Hello, really nice to be here virtually and now that we have, I think, more than one and half meters of physical distance, I'll take this mask off and begin the sharing. Digital social information really is the key in the Taiwan model, countering not only the pandemic, which we succeeded with no lockdown, but also the infodemic, which we succeeded with no takedowns. And just today, just a couple hours ago, the Taiwan exchange of stock market reached a historic high and the past couple months, we've seen the catering and retail businesses also reporting historic highs. And so definitely the economic impact of the COVID has been minimized thanks to the social innovators. So how did Taiwan do it and how can you, regardless of which jurisdiction you are in, learn a little bit about our playbook, which we formed in 2004, right after the SARS 1.0 epidemic in Taiwan? Well, there's three pillars in the Taiwan model of social innovation and they're called fast, fair and fun. The fast part concerns collective intelligence. We have broadband as a human rights in Taiwan. We have 10 megabits per second, regardless of how high a mountain they're in or whether they're in a remote island or rural areas. If you don't have 10 megabits per second for just $16 per month, it's my fault personally. That's coupled with the freedom of speech and a social sector maintained Reddit equivalent the PTT means that people are eager to report any advance warnings of SARS. And so last December when Dr. Lee went down the PRC whistleblower reported there were, and I quote, seven new SARS cases in Wuhan, unquote, then I mentioned that we have this SARS experience. So it rings an alarm bell in everybody's head. And so we not only send an email to the World Health Organization asking for a clarification, but without getting a reply, started health inspections for flight passengers coming in from Wuhan because there's a lot of upvotes, a lot of people on PTT that triage the information from Dr. Lee Wenliang, who saved all of the Taiwanese, and saw that it is as legit as it could be. And so according to the Civicus Monitor, Taiwan is the only place in Asia that they rank as completely open in terms of freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and freedom of the press and so on. But that means that people can freely talk about SARS 2.0 without worrying that the states may harmonize their messages, and also that the states trust the citizens enough so that these early warning signals are translated into actionable measures such as the Central Epidemic Command Center or the CECC. The CECC is a constitutionally mandated response that is to say it is a part of our constitutional law system without any emergency or crisis state declarations by the president because it was designed in by the parliament in 2004, right after the initial SARS 1.0. And so this constitutionally approved response system unifies the communication from the central government, the municipal governments, and all the different sectors. Every 2 p.m. during the height of the pandemic this time, everybody just watched the livestream or the podcast or whatever form, radio and so on, of the CECC press conferences where the quint, the five medical offices share the latest developments and answer all the questions from all the journalists. And that in turn empowers trust because anyone can call 192.2 a hotline and there's more than 95% chance of being immediately picked up and get all your worries or your questions answered. Of course there are higher tech like chatbots and so on solutions as well, but a hotline toll-free number really calms everyone down. And also instead of just getting their questions answered they can suggest new things too. In April there was a day when a young boy called the hotline saying, hey, you're rationed out medical masks, but all I get was pink medical masks. I don't want to wear them to school for my classmates, may laugh at me. Or the very next day all the medical offices, including Minister Chen Shijong-Wong, pink medical mask, Minister Chen even said that pink panther was his childhood hero or something. And so that boy become not only the most hip boy in the class, for only he has the color that the heroes wear, but also heroes-heroes, but also all the trending bronze and so on colored their social media profiles pink. So pink became the most fashionable color for a while. And so that in turn earns trustworthiness across all the sectors and ensure that people wear a mask to protect themselves from their own unwashed hands. That is the most important measure early on. When we get three-quarters of people wearing masks and washing their hands properly, the R-value, the basic transmission rate dropped to below one. So by April, like by this time that you saw this pink masking, the R-value passed the threshold, passed the horizon. So that by May, we don't have local transmissions anymore. So early on, we only have the production facility to make not even two million masks per day. On the other hand, we have more than 23 million people. So some sort of rationing against stockpiling is needed. And so because we have a heuristic, a rule of thumb that says we must not collect new data in the name of pandemic that we were not already collecting before the pandemic. This is a privacy-first norm that protects the cybersecurity and privacy parameters of the society from the state collecting more data in the name of the pandemic. So we designed deliberately the mask rationing system to take place in pharmacies. The 6,000 pharmacists already trusted by their local community can explain in depth how this experience is like revealing their chronic prescriptions. And the elderly people, all of them have the national IC card for single-payer health care, which covers more than 99.99 percent of not just citizens, but also residents and so building on this familiarity comes the mask rationing proposal. And so around the same time, a young civic hacker named Howard Wu Zhangwei in Tainan City coded up this map that you're looking at right now. And working with the civic hackers who are people who make new systems, not people who infiltrate and hack existing systems, which are cybersecurity hackers. So the civic hackers work for more than, I think, 140 tools on the latest count. And in each of those tools, it may be a map, it may be a chatbot, it may be a system analysis like a stock exchange that shows distribution disparities and so on. They make use of the real-time open data or the open API, as we call it here, in the National Health Insurance Agency. The NHIA work with the pharmacies to publish the real-time mask availability in each and every pharmacy every 30 seconds. So people queuing in line can check with their phone on how many masks exactly did the person queuing before them actually purchase. And this in turn is like a distributed ledger to more than 100 different nodes, right? So this distributed ledger builds trustworthiness across the board. So when we ramp up the production from 2 million to 20 million masks a day, people can see that it's being evenly distributed in a fair fashion. And it also enables us to see why the accessibility of the medical mask kind of plateaued on three quarters. And the reason is that for people working very long hours and didn't live with their family, they couldn't go to the pharmacies because by the time they go off work, the pharmacy have already closed. And so to close this gap starting March, that is to say around a month after the initial mask rationing, we enlisted 12,000 convenient stores. And so the economic sector work with the social sector, civic hackers, as well as the public sector people, the GovTech people. Together we quadruped the distribution points of medical masks. And people can pre-order using an app or using a kiosk and pick it up a week or so later in the nearby convenience store, which opens 24 hours a day. So you can see our premier Su Zhenchang smiling quite happily because that was the day that we started the mask rationing in the convenience stores. And all together, this reached more than 95% of the population of the medical mask with proper appropriate usage instructions. And well, what happened to those 5%? Many of them told me that they already have plenty of masks in stock in their home. And so they asked me to implement a new function, which we call the E-mask 4.0, which says that they can dedicate the rationing that they did not collect for international humanitarian aid. And indeed, our foreign ministry did work on it and we did implement that function. So to date, more than 7 million medical masks were dedicated by more than 70, actually 700,000 people, citizens and residents, toward international humanitarian aid. And so that is the fair part. It's not just domestic, it's also international. And finally, while there is nothing fun about COVID, making sure that people can stay calm and collected during the pandemic instead of buying in to conspiracy theories is also very important. And we have a special term for that. It's called humor over rumor. For you see, joy has a higher R value than rage. And when people share something on the social media driven by rage, usually that's because they have a need to seek for, I don't know, discrimination or revenge or some other toxic polarizing feelings. That gets trendy. However, joy is even more trendy. So for example, also around April, there was a rumor, a popular rumor that said, and I quote, we're ramping up the medical mass production and all the tissue paper materials are being confiscated by the state to make masks. So we'll run out of tissue paper soon, unquote. And this, of course, travels on outrage and people went out and panic by. But not even two hours later, our premier, Su Zhenchang, you just saw his front signs, now it's his backside, and I showed this meme, internet meme that says, in very clear, large letters, each of us only have one pair of bottoms. For this is a wordplay, a homonym, in mandering to stockpile twin sounds the same as bottom twin. And so it went viral. And people really share that. And by making himself quite literally the butt of the joke, everybody saw this table that shows very clearly that the tissue papers were made out of South American materials while the medical masks are made out of domestic materials. There's no way that one could be confiscated to make the other. And so over a weekend, the panic buying stopped and people remains calm and collected. And this is not just a one shot response. And actually right after each central epidemic command center press conference, if there's new measure being introduced, for example, the physical distancing that you see on the top left corner here. Well, the spokes dog of the CECC, a Shiba Inu that lives with the participation officer of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, an actual dog. So the participation officer will just walk home, take a new photo of the dog, and then post viral dog memes that explains when you're indoors, we have to keep three Shiba Inus away from one another or wear a mask. Outdoors keep two Shiba Inus away or wear a mask.  Don't do what the dog is doing. And remember to buy your medical mask. But what do you do with those medical masks?  So this is here to protect you from your own unwashed hands and you should wash them with soap. And this is a message out of rational self-interest. That is to say this appeals to all age groups and people of all political inclinations. They will all share this cute dog picture quite virally. For had we said, for example, wear a mask to respect the elderly, then people who don't live with the elderly may not share this message. If we say wear a mask to protect each other, then people who don't want to protect each other will not share this message. But wear a mask to protect oneself from one's own unwashed hands. Well, that is something that everybody can agree on and it gets more trending and more viral than any of the conspiracy theories. So that is my sharing today and you can find more about the Taiwan model including the digital quarantine and all that at TaiwanCanHelp.us. Thank you for listening. Live long and prosper. Well, thank you very much Minister Tan for your valuable insight. Once again, what an honor it was for us to welcome you. Fantastic, thank you.


