often regarded as what? Race traders. Two Unitarian Universalists. Viola Liuso, James Reid, were attacked. And they were killed in the state of Alabama for their efforts. In the letter from the Birmingham jail, Reverend King complained about white reticence, white timidity. But he paused long enough to acknowledge those few, like Liuso, like Reid, who were big in quality. Allyship may involve certain costs, entail certain risks today. But it is by no means as risky as it may go. But in deciding whether or not we want to take that step, we still must ask the old question. The question that freedom rider Paul Brainis asked himself in 1961. The question, what type of white person do I want to be? There are those who will say, why should I do this work? After all, I'm not personally responsible for slavery. For Jim Crow. I am not responsible for any of the problems past or present that beset African Americans. And the answer to that is that as white Americans, we continue to benefit from past injustices. We continue to enjoy privileges bestowed upon us solely because of our race. And there is a difference between being responsible for something and being accountable as the beneficiary of a system that is still rife with inequality. You are white, Sarah Salem writes. Use the unrivaled respect you enjoy as a societal birthright to acknowledge this and to rectify it. And so should we embrace it, we can further this cause by talking to our kids early on about race and preparing them in advance for situations that they are very likely to encounter. And we can situate ourselves in communities where as Everett Mitchell puts it we are in the minority, where others are actually in control. That's where some of our deepest and best learning can take place. We can join a demonstration. We can lend material support to those who are willing to stand and make a public witness. And we should be strong enough to make mistakes. Because as the Reverend Alex G recently taught a Madison audience you're probably going to do something wrong. You're probably going to say something that's wrong. But that simply means that you are doing something. Being an ally does not require a person to become a compliant, uncritical follower. Allies walk beside, not behind. But being an ally does require a willingness to be taught. And when necessary defer to someone else's better and more informed judgment. It's a tough assignment for white people because we are, quite frankly, used to calling the shots. We are just a few days past Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday, a holiday during which Jews the world over engage in searching moral reassessment. So I would close then by invoking the memory of a German rabbi, Joachim Prinz. During the 1930s he was an outspoken opponent of the Nazis in his native Germany. He moved to this country in 1937 and became a staunch ally of Martin Luther King Jr. He addressed the crowd of 250,000 people at the 1963 March on Washington. And at that event Rabbi Prinz said that bigotry and hatred are not the most urgent problems. The most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful, the most tragic problem is silence. At the very least silence refuse any longer to be silent. And now I would invite Eric Severson to share with you an invitation to practice. Good morning. First Unitarian Society's equity ministry team exists to end racism through the work of racial justice grounded in Unitarian universalist principles. An ambitious mission to say at least we cannot do it alone. The team also is committed to helping build on our community's visions of ministry, in particular to engage a broader spectrum of members and friends in increasing opportunities for exposure to the rich diversity of human experiences, beliefs and identities. It is to intentionally support and guide one another in a step toward this vision that you all are cordially invited on this, our faith community's annual Black Lives Matter weekend to participate in a 21-day equity practice. What you say I have to practice something? No worries. You will have a handy list to guide you and the practice is all about looking in new places and opening your mind to new ideas and what could be more stimulating. But what is equity anyway, you might ask? According to a recent Ford Foundation conference on community philanthropy and racial justice racial equity in the American South equity is society's commitment to meet people where they are and provide for each the resources necessary to enable them to achieve at their highest levels. Equity is about respecting each person's inherent worth and acknowledging in word and indeed that the primary infrastructures of our society have failed to do so. Sounds a bit like our first and second principles. Committing to a personal practice of equity is important because no matter where we are in our understanding of today's challenges of systemic racial inequities every one of us can benefit by learning, growing and practicing greater awareness. Only with practice can each of us act effectively to advance racial equity in our own little corner of the world in accordance with our UU principles. The idea for this equity practice is based on the 21 day equity habit building challenge developed by white privilege conference organizer Dr. Eddie Moore and Debbie Irving about waking up white. 21 days is widely considered to be the minimum time it takes to effectively build a habit and this is what we hope this equity practice will become for all of us who participate. Sometimes it's hard to know where to begin when starting a journey of racial justice work. Laying the foundation for this by learning about our societal context and our own privilege is essential. The equity ministry team has compiled a list of media articles, videos, local events and multicultural news sources that guide us in this process. Categories from which you might choose include framing the journey assessing ourselves and our environment contextualizing racial inequity in our history and our local area planning the next steps in the process to be an effective ally. Much of this practice can be done individually but we encourage you to share your journey with another and with others in your life. Ask the friend or family member to join you. You can track the progress of your 21 day journey any way you choose by using a handy form by journaling your thoughts and reactions or by responding to prompts from our first Unitarian's Facebook page. In addition, we have planned events on each of the weekends of the three week period when we can come together to complete the day's practice and check in with one another. There are bound to be moments of struggle and moments of epiphany moments we hope you will share both for your own learning and for that of others. We invite you to sign up at the table in the Commons after the service to receive the list of 21 day equity practice guidelines and to pick up a handout with more information. The materials are all available online but you do not need to be computer savvy. Just tell the person at the table if you need alternate means of digesting the material. We will make sure you have the tools you need to establish your practice and heed to matters of racial equity. A printed set of the material is available for perusal in a notebook in the FUS Library. And speaking of the library please stop in and peruse the wide selection of justice related books and on display including a number of new titles and children's books. So may each of us find the curiosity courage and the intensity within ourselves and with the help of our faith community to carry out our equity practice together. At this time I invite you to participate in the giving and the receiving of our offering and as you will note from your program a portion of your gifts today will be directed to the Young Gifted and Black Coalition and devoted to the work that they are doing in our community to achieve greater equity. Please be generous. At this time I invite you to join with me in a period of meditation and as we sit silently and reverently individuals among you will read the names of 20 black men and women who suffered violent death in the past year. We believe that those lives mattered but apparently they did not matter enough for them to be granted a full term of life. These 20 represent of course but a small fraction of black lives lost under similar circumstances and so today may we be cognizant that the many who were unnamed they mattered as well. The pictures of these 20 can be seen in the commons area after the