The Western Seekers joined their throngs and shared such moving words. We even heard your praises in the singing of the birds. The Chechens with their caps and vests, the Kurds who wore their sash, the women who made Dua'a the sleeping babies in their laps. As the day of our departure neared, more and more I knew, a sadness grow within my heart, the thought of leaving you. A restlessness within my soul, even as I slept. A glimpse of what Bilal at your departure must have found. As I dawned my shroud and set out for the house of God, I kept looking back and wishing I'd be always where you are. With tears and trembling breaths, my consolation was the hope that this was not good life, but that our love would always grow. With tears and trembling breaths, my consolation was the prayer that this was not the final time that I would greet you there. O Allah, make my family, my community and friends among those who at the basin drink from his blessed hands and in the highest place within the garden are embraced in the loving arms of Ahmed, gazing on his smiling face.  We will follow soon behind them, may both they and we be saved. Allah, whom I show your mercy to those who beat us to the grave, and accept this humble offering for our dear Imam Suhaib. May he be there with the chosen one to greet us when we pass through the veil and to welcome us with joyous tears and lives. O Allah, make them in us be loved to your Habib. We ask this by your noble names, Ya Rabbil Alibi. O Allah, make our families, our communities and friends among those who at the basin drink from his blessed hands and in the highest place within the garden are embraced in the loving arms of Ahmed, gazing on his smiling face. With tears and trembling breaths, our consolation is the prayer that this is not the final visit that they need to greet us there. Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barakatuh.


Seeing no further introductions it's therefore time for a question period the leader of Her Majesty's Royal Opposition Thank you, and good morning speaker. My question is to the Premier Yesterday we learned disturbing new details about this government's deleted document scandal in the Trillium power lawsuit We've learned that documents appear to have been destroyed or deleted by this liberal government Speaker, that's why on behalf of our leader Doug Ford the PC party has written to the information and privacy commissioner Seeking an investigation into what exactly happened to these lawsuit documents This government has had six years six years speaker to find the documents We know exist the lawyers against the government provided evidence these files were deliberately Destroyed or deleted this is the gas plant scandal Speaker I asked the Premier are we really going to do this all over again Thank you, mr. Speaker as the member well knows we can't I've heard a member say something. I'm not sure exactly which member it was and They don't know what I'm talking about I don't want those kinds of references used in the heckling and if it is I'll ask you to withdraw and then the second time It's used I'll start naming people carry on Thanks again, mr. Speaker As said before and as the opposition well knows we can't comment specifically on the lawsuit from Trillium power as The matter is before the courts mr. Speaker, but with respect to record keeping we are committed to being an open accountable and Transparent government we have taken action mr. Speaker to strengthen the laws related to record keeping and we have Ensured that there are good policies in place for document retention and staff training as well Mr. Speaker we've worked closely with the Information and Privacy Commissioner and the chief privacy officer and the archivist of Ontario To ensure that our policies are appropriate mr. Thank you supplementary Back to the premier while I can tell you there's nothing appropriate about this the former liberal chief of staff to the premier has been sentenced to jail For orchestrating the deletion of gas plant scandal documents, and this sounds absolutely Identical to that. Let me read the court filings in-house counsel for the government have refused to acknowledge or admit the destruction of incriminating energy documents even though this has now been proven beyond a reasonable doubt In criminal proceedings, who is this government trying to kid the liberals thought they were clever last time and it ended up with jail doors Slamming speaker where are the documents that Trillium power has demanded? Remember from the P in Carlton we withdraw and if it's said again, I'm naming people Carry on Thank You mr. Speaker has said before and I'll say it again mr. Speaker to the opposition They know that we can't comment specifically on the lawsuit from Trillium power as that matter is before the courts mr. Speaker, but in 2016 mr. Speaker It is important to note that Trillium requested that the OPP investigate their allegations related to the moratorium on Wind energy those allegations were thoroughly investigated and found to be Unsubstantiated mr. Speaker the investigation was promptly closed after the OPP found no evidence to support Trillium's allegations mr. Speaker as I said before When it comes to respect to record-keeping mr. Speaker, we're committed to being an open accountable and transparent government We've worked closely with the information and privacy commissioner and the chief privacy officer and sir and the archivist of Ontario To ensure that our policies mr. Speaker are appropriate and they have said so thank you Remember from Renfrew nipissing Pembroke will come to order Final supplementary Thank you back to the premier. Well, the reason there was no evidence is because it was destroyed by the liberals We all know that liberal insiders have lined their pockets from the energy file for years That could explain this section of the Trillium power court filing referring to their competitor quote Unknown publicly at the time Mr. Infrastructure will come to order I might not have to wait until the first round We'll go to warnings if necessary and we'll do it quick finish, please Windstream energy has hired Chris Benedetti a senior government relations person who had close and direct Relationships into the office of the premier the minister of energy and others at the time He was a campaign co-chair for the Ontario Liberal Party in 2011 quote the premier was also a campaign co-chair Records of Benedetti's communications to and from the office of the premier on behalf of windstream have been wiped out Speaker will the premier tell us are the liberals destroying evidence in this case, too Thank you minister Thank You mr. Speaker again We've taken action to strengthen the laws related to record keeping and we mr. Speaker this government has ensured that there are good policies in place for document retention and staff training We worked with the information and privacy commissioner on that mr. Speaker we worked with the chief privacy officer and the archivist