The detested government has pledged its commitment to mitigating the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the poor and vulnerable households through its various social intervention programmes. Governor Kaua said 13,976 farmers will also be supported under the programme to increase food production and facilitate small functioning of the food supply chain and 2,529 medium and small-scale enterprises, MSMEs, will also benefit from the programme through grants to support post-COVID-19 loans of personal costs and to enhance the right capabilities. Governor of debtor Stetify Kaua made a statement, had a flag of ceremony of resort areas 1 and 2 of Delta COVID-19 action recovery and economic stimulus decays programme held at the event centre as Sabah. In the last 5 years and the next 10 years, the effect would be very, very glaring that we have 2 branches of funds to release. One is 1.399 million and the other is 450 million Naira. That is approximately 1.85 million. In the last poverty index, which is a reflection of what happens with human development, Delta State was found to be outputted the other way. The second most impactful state in taking people out of poverty. Delta State COVID action recovery and economic stimulus decays programme. The World Bank applied a performance-based funding instrument for the programme. That is to say, states are expected to provide funding and get reimbursed after verification by the World Bank. For ease of implementation, the programme is compartmentalised into 3 result areas, namely, result area 1, which focuses on giving grants through social transfers to aged, physically challenged, chronically ill and urban poor and men. It is also the result area that provides livelihood support grants to vulnerable households, the construction of micro-projects in communities and lastly the creation of jobs through labour-intensive public work schemes.


The chief justice of Niger, Tanka Muhammad, has absorbed the judiciary of the delay in the handling of high-profile corruption cases, following an accusation by the Minister of Justice and Theotone General of the Federation, Abubakha Malami, that George's delay the time-use hearing and determination of such cases, particularly concerning politically exposed specimens. Malami had blamed the judiciary for the protected trial of high-profile corruption cases, while the Chief Justice of Nigeria said Malami's criticism was one-sided, adding that the lapses on the parts of the Executive Am of Government contributed to the delays in cases. According to him, the constitutional responsibility of the judiciary does not involve crime, detation and investigation while referring the serial disregard of court orders by the Executive Am of Government. Hello, hope you enjoyed the news. Please do subscribe to our YouTube channel and don't forget to hit the notification button so you get notified about fresh news updates.


The Kraft Foods Company presents Willard Waterman as the great Gilder Sleeve. The Gilder Sleeve is brought to you partially transcribed by the Kraft Foods Company. Kraft, makers of the one and only Miracle Whip salad dressing. We say one and only because there just isn't any other salad dressing like Miracle Whip. Miracle Whip is different and it tastes different. Miracle Whip tastes so good it's become the most popular salad dressing ever created. More Miracle Whip is sold in the next 20 leading brands of salad dressing combined. Try it. Make your salads better tasting with the one and only Miracle Whip. There's something about a teenager. You can always tell when one inhabits a house. When it's raining outside there's mud on the carpet. They roar through the house like a capricious whirlwind scattering debris here and there then disappear down the street emitting wild cries. And there's ample evidence that a teenager lives at the Great Gilder Sleeve's house as the water commissioner arrives home from the office tonight. Oh my goodness. What's happened to the living room? Books scattered over the floor, lunch pail on the piano keys. Leeroy! Oh, where is he buddy? He's locked here but he's zoomed out again. I know he was here. There's proof in the parlor. Yes, there's proof in the kitchen too. Yes, there's buddy. He came in to raid the icebox while I was waxing the floor. He left tracks in the wax so I had to wax the tracks. Oh? Mr. Gilder Sleeve, all I got to do is wax the floor and turn my head and there's tracks. Too bad, buddy. Looks like all Bertie does around here is wax the tracks. Sorry, Bertie. How's dinner coming? Well dinner may be a little late because Bertie's been waxing the tracks. Oh yes. Mr. Gilder Sleeve, you know why dinner may be late? Yes, Bertie. Because Bertie's been waxing the tracks. Well, I guess I'd better pick up the books. That boy keeps us hopping around here. Oh, hello, Anki. Hello, Marjorie. Did Leeroy leave his books on the floor again? Yeah. Uncle Mort, you just have to talk to him. I talk to him, Marjorie, constantly. But it goes in one ear and out the other. The only thing Leeroy remembers is breakfast and lunch and dinner. You should see his room, Anki. It looks like a circus slept there. Why, he didn't even make up his bed. Oh, that boy. He has shirts hanging on doorknobs, and he uses neckties for light cords. I'll talk to him, Marjorie. But I can't be here to watch him every minute. Where do you go this afternoon? Don't cross the street to see Babs, I guess. Here he comes now. Leeroy, you're letting in cold air. Close the door. Okay. Don't slam it. Sorry, Aunt. Do you want me to close it again? No. Okay. Just get ready for dinner.  Leeroy, don't leave your roller skates in the middle of the hall. No. And please keep your books off the floor. And you didn't make your bed this morning. Well, gosh, why make it up? Right when it's getting comfortable. Leeroy, you make up that bed. And don't leave those skates on the floor. And go wash for dinner. Wait a minute. What do we do first? Wash the skates. Dinner's ready. Or eat. Just a minute, Bertie. Maybe I'd better go eat.  I think I'll go along and take a look at your room. Okay. What's this about using neckties for a light cord? That's my own idea. I've strong enough neckties together so I can get in bed and turn out the light.  You come along, young man. Upstairs. Oh, watch the skates, auntie. Skates? Darn kids. Leeroy, I've not told you to pick up your skates. I was going to. I put your cap on me about what to do. No wonder I get confused. Leeroy, if we didn't tell you, you'd never get anything done. How do you know I wouldn't? Well, we know you, Leeroy. You wait to be told everything. Oh, gosh. By now it's a habit. I'd probably wait for it subconsciously. Man, that's the trouble with you. You're subconscious. No, Marjorie. You're telling me to do so many things. I don't have time to do anything on my own. Do this. Do that. Don't do this. Don't do that. Boy, why would nobody have told me to do anything? Would I do it? Hey, you mean you would or you wouldn't? I'd be picking on me. I know what to do and what not to do. I'm not a little kid anymore. Well, Leeroy, we don't like to nag. Well, we don't. But you still need guidance. Well, if you'd lay off me for a while, I bet you'd be surprised at what would happen. Yeah, I bet we would, too. Yeah, all right, Leeroy. I'm going to take you up on that. Yeah? For one week, nobody around here will remind you what to do. Are you kidding? No, I'm not. You have your little chores. You know when to study. You know when to go to bed and when to get up. In general, you know what's expected of you. It'll be up to you to follow through without being told. This will be a lesson in self-reliance. Boy, this will be key. Just remember, one slip and the deal's off. Now go wash up for dinner. Uh-huh. Yes, Leeroy? You weren't going to tell me what to do. No, sorry, my boy. And just to show you how things will work, I left my sweater outside and nobody has to tell me to run out and get it. Yeah, good boy, but don't slam the door. This will never last a week. Tell me, is your uncle calling you home tonight, Leeroy? He isn't calling me home. You mean you can stay out as long as you want? I don't know. I'll go home at nine o'clock as usual, but uncle isn't going to call me the way he would a kid. Well, if you have to go home at nine anyway, what difference does it make? Well, it's hard to explain, but there's a big difference. You know you have to do it, but you don't have to be told to do it. I don't get it. Let me ask you, do you always make up your bed? Well...  What business is it of yours? You're not neat, huh? Leeroy, forester. You can't do things without being told, huh? You don't know what fun it is. What fun is there in hanging up your clothes? Well, I don't know, but I'm going to try it tonight. Leeroy, I don't understand you. Well, I guess it's because I'm so self-reliant. Self-reliant? I bet you still have to be told to get up in the morning.  I like Uncle Rumson to call me every morning. Yeah? Because then I can go back to sleep. I don't really have to get up until he bangs on the door and yells. Well, that's all right for a young girl, but I'll be getting up by myself now. I don't know about you, Babs. You don't know what? I don't know if I can play with you much longer. I seem to be outgoing you. Leeroy, you're talking crazy. Oh, yeah? Do you know what my uncle's letting me do? He's letting me do anything I want to do for a whole week. Anything? Anything. Just so it isn't anything wrong. Uncle Rumson's always telling me what to do. Well, you probably still need guidance.  That has nothing to do with it. I'm going to have a talk with Uncle Rumson. I never let you get by with anything. He's too hard-boiled. All right, Smarty, here comes Mr. Gilder's sleeve now. Yeah? You looking for mail? Just out looking at the stars. What time is it? It's five minutes to nine. But I didn't come out to call you. Okay. I think I'll go to bed now. Good night, Leeroy. Good night, Uncle. Good night, Pat. Good night. You see, Babs, he didn't call you, did he? Nah. Uncle and I are on a man-to-man basis now. Bab. Yes, Uncle Rumson? Nine o'clock. Come inside. Right away, Uncle Rumson. Good night, Leeroy. Good night. It'd be tough being a kid. It's two minutes past nine. Well, so if it's important. Well, now, what do you want? I just want to sit on the arm of your chair and talk. This is so comfortable. I can't be talking in the morning. I'm reading. I have to talk now, Uncle Rumson. I've just decided I'm not going to be a problem every morning. I'm going to get up all by myself. You'll never have to beat on the door again. Babs, you've stayed up too late. You're tired and hysterical. Now, I go to bed. I mean it, Uncle Rumson.  What are you after? Me? Let me see now. It isn't Christmas. You've had your birthday and I've given you your allowance twice. You're wonderful, Uncle Rumson. That's why I want to do something nice for you. You do? I want to relieve you of the horrible responsibility of me. Are you well, child? Perfectly, but I'm not a child. In fact, it just occurred to me that you do all my thinking for me. Well, if there's thinking to be done, it should be done right. Uncle Rumson, from now on I want to make my own decisions. Babs, where did you get this silly idea? Well, Leroy makes his own decisions now. Mr. Gildersleeve doesn't do his thinking for him anymore. Then there's hope for the boy. Mr. Gildersleeve isn't going to tell Leroy to do anything for a whole week. Leroy can go to bed when he places and get up when he places. And he doesn't have to consult his uncle about going to the movies or anything. Gildersleeve is permitting all this while he's undermining the neighborhood. He is not. Mr. Gildersleeve is a very modern uncle. He represents progress. If that Neanderthal numbskull represents progress, I'm taking the first rocket to the moon. Uncle Rumson, do I or do I not get the same privileges as Leroy? You do not.   