service so that you can connect a name with a face. Please be seated and let us continue now in a moment or two more of meditation. The days grow short the seasons turn and life's adventure continues through incalculable numbers of births and death. Ages pass and ever so slowly humanity struggles out of the shadows the nether regions of ignorance superstition and fear. Not forever will the blight of prejudice corrupt our relationships. Someday we surely will understand that the superficialities of color and creed, gender and ethnicity but these have nothing to do with intrinsic human value. Let us hold out the hope that at some not so distant time the old errors finally will be erased that we will be one people richly diverse resourceful, talented celebrating in and marveling at the world that we have created through common effort and for the common good. May it be so. Blessed be and amen. I invite you now to rise in body and spirit one final time as we sing together hymn number 1018. Amen Go with me. My colleague James Hobart asks what can we do? We can speak out against injustice when others remain silent. We can include all persons when others want to include only a few. We can practice compassion when others profess indifference. What can we do? We can give of ourselves while others withhold themselves. We can attach our lives to a human company when others seek to remove themselves from common interests and cause. What can we do? Through thought, word and deed let us seek to live for justice and toward harmony today tomorrow and always. Blessed be and amen. Please be seated for the post loop.


Thank you. It's now time for question period. The member from Lackdon, Kent, Middlesex. Thank you very much for speaking. My question this morning is to the Premier. Premier listened to the fall economic statement yesterday and while I appreciate a nice story with a happy ending, this isn't the time or place for fiction. We continue to rely on rosy assumptions about the growth of our economy in spite of the half a billion dollars shortfall you announced yesterday and in the face of a flagging economic outlook globally. In just the last few weeks we've learned Japan and Italy are officially in recession, Germany struggled to grow its economy by 0.1% last quarter and China's growth is continuing to slow. Yesterday UK Prime Minister David Cameron cautioned and a quote red warning lights are once again flashing on the dashboard of the global economy. Premier, how can you expect the people of Ontario to believe that you'll balance the budget without raising their chances when you keep estimating revenue and won't stop spending? Well Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the global context that the member opposite has painted and those are realities that we are contending with but Mr. Speaker, we have a plan and we are executing the plan that we ran on Mr. Speaker and that plan is multifaceted. It is not one thing. The party opposite had one song that they sang during the election campaign.  That is not a plan Mr. Speaker. That is a recipe for disaster. What we have said is that we have to make investments that will allow for job growth now and in the future and economic support for communities in the future. We have said we have to constrain spending and we have a program review in place Mr. Speaker that is going to allow us to do that and we have said we have to partner with the private sector. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. Premier, I know you don't have a background in business or experience meeting a payroll but let me tell you this Premier, a small business that grows its debt here Order please. Finish please. Premier, a small business that grows its debt year after year wouldn't get back in the black just by raising its prices and cracking down on kids pocketing a few candy bars. That much more fundamental change is needed in this province. The debt is nearly $300 billion and you Premier are paying $29 million a day just to service the debt. Premier, can you tell us exactly how this government is going to significantly reduce spending? Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Let me just say to the member opposite that I believe that government and society needs leadership that brings life experience to those roles that allow. The government of Ontario is a government that is responsible for the life and livelihood of 13.6 million people in this province. It is a complex enterprise, it's a complex society and so the plan that we have to review the programs and transform the discoveries to manage compensation costs to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of taxes and to unlock the value of the assets that belong to the people of Ontario. That's the complexity that we bring to this Council. I'll speak back to the Premier. Premier with no real intention to get spending under control, you've said you're relying cigarettes to balance the books. You have presented strengthening revenue integrity as if it was a revolutionary idea but in fact it's simply an admission that your government has failed to protect tax dollars. Either you have been unable or unwilling to enforce these laws, properly collect taxes or deliver on old promises to crack down on contraband tobacco. If in fact there is significant revenue to be found from stopping this quote revenue leakage as you call it, how many millions or billions of dollars has this government lost over the last decade by failing to enforce its own laws? You know again I understand that the questions that are written down and the decisions that are made about the way the questions are going to go are made before question period but I really think that this is an important discussion that we should be having about how we solve a problem that quite frankly we are all in together as the member opposite outline. There are global forces that we are all dealing with. We have put in place a plan that yes speaks to making sure that there is revenue integrity that the revenue that should be coming into the provincial coffers comes into the provincial coffers while at the same time making sure that we pay attention to the economic development of all our communities across the province. If the member opposite looks at the work that we have done in for example in the Ministry of Health over the last number of years and can look at the transformation that has taken place and the way spending has been constrained Mr. Speaker and the way costs have been controlled and the limits on growth that we have put in place there he would understand what's possible. Questions? Same member? Well Speaker my next question is for the Premier. Premier in 2010 the Liberal government of the day of which you were the Minister of Education retracted its controversial plans to introduce a new sex education curriculum in our schools and promised to widely consult with parents before attempting another sex ed revision. Stop. The Minister of Aboriginal Affairs you will come to order. Please continue. Premier just a few weeks ago your Minister of Education suddenly announced that there would be a new sex education curriculum in place for the 2015 school year and yet Premier there have been no meaningful consultations with internal parents on this issue. My question this morning Premier is very simple why have you decided to break the 2010 Liberal promise to consult with parents before reintroducing new changes to Ontario's sex education curriculum? Well Mr. Speaker quite the contrary we have followed through on that commitment and the Minister of Education has announced a process whereby parents across the province will be consulted. Parents well and I will just say you know the notion that somehow the chair of the school council, the representative of the school council that somehow that person doesn't have access to the school population just demonstrates how little this party opposite actually understands about how I've been the chair of a school council, I've been a school trustee I've worked in community, I understand that the role of a school council chair is to talk to the people in his or her school to get that input and then to feed that input into a process. That's how it's work Mr. Speaker and we promised we would consult with parents that's exactly what we're doing. One carefully selected hand-picked parent represents only 4,000 parents out of millions of Ontario parents that's barely 1% of parents premier this is not consultation. For the Minister to suggest that such a covert process of meaningful consultation is an