of Ontario mr. Speaker to ensure that our policies are appropriate and that decision mr. Speaker that policy to place a moratorium on offshore wind is one that our government still believes is correct mr Speaker Ontario continues to take a cautious approach to offshore wind which includes finalizing Research to make sure that we are protective of both human health and of the environment mr. Speaker because protecting the environment is something that we take very seriously We're not going to pave over the green belt New question the leader of the opposition Thank You speaker my question is for the premier it turns out the premier's six million dollar man has a price after all It just happened to be a political price After weeks of PC leader Doug Ford sounding the siren call against outrageous executive compensation at hydro one isn't it wonderful to see the premier and this governing government now Following Doug Ford's lead. Thank you This premier and this government which is only interested in its own survival Finally read the political tea leaves and told the hydro one board what Doug Ford has been calling for all along That we need a lid on fat cat executive salaries Speaker to the premier why did it take Doug Ford and the Ontario PC party?  Speaker coming from them Unbelievable over the weekend mr. Speaker our government urged hydro ones board to revisit its executive compensation model And as hydro ones largest shareholder mr. Speaker We welcome the board's decision to reexamine the compensation model which will include Independent advice the board's decision to increase executive compensation was done without our involvement Mr. Speaker and changes to compensation and severance were adopted by the board late last year But we're not raised with us Before the release of the 2018 management information circular on March 29th The board now acknowledges that its largest shareholder should be engaged on such material issues and that changes are needed And I know mr. Feet speaker while Doug Ford and the PCs would take an erratic and reckless approach and fire hydro ones board Which would do absolutely nothing to reduce customer rates We believe in a stable solution that exercises our authority as the largest shareholder Our government continues to focus on fairness mr. Speaker Back to the premier well that weak response is only coming now Because the premier and her millionaires club have been exposed just before the election if this liberal government Truly had any respect for the taxpayers the premier would fire the six million dollars Or man and the entire board at hydro the premier told this legislature earlier She has the authority to do that then they said they don't now it appears they do Instead the premier and her minister have stood here defending their insider friends Justifying this outrageous salaries and continuing to line their pockets Speaker will the premier just admit that this deathbed convert conversion is only because she admits Doug Ford is right Thank you So mr. Speaker the approach that the official opposition is taking is like letting a bull run through a china shop mr Speaker they want to fire the board of a publicly traded company not a government entity This is incredibly mr. Speaker Incredibly irresponsible, and it's up to Doug Ford to explain how this would actually work mr. Speaker Their gimmick will drag us down into the same mess that we've seen in the u.s And won't do anything to take a cent off of anyone's bills mr. Speaker And I know as the member from Prince Edward Hastings would say Ford scheme is chaotic and out of control instead of our government We have taken a responsible approach after hearing of the compensation changes our government engaged in careful and necessary Analysis and determined that these changes were unjustifiably generous this weekend mr. Speaker our government urged hydro one to Revisits its executive compensation model, and that's a responsible approach mr. Speaker the other side of the chamber the official opposition is Thank you back to the premier let's remember what the hydro one board did they doubled They doubled the severance packages for hydro one executives while this government stood idly by doing nothing Even though they could have taken action to prevent this instead They let liberal friends line the pockets of other liberal friends They come first while Ontario families struggle with skyrocketing hydro bills Deciding whether to heat or eat as the winter disconnection ban comes to an end today Well in 38 days the party with the taxpayers money is over Speaker will the premier stand with the people and not the millionaires and vote for our opposition day motion today Thank you Minister thank you mr. Speaker so what we have on the other side is Chaotic and out of control mr. Speaker they're talking about firing people left and right which would do absolutely nothing to reduce rates For people in this province we believe mr. Speaker in a stable solution that exercises our authority as the largest shareholder That's what we did this weekend mr. Speaker that's what will continue to do But we will not be voting in favor of that opposition day motion mr. Speaker because when it comes to doing Something mr. Speaker they actually stand up and vote against the fair hydro plan They voted against giving families a 25% reduction mr. Speaker You know what mr. Speaker we did hear over the last few years that people were telling us that electricity prices were too high So we acted mr. Speaker We made sure that the fair hydro plan reduced rates by 25 percent for most families all families across the province and those And then rule parts of our province mr. Speaker answer the northern part They saw reductions anywhere between 35 percent to 50 percent. We acted mr. Speaker the only thing they do is vote against Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier Earlier this morning York University professor dr. Fred Lazar Published a report that confirmed what the NDP has been saying for years Auto insurance companies are making huge excessive profits on the back of Ontario families in 2016 in just one year auto insurance companies in Ontario have made 1.5 billion dollars in pre-tax profits. That's an increase of nearly 60 percent since 2012 Why did the premier deliver a 60 percent increase in profits to the insurance companies instead of delivering 15 percent in savings for Ontario families Finance premier minister finance. Thank you mr. Speaker. I appreciate the members Sighting of the report by the Ontario trial lawyers Association In which they came forward talking about some of the alarming costs that do in fact exist in our system It is why we've taken a comprehensive plan to increase consumer protection Combat fraud and ensure those injured in an accident get the care they need when they need it It's about care mr. Speaker and not cash Which is what we're trying to avoid in the abuse of the system and through our auto Ontario's fair auto insurance plan. We