There. Good night, you. You old-fashioned uncle, you. Old-fashioned? She slammed the door. She's never done that to me. She's becoming incorrigible. Gildersleeve will pay for this. My. What a pretty package. Doing. Are you doing your Christmas shopping early? Yeah, I'm wrapping a new pair of skates for Leroy. Little reward for doing his chores without being told. Oh. You bet. We made an agreement. For a whole week, Leroy gets to lead his own life without any interference from me. Judge, do you realize what we'd have if all parents would give their teenage children free reign? Pandemonium? No, Judge. Don't misunderstand me, Gildy. I don't think a parent should hold the reins too tightly. And yet I think it's dangerous to give a young cold his head. Judge Leroy is not a horse. I know. But if you'll take my advice... I don't want your advice, you old goat. Well, if you're going to be stubborn, the old goat knows who the mule is. Whoops. Watch it, Horace. If you're going to let Leroy do everything he pleases, what if he decides to run away and join the Navy? The Navy? Anybody who hates to take a bath the way Leroy does it never join the Navy. Besides, he's not old enough. What would happen, Gildy, if all the children in your neighborhood had no wonder answer to? Well, that might not be so good. Gildy, please! Are you in there? It's Mr. Bullard. He's here. Come on in, Romsen. Gildy, please. What ideas are you putting into the heads of our children? Me? You mink-a-poop? No, wait a minute. I thought I was doing the right thing. You can't tell me you think. Thanks to you, I've completely lost control of little Babs. What do you mean, Romsen? Last night, she slammed the door in my face, and this morning, she tasted coffee. Put it on the wall this evening. I was just telling Gildy before you came. You're all right, Judge. All right. Maybe I made a mistake. Don't rub it in. Well, Gildersleep, what do you propose to do about it? I don't know. I told Leroy you could do anything he wanted to for a week. I can't go back on my promise. Because of you, I had to make the same promise to Babs. Anything can happen in a week. Leroy may go to sea. Babs has always wanted to be one of those TV dancers. Why, she may end up in television. No, fellas. I haven't committed any crime. Well, it's too early to know what you've done, as the twiggy's bent so grows the tree. Well, that's true. And you'd have them grow willy-nilly. Well, thanks to Gildy. There's nothing you can do but hope for the best. What have I done to our children? We'll have to wait and see, Gildersleep. And then wait and see what I do to you.  The great Gildersleep will be back in just a minute. Here's a wonderful way to make meatless, leavened meals tempting and satisfying. It's easy. Just serve salads often. Make them bigger and better than ever, especially attractive, hearty, and good tasting. And don't worry, those salads will be especially good tasting if you make them with delicious miracle whip salad dressing. Miracle whip gives salads marvelous flavor, a flavor that's peppy, lively, teasing, yet not a bit too sharp. It's a flavor millions of folks everywhere call just exactly right. It's a flavor you won't find in any other salad dressing because miracle whip is actually a different kind of salad dressing. It's made from a secret craft recipe that combines the qualities of old-fashioned boiled dressing and fine mayonnaise to give you the best of both. Try it, just one taste, and you'll know why miracle whip has become America's favorite salad dressing, outselling the next 20 leading brands of salad dressing combined. For your luscious fruit salads, for colorful vegetable combinations, for shimmering gelatin molds, for delicious salads, use miracle whip. Put a jar of miracle whip in your shopping basket tomorrow. Just be sure you see the name miracle whip on the jar you buy. There's only one miracle whip salad dressing, and it's made only by craft. Well, a couple of days ago, the great Gilda sleep put Leroy on his own for a whole week. He isn't telling the boy what to do. In fact, Leroy is doing as he pleases. This teenage independence has spread across the street to the Bullard home, adding to the water commissioner's worries. Bullard has no reason to be angry with me, Marjorie. Well, ordinarily, Mr. Bullard doesn't need a reason. Leroy and Babs have behaved beautifully. I guess that's what worries Mr. Bullard. He thinks it's just the calm before the storm. Well, if the kids step out of line, the least it'll bet we'll clamp on the lid. That's the agreement we have with them. We should hurry and step out of line. I can't stand this suspense. Birdie? Yes, sir? Have you checked Leroy's room today? Yes, sir. It's as clean as a pin. He's been hanging up his clothes and shining his shoes. No, George, I don't understand it. It isn't natural for Leroy to be so perfect. The boy's taking advantage of the promise I made you. You mean you want him to make a mistake? Well, it might be the best thing for it. It's like the judge said. It's dangerous to give youth a free reign. Birdie, did Leroy take the ashes out of the furnace this morning? No, sir. I didn't see him do it. He took his bath, came down, ate breakfast, thanked me for it and rushed out. Oh, he said he wanted to be the first one in school. So he forgot the ashes, huh? Right, George, I knew he'd slip up. Oh, that's Leroy now. Listen, he's wiping his shoes on the mat. He never did that before. Hi, everybody! Leroy! I'd like to have a little talk with you. I'm the rocks away. Well, you could just toss them on the living room floor. Oh, no, I have to put them away neatly. Oh, brother. Who to say me about, Aunt? My boy, wasn't this the morning to clean out the furnace? Yes, it was. I understand you didn't do it this morning. No, I didn't. Well, well... I did it last night. Excuse me, I'll go clean out the garage. You? You're getting your little chores out of the way so you can go to a movie tonight. Ah, don't you know this is a school night? Yes, but I hope you might.  I wouldn't think of it. I could never make it home by nine o'clock.  Well, I wouldn't have to do it if he wasn't so good.  Yes, that Leroy sure is a problem when he's good. Another couple of days and the week will be up. Leroy's still a model boy. Why doesn't he do something? Darn kid. Well, that's Leroy spent a lot of time at Peabee's. Wonder if he's noticed anything. What can I do for you today? Peabee? Has Leroy been drinking many sodas lately? No. In fact, I believe the pharmacy's losing money on Leroy this week. He waged the comics, but he hasn't bought anything. Well, he puts them back in the rack and goes out jingling his money. He doesn't like the boy to stay within his allowance. He isn't under books for anything, is he? No. I have a little bill for you, though. Am I overdue, Peabee? Well, it was due on the 10th. Of course, this is only the 27th. Well, now it's supposed to be the 10th of March and the 10th of February. I'll pay it then. Very well. You'll understand if I wait till next month to pay my water bill. Yes, yes. Mr. Gildersley, why are you so concerned about Leroy? Well, bullies. Bullied and I are letting babs in Leroy make all their own decisions for a week. And it's working so well that I'm worried. And don't say. It isn't right for youngsters not to have to come to their elders for guidance. What if they're doing all right? They've been lucky, Peabee. And so have we. And thank goodness this week will soon be up. And Bullied and I can pick up the reins again. Mr. Gildersley, what if the kids don't want to hand over the reins? Well, if they improve and they prove that they can accept responsibility and don't need your guidance, what can you say? Peabee, I'm afraid you're right. That's why they've been so good. They have no intention of giving us back the right to tell them what to do. Yes, they haven't. Understands the reason the teenagers need the council of older heads? Yes. It's too much to expect that they'll make the right decision every time. Yeah, yeah. You know, I wouldn't be the fine young man he is today if he hadn't had me to look to. No, I wouldn't care. Nice of you, Gildersley, to come over and sit on the stoop with me. Well, Mr. Bullied, I saw you wandering around the yard all alone. Well, I have felt a little lost the past few days. I know what you mean. I suppose it's because of Babs. Because of her independence, she's grown away from me, Gildersley. Well, Leroy and I don't seem to be pals anymore. We haven't had a quarrel for days. Frankly, Gildersley, I'm glad this week is up tonight. I can hardly wait to begin helping Babs make decisions again. Well, I'm not so sure we can do that, Mr. Bullied. Why not? It is Peabee pointed out. If they've earned their independence, we can't take it away. Oh, Gildersley, they can't be independent. They're not old enough. They have to be told what to do. They've been doing everything they should. What can we tell them? Well, we can tell them. We can tell them that we... Godfrey. What can we tell them? Babs has been an angel. It's hard to believe, but Leroy's been perfect, too. You know, I can't supervise him anymore. There's nothing to supervise. Gildersley, I just had a horrible thought. Who? The children no longer need us. We've lost them. Our little birds have tested their wings and have flown away from what they once considered their sanctuary. Yeah, we're just a couple of old bird nests. I'll never forget the last time Babs came to my study, asked to sit on the arm of my chair. But that evening, she wouldn't take my advice. Gildersley, I like telling people what to do. Me, too. I guess that's part of the fun of being grown up. Yes, well, I'd better go sit by the fire. Good luck, Gildersley. Good night, Gildersley. Shin up. Shin up. Well, I'd better go home and sit by the fire, too. Is that Leroy's bike sitting right in the middle of the driveway? How many times have I told him not to leave it there? I'll have to have a talk with that boy. Hello, birdie. What are you doing? I'm cleaning up the front yard. That Leroy made a kite and left strings, paper, sticks, and glue all over the front yard. He did? And you ought to see that room here. It's a wreck. Well, wonderful. What's so wonderful about that? Leroy slipped his last birdie. Yes. Look at the pilot. School books all over the floor. What a beautiful sight. Yes. Here's you, Mr. Williams. I've just made the most marvelous discovery. Babs forgot to tie to her room. She did? Life is beautiful again. Well, look at my pilot. Books strewn around. Oh, lovely. Love. It's in the middle of the hall. I don't understand this. You're biking the driveway. Books cluttering the floor. Your room is shambles. What happened? Oh, gosh, I'm the week's up. Well, am I glad for everything yourself? Did you hear that, Bulders? I certainly did. What a fine boy. You bet. Kill on, Bulders. Let's celebrate. Oh, watch out for the skates, Gilda Sleeve. Skates? Are you hurt, Gilda Sleeve? Not a bit. It felt good. Great Gilda