insult to the intelligence of parents right across this province it is simply smoke and mirrors premier. When will you reveal the contents of the new liberal sex education curriculum so all parents in the province can see for themselves what you have planned for their children? I'll just quickly answer the first part of that question and say that what is an insult to the people of the province and particularly to the hard working volunteers in all of the schools in this province is that this member wouldn't understand that those volunteer roles are extremely important that they do connect with the parents in their schools and that they have a very important role to play and he really should learn that Mr. Speaker to the second part of the question. I believe that what this is really about what this is really about is that this member wants to once again undermine the real the very real need for a strong and updated and modern sex education physical and health education curriculum in our schools I would think that given the issues that we have dealt with as a society in the last few weeks he would have begun to understand that Thank you. Final supplementary. I'll speak her back to the premier. Even this flimsy promise to consult the tiny hand-picked select group of parents is a farce. Today October 30th your Minister of Education suggested that it was unlikely that any feedback even from these people would have an impact on your liberal government. The Minister of Education will come to order. Please finish. Premier this is another liberal broken promise another example of liberal contempt for voters and parents in the province of Ontario. Premier it seems you're afraid of telling parents what you intend to teach their children. Why don't you simply release the details of the proposed liberal sex education curriculum now and Premier what are you trying to hide? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. So here is my advice to the member opposite in answer to his question that is to go to the schools in his riding to talk to the elected chairs of the school councils because they are about what they think should be in the physical and health education curriculum because that is the consultation that we're doing but Mr. Speaker I just want to point out that there are members of this party that have called for a select committee to look into sexual harassment and sexual assault. I have said that I'm open to making changes and that that's a conversation that house leaders can have but that flies in the face of what this member is doing Mr. Speaker It goes both ways. I'm not getting quiet for people to take their last cheap shots and it's reached a point of regret for me. Any discussion about the needs for children to learn about sexual harassment and sexual assault there will be and necessarily a discussion about health and physical education curriculum in schools. Those two things are necessarily linked Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the premier. Yesterday the Liberal government released its fall economic statement Ontario's bank account is short half a billion dollars. The Liberals are slashing 6% out of nearly every ministry and now we're finding out that they're short in revenues. What's the premier going to do to cover the loss of Speaker? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I know that the leader of the third party understands our plan understands the fiscal underpinnings of our plan because she ran on that plan Mr. Speaker. She understands that we have a path to balance. She understands that we are looking at our assets Mr. Speaker to make sure that they are working for the people of Ontario. She understands that we are constraining compensation Mr. Speaker and she understands that we are working to transform the programs as we have done across government. We will continue to do to make sure that we are providing the services that people in this province need but that we are providing them in the most cost effective way possible Mr. Speaker. At the same time making investments that will allow the economy to thrive. Those investments in transportation infrastructure in transit roads and bridges around the province Mr. Speaker that we know communities in order to draw business. That's the plan I know she's aware of it Mr. Speaker because as I say she ran on it. Mr. Speaker when the government released its fall update we found out that liberal mismanagement has left revenues $5 billion lower than projected since the 2010 budget but instead of looking for ways to ensure that we can actually pay the bills the Liberals are handing a brand new tax loophole to corporations so that they can write off the HST on leaf tickets and the company car. Steve Orsini former Deputy Minister of Finance and now the Premier Secretary of Cabinet says this loophole will cost $750 million annually. Now when we're falling short on revenues and we're slashing services to people does the Premier really think it's wise to open up a new corporate tax loophole. Mr. Speaker I know that the Minister of Finance will want to speak to the specifics but again let me say that we presented our fall economic statement yesterday to the people of the province and we are we are very confident given what has been happening in the province given Mr. Speaker that our unemployment rate is at 6.5% that's the lowest rate since October 2008 Mr. Speaker given Mr. Speaker that those jobs are 90% full time jobs 37,000 net new jobs Mr. Speaker last month in October the fact is Mr. Speaker that we are seeing an uptake absolutely absolutely there are challenges ahead of us and we have we've acknowledged that but we have a plan we understand that there has to be constraints and at the same time we must make those investments that will allow the economy to thrive. Another way to increase revenues is certainly to grow the economy but we learned that the Liberals will be missing their growth targets that they just set five months ago pre-election Speaker that didn't take long now did it we won't hit the ground we won't hit the growth targets rather in any of the next four years coming is what that economic statement said four more years Speaker of lost revenues four more years of slash services does the Premier really think her plans working Speaker Minister of Finance Thank you Mr. Speaker I appreciate the question and I understand that the member opposite is talking about our path to balance and our stimulus package both combined to achieve the positive results that are necessary she referenced the fact that revenues are down by half a billion dollars which is correct noted earlier because of global forces and what have we done we recalibrated and reassess it to ensure that we continue to balance and we meet our targets but the member opposite is basing her assumptions on our platform now I know it's both are further read more than nine pages as she's written on hers are a little bit more complex than that and it's fully detailed and it's out there for all to use and recognize we will achieve our target we're balancing our books by 2017-18 and we're stimulating growth as necessary thank you Mr. Speaker new question Speaker we certainly didn't include billions of dollars of new corporate tax loopholes in our plan Speaker my next question to the Premier in yesterday's economic statement the government has admitted for the very first time that they will not meet that they didn't meet in fact their 8% auto insurance premium reduction now they're saying that the rates may come down 6% now the etchings over speaker the government has been backing away in this economic statement from the promise that they meet made just a few months ago to reduce rates by 15% now is the Premier going to keep her promise to reduce those rates by 15% speaker or is this fall economic statement really an admission that they're going to go nowhere near 15% the Minister of Finance will want to speak on the specifics but let me just be clear what we have said in the fall economic statement and what we have said consistently is that auto insurance rates are down they have already come down Mr. Speaker we are already seeing success and we will continue to work to make sure that we reach those targets but the fact is Mr. Speaker that the work that we have done so far and the changes that have been made those have already produced results the fact is that the members opposite need to look at the legislation that we brought forward because in that legislation are the mechanisms to remove fraud from the system to make further changes