are creating independent medical examination centers We're improving care for victims by creating a standard treatment plan for those minor injuries That way we have voids those whiplash and sprains and of course legal costs Which are also adding to the cost in the system, but the serious fraud office currently Costs the system 1.6 billion dollars. Mr. Speaker. We got to curb that cost as well And so we're going to work with a law society on their contingency fee reforms We're going to look on postal code review and I'll have more to say in a supplementary. Thank you in supplementary Again back to the premier The premier said it was a stretch goal to keep her promise to reduce auto insurance rates by 15% The premier believed that auto insurance companies just couldn't afford to charge less But now we know that auto insurance companies extracted an extra five Billion dollars in overpayments from Ontario families That's 143 dollars every year that could have stayed in the pockets of each Ontario driver Why does this premier care more about delivering profits for auto insurance companies that delivered say instead of delivering savings to Ontario Families who are being gouged? Yeah, mr. Speaker so in continuation, I mean we have provided some regulatory form with FISRA financial service regulatory authority It's a new authority provide oversight of the auto insurance and regulatory power Increasing innovation and consumer protection and greater supports to fight the very issues of fraud and curb those costs Costs which now have reduced on average at one point as high as 11 percent We know we've got to do better and it is an issue But we've also taken steps to put in constraints around the profits that insurance companies can make taking the benchmark for profits down to 5% From 6% mr. Speaker We've also created an expert panel that's reviewing all of these matters together so that we can work as one to ensure that we put consumers first And we address the issue of fraud reduce the cost there by reducing the premiums. Thank you, mr. Speaker final supplementary Mr. Speaker again back to the premier Even after gouging Ontario families and collecting an extra 60% in excess profits Auto insurance companies are still applying for higher auto insurance rates as they make 1.5 billion dollars in profit and they reduce benefits for injured In auto accidents and this liberal government is approving them A few weeks ago the financial service commission of Ontario approved an auto insurance rate increase of 2.23% This was the sixth increase in the last two years After everything how is it possible that the premier is still allowing auto insurance companies to gouge Ontario families even more Thank you Minister so let's speak we are instituting David Marshall's rookies We are instituting David Marshall's review of the auto insurance system. It's very comprehensive. It's very detailed and we know that by taking these steps We are making long term benefit changes to the reforms in the system These are not just one stop gap measures like the opposition has just proposed instead We're making structural changes to put consumers first and address fraud Implementing measures that will provide timely care for victims of accidents that lead to savings for consumers We recognize there's 120 auto insurance company providers out there that compete against one another We know that we can do better and within the system costs can go down Premiums should go down and we're going to continue to fight to do just that Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you new question the member from Welland Oh thank you speaker my questions to the minister of status of women Why is the liberal government denying funding to Niagara women's enterprise center and the Welland Heritage Council and multicultural center in my riding Thank you minister of status of women Thank you very question and I know that we have been funding a number of organizations across the province There is a system that we use to fund the organizations and it's done on the bureaucratic side where everything is graded according to the criteria Now a number of those organizations that you prefer to there were some programs approved Others were non approved and for my understanding I can look into it for you if that is if that's the case But we do understand that a couple of the ones here referencing We have reached the ministry has and my staff has reached out to them to talk about why their application wasn't funded at this time Thank you chair, please Well, thank you speaker both of these organizations have been in contact with me and they have been declined funding for delivering programs for newcomers Women who experience domestic violence and those who are looking for employment Mr. Speaker this government talks about their gender-based violence strategy But here they are doing exactly the opposite They're cutting funding for two important organizations who have been delivering programs in my riding for 12 years Niagara women's enterprise services 100 to 120 women per year They provide services to 60 women through the investing in futures And a total of 1200 women through that program and 370 women through the violence against women's program over the last 12 years So speaker I ask again if the Liberals are committed to supporting women escaping domestic violence and new immigrants coming to our country Why are they cutting funding to these two important agencies in my riding Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker again we have made up to 242 million dollar investment in our gender-based violence policy Also through our women's economics We are keeping investment in our women's centers now we have almost we've increased that investment that we're making in our women's centers now Up until now some of them we're not getting funding we have introduced a program where all women's centers will have access to this funding And these are the organizations that are supporting women Our most vulnerable women immigrant women and women from racialized groups women from the LGBTQ plus community So we have done what we care we are working hard to ensure that women who are in vulnerable places who need our help And we are providing those supports and those helps to the programs that we are offering whether it be our gender-based violence policy or our women's economics Thank you final supplementary Well speaker these were programs that were working and in fact these two agencies when they tendered their put their RFP in They had 16 endorsements from community partners they were working with colleges with employment centers They've been doing a fantastic job over the last 12 years and now here they are with no additional resources Who is going to support the women in my riding and in my in my community Why is the liberal government actually cutting funding to these programs that actually we're working programs that supported women escaping domestic violence Support women who