Sleeve will be with us again in just 30 seconds. There's no trick to making really good deviled eggs if, and this is important, if you make them with miracle whip salad dressing. When you add miracle whip to that egg yolk there, you're adding wonderful flavor, a lively, teasing flavor that's just sharp enough. It's a delicious flavor no other salad dressing can give you. Try it. For the best deviled eggs you ever tasted, and for wonderful salads, be sure the salad dressing you use is the one and only miracle whip salad dressing. Any orders again? Well, suppose I am. A man can feel pretty useless when nobody needs him. By the way, 9 o'clock, Leroy. Bed time. Okay. Soon as I finish this book. How many pages do you have to go? Let's see. 105. Leroy, put down that book and go to bed. And put your bicycle in the garage. You pick up the newspapers you left in the dining room table. And you get your galoshes out of the living room. You take the hammer off the mantle. You put the cushions back in the couch where they belong. You don't leave that banana peel on the coffee table. You act. Take it easy with your orders. You can be replaced. By George, he's right. Good night, folks. It is played by Willard Waterman. The show is written by John Elliott and Landy White and is partially transcribed. Shooted in the cast are Walter Tetley, Mary Lee Robb, Lillian Randolph, Barbara Whiting, Gail Gordon, Earl Ross, and Dick the Gram. Musical compositions by Jack Meakin. This is John Easton saying good night for the Kraft Foods Company, makers of the famous line of Kraft quality food products. Be sure to listen in next Wednesday and every Wednesday for the further adventures of The Great Gilded Sleeve. Delicious cold cuts for luncheon or supper make a welcome change of pace from the hot meals you've been serving. Easy to fix, too. But here's a tip. Be sure there's delicious Kraft prepared mustard on the table. Because when you add a little mustard, you add a lot of tang. There are two kinds of Kraft mustard. Mild Kraft mustard, so smooth and delicately spiced. And Kraft mustard with snappy horseradish added to give it extra zip. Keep both kinds on hand for different tastes. Next time, get Kraft prepared mustard.


All for introductions. It is now time for question period. The member from Elgin, Middlesex. Well, thank you very much speaker. My question this morning is to the Minister of Education. Would the Minister please remind this house. No, no, no, that's my job, although I appreciate the team effort. I'm going to I'm going to ask that the decorum be where it should be. Serious question. Thank you. Go ahead. Would the Minister please inform this house of the number of parents who currently have children in publicly funded Ontario elementary schools and how many of these parents last November actually completed the online survey commissioned by your ministry regarding changes to the health and physical education curriculum. This has been a really interesting situation speaker because yesterday we had the leader of the interim leader and the PC education critic the sort of official spokespeople on the issue saying that they actually welcomed our new health and physical education leadership candidates who seem to be totally in a different land. I think you better see what people have been saying. This is one of the leadership exchanges. The member from Lampton Kent Middlesex said I've committed to stopping the sex agenda in its tracks. Christine, I need you to join with me at caucus and stand up to Kathleen Winde to start the sex agenda once and for all. That's what he said. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, obviously no answer there. I believe I just asked for decorum and I expect it to be maintained. Excuse me. I'll take care of this. Supplementary. Minister, there are millions of parents in Ontario and you refuse to hear from over 99% of them. Not quite a consultative process. In this house should be reminded that on October the 30th this minister said that even these opinions of these very few parents would likely not affect the content of her plan 2015 sex ed curriculum. Minister, now that you have released this proposed curriculum it is clear that thousands of parents have concerns. What are your plans for a true consultative process now that Ontario mums and dads were able to see for themselves what you have planned for their children. And now the rest of the story that you're all waiting for. The member from with the Oshawa said in reply I've been very clear on my position on that Monty. I stand with you. There's no question I stand in the same place that you do. Parents are the ones that should be deciding about sex ed and what their children should or shouldn't be taught. There's no question I am against what they're doing and as we speak I presume Patrick Brown is outside. It's troubling that all three leadership candidates for the Progressive Conservative Party are in disagreement with the current caucus leadership and want to bury a new sex ed curriculum, a new health and physical education curriculum that will protect the health and safety of our children. Thank you, final supplementary. Well, Speaker, back to the minister. In recent days the only concession you've been willing to make to concerned parents that is to those parents who do not share your view of how their children should be raised. Your only concession is being to point out that the Education Act gives parents the right to withdraw their child from particular lessons. In other words, Minister, a highly selective opt out. Minister, are you prepared to extend this opt out principle to local schools? For example, if a local school council votes to opt out of your new sex ed curriculum, would you honor this request of a school council? And I assume if he was Premier, you could vote to opt out of teaching about evolution too. Evolution would be actually a good idea for the Ontario curriculum to disagree with somebody who has a science background. Let's talk about parents. Let's talk to your answer because we actually think that parents should be involved in the conversation. That's why we're creating materials for parents so that parents can talk to their children about it. Thank you. My second question is to the Premier. Premier, last year you tried to dodge the record of the McGinty era by distancing yourself from Dalton's team. These weren't your people. Nothing to do with me, you said. But in recent weeks, some of your people have found themselves in hot water. The Sudbury by-election has resulted in your Deputy Chief of Staff, Pat Cerbera, and one of your liberal fundraisers, Gary Lawhee, Jr., to have allegedly broken anti-browberry laws. The matter is now being referred to federal prosecutors and other police. Premier, can you confirm for this House that you personally hired Pat Cerbera as your Deputy Chief of Staff and that you appointed Gary Lawhee, Jr., to serve as chair of the local police board? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I've answered questions about the Sudbury by-election system situation many times. I will say again, Mr. Speaker, that yes, Pat Cerbera is a member of my staff. The police services board in Sudbury, Mr. Speaker, makes its own decisions. The fact is that I had decided by the end of November that Glenn Tebow was the person who we wanted to have as our candidate in negotiations about keeping the past candidate involved. But it's interesting, Mr. Speaker. The member for Lampton Kent doesn't want to talk about the fact that there is a protest going on outside, Mr. Speaker, about a sex ed curriculum that is going to protect children in this province, in every one of our schools, the publicly funded schools in Ontario, Mr. Speaker. He doesn't want to talk about that because he knows, I think, in his heart that it is the right thing to do and we need to update that curriculum. Thank you. Supplementary again to the Premier. I'm certain the hard-working officers of the OPP are doing their best as they continue this and all of the investigations into your office. I'm certain they'll find all the evidence they can. But with Ms. Cerbera and Mr. Lawhee Jr. still working in Liberal offices and a Premier who insists she believes they did nothing wrong. How can the people of Ontario be sure that your office won't double-delete any evidence? Well, Mr. Speaker, again I have answered the questions I've said that we are we are going to cooperate with the authorities. Of course we'll cooperate with the authorities and I've been very clear, Mr. Speaker, all along that that the decision had been made. I had decided by the end of November that Glenn Tebow was the the person who we wanted to have that I wanted to have as our candidate in Sudbury, Mr. Speaker, and and that the conversations that happened subsequently were about keeping the past candidate involved, Mr. Speaker. But you know I heard I heard the member for St. Catherine's talking about the the Roma Conference, Mr. Speaker. There are people who are here today and who are meeting in in downtown Toronto to talk about issues that I would have thought would have been very important to the member for Lampedon Kent, Mr. Speaker, because the issues around investments in infrastructure, the Ontario Good Roads members, Mr. Speaker, they're very concerned about those investments in all of the communities around the province. That's the work that we are focused on doing, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Final supplementary. Well, Premier, it doesn't end there. Orange gas plants, deleted hard drives, the Sudbury by-election and a prominent member of your own 2013 transition team, your former Deputy Minister of Education, has now admitted to three criminal charges. Premier, in light of the criminal conduct of your own hand-picked advisers, how would you rate the ethical deficiencies of your government compared, say, to the scandals that drove your predecessor out of office? A higher standard of ethics than we got under Dalton McGinty or perhaps just as bad? That was a pretty broad-ranging question. Let me just quote back to the member something that he said yesterday. He said it's not the Premier of Ontario's job, especially Kathleen Nguyen, to tell parents what's age-appropriate for their children. So, Mr. Speaker, let me just ask the member opposite. What is it that especially disqualifies me for the job that I'm doing? Is it that I'm a woman? Is it that I'm a mother? Is it that I have a master's of education, Mr. Speaker? Is it that I was a school council chair? Is it that I was the Minister of Education? What is it exactly that the member opposite thinks disqualifies me from doing the job that I'm doing? I'm still hoping that my request for decorum is maintained. New question. Leader of the third party. Questions for the Premier. On December 12th, Pat Sorbera said on tape to Andrew Olivier and I quote, you've been asked directly by the leader and the Premier to make a decision to allow Glenn to have the opportunity to have, you know, basically the opportunity uncontested. Is that true? Mr. Speaker, again, I have answered these questions many, many times. I had decided by the end of November that Glenn Tebow was the person that I wanted to have as our candidate in Sudbury. Mr. Speaker, it was clear to me that he was going to be a strong voice for Sudbury, Mr. Speaker, and that he was the best candidate for us in that by-election. And the conversations that took place, Mr. Speaker, were