that will continue to bring those auto insurance on average down across the province Mr. Speaker in the fall economic statement the government appears to be backing away from their promise to cut auto insurance rates by 15% that's the bottom line and they're using something called the annual automobile insurance transparency and accountability experts report as the reason why they're backing away but this report speaker is so transparent that it's being kept from the public to explain why her transparency report that underpins her economic statement and her broken promise on auto insurance is being kept from the public Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker it's pretty rich I gotta tell ya we're in the midst of trying to look at legislation on auto insurance which the member opposite and her team voted against voted against the very measures to reduce auto insurance further than the proposed months ago we would have reduced auto insurance even more notwithstanding the auto insurance rates are down the member from Eglinton Lawrence will come to order and the member from Hamilton East Tony Creek will come to order finish please so auto insurance rates are down on average by 6% because of the measures we've taken to date we need to do more we need to do the necessary work around footing fraud we have to go against dispute resolution systems we're looking also at a number of initiatives around the tow truck industry and a number of initiatives that are enabled us to reduce costs in the courts that was necessary months ago they stopped it they delayed it they voted against it we're going to make sure it gets passed now and reduce rates even further final supplementary well in fact what they've done is taken away people's rights to sue and have justice in terms of auto insurance disputes on people across Ontario our growth is not keeping up it means losing out over a billion dollars worth of jobs investments and prosperity bills are going up for hydro and they're not coming down for auto and people are wondering if they're going to be facing more cuts and more privatized services because the Liberals have emptied the piggy bank does the premier still think her plan is progressive speaker so Mr. Speaker the member opposite ran on our platform says that she's going to find 600 million dollars more in savings and in cuts to health care and education that she said she would be able to find and now she's saying well we don't want to do that either so you can't have it both ways we are taking the steps necessary to transform government through the work that the president of the Treasury Board is doing now we're going to make certain that we provide for open and collective agreements that honor and respect the rights of others but ensuring that we have net zero so that we can all be in this together investing in those matters that are important to Ontarians to promote and increase our growth and Mr. Speaker she makes reference to tax loopholes which are wrong we have revenue leakage that we are attacking but what she makes reference to is incorrect she knows that fully well that we need the federal government support in those initiatives that we do not have we're fighting hard for Ontario she should fight hard for Ontario as well instead of putting them down and making absolute accusations Thank you very much My question is for the Premier Good morning Premier The Bank of Canada and the Conference Board of Canada both forecast that you would not make your revenue numbers this year but you didn't listen to the experts and you put a high revenue number in your budget well surprise the experts were right again and you were wrong again revenues came in half a billion dollars lower than you told us what would be and that's only four months ago and you rated our reserves again 300 million more out of the piggy bank so it doesn't look as bad as it really is the Ontario Chamber of Commerce has concluded quote we are likely to reach a state of crisis unless the province cuts spending changes the way it does business Premier will you please listen to the experts in the financial community and finally change the way you do in Ontario Minister of Finance so Mr. Speaker the premise of the question is completely inaccurate and I'll tell you why Mr. Speaker we have independent economists around the world and across Canada assessing the degree of revenue that we would be achieved in fact we had Don Drummond last year look at the integrity of the revenue numbers that were projected by independent economists outside of government we took those projections and pared it down even further we were below their projected amounts and even still we were able to use the shock absorbers that had been built into the system that's why it exists and it's also why we're borrowing $24 billion less and have $200 million in lower interest costs because of the efforts that we're taking to offset these very measures we're moving ahead we're on target to balance the budget by 2017-18 by taking a balanced approach Mr. Speaker Supplementary quite a pamphlet there Premier we've seen the direct result of your spending spree I'm going to ask you to withdraw that withdraw carry on you've already cut 1600 nursing jobs physiotherapy for our seniors cataract surgeries and diabetes testing strips Premier you're the one holding the knife today it's not getting any better your own plan shows you need to raise revenue $15 billion by 2017-18 to balance the budget but you've missed your revenue targets every single time so Premier what are you going to do now are you going to raise taxes as mentioned twice yesterday more health cuts to in addition to the ones you've already done or are you going to legislate the wage freeze your finance minister announced in this house yesterday Minister so Mr. Speaker we've adopted now over 80% of Don Drummond's recommendations we've taken measure of austerity in a very pragmatic and appropriate way by transforming government without hampering services in health care and education especially and for our social well-being but Mr. Speaker as a result of that we've become the lowest cost government per capita in Canada we've done our job in that regard what we will not do though Mr. Speaker is cut 100,000 jobs from the system and put people at risk is what he's been applying for and what he's been suggesting instead we have a net increase of 500,000 net new jobs since the recession we've recovered to 300,000 plus 500,000 more and unemployment rate now in Ontario is 6.5% 1% lower than last year we're continuing to do what's necessary to promote the economy and manage our program spending as necessary, thank you Any questions? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Finance according to the fall economic statement the first annual automobile insurance transparency and accountability expert report was delivered to the Minister of Finance now the whole point of this annual report was to let the public know why premiums were so high despite the fact that the insurance industry was saving millions of dollars flowing from the draconian benefit cut backs of 2010 and subsequent years but this government has refused to release this so called transparency report to the public Minister, why haven't you released this report to the public and what is in this report that you're so afraid of showing to the millions of Ontario drivers Thank you Mr. Speaker The real question Mr. Speaker is why did you vote against the very bill that would lower auto insurance in the first place why were you not standing up for the people of Ontario and the very drivers that you claim to be supporting we've been able to reduce rates by 6% on average we can reduce rates even more by imposing and providing the legislation that we brought forward that will be debated in this house that will be debated on committee that will enable us to have that discussion which you're trying to avoid at the very nature of your question because you of all people stood in this house trying to claim and support auto insurance drivers to produce their rates just like many private members bills on this house to the house have fought for we'll continue to do our part you should be joining us in doing it as well Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker that's going to make a great quality answer the minister is disappointed that I asked him to release a transparency report that he transferred New Democrats have long argued that the insurance industry has pocketed $2 billion from the 2010 benefit cutbacks without passing a penny on to