actually experience violence in their homelands and our new immigrants to our communities These are the women that need it most and I just can't understand why it is these two agencies were not approved the funding that they've had for many years Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker again I want to say that there is a process when applications are taken in We have increased funding as we've said we've increased our funding to up to $242 million We are increasing funding for sexual assault centers across Ontario by 35% We're improving access to services including emergency shelters, crisis helplines and indigenous shelters with an investment of up to $84.2 million We are ensuring that we're reaching out to our rural communities, our indigenous communities and our most vulnerable communities So Mr. Speaker we have done our best to ensure that we are reaching out to as many communities as possible through the funding that we have available But we do have to follow a process Thank you New question from Prince Edward Christensen Thanks Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier Freedom of information request about the Premier's office and cabinet office on the Trillium Power lawsuit turned up no relevant documents We know that the ability to go back and retrieve some documents exists We learned that from the gas plant scandal hearings and we learned it from the OPP But after more than six years we're still missing documents from this liberal government in this court case The Premier can't claim that it was before her time From the court filings quote offshore wind and Trillium Power wind generated more than weekly updates after Premier wind had taken power Once again this is completely consistent with the timeline for the prior deletion of the gas plant energy documents and quote Mr. Speaker to the Premier what are you doing today to find these documents that you are required for the court proceeding Attorney General Well thank you very much Speaker and I again remind the member opposite who I know knows the rule quite well that when there is an ongoing litigation The legislature or the question period is not the appropriate place to debate what may be happening in that court proceeding I know there are political cheap shots to be made and that's why they continue to disregard a very fundamental rule that is in place And so again I urge the member speaker to respect the process In terms of Speaker OPP I do want to mention that in 2016 Trillium requested that the OPP investigate the allegations related to the moratorium on wind energy Those allegations were thoroughly investigated and found to be unsubstantiated The investigation was promptly closed after the OPP found no evidence to support Trillium's allegations Let's talk about policy that's extremely important this government has taken important steps to protect information in the government That answer was eerily similar to the Premier's form of chief of staff who was just sentenced to time behind bars This is the arrogance of this Liberal government when it comes to this issue Mr. Speaker and enough is enough Ontarians have heard enough excuses about this government's email and document deletions to last a generation in sentencing David Livingston last month for his role in orchestrating the gas plant cover-up Justice Lipson wrote he was quote a politically sophisticated government actor who committed this offense because of political expediency In other words it was a Liberal covering up for his Liberal friends doing what's best for the Liberal Party instead of the people of Ontario No more Mr. Speaker the party's over Speaker to the Premier how many more Liberals are we going to discover destroyed documents Mr. Speaker it's so interesting because as we're leading into an election instead of speaking about their policies they're already running away from what their leader Doug Ford stands for Mr. Speaker instead of talking about and embracing the fact that they are going to cut the minimum wage for hardworking Ontarians Or talk about how they're going to cut taxes for for wealthy large businesses or Speaker to talk about how they're going to cut 45,000 hardworking Ontarians who work as our teachers and personal support workers or nurses Speaker Member from Oxford will come to order President the Treasury Board will come to order finish please Speaker let's talk about you know the policies that they stand for versus policies that we spend for where we want to invest in people we want to ensure that there is more care like health care and mental health care for people We know what Doug Ford in the Conservative Party stands for and that is to bulldoze the green belt the precious green belt that is ensuring that we have our land protected for generations to come New question to members from our government Manitoulin Thank you Speaker my question is to the Premier this morning Bain Pever has been diagnosed with dementia and his wife Linda has been taking care of him ever since In March 2017 she took a six month leave from her career to care for him in September 2017 she chose to quit her job as Bain needed 24 seven care There are programs in this rural area which he has accessed they had 14 hours a week for the personal support worker provided by the lens however Bain was classified to be in crisis They could have had 21 hours a week the problem is that there was no staff available to fulfill this they could have had 180 hours a month from Vaughan but there were only 10 spaces open which were already filled and they had no funding for extra spaces Question can the Premier tell me why this government is not investing in home care in Northern Ontario Minister of Health and long term care Thank you very much Mr Speaker and of course we are trying to do everything we can to provide the care that individuals need the care that they need where they need it and in this particular case the question is providing home care in a rural setting we are aware that there has been difficulty in ensuring that we have sufficient PSW staff as an example and so in our budget we have made a concerted effort in the 2018 budget proposed an additional 5000 PSW workers across the province There is an issue in terms of attracting people to this very valuable service that our residents need we are also working in terms with the association for PSWs to ensure they have the appropriate training as well Thank you Mr Speaker Again to the Premier Bain is now in a very good facility at the Centennial Manor in Little Current one that I regularly visit and enjoy seeing the smiling faces of those that are there This is a 115 kilometre round trip from her home in Mindamoya Linda makes this trip four to five times a week Linda chose to leave Bain in the long term care because she was in crisis She was burnt out and could not access Vaughn or Lins because there was no PSW to assist in giving her the little breathing space that she needed When is this government going to invest to end