about keeping the past candidate involved. Would it have been great if the past candidate had wanted to work with us and had wanted to stay as part of the team? Absolutely. That would have been terrific. But, Mr. Speaker, the conversations that were had with the past candidate were about keeping him involved because, as you know, Mr. Speaker, there are many ways of being involved in the political life of a party beyond being a candidate. And that's what those conversations were about. Supplementary. Speaker, on December 11th, Jerry Lougheed said on tape to Andrew Olivier, I quote, the Premier up to now has always said to me, she's in favor of a nomination race. So I want to make that really clear. She's never said to me, quote, I want to appoint him, unquote. Is that true, Speaker? Mr. Speaker, I made a statement last Friday and I talked about the way candidates become candidates in elections, general elections or by-elections. And I said that, you know, my preference is for nomination races. I have been through a nomination race that was a very difficult experience in the 90s. And I think that when it's possible to have a local nomination race, that's a good thing to do. But in those circumstances where that's not possible, that's not going to happen, Mr. Speaker, and where a decision has been made according to the Constitution of the party, as was the case in the Sudbury by-elect, Mr. Speaker, then I think the honest thing to do is to make that clear, that that decision has been made, that a candidate has been chosen, rather than as in a situation like in Scarborough-Gildwood, Mr. Speaker, with Adam Gianbroni where it wasn't clear at all, it wasn't a real nomination race, Mr. Speaker, and it had to be controlled from the center. I don't think that's the way it should be done. I think we should be up front about what's going on, Mr. Speaker. On December 20th, according to the police transcript, Detective Constable Aaron Thomas asked Mr. Olivier and I quote, okay, and so from that conversation, were you still unsure as to whether they might appoint somebody or whether they were going to go through with the open nomination? And Andrew Olivier said and I quote, that's what Pat had stated. Is that true, Speaker? Mr. Speaker, I will just say again that by the end of November, I had made a decision that Glenn Tebow was going to be our candidate in Sudbury, Mr. Speaker. The conversations that took place were about keeping the past candidate involved. That's why those conversations took place. It's why I had a conversation with Andrew Olivier and I suggested some ways he might be involved, Mr. Speaker, but I had made a decision that Glenn Tebow was going to be our candidate. Next question is for the Premier Speaker. Yesterday the Premier said that she told Andrew Olivier she would appoint her candidate, but on December 20th, Detective Constable Aaron Thomas asked... What about quiet? And I don't appreciate somebody counseling to make more noise. Please continue. On December 20th, Detective Constable Aaron Thomas asked Mr. Olivier, Speaker. He asked him, so she asked him, so after you'd spoken with Pat Cerbera on the phone at that time, did you know whether or not there would be an open nomination, whether there would be other people participating in it? And Andrew Olivier said no. If the Premier claims she was so clear, why did Andrew Olivier at that time think that no decision had yet been made, Speaker? Mr. Speaker, I had a conversation with Andrew Olivier before the conversation that he had with Pat Cerbera. I made it clear to him that I had decided that Glenn Tebow was going to be the candidate, Mr. Speaker. And the fact is that the conversations that took place after that were about keeping the young man involved in the party, Mr. Speaker. That is exactly what happened. And I had made the decision that Glenn Tebow was going to be our candidate by the end of November, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, the Premier claims that she decided to appoint Glenn Tebow in November and she didn't alert the media and she didn't tell me or the interim leader of the PCs. I get that, Speaker. 100%. But she apparently didn't tell her campaign director slash deputy chief of staff. She didn't tell her liberal kingmaker in the local community and she didn't tell Andrew Olivier. All the evidence, Speaker. All the tapes, they all show that the Premier's office was offering Andrew Olivier a job so that the Premier's candidate could have his nomination uncontested. The Premier says that never happened. All the evidence says the Premier's version is not true. Is the Premier's story a little bit hard to believe, Speaker? I think so. Does the Premier have any evidence whatsoever to back up her story? Thank you. Well, Mr. Speaker, the leader of the third party is exactly right. When I went, when I made a meeting with Glenn Tebow in my home that he was the best person for the candidate, might as I have a deep respect for the media, I didn't go to the media that day, Mr. Speaker, because there was a process that needed to unfold, Mr. Speaker. Glenn Tebow was, he was actually, he was changing the party that he was going to be affiliated with, Mr. Speaker, and that was a difficult position for him to make. And he needed to work with his family and make sure that all of those, all of those pieces were in place. So I had made the decision by the end of November, Mr. Speaker. There were conversations to try to keep a young man who obviously would be going through a difficult transition. It's a difficult thing when the leader decides that a different person is going to be the candidate than the past candidate. That was the difficult thing we wanted to keep him involved. That's why those conversations were in place. Final supplementary. Well, Speaker, the reality remains that there's a mountain of evidence showing that Andrew Olivier was offered a job, so the Premier wouldn't have to appoint her hand-picked candidate. There are police interviews and call recordings that any member of the public can hear, Speaker. So my question remains, does the Premier have any evidence at all to back up her story? Well, Mr. Speaker, the member opposite and a number of the members have asked the same question in 16, 20, 25 different ways, but I'm going to answer it in exactly the same way, Mr. Speaker. The fact is I made a decision by the end of November that Glen Tebow was the best candidate for us in the Sudbury by-election. The conversations that took place after that, Mr. Speaker, were about keeping the past candidate involved. That's the reality, Mr. Speaker. That's what those conversations were about. And we have in Glen Tebow a strong voice for Sudbury. I believe, Mr. Speaker, that I was right in that assessment that Glen Tebow is the best. He is the best representative that Sudbury could have at this moment. We are very happy to have him in our caucus. Have you seen him, please? Thank you. New question. The member from Leeds-Ramble. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. When the Lieutenant Governor read the speech from the throne, he told us that your government will put evidence before ideology and choose partnership over partisanship. Premier, your government is doing neither. As the evidence mounts against you, your Deputy Chief of Staff and your Liberal Operative, you have resorted to ideological and partisan attacks. Premier, last Friday I launched an online petition that called for you to demonstrate integrity. It requests that you demand the resignation of Pat Sorbera and Jerry Lahi Jr. until the allegations are resolved. Premier, when will you demonstrate the integrity that's expected from the Office of Premier? As I said yesterday, I know the Premier very well. I have seen her wrestle with difficult decisions. It's not just my opinion, but it's the opinion of every person who has ever worked with our Premier that integrity is the number one decision. She wrestles with issues. She thinks hard about what is the right way to go forward. The members opposite have given her lots of advice on what to do. The judgment of the Premier, what she feels is right in her heart, is something that I have enormous respect for. This is a woman we are blessed to have leading our progress. My question is back to the Premier. Premier, you said you do politics differently. Your throne speech said that you would be open and transparent. Deputy House, it doesn't mean you'll have open and transparent nominations. The same throne speech said, and I quote, decisions will be made responsibly, openly, and in the best interests of Ontarians. I don't believe it was responsible and open to have Pat Sorbera offer Andrew Olivier jobs or appointments to step aside. Premier, do you believe it was in the best interests of Ontarians to have your Deputy Chief of Staff allegedly bribe a candidate? I really think that these questions have been asked and asked and asked and they've been answered consistently and thoughtfully. Not getting the answers they want Speaker, but they're getting the right answers. So my question really is, we've been back six days. We've had 72 questions. That was at the beginning question period. I think we're up to 78 questions. The only questions you're asking with the remarkable exception of the of the left and middle sex members, Speaker, these are the only questions you're asking. Why are you asking about transit? Why are you asking about our economy? Why are you asking about jobs out there? Why are you asking about kids with disabilities? Why are you focusing on something that you know? Actually is under investigation, Speaker. The Premier has spoken. It's time you asked real questions. Question, the member from Timmins James Bay. Question is coming to the Premier, Speaker. The Premier doesn't seem to be taking bribery allegations very seriously. So let's look at what the people outside the legislature are saying. And I'm going to quote from the Toronto Star. Premier Kathleen Nguyen and her Liberal Party are digging themselves deeper into a political mess. Ontario will be rightly shocked by allegations from Elections Ontario that two party operatives, including her Deputy Chief of Staff, appear to have broken the law. Under these circumstances, both should step aside while the police and investigation is ongoing. That's what the Toronto Star has to say. Is the Premier prepared to fire Gary Logheed and Pat Cibera? Thank you. Premier. Deputy Premier. Deputy Premier. Speaker, as I said earlier, the Premier listens to advice and then she has a conversation with her soul and lands on the right way forward, the principled way forward. I think it's a bit of an ironic speaker or a puzzling, maybe I should say, that the members opposite are pretending that they don't look after their past candidates. They don't try to keep their past candidates involved. I think it's a pretty well-established tradition that people actually might engage. Stop, stop, stop. The member from RIM from Nipissing, Pembroke, please come to order. And also the Minister of the Environment. Let's carry on. So there are many examples of this. Let's go back to 1998, when veteran MPP Floyd Logheed, I'm quoting now from the Hamilton Spectator, veteran MPP Floyd Logheed, the former Democrat Finance Minister is calling it quits, to accept a $120,000 a year government appointment. Now, who was energy minister at that time, none other than the interim leader of the... Thank you. Supplementary. Well, Mr. Speaker, a court would never take with what is in person's soul as evidence in any court case, but nonetheless, it's not just the Toronto Star. The Toronto Suns editorial has had this to say, Sabera is now the subject of two active ongoing investigations into the... Stop the call. Order, please. No extra comments. Please finish. Sabera is now the subject of two active ongoing investigations into the Sudbury by elections. How can she possibly continue as Wynn's deputy chief of staff and campaign director is said by the Toronto Suns editorial? Is the premier going to start listening to the voices outside this legislature and take responsibility as premier and do the right thing and ask Pat Sabera and Mr. Logheed to step aside? Speaker, I have a feeling that we just saw history being made because I don't think the NDP has ever before quoted the Toronto Sun editorial. So now, if they're taking advice from the Toronto Sun, it's a new day in Ontario, Speaker. So I think it's important to go back to why would the premier, why would the premier have chosen Glenn Tebow to be the Liberal Party candidate in the election? Who is this man, Glenn Tebow? And I think I'm sure the member from Nicol Belt knows quite well that he is a man of enormous integrity, Speaker. He is a man who has dedicated his life to improving the lives of the most vulnerable people in Sudbury. Whether it's his working sisters, whether it's his coaching team, Speaker. And he's engaged in helping improve the lives of people with developmental disabilities, kids with autism. He is a very fine man. Thank you. New question. A member from Trinity's Podina. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the minister responsible for senior affairs and it's about government program. Minister, senior plays an active and important role in our province, community and economy. In my own writing of Trinity's Podina, we have a considerable active senior population who continue to impact the community in many positive ways. As we know, Mr. Speaker, there are also various challenges and opportunities associated with growing older and senior have a number of distinct needs our province is working to address. They do. January marks the two year anniversary of Ontario's action plan for seniors. Recently, the minister visited my writing of Trinity's Podina and celebrate this anniversary and provide important update on the action plan. Mr. Speaker, this plan is more than a framework. It's a promise to our seniors and their families. Mr. Speaker, could the minister please elaborate on the Ontario's action plan for seniors and informs the House of the initiatives all government is taking to improve this? Thank you. Minister responsible for senior affairs. Thank you very much, Speaker. Indeed, the minister from Trinity's Podina has a good question. I see it's a very not only supportive but very dedicated and committed advocate for senior senior writing and to our province. It's quite right, Speaker. We are having a very strong shift in our demographic. Ontarians are living longer and we're getting more seniors more than ever before, Speaker. We have a huge shift indeed in our demographic. Presently, we have some over 2 million people over the age of 65. We're going to have 4.2 million in about 20 years. Speaker, by 2016-17, we are going to have more people over the age of 65 than under the age of 14. Facing the challenges myself as minister and the government, Speaker, we said we have to face the challenges. So we have been playing a very action plan for seniors. The latest one which the member has mentioned, the senior community grant program, Speaker. The first year of operation, we reached out to a 179 project. Thank you. Thank you, supplementary. I would like to thank the minister for the response and it's clear that our government is committed to achieving higher quality of life for our seniors. And I am delighted to say that these specific programs have resonated very well in my writing. In my writing, a remarkable project at the Harborfront Community Center titled the Urban Granny's Garden Project received $10,000 from the funding, the senior community grant program. Mr. Speaker, this gardening program foster a sense of belonging and acceptance among seniors in Tunis Padina. Enable them to partner up with youth while addressing food safety and community collaboration. The youth are delighted to have learned and develop these new skills and these seniors are more socially engaged. Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to have the minister to join me in my writing to see firsthand how the great work the senior group is doing in writing question how the funding is putting good use. Mr. Speaker, can the minister provide us with additional information on initiatives our government has created to help improve the lives of seniors in this province? Mr. Speaker, the member from Tunis Padina indeed come up with a good question and we all know that because of the challenge that we are facing with this increasing number of seniors we had to come up quickly with the Ontario seniors plan which is the very comprehensive plan incorporating the age-friendly community planning program the community transportation pilot grant program the community paramedicine program we have the Ontario elderly person center speaker last week we made some changes by increasing the number of languages to the funding away program we now provide information in Urdu, Arabic, Tagalog and Tamil this is from the speaker of another 14 16 languages actually to the guidance program for service to seniors and this is why we want to do more for our seniors we want to make sure that our people our seniors are proud to live in Ontario to grow in Ontario and age in the province of Ontario yes speaker my question is to the premier speaker we all while many of us here know the rules you don't comment directly on the outcome of an ongoing investigation and yet Friday while impugning and maligning members of this legislature the premier couldn't help herself from noting with regard to the eventuality of the charges for your deputy chief of staff Pat Solvera that quote on our review of the matter we don't expect that to happen premier thankfully for the people of Ontario it is not your expectations we are relying on to determine guilt or innocence premier were your comments just completely inappropriate or were they in fact attempting to influence the outcome of an ongoing investigation Mr. Speaker they were an expression of my belief that that we were dealing with allegations that there was an investigation ongoing Mr. Speaker and based on based on what I know about the situation I had I'm not asking my staff members step down that's what I was saying on Friday Mr. Speaker and I was being I was being very clear about the fact that we had made a decision about who the candidate was going to be in Sudbury and that there had been no offer of anything in return for an action Mr. Speaker and that the conversations that had taken place were about trying to keep a young man who had been a candidate involved in the party that's what the statement on Friday was about Mr. Speaker thank you premier your orchestrated strategy changed the channel straight from the old liberal handbook how to stop at nothing to hold power that's why despite your assurance that you wouldn't drag individuals through the mud you did exactly that with a drive-by blanket smear maligning our entire caucus it's also why the member from London North doubled down on your investigation speculation indicating the allegations are baseless Premier an investigation is ongoing it's not up to you or your deputy to predetermine the outcome Premier you told us you'd be different yet you're walking in the same scandal-ridden trail of deceit and diversion that Mr. McGinty followed him right out these doors is this what we can expect from a win liberal government keeping you and your friends in question by buying off seats at any cost I stopped the clock please I'm listening carefully to all of the questions and answers and I'm not happy with that last part but I'm not going to ask you to withdraw other than to just indicate to you it will not be tolerated any further here we go you know there's an investigation going on we are not playing Perry Mason on this side of the house Mr. Speaker the 78 questions that have come if the Deputy Premier's calculation is right the questions that have come from the other side are doing just that right that Mr. Speaker I was making a point on Friday when I said that I stated the fact that there have been members from other parties who have come across to us and have talked to members in this caucus about the fact that they would be willing to step down from their seat in return for an appointment that Mr. Speaker is a fact that has happened I didn't name names because it wasn't about individuals it was about the reality that we said no Mr. Speaker we said no we're not going to do that even though those approaches had been made that's the point I was making I made that point on Friday the member officer that has brought it up in a context that makes me repeat what I said but I was saying it to make a point about the fact that we said no we were not going to do that thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier Mr. Speaker it's not just the Toronto Star it's not just the Toronto Sun the Ottawa Citizen Editorial Board wrote this using public appointments to award loyal services one thing dangling the possibility of appointments while trying to persuade someone to give up their candidacy is quite another and a column in the global mail said quote as it turns out Ms. Wynn is not quite as different from Mr. McGinty as she appeared end quote these quotes are not from question period will the Premier start listening let's again let's just be clear I had made a decision by the end of November that Glenn Tebow was the best person to be our candidate there was no candidacy there was no position that the past candidate held Mr. Speaker the reality is that we were working to try to keep this young man involved he had been our candidate he was not going to be our candidate again and we were working to try to keep him involved he didn't have any position other than past candidate so when I say that there was nothing offered in in exchange for an action Mr. Speaker that's exactly the case because he wasn't in a position he was a past candidate and I had made a decision that Glenn Tebow was going to be our candidate not Andrew Olivier thank you supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker it's not just the star it's not just the sun the citizen global mail there's also the national post and I quote one of the incongruities of elected politics is a cynical assumption that laws are made to be deserved by others Ms. Nguyen reflected this attitude in spades Friday and here's the Waterloo record and then here's what they had to say quote Ontario's governing liberals make the law but they are not above it Premier Kathleen Nguyen Nguyen seems blind to this fact end quote the Premier is not just hearing from the opposition she's hearing from the Toronto Star the Toronto Sun the Ottawa Citizen Globe and Mail the national post and the Waterloo record everyone but the Premier knows the liberals are on the wrong side of this issue will the Premier finally do the right thing and admit some responsibility and fire Pat Sobera and Jerry Lahi Well