drivers that's why we called for a 15% premium rollback which we thought this government agreed to in the 2013 budget but it's pretty clear now they have no intention of implementing it Minister you admitted yesterday that the 15% rate reduction is stalled at 6% but you didn't say why what's in the transparency report that you refuse to release again what are you hiding from the 8 million drivers in Ontario Minister Mr. Speaker we have a regulatory system that forces the companies to post online their rates their activities and the reductions that they are proceeding with there's over 100 companies that are competing almost 20 of them or more are actually well above the 50% reduction in rates already and we can encourage that activity to proceed and that is transparent and I gotta tell you the reason why rates are at only 6% is very clear because you stalled the very legislation that enables rates to go down because you voted against it because you enabled an election that wasn't necessary and those are the issues that are creating the slowing of that rate reduction now we're gonna act quickly we're gonna ensure that rates are reduced by taking the actions that's necessary in this piece of legislation which I hope you will support in the end Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister for Development of Northern Development excuse me in mind Minister in your mandate letter the Premier made it clear that we've made it our government's priority to ensure that Ontario's north continues to realize its potential as a sustainable, diverse, stable and innovative region that significantly contributes to the overall growth of Ontario's economy Mr. Speaker can the Minister please explain what our government is doing to drive growth in Northern Ontario Thank you very much I'm very grateful for all of us with our great question and certainly it's a complete priority for our Northern communities to continue to remain on a positive track towards prosperity and that's one of the reasons why we are continuing to work so hard on the implementation of the Northern Ontario growth plan we're diversifying the economy helping communities attract investment and building more efficient infrastructure and the key we believe Mr. Speaker is to take a very collaborative approach and that's why we are directly engaging municipal Aboriginal community leaders in Northern Ontario we held the Northern Leaders Forum in Jimmins last December followed that up with a very very positive section in Thunder Bay and may I say Mr. Speaker we are looking forward to continue that dialogue with another Northern Leaders Forum early in the new year happening in Seaside Marine Thank you Thank you Minister for informing the House forming this legislature about the strategic investments our government is making in Northern Ontario Mr. Speaker we need to ensure that we continue to support the talent of all Ontarians so that we can build a dynamic business climate in our province one that thrives on innovation creativity and partnerships I think that we would all agree that successful development relies on the modern and efficient infrastructure a vital component of building prosperous communities Mr. Speaker can the Minister please explain what our government is doing to improve infrastructure in Northern Ontario and support growth across the region Thank you Minister Another great question thank you so much the infrastructure is absolutely a vital part of realizing the full potential of our Northern communities which is why we are so proud of this last year's investment of $527 million for Northern Highways which is about 147 million for expansion 380 million for rehabilitation actually over $5 billion over the last 10 years we made a $32 million investment to support the expansion of broadband infrastructure to 21 First Nations communities and additional $30 million in projects extending broadband covers over 96% of Northern Ontario homes we are going to get all the way there we have launched a new Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund providing annually now permanently $100 million per year to small rural and northern municipalities Mr. Speaker it is important to note these are priorities for us we have never heard a thing from the opposition party during the campaign last year at all about a certain plan we are very proud of our Northern plan and it is a total priority and our government thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Infrastructure Minister your revolving door of excuses is getting old and tired your newest excuse is trying to pull the wool over taxpayers' eyes by telling us the Mars loan is fully secure Minister CBRES most recent appraisal Pigs valued building $3 million if 100% least you have blown $224 million on the loan $65 million more on ARE and now we are on the hook for $106.5 million in interest that is a lot more than $300 million Minister you are like the Energizer Minister you just keep digging and digging and digging us into a deeper hole Minister you are planning to cut and selling the building or just keep pouring millions more into a bad deal you should have never signed off on in the first place Mr. Speaker what is getting old and tired is the members daily attacks on the integrity of Mars Mr. Speaker and the opportunities that Mars brings to our bioscience cluster Mr. Speaker if the member was really concerned about the economy and jobs he would be supporting our bioscience cluster in the efforts that Mars makes to grow jobs and attract investment Mr. Speaker but there is a big difference between that party and this party yes Mr. Speaker when the Mars phase 2 project was having challenges we did step up and provide support to ensure that that building did not rot in the ground his party would elect that building rot in the ground he would have kissed away the jobs that are going to come from the work that Mars does and the economic development and the investment that that will attract to this province Mr. Speaker I will not be taking his advice I'm looking forward to the advice of Michael and Carol Stevenson who will help us ensure that this project becomes a success Minister we know that you don't understand the business case and no one is surprised now that you don't understand the appraisal either your appraisal just doesn't add up both CBRE and Altis based evaluations of Mars on it being fully leased to tenants paying research and life science spaces yet we know there is no market for the 780,000 square feet of research space but we do know you're planning to put bureaucrats in there and the market value for office space is 8 to 10 dollars a square foot less than research space that means the value of the building is tens of millions of dollars less even when it is fully rented minister can you tell this house exactly how many millions more is Mars too worth when filled with bureaucrats instead of scientists or are you just going to pass this off to the finance minister is more leakage next year thank you Mr. Speaker the PC's party's approach to dealing with the challenges faced by phase 2 Mars was to let that building rot on the ground Mr. Speaker that was their approach but it shouldn't surprise us shouldn't surprise us because Mr. Speaker when things get tough Tories run and hide look what they did with the auto sector when the auto sector was having challenges Mr. Speaker we stepped up partnered with the auto sector insured that 400,000 plus direct and indirect jobs were saved in this province Mr. Speaker the approach to that party was to let those plants close Mr. Speaker when it comes down to it this party has the intestinal fortitude to make the investments we need to make to grow our economy to partner with the private sector Mr. Speaker when necessary to make the important business decisions going forward that are responsible to taxpayers that are going to create jobs and grow our economy that party clearly does not Mr. Speaker thank you Speaker my question to the minister of education Speaker on July 9th the premier stood in this house and said quote we're not going to cut education yesterday the economic update poured cold water on that liberal promise the liberals have quietly admitted they're actually planning a half a billion dollars in cuts to schools in this province the 2015 education funding guide shows up to 500 million dollars in cuts by 2017 why did the premier promise Ontarians no cuts to education while asking you minister to slack 500 million dollars in crucial funding to our schools wow thank you minister of education yes thank you