the shortage of nurses and PSWs as well as properly help people who want to care for their loved ones at their homes Mr Speaker this is exactly why in our budget we have put so much emphasis on health care and not just the issue of PSWs that I also I just recently referenced in the first question But also all the interconnecting pieces this is precisely why we announced that we are opening 5000 new long term care beds over the next couple of years All the pieces in the health care system are very interconnected and we are addressing each one of these pieces in a methodical and careful way in consideration of the demographics of each particular area In each Linn we're looking at what the needs are and we are addressing them through our various budgetary commitments that we have made And so we will continue to invest in our health care system. It is a world-class health care system There's always more to do and we intend to do it Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker, the members from the Lancaster, Gunvest, Flamberl and Westdale Thank you Speaker. My question is for the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Back in 2003, our urban communities were sprawling at a dangerous rate And every year tens of thousands of acres of farmland, wildlands and wetlands including ravines and rivers were being encroached by new development Ontarians were rightly concerned for both economic and environmental reasons The great majority of people agree that to keep our communities livable we cannot pave over every square inch of farmland and wetlands in Ontario That's why we promised them we would take action and we did We created the largest permanent green belt anywhere in the world that protects nearly 2 million acres of valuable water Mr. Speaker, can the Minister please explain again to this House and those who need to understand why our government is so committed to protecting the green belt The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Well thank you Speaker and thank you to the member for Lancaster, Dundas, Flamberl and Westdale for a very very important question And a hard working member he is Speaker, our government knows how critically important it is to protect green spaces in this province That's why we created and are committed to protecting the green belt This is an area, Speaker, that is larger than Prince Edward Island This is an area of some 595,000 acres of water, of lakes, rivers, streams This is an area that protects 78 species at risk This is an area that provides some 9.1 billion dollars in economic activity Mr. Speaker, this is an area that grows food for Ontarians to eat It needs to be protected The member from Lanark for on athletics in Addington is warned Guess what, we're in warnings Supplementary question, the member from Guelph Thank you Speaker, yesterday a video emerged of Doug Ford discussing his promise to open up a big chunk of Ontario's green belt for development On the tape, you can clearly hear Doug Ford promise that he will open up the green belt Ask how much? Ford emphasized that he told developers he's going to open up a big chunk of it Just like the lyrics to that famous song, Doug Ford wants to pave paradise and put up a parking lot The member from the Pee and Carlton is warned I'm in this through the end, I'm not changing a thing, you should I'm listening carefully and I'm wanting to make sure that there's a policy question in here Paving over the green belt is recklessly short-sighted Opening up the green belt will only make rich developers richer and remove pristine farm and green field lands forever The result will be endless sprawl with no green spaces in between We'll only get one chance at this Speaker, can the Minister please explain our government's efforts to protect the green belt and natural green space for future? Minister Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member from Guelph for another very important question One that deals with protecting important critical green space in Ontario Land that feeds us Speaker, after that video emerged yesterday where Doug Ford said that anything they look at within the green belt will be replaced It clearly shows, Speaker, that the PC leader doesn't understand He doesn't understand the green belt, he doesn't understand the importance of farmland within the green belt He just doesn't understand the green belt speaker is a natural ecosystem that is connected It's intertwined, you cannot simply remove pieces of it and replace it with a piece of land from some other part of Ontario Mr. Speaker, it is all connected, Mr. Ford, he doesn't understand that Worse speaker, the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party has already apparently made deals with big developers To hand over that Thank you very much Mr. Speaker, my question is A new report has found that grade 8 math scores improved in all areas in Canada except for Ontario Comparing levels between 2010 and 2016, the Council of Ministers of Education Canada released the Pan-Canadian Assessment Program this week And confirmed what we already knew, math education in Ontario is deficient Parents try to remedy the situation with tutors but it clearly is not how taxpayers expect our education system to be run Mr. Speaker, there has been nothing but promises and disappointment from this Liberal government when it comes to our kids Does the Minister think that it's fair that she's short changing our students out of a quality mathematics education? Thank you Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the member opposite for this question Because really it gives me a chance to make sure that I'm explaining to people what is actually happening with this Pan-Canadian Assessment Program It's of course important to have a review It's also important to know that our educators and our education system is working well And our partners are working tirelessly every day to give our kids the best start in life And I want you to know that our government has invested more in Ontario's publicly funded education system No one has actually funded more than us 40,000 more educators were added to this system since 2003 But let me just tell you this This is actually a snapshot of what happened in 2016 It is actually not telling us where we are today And I want to point out that that snapshot is before we move funding into the math strategy So the $60 million in our renewed math strategy The 60 minutes of math instruction that happens in a day This is measuring what happened before those investments are made And I'm happy to speak to what we're doing today Thank you Mr. Speaker And I'll just say that math-nasium tutoring for math are popping up all across the province Including next door to my constituency office in Thornhill And we see a pattern here In 2008-09, 63% of grade 6 students met the minimum proficiency level for math 2009-10, 61% 2010-12, 58% 2012-13, 57% 2013-14, 54% And in 2017, we're at 50% Half of Ontario students are not at the level that