Speaker again I have to say it's getting a bit boring in here I think there are important questions facing this province Speaker important questions and you're not asking them you know it's it's very clear that the Premier made a decision to uh that that glinty bowl would be our candidate it's very clear that uh that our party actually reached out and tried to have a conversation with the past candidate and if you actually listen to the tape if you actually listen to the tape if you would if it's abundantly clear that Andrew Olivier knew that he was not going to be the candidate from the very beginning of the conversation with Pat Sobera so you know Jerry Kaplan who's a good new Democrat good new Democrat said why why we're making this the biggest deal in the world is beyond me well I tell you Speaker it's beyond me when there are important issues facing the people of Ontario why both opposition parties continue to focus on this is beyond me too thank you new question to member from Barry Mr. Speaker my question is to the ministry of minister of community and social services minister your ministry is pursuing a mandate of transformation for the services it offers people living with disabilities this government has clearly chosen to make individuals with developmentally developmental disabilities a priority by making the significant investment of 810 million dollars over three years in the developmental services sector minister you have said before that this government is working towards having people with disabilities fully included in the fabric of our communities and to be able to live as independently as possible like Taylor Abispor of Barry who now has two jobs and is preparing to move into his own apartment minister can you please tell the house how your ministry is working towards this goal thank you minister of community and social services thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for Barry for the question as the member said our government is choosing to invest in Ontario's most vulnerable people and thousands of people are already benefiting from the budget investment last fall I shared with this house my ministry's launch of the developmental services employment and modernization fund this fund is set to deliver 15 million dollars over three years and is part of the 810 million dollar investment strategy this fund is intended to support the ongoing transformation of the developmental services system into one that is more person directed collaborative and efficient and promotes greater inclusion and independence for individuals in this first round of funding that was announced earlier this month the government is supporting 38 projects around Ontario that were selected as best meeting the objective thank you supplementary I have a question Mr. Speaker say supplementary thank you minister this new employment and modernization fund is a strong example of the way that this government is using innovative leaders in the developmental services sector to make tangible difference for people with developmental disabilities and their families in my riding of Barry Simcoe Community Services is one of the 38 successful proposals of this new fund this agency supported by this government has been doing great work for many years to support individuals in their daily life and seek better integration and their communities and economy now with this additional project funding CEO Marion Graves says this agency will be able to expand their pool of prospective employers minister can you please elaborate on what other ways this fund will improve the lives of people across Ontario thank you minister we're moving the developmental services sector to a place that better integrates individuals in their community and economy and transforms the way supports are offered to them first it is clear that those with developmental disabilities are a very diverse group of individuals with varying interests and abilities so that customizing employment initiatives is very important to ensure a successful outcome this means that agencies need to collaborate more closely to help transition individuals to employment opportunities in the community an excellent example of this type of initiative is live work play in Ottawa that I visited along with minister Naqui last Friday we want to make municipal community programs more inclusive and develop a provincial center of excellence on employment we are transforming the developmental services sector so that individuals are now living in the community and have every opportunity to work in their community good question the member from Leedscramble thanks very much as speaker my question is to the premier premier yesterday the minister of community safety and correctional services said that your government would not interfere with the removal of Jerry Lahi Jr from the greater Sudbury police services board the minister said and I quote under regulation 421 97 the members of the police services board code of conduct that it is up to the Ontario civilian police commission to consider whether or not the code of conduct is being complied with or not that's true but are you aware that section 25 subsection one of the police services act allows your minister to request the Ontario civilian police commission to investigate inquire into and report on the conduct of a member of the board premier through your minister will you request that independent body investigate the inappropriate actions of Jerry Lahi Jr thank you thank you general let's see mr mr. Speaker first of all i didn't have the uh the chance to congratulate our uh member Glenn Sibo for a wonderful election in Sudbury so i'm very pleased to we ran a positive campaign and uh the people of Sudbury have spoken and they have elected him so on the question mr. Speaker all police service board member appointed by the province our municipal council are subject to the code of conduct under the police service act and uh i understand that the Sudbury police service board addressed this issue recently and they have voted for Mr. Lahi to retain his position so if it is an important to know that if a board member has breached the code of conduct an investigation by the Ontario civil police commission may be conducted pursuant to section 25 thank you of the PSA thank you very much so we're back back to the premier the police services board code of conduct section 14 subsection one states a board member whose conduct or performance is being investigated or inquired into by the commission under section 25 of the act shall decline to exercise his or her duties as a member of the board for the duration of the investigation this is not an issue of politically interference by the board we have an open investigation by the OPP and a damning report by the chief electoral officer it's time for you to request an independent investigation from the Ontario civilian police commission thus requiring mr. Lohid to step away from the board i'm asking you premier and minister will you ask for that investigation to take place you see it thank you attorney general again mr. Speaker the police service act does not give the minister the authority to remove a board member so it is important to note that if a board member has breached the code of conduct an investigation by the Ontario civil police commission may be conducted pursuant to section 25 of the public service act so the the OCP would decide if an earring into the matter is warranted so that's the process so anybody can report a case to the Ontario civil civilian police commission and so if the member wants to do it it's up to you sir thank you no question the member from nicole belt thank you mr. President the question is very simple the first minister who said mr. Lockheed my question is simple who told mr. Lockheed and mr. O'bara to offer employment to mr. Olivier about this question once again I will say I had a conversation with Andrew Olivier in order for him to remain involved in the party I decided that glanti bull who was the best candidate for our party in Sudbury and I am very happy to have mr. Tebow in my party in our government thank you mr. Chair it is not a coincidence that mr. O'bara and Jerry Lockheed were calling and Andrew Olivier and in the name of the premier they told him he could have anything he wanted as long as he was not a candidate for the liberal party and it is not a coincidence that the three people thought that nominating and candidate had not been done yet so who took the decision to tell Lockheed and O'bara to do what they did mr. Chair I decided that glanti bull was the best candidate for this election the by-election in Sudbury I took this decision I had a conversation with Andrew Olivier so that he would remain involved in our party because I believe that it is the responsibility of a party leader I made the decision we were working to engage Andrew Olivier those that's what the conversations between Pats O'bara and Andrew Olivier were about mr. Speaker thank you no question we remember from Davenport thank you Mr. President my question is for the minister of natural resources and forestry mr. Speaker Ontario's biodiversity and natural heritage contributes substantial ecological and economic benefits to our province yet invasive species threaten our province's biodiversity and can have drastic impacts on our economy one species that is already established in Ontario the zebra mussel clog the intake pipes of municipal water supplies and hydroelectric companies and interfere with the overall enjoyment of our lakes and rivers managing zebra mussels cost between 75 and 91 million dollars each year another invasive species the emerald ash borer is a beetle that has devastating impacts on Ontario's ash trees since 2002 the emerald ash borer has spread across much of southwestern Ontario Sulcite Marie and the Ottawa area this beetle kills approximately 99% of ash trees as it moves through the area and I understand that over 118 actors have already been affected mr. Speaker through you to the minister could he explain how what our government is doing to stop the spread of these species in Ontario Mr. Minister mouth for resources and forestry Speaker thank you and I want to thank the the member from Davenport for for the question Speaker it's important that in Ontario we be as proactive as we possibly can in the past we've been reactive and the member through her question has referenced a couple of examples the zebra mussel costing us $90 million a year in terms of trying to deal with it once it's arrived we know by being proactive we can limit that the emerald ash borer is another great example here in the city of Toronto spending $37 million over the last five years and removing a significant portion of their urban forest canopy we need to try and be more proactive where we can be on these issues Speaker there are examples where we've been successful too since the ballast water restrictions and changes have come into place we don't believe there's been an introduction of another aquatic invasive species into the Great Lakes since 2006 since those changes came into place and in regard to the emerald ash borer simply by heating preheating pallets and they believe the borer the emerald ash borer came in on wooden pallets simply by preheating those pallets before they come over you can deal with it that way that's one of the reasons we've reintroduced the invasive species act we want to be proactive on this file and carry