and I think one of the things that you need to recognize is that in fact we have increased spending in education more than any other government has ever done in fact the on average the per pupil spending has increased anywhere from 50 to 60 percent depending on where the board is in Ontario Speaker so I absolutely challenge anyone who says that we are not funding education properly it is true that we have declining enrollment and that when you find that enrollment is declining that there may be individual boards because they have had dramatic declines in enrollment may not have had as much funding this year as last but the supplementary well speaker the premier said one thing and now she is doing the opposite her budget promised increased funding to school boards to keep up with growing enrollment she is on the record promising no cuts to schools and yet the ministry of education is spelling out 500 million dollars cuts to our classrooms and says annual increases are things of the past these cuts will hurt an education system that is already hurting from being underfunded it could mean ballooning class sizes teacher layoffs and even more school closures will the minister tell Ontarians exactly what this cut of half a billion dollars will mean to the students, teachers and education workers of this province thank you let me repeat the funding is now at 22.5 billion through the grants for student needs that represents an increase of 56.5 percent or over $4,000 per pupil since 2003 the funding has gone up in fact in the area that he's talking about this year which is looking at some of the operating issues we've actually added $8.3 million to help boards with planning we've added $15.5 million to help them invest in teaching staff in remote areas of the province where we know that the schools are going to remain open we're actually increasing the funding so that those schools can remain open but the bottom line here is yes the funding keeps going up the per pupil funding thank you speaker my question is to the minister of research and innovation and training colleges and universities minister Ontario is some of the best educated, hardest working and most creative young people in the world many of them live in my riding of Burlington where I've had the privilege of meeting all secondary students who are eager to transform their bright ideas into successful businesses however what I'm finding out is that many of them are not aware of the programs, tools and services that the government makes available to them to develop their entrepreneurial skills and launch their own company minister I understand that the response to Ontario's job strategy has been very strong our government is well on its way of achieving its target of connecting 30,000 young people all the members of this house what steps our government is taking to support young entrepreneurs and help them thrive in today's market economy thank you I want to thank the member from Burlington for that very good question this week is the global entrepreneurship so the question is great building a culture of innovation research excellence and entrepreneurship are at the heart of our government's jobs and economic strategy we recognise that the economy needs a culture of startups and the workers who derive creativity and competitiveness in the new world economy that's why entrepreneurship programs form a key part of our government's huge job strategy Ontario's entrepreneurship fund provides young people with mentorship and a seed capital to start their own businesses and the Ontario's innovation fund helps young innovators get the advanced work experience and the startups support they need to translate their research into 21st century economy Mr. Speaker helping young people get experience and resources they need to launch their own companies is part of our government's path to develop an innovative business climate in this province we will continue to build Ontario by investing in a suite of programs and services that will help young people turn their ideas and dreams in thank you Mr. Speaker it is great to hear that our government is taking the necessary steps to help our young people become successful entrepreneurs Minister post-secondary education plays a crucial role in preparing the next generation of Ontario's entrepreneurs it is imperative that our government invest in student entrepreneurship at the post-secondary level in order to provide our future leaders with the tools they need to succeed in tomorrow's economy investing in a dynamic, innovative post-secondary system will nurture our business visionaries ignite their entrepreneurial spirit and help them grow Ontario's economy can the minister tell us more about the different on-campus programs being offered to young entrepreneurs and how our government is building a dynamic entrepreneurial post-secondary system in our province thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member again for that question Mr. Speaker our government understands the importance in the 21st century global economy that's why our government is building the most entrepreneurial post-secondary system in North America by investing $25 million in two dynamic on-campus programs the first one Mr. Speaker is campus linked accelerators are providing funding to institutions to integrate on-campus entrepreneurial activities with the local businesses and industry and the second program Mr. Speaker is the on-campus entrepreneurship activities program is helping start business activities within the institutions I am proud Mr. Speaker to report that out of 44 Ontario post-secondary system 42 of them now have on-campus entrepreneurship programs these programs are giving students the chance to develop their business ideas while at the same time transforming our post-secondary institutions Mr. Speaker into entrepreneurship Mr. Speaker we are producing some of the best thank you new question the leader of the international opposition Premier last week I received an email from a local news organization indicating that your government plans to approve by the end of November WPD's application to build 8 500 foot tall wind turbines structures that will be as tall as the TD tower here in Toronto directly beside the calling with regional airport now I've raised this issue as you know many times with your government over the years you yourself visited the area just before you became leader and you said that this specific project should not go ahead in the face of community opposition and you've also said that an airport should not have to shut down because of wind turbines so Premier is it true are you going to approve these 500 foot wind turbines in proximity to the calling with airport minister of the environment climate change thank you that's enough thank you Mr. Speaker first of all there's an environmental assessment process for these things as well of which the public has a chance to comment but Mr. Speaker airports and airport standards are regulated by the federal government we've had this debate with members opposite and you know we have a minister who doesn't like to return provincial minister's calls and that's always a challenge but we're really looking to some leadership from the federal government here Mr. Speaker because you cannot build things in the pathway of an airport contrary to federal government fly and approach and rules Mr. Speaker so I've offered many times to meet with the member opposite I've offered to sit down I've actually met with people from the airport and that and we need greater clarity from them we're following the process we're looking for thank you all four surrounding municipalities are against this project they would like their planning power back so that at least they would have the common sense and wisdom to not put these damn things next to an airport it's insane what you're doing it's the same that you would say one thing in the area just before you're elected leader and then not do the review that you said you would do or at least I'm not aware that you've done it and that this process just keeps plowing ahead it doesn't make any sense the minister I say to you the federal government has no rules about wind turbines near airports because they didn't need to develop rules because the municipalities used to have the planning tools to make sure this wouldn't happen like a bunch of dummies that you would actually do this in the first place and that's and they're just saying well give back the planning power but why don't you do that why don't you give these municipalities and all