the province says they should be at And despite the alarm bells over the years The Canadian Math Society, the EQAO And now the Council of Ministers of Education in Canada Are telling us that grade 8 students are also at a 50% level Is the Minister of Education going to stand up and take responsibility for this crisis in math education? Thank you, Minister So you know what, Mr. Speaker? I want to say that I have full confidence in our publicly funded education system in Ontario We are absolutely a leader when it comes to education Not just in this province or country, but around the world And we are recognized as being a leader 68% of the students were graduating One-third were not finishing school Today, 86.5% on average are graduating And let me just tell you a little bit about what we've been doing It sounds to me that the member opposite is actually suggesting we should be looking at privately funded schools, Mr. Speaker It sounds to me that she has no faith in the publicly funded school system Well, I have faith in it and I know we're on track Ontario was one of only three provinces that scored at or above the Canadian average in all three domains Really, math and science And in fact, the results show once again that Ontario students are among the top performers in Canada Our publicly funded education system was acce... Everyone should end that, thank you Do you have a question to the member from Nickel Belt? Thank you, Mr. Speaker And my question is for the Prime Premier Call Ontario used to provide cell phone and internet services to small isolated community in Northern Ontario Like Nickel Belt In 2014, this Liberal government sold those assets to Bell Canada Now, Bell is saying to the people of Foliet and Ivanhoe Lake and I quote We are seriously considering to dismantle our equipment We are in 2018, Premier Does the Premier believe that Northern Ontario's students, families, businesses, outfitters or school Can go on with business as usual without access to the internet or cell phone network? Mr. Speaker, I spoke to the member yesterday when she raised this issue with me privately And as I indicated to her yesterday, Mr. Speaker We are looking into this particular issue to get the facts around it The property that we own through infrastructure Ontario or the Ministry of Infrastructure, Mr. Speaker We charge rent for it on the open market We sell surplus properties, Mr. Speaker Finish, please We sell surplus properties, Mr. Speaker That's part of the business of government But it goes without saying that the loss of an entire community's internet and cellular access Would not be an acceptable outcome As I understand it, Bell is disputing the market rate But has not provided comparables to justify their current lease Infrastructure Ontario and a service provider, CBRE Are working closely with Bell to land on a number that is mutually agreeable And I'm confident that this issue will be resolved, Mr. Speaker Supplementary Thank you, Mr. Speaker Well, it is no surprise to anyone from the NDP that the sell-off of Ontario will bring us trouble To communities in the northeast, like Foliet, like Ivanhoe We want the government that would happen And guess what? It did Bell is not able to make money in Foliet and Ivanhoe They are facing a 700% increase for the infrastructure use Bell is planning to dismantle the whole thing We, in northern Ontario, need internet and sell service like everybody else What is this premier going to do to protect the people, the business, the school, the outfitters And the residents of Foliet and Ivanhoe Lake So that they maintain their access to the internet and sell service now and into the future Thank you, Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker, the members should know that we've already spent $500 million on broadband and digital connection in the province of Ontario The recent budget has added another $500 million We have a plan in place, Mr. Speaker Before the end of this year, we're going to be implementing per rural I got to do what I got to do Minister Mr. Speaker, we have the most aggressive broadband digital connection investments of any of the provinces in Canada We have invested, as I said, half a billion dollars We have another half a billion dollars in place And I am sure that before the end of this calendar year The member will see that we are delivering on this issue More than any other party has promised Or has any other party has been able to deliver to date Thank you New question, the members from the Beaches East York Well, thank you, Speaker My question is to the Minister of Housing And the Minister responsible for the poverty reduction strategy In my riding of Beaches East York and in places across Ontario We know there is just not enough purpose-built rental housing Whether that be high-rise, mid-rise, low-rise or townhouses built for rental There just isn't enough To help solve the housing affordability and supply crisis, Speaker We'll have to build more purpose-built rental That is key Now we know that the member's opposite under their leader Will simply pave over the green belt In order to provide more affordable housing And incredibly, their member, their leader, dismissed the green belt With a comment It's just farmers' field, Speaker I insult agriculture workers across the province So, Speaker, the pressures on buying and renting affordable homes Could be one of the biggest challenges and weights On the shoulders of young families In my riding We are building purpose-built housing with options for home 360 units And building with the carpenters Units made completely out of wood Will the minister please share with the House the measures This government is taking to build affordable housing Minister of Housing Thank you, Mr. Speaker And thank you to the member for Beaches East York For this very important question My focus as minister is to ensure that every Ontarian Has access to a safe and affordable home And as the member said There's a huge demand out there for purpose-built rental housing Last week, Mr. Speaker I announced the allocation of $125 million In development charge rebates for Ontario municipalities To incent purpose-built rental housing And those 13 communities with low vacancy rates Mr. Speaker This incentivising developers to build affordable rental homes Is good policy Paving over the green belt Will not create affordable homes Will just increase our infrastructure costs So the precious infrastructure dollars Will not solve our affordable housing situation Mr. Speaker We need to spend money wisely and efficiently So we actually deliver the homes where people need them Thank you Well, thank you, Speaker And thanks to the minister for that response And for his intelligent approach To improving affordable housing in the province of Ontario Speaker Over the past two decades Only 6% of all housing has been built With purpose-built housing in mind The availability of rental housing is an acute issue Especially here in Toronto The minister