the municipalities to cross the road thank you minister thanks I don't know quite what to say Mr. Speaker after that other than the member should really be the member representing member from Bruce Carrillo and Sam will come to order secretary finish please after that traumatic performance the member should be representing the community of Stratford an academy award winning performance member from here on Bruce will come to order thank you I know the minister the member from here on Bruce will come to order second time and if I knew where the direction was I'd warn that member it's not a laughing matter please finish thank you very much Mr. Speaker we're not interested in endangering the lives of Ontarians and we also respect the constitutional authority member from Stormont come to order I'm the member for Toronto Centre I fly out of the island airport there are very tall structures all around that excuse me seated please member from Bruce Carrillo and Sam is warned finish please thank you very much Mr. Speaker there's large smoke stacks about a little more fibre a little less coffee maybe Mr. Speaker you seated please the member from Canora Rainy River thank you Speaker to the Minister of Natural Resources this is a question about priorities no price was too high to bail out the government's Mars project even though high tech companies showed little interest in occupying the space but a company is interested in taking over the Fort Francis mill there is a deal to be struck that would create and save 1000 jobs in the Rainy River District people of Fort Francis don't need $300 million we just need $5 million to save the mill from being destroyed this winter so that we can finalize a plan to keep the mill open and save 1000 jobs the clock is ticking will this government pay to heat the mill this winter thank you Mr. Speaker thank you and I thank the member for the question Speaker I've responded to this question in the house before and when I responded to it last time I advised the member in the house that we were investigating what possibilities there might be around this should the eventuality arise that has arisen that being that the business to business relationship that was trying to be struck between the owner of the mill resolute forest products and the potential purchaser of the mill fell apart the deal did fall apart but I'm saying here as I said back then that even before that had occurred there was on her feet asking this particular question we had already begun to see what was possible in that regard should we be needed to step in to see what we can do I said that a couple of weeks ago I'll say it here again today I have nothing to announce today we're investigating the possibility to see what we might be able to do and hopefully we'll have a response on that in the not too distant future we've been in contact with the owner of the mill there is still an opportunity we understand time is short we understand what's possible it is still a privately owned mill this government has bent over backwards to bail out the Mars project spending over three hundred million dollars order please sergeant at arms thank you also stand recess for five minutes thank you supplementary thank you speaker the government bent over backwards to bail out its Mars project spending over three hundred million dollars for a two thirds empty building but when the people of the Rainy river district ask the government to help save one thousand jobs that depend on the Fort Francis mill we get only excuses as you can tell by the ice on the ground winter is here if the Fort Francis mill is not heated it will be damaged and lost forever minister it's simple it's a million dollars for Mars will the government find five million dollars to save one thousand jobs and heat the mill this winter thank you thank you again I thank the member for the question as I've mentioned on several occasions we were investigating this possibility long before the NDP were on their feet talking about or asking this particular question a long time ago I also think speaker that it is a bit disingenuous for the member to get on her feet and suggest with apparently some certainty a deal to be done here there is no guarantee that a deal can be done here it is just as disingenuous to say that as it is to suggest to the people you have to withdraw withdraw I think it is speaker unfortunate language to somehow be conveying to the people of Fort Francis that there is some guarantee of a deal to be done as it is unfortunate to convey to the people of Fort Francis that with a stroke of a pen somehow we could have fixed this particular deal the tenure system that is in place today is one that was created by the NDP in 1994 it's a system that we move forward with legislatively in 2011 to change even if the new change was in place it would not have guaranteed a deal in any particular way speaker so I thank you Mr President my question is for the minister of municipal affairs and housing minister as you're well aware on October 27 in Ontario came together to elect our municipal leader and school board trustees all told approximately 28 council members and 700 trustees were elected from the thousands of candidate to put their name on a ballot while local election have now drawn to a close the work ahead for both our government and our municipal partners is really just beginning throughout the province including my writing of Ottawa where four councillors have been sworn in including one newly elected member on December 1st the province is readying for new municipal governments all the provincial at the provincial level minister you and your staff are beginning a review of the municipal election act and is typical after every municipal election cycle minister can you tell us at this point about where you stand on municipal election electoral reform please thank you absolutely well thanks for that great question I don't mind telling you where I stand on municipal reform I stand with any change that makes sense and has a lot of support from our municipal leaders and our stakeholders as well as the people of Ontario so that's why we're consulting we'll be consulting broadly with AMO Ontario elections people and other stakeholders but before I say anything more I just want to take a moment to congratulate the 2800 or so folk who stood for election as mayor or councillor and the 700 Madam Minister who stood for school board trustee it takes a lot of courage to put your name on a ballot and to go out in the public and talk about your hopes and dreams of others and to respond so congratulations to the folk I know I can speak for the premier when I say we're going to be looking forward to working closer with them thank you supplementary thank you for constituents of my riding about communities across the province municipal electoral reform is not but an issue after all municipal election are the fundamental way that Ontario can engage this government and make their voices heard on the issues that affect their lives on a daily basis during Ottawa's local election I've been offered no shortage in suggested change to the ways our municipal election are conducted I know the minister will share my sentiment and enthusiasm surrounding issues to elect local officials in something that we at the provincial level must encourage Mr. Speaker, through you can the minister share some details about how the review of the municipal election act will welcome input in addition what do you hope what do your hope what do you hope the review will achieve thank you Mr. Speaker, the review will achieve great things great things I know I speak for the premier when I say we look forward to working to the new municipal leaders it's a core principle of our government that after every election we review the municipal elections act I would welcome the honourable member who has said she's heard many ideas from her constituents to share those with me and anyone else who has ideas as well we intend to invite the public to submit their thoughts and we're getting some of that we'll organize post-election meetings with AMO and Mr. Speaker other stakeholders because we think it's important to hear directly from those as you may know the premier has directed in my mandate letter that we'll be providing municipalities with the option to introduce rank validity thank you a new question Mr. Speaker my question is the attorney general the minister yesterday had asked about you about David McPherson the Londoner tragically killed on a fire that engulfed the unlicensed group home he was forced to live