knows well that at last count There was a vacancy rate of about 1% And while there is a signal While this is a signal of a booming and successful And vibrant economy It also means we have a lot of work to do To build more housing for people that's affordable And that's why initiatives like the minister just announced On development charges are so important I'd like to congratulate the minister I'd like to graduate our government For advancing this investment on top of the 5 billion We're already investing in the creation of affordable housing Since 2003 And I know the minister was with Mayor Tory And Deputy Mayor Anne Balliol For this announcement on Friday So would the minister expand on the other things In the details of this announcement Thank you, minister Thank you, Mr. Speaker And thanks for the supplementary question Yes indeed, last week I announced The allocation of funds for Ontario municipalities To rebate development charges And more rental housing But Mr. Speaker I also announced the results of the competition To develop provincial surplus lands The West Dawn lands And Grenville Grosvenor lands Which are in the city of Toronto Will be home to 2150 new homes 30% of which will be affordable Mr. Speaker There's another site in North Etobicoke Which we'll be releasing with this And I hope tomorrow Perhaps to have another announcement About another site and another municipality But Mr. Speaker While we're releasing surplus provincial lands And urban communities Mr. Ford wants to pave over our green balance Thank you, new question The member from Napaean Carlton Chin is to the Premier The 400 series highways are intended to be People Movers And in the budget the Liberals say That they will widen the 401 At the base of the 416 The 416 which by the way Runs through Napaean Carlton But there is no mention of the one Ask from the city of Ottawa at AMO Notably an additional exit To the 416 from Barhaven at Barnsdale It's estimated that this will be a $24 million project And I'm asking the Premier Will there be an announcement on this Before the writ Thank you, Premier For infrastructure For infrastructure Mr. Speaker The member may know That I've already had some discussions With the city of Ottawa That there are studies that are underway With respect to that particular site I agree with the member That there is a need in that particular location In Napaean Mr. Speaker But really We are doing a lot of infrastructure We've put a lot in place now Mr. Speaker We're planning a lot more But the other side Has nothing planned Mr. Speaker For any kind of roads or transit Make any kind of sense Mr. Speaker But I'm waiting for the supplementary For the punchline speaker Supplementary Well maybe the minister Shouldn't embarrass himself And he should just ask the Answer the question He knows as well as I do That 29% of the growth in the last four years Has happened in Bahrain And it's accounted for the highest growth In Ottawa We are now 90,000 people strong With only one exit onto the 416 Think of Kentville on the same highway Or cities of smaller or similar size Like Brockville or Kingston Or Belleville on the 401 They all have multiple exits The 416 could be maximized As a people mover If only we had this additional exit Inside of Barhaven we have Six rail crossings That we would love to divert traffic From by encouraging an accessible And convenient entry westward Onto the 416 So the minister can spare me With his antics And he can answer the question I have a clear ask From the city of Ottawa Can we expect an announcement this week Minister Mr. Speaker I'd ask the member not to hold her breath For Doug Ford to do any of that work When asked about support for local transit And highway projects in London Doug Ford said We'd never leave any commitment We're going to review everything And nothing is going untouched Mr. Speaker Including the plans that we have in place For Nippeen Mr. Speaker Similarly when he was in Cornwall Mr. Speaker last week He said And this is reported from the Cornwall Standard freeholder Doug Ford said he would be willing To help the city of Cornwall With his infrastructure deficit If he's elected premier in June But only if municipalities across the province Start cutting what a PC government Would deem as wasteful spending Not only does he want a cut speaker He wants the municipalities to cut It's a disease Mr. Speaker And sir, thank you I do remind members we're in warnings And that there are people already Being warned that have been warned No question to the member from Kitchener Waterloo Thank you very much Mr. Speaker My question is to the premier When the TTC is properly funded It actually works I don't know if you've been on a streak Or a subway lately But they are very overcrowded When the provincial government funded 50% of TTC's net operating costs It was the envy of the world But the conservative government Cut this funding in 1998 And in fact today The TTC is the least funded Major transit agency in North America And as a result Transit service keeps getting worse Welfare's keep getting higher The Liberal government has had 15 years to reverse These conservative cuts Why have you not done so? Mr. Speaker I think I first went on the subway In 1958 So I've been on the subway For many many years Have ridden the subway And I know what a terrific And important service it is Mr. Speaker Unfortunately in this province If we had built transit Every year since Since 47, 49 When the subway was first Open Mr. Speaker We'd be in a very different position It took until now Mr. Speaker For our government to actually Make investments in transit Mr. Speaker To actually have a long term Infrastructure plan That includes transit The Department The Ministry of Transportation Mr. Speaker Used to be called The Department of Highways In 1916 That's the only place There was long term planning That's the world that Doug Ford Wants to go back to Where we just pave over The province Mr. Speaker What we have done Is we have changed The trajectory of infrastructure In this province Transit is a part Of our long term plan Mr. Speaker We're in the process Of building transit More than any government In the history of Ontario Mr. Speaker Provincial funding For TTC operations Was cut by the Conservatives In 1998 And it has stayed Cut under the Liberal Party And now the Liberals Are borrowing another Bad conservative idea They have proposed To break up the TTC And take over the subways Writers don't want Fragmented transit service With different fares And operators For buses, streetcars And subways The TTC Needs proper funding Not a change in ownership Will the government Listen to transit riders Who want the provincial Government to properly Fund the TTC Not break it up And will the government Restore the province's 50% funding for municipal Transit operations Like the NDP has committed To because it's not 1958 anymore, Premier Thank you Minister of infrastructure Minister of infrastructure Okay, that's fine, thank you Well, Mr. Speaker For a party That is looking To govern this province They have on so many Significant issues No plan whatsoever Mr. Speaker Item after item after item In terms of transit Transportation Has come before This House for votes They have voted against Virtually every one of them Mr. Speaker And still today They have no plan After years of voting Against the largest Infrastructure investment In Ontario's history The NDP has finally realized That government needs to Invest in schools, hospitals And public transit That people rely on Mr. Speaker You know what Fortunately, Mr. Speaker We have another Four or five weeks To go before election day And hopefully The people of Ontario Will see something Realistic and practical From that party Mr. Speaker I do I do New question Remember from Kingston In the audience Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is for the Minister of the status Of women Mr. Speaker This month is Sexual Assault Prevention Month It's an important time To raise awareness About the devastating Impact of sexual assault And focus on what We can all do To stop violence And support survivors We must also recognize That sexual assault Is far too widespread In our society And our communities And we must pledge To do better I know that this Government has done Extraordinary work To prevent and address Sexual assault By introducing It's never okay An action plan To stop sexual violence And harassment in 2015 And most recently We promised in the First strategy We launched part two It's never okay Ontario strategy To end Gender-based violence With an investment Of up to $242 million As the Minister Stated earlier this morning Question Mr. Speaker Can the Minister Please update the House On the ongoing work Being done To shift societal norms Around consent And sexual violence And harassment Thank you Minister Status of women Thank you Mr. Speaker And I'd like to thank My colleague For this important question Sexual violence Is far more common Than most people think One in three women Will experience Some form Of sexual violence In her lifetime We know that Gender-based violence Is a result of Normalised misogyny Rape culture And toxic masculinity And Speaker As long as women And girls face The threat of violence In this province Our work will continue We must do better And we will This year women Have stood up With great courage And resilience As they need to And time's up And we have responded To this call for action With our newest strategy It's never okay Ontario's Gender-based Violence strategy We are improving The lives of survivors In fact Our government is Expanding access To counselling Crisis telephone lines Emergency shelters Transitional housing Sexual assault centres And legal supports We are investing In victim services Programs That provide trauma And form support To survivors of sexual Or domestic violence And human trafficking Thank you Supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker And thank you To the minister For that response It is certainly Very clear That gender-based violence Is a result Of an internalised Misogyny And I ask that each member Of this house Consider that term Carefully We need to Move beyond And I am so glad That we are Wearing purple To bring awareness To violence against women I'm pleased to hear That our new Gender-based Violence strategy Invest in so many Critical supports For survivors But Speaker We know That more needs To be done To promote the Conversation And shift attitudes Around sexual violence And harassment We all have an important role To play And we need to bring Partners to work with us To raise awareness And bring about change Many survivors Have told us That they've faced Barriers in accessing The help that they need And this is unacceptable Mr. Speaker Can the minister Please tell us What the government Is doing To address these needs Thank you Minister Thank you Mr. Speaker I want to thank My colleague again For her question And her advocacy On this important issue Our gender-based violence Strategy is based On the advice Of frontline workers And experts In particular I'd like to thank The Violence Against Women Roundtable For their tireless efforts And their leadership Our strategy Is going to get Programs and funding Out into communities That need it As a part of Our up to $242 million Strategy To end Gender-based Violence We are expanding Our creative Investing in professional Development Innovation expansion Through new Bystander And community training We're extending And expanding Our free Independent legal advice With survivors Of sexual assault And province-wide So that survivors Can get the advice On their options At any point And we recognize That certain groups Are at greater Risk of violence That's why We are piloting Canada's first ever Dedicated LGBTQ Plus Community Legal Clinic And facilitating training When it comes To the well-being Of women and girls In the province This government Has always been there And we will be there To continue To do the work Necessary Thank you Mr. Speaker My colleagues And I have been raising Concerns with This government About the Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program Since it was Created over One year ago The minister Has said He would Review and fix The program These huge Livestock losses And that they're Receiving no compensation 20% Or one in five Claims for Predation kills Are rejected By the program Mr. Speaker The inaction By this government Is inexcusable I ask the minister When will he fix This program And give Farmers the Compensation They're entitled to And will that Compensation Be retroactive As the program Hasn't been Working for The last year and a half Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker Right up high For my colleague Simcoe Gray It was brought to My attention There were some challenges With the Wildlife compensation Program I actually Went in Field To many Farmers Across the Provinces Of Ontario I've been there When I've seen Sheep And cattle That have Been attacked By predators And it was Based on that Information That we plan that we're going to be implementing shortly. We're going to have consistent trading standards right across the province of Ontario, so there's no deviation. What our evaluator goes out will say from a community in the county of Peterborough will be exactly the same as someone from the county of Simcoe. But let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, now we know the true aims of the asphalt barber from Atomical, paving over the green belt. That's true. No deferred votes, this house stands recessed until 3pm this afternoon.


Dendrimers are a type of polymer with unique properties that make them ideal candidates for use as carriers for nucleic acids such as CERNA. Recent research has focused on developing these polymers into efficient delivery vehicles for CERNA, which could potentially revolutionize the field of gene therapy. This article was authored by Swati Bisvas and Vladimir P. Torchelin.