in days before this fatal fire took place a manager from your ministry's office of the Ontario public guardian trusty and safety violations charged against this home you claimed in this very house yesterday that the office of the public guardian trusty does not make personal decisions for their clients recommend or refer clients to this type of housing instead this office is satisfied with allotting the funds needed to sustain people and substandard housing and pass the buck on to the next ministry minister will you admit that because your government's inability to provide quality services to our most desperate citizens this tragedy occurred thank you very much Mr. Speaker again you know like I offer my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of the gentlemen that perish in after being in this building after the fire and it's very important that you know all the member all the agencies that deal with these individual work together to make sure that this does not happen again as I said yesterday you know we are not the agency that the member is speaking about are only responsible for administering the monetary administration but I know that the City of London is going to look into it and work with with our community and social services to make sure that this does not happen again thank you minister you're talking more about passing the buck down to the municipality of London maybe you should take a stand and stand up to the people of Ontario facility over a hundred times in 2014 red flags wherever were health, safety, fire and zoning violations but still some of the most vulnerable citizens in London were living in those conditions this tragedy could have been prevented if your government acted on the 2011 mental health strategy to ensure safe, stable housing instead that part of the strategy remains on a standing item at the deputy minister social policy committee your ministry needs to take action and demand answers about the strategy you owe it to the people of London minister were you confirmed today that your ministry will call a coroner's inquest into the death of Londoner Dave McPherson minister the minister of public safety and correction minister public safety thank you very much I appreciate the question from the member opposite and of course our condolences goes to the victims family for this tragedy and of course we all have to resolve that we prevent these type of tragedies from taking place the member raised the question around asking the coroner to do an inquest he knows quite well that a coroner is an independent officer who makes determination on the facts of the case on his own whether to hold an inquest or not there is no capacity or capability on part of the government or I as the minister of community safety and correctional services to ask the coroner to do an inquest so I leave it up to the coroner to make that determination the member from Parkdale Bay Park on a point of order thank you Mr. Speaker according to a standing order 99d ministries have 24 session days to answer written questions I want to draw your attention to page 14 on the order paper where I've asked three questions of the minister of transportation and have received absolutely no answer that is a point of order and I will remind the minister that indeed that the time frame in which they are to respond is on and I believe it's overdue so we'll make sure that happens the member from here on Bruce on a point of order thank you very much speaker I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the Ontario Environment Industry Association they represent some of Ontario's most active environment and clean tech companies we look forward to working with you in the coming year the member from Kitchener Waterloo on a point of order thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to correct my record yesterday in responding to the economic fall economic statement I quoted that 53% of children in Toronto live in poverty I was quoting the poverty free Toronto report in fact the number is 63% of children in some Toronto neighborhoods live in poverty that is a point of order and all members are eligible to correct their own record minister of tourism culture and sport on a point of order I'd like to welcome former colleague from the House of Commons my friend Jennifer Sloan to the legislature welcome we have a deferred vote on the motion for allocation of time on bill 8 enact to promote public sector and NPP accountability and transparency by enacting the broader public sector executive compensation act 2014 calling the members this will be a five minute call members please take their seats all members take your seats please on November the 17th Mr. Nackney moved to government notice of motion number eight all those in favor of the motion please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Mr. Nackney Mr. Braston Mr. Shirelli Mr. Sousa Mr. Whisk Mr. Hoskins Mr. Sandals Mr. Dugas Mr. Quinter Mr. Kohl Mr. Dillon Mr. Orzetti Mr. Grevelle Mr. McMeek Mr. Murray Mr. Chan Mr. Moeridi Mr. Kuto Mr. Flinn Mr. Albanaise Mr. Dixon Mr. Crack Mr. Wong Mr. Hunter Mr. Sergio Mr. Moro Mr. Jackson Mr. Del Ducat Mr. Demerlech Mr. Fraser Mr. Anderson Mr. Baker Mr. Ballard Mr. McMan Mr. Milchins Mr. Nadoo Harris Mr. Pots Mr. Rinaldi Mr. Grineel All those opposed please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Mr. Clark Mr. Houda Mr. McCloud Ms. Elliott Mr. Wilson Mr. Yakibusky Mr. Samaskoka Mr. Dunlop Mr. McNaught Ms. Jones Ms. Thompson Mr. Monroe Mr. Scott Mr. Yure Mr. Hillier Mr. Walker Mr. Smith Mr. Harris Mr. Nichols Mr. Marteau Mr. Vanton Mr. Novo Mr. Tabens Mr. Miller Hamilton Mr. Taylor Mr. Natasha Ms. Armstrong Mr. Singh Ms. Forster Mr. Mansfield Ms. Campbell Mr. Gates Mr. Chimino Ms. French The ayes are 56 the nays are 45 The ayes being 56 and the nays being 45 I declare the motion carried Pursuant to standing order 38A the member from Kanora Rainey River has given notice of her dissatisfaction with the answer to her question given by the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry concerning the Fort Francis Mill this matter will be debated today at 6pm The member The member from Parkdale High Park asked on a point of order today The answers to your questions on the order paper have been tabled this morning There are no further debate, no further votes this house deferred votes this house stands recess until 3pm this afternoon


Over the last 30 years. Over the last 30 years. Over the last 30 years. Over the past 30 years, international organizations and policymakers have raised a consensus. There's a connection between gender equality and economic growth. In order to get more women to participate and benefit from economic activity, education is crucial. Fortunately, the data shows that most countries have been able to achieve this objective in terms of gender parity with regards to primary education. In order for women to fully participate in the sense that to be participating in policymaking and in government, we need to look beyond primary education, secondary education and tertiary education. The gender gap there is wider and I think that is more of a concern. How can we get more women getting degrees and then higher degrees? One way to increase the number of women in secondary and tertiary education is through what I refer to as the role model effect. You look at your teacher or your mentor, she looks like me. 15 years ago, she looked like exactly me and she's been able to make it. She's gotten this far, she's famous. I can do it too, why not? The more women you have as teachers in secondary school, the better the performance of the female students. My research allows us to quantify the importance of the role model effect. We realize that in some regions of the world, in particular discrimination against women and social norms and customs that are not favorable to women remain extremely important and are difficult to change. Over the next 30 years. Over the next 30 years. Over the next 30 years. So over the next 30 years, I think it's important for the international community, academics and policymakers to go back to the drawing board. We should focus on secondary education and tertiary education and analyze factors that constrain women from going beyond primary education. A big challenge for wider is to add the gender dimension to the various aspects of inequality for which wider is well known for the past 30 years. If wider could really significantly contribute to help us thinking about how to address the issue of discrimination against women, this will be great.