this example Thank you documentary Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister of natural resources and forestry for his response and leadership on this important issue Mr. Speaker I am pleased to hear that our government is taking a proactive role in preventing, detecting and rapidly responding to invasive species however often environmentalist landowners industry and hunters and anglers of this province have competing interests when it comes to addressing environmental concerns in Ontario and municipalities are very interested in preventing the spread of invasive species as they are often at the front lines paying the cost when these species invade our communities though I know you have worked with a number of stakeholders to bring this legislation forward my constituents are concerned about the impact this legislation will have on every day on terrians and industry Mr. Speaker through you to the minister could you please explain to the house what our government is doing to work with stakeholders communities and municipalities to prevent invasive species from affecting our environmental and environmental economy Thank you minister Mr. Speaker thank you and once again I want to thank the member from Davenport for the question Speaker last week or the week before I was in Ottawa for a conference primarily centered on dealing with biodiversity in Canada wide there was a federal provincial territorial ministers meeting dealing with biodiversity but a significant part of the conference dealt with the issue related to invasive species Ontario is seen as a leader on this file and one of the requests that Ontario brought to the conference was that we established a federal provincial task force on a move forward basis on a go forward basis to deal with this in a pan-Canadian approach Minister Eglicock was there she was the host and the leader on the conference through her leadership as well as with the support of the other federal provincial and territorial ministers we received agreement we have now established and will establish in very short order a task force dealing specifically with invasive species this will be to the benefit of all of us across Canada of course invasive species no no boundaries speaker thank you my question is for the Premier here's a quote and I begin it is of the utmost importance that we lead responsibly act with integrity manage spending wisely and are accountable for every action we take can you tell me whose words those are Mr. Speaker I imagine I said that I'm just thinking that I said that and certainly if it's not a quote from me it's certainly something that I believe Mr. Speaker and in fact it's why on Friday if we're if we're still talking about the Sudbury by-election which I imagine we are it's why on Friday Mr. Speaker I made a clear statement about when I had made the decision what we were going to do in terms of the ongoing investigation we were going to cooperate with the authorities and I made it clear Mr. Speaker what my actions going forward would be thank you supplementary yes premier the quote is yours in fact I guess the quote is it is found in every mandate letter you wrote to your cabinet ministers unfortunately it seems that the value you place on integrity is dependent on circumstances and is flexible when it's your needs during your latest scandal did it not occur to you that you were asking Jerry Lockheed to break a police services board code of conduct the regulation which states that board members shall refrain from engaging in conduct that would discredit or compromise the integrity of the board or the police force why did you put Mr. Lockheed in a position where he would be breaking this code just speaker this question has been asked many times in many different ways I've answered the question I've made it clear that the conversations that took place were in the context of my having decided who the best candidate was going to be for us and that was Glen Tebow and we were trying to work to keep the past candidate involved that's what the context was Mr. Speaker here here thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the premier after asking Mr. Andrew Olivier to step aside so that the premier could nominate her favorite candidate Mr. Berra said to Mr. Olivier that he was the third person who had been asked to step aside so who are those two other persons and what are the offers that were made to them I would like to say once again that I made a decision when I decide that I made the decision that Glen Tebow would be the best candidate for the writing of Sebrey and we had conversations to continue to engage our former candidate in the party we're about suggestions about ways that he could stay involved in the party apart from being a candidate because he was not going to be the candidate Glen Tebow was going to be our candidate Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker once again to the premier Ms. Patsar Berra said to Mr. Olivier that it was the third time that the premier contacted people to ask them to withdraw their candidacy so who are these other people who got those cons I said that I had made a decision I do not know who are these other people I know that Patsar Berra had a conversation with Andrew Olivier to engage Andrew in the party going forward because he used to be our candidate these are the facts Speaker well thank you very much Speaker and my question is for the minister of energy who we are able to host in my writing of Cambridge in November talking about energy and the new master servicing agreement that was signed between Bruce Power and Babcock and Wilcox so thank you for coming then Minister it seems that Ontario's electricity system has changed significantly since the independent electricity system operator IESO and the former Ontario power authority were created in 1999 and 2004 respectively in fact I believe that the areas of overlap and duplication between the two agencies have been noted since a report from the agency review panel I understand that the IESO and the former OPA have now merged to form a single entity as of the beginning of this year in 2015 Speaker through you to the minister could the minister please advise the house as to the role and responsibilities of the newly merged independent electricity systems operator thank you very much Minister of Energy Mr. Speaker I thank the member from Cambridge for the question the newly merged independent electricity system operator is responsible for ensuring there's enough power to meet the provinces electricity needs in real time while planning and securing electricity supply for the future it does this Mr. Speaker by balancing the supply and demand of electricity in Ontario and directing its flow across the provinces transmission lines planning for the provinces medium and long-term electricity needs and securing clean sources of supply overseeing the electricity wholesale market and fostering the development of a conservation culture a joint working committee reviewed each organisation to determine where efficiencies could be found while ensuring that the electricity system remains safe and reliable Mr. Speaker the merger which took effect answer first was smooth a seamless Mr. Speaker and it is generating very significant efficiencies the council supplementary thank you minister I think it's helpful for families and businesses in Ontario to know what the new independent electricity systems operator does and what it's responsible for I'm sure it was a complex process to merge the IESO and the OPA I find it reassuring to hear of the joint working committee that work collaboratively collaboratively to review where the efficiencies were being found to ensure that our electricity system remains safe and reliable for all Ontario's including those in my writing of Cambridge I know that you and the ministry of energy staff have been focusing on improving the efficiency in the energy sector and have placed a specific focus of improving efficiency at our energy agency question while there are obvious efficiencies such as the reduction from two boards of directors to one and two CEOs could the minister please advise the house how else the merger of these two agencies will increase efficiency minister this is a question Mr. Speaker I thank the member for the supplementary question the government's priority is to continue building a clean reliable and cost effective electricity system for Ontarians so the merger of the independent electricity system operator the IESO and the former Ontario power authority OPA was implemented to increase operational efficiencies and contain costs and the merger is expected to increase operational efficiency create synergies and contain costs Mr. Speaker by bringing short medium and long-term planning functions together simplifying the electricity sector for industry and consumers and coordinate the flow of electricity between generators and consumers the merger supports our government's commitment to improve agency efficiency reduce costs in the electricity sector and help mitigate costs for rate thank you Mr. Speaker it's very usual that the Speaker announce the visitation of a special guest Mr. Alvin Curling in the West Public Gallery bought me for the record to put down what I normally say so that is the member in the 33rd 34th 35th and 36th parliaments of the riding of Scarborough North and in the 37th and 38th parliaments of the riding of Scarborough Rouge River and in the 38th parliaments our former Speaker thank you very much for doing that it's before we do our vote I have been requested to ask a few more people so point of order from the Premier sorry I did not notice that in the gallery are three of my constituents Paul Robert Margaret Casey and Janet McDougall I just wanted to welcome them and Mr. Speaker I may have said public service act instead of police service act answering the question for the member from Leeds Grandville if I have said that I would like to correct myself thank you point of order to correct your record it's always appropriate Minister of Education point of order I'd like to correct my record too when I reference the heckling about parents should be able to vote on evolution curriculum I shouldn't have named the individual I should have given the riding I should have said the member from Chatham can't ask while one is allowed to correct their record I I do accept that as a point of order but not in the spirit I believe we are supposed to be intending this we have a deferred vote on the motion of second reading of bill 31 calling the members this will be a five minute bell put all members please take their seats all members please take their seats thank you on November the 27th 2014 Mr. Del Ducamo second reading of bill 31 an act to amend the highway 407 east act 2012 and the highway traffic act in respect to various matters and to make a consequential amendment to the provincial offenses act all those in favor of the motion please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Mr. Bradley Mr. Shirelli Mr. Shirelli Madam Mayor Madam Mayor Mr. Sousa Mr. Sousa Ms. Nguyen Ms. Nguyen Ms. Nguyen Ms. Nguyen Ms. Nguyen Ms. Nguyen Mr. Hoskins Mr. Hoskins Ms. Sandal Ms. Sandal Mr. Dugas Mr. Dugas Mr. Quintar Mr. Quintar Mr. Cole Mr. Cole Mr. Siukar Mr. Tahkar Mr. Bardinetti Mr. Bardinetti Mr.rifle Mr. quadrile Mr. Orz吉 Mr. Orz yet Mr. Orz referee Mr. Gravell Mr. McNeecan Mr. McNeecan Mr. Murray Mr. Murray Mr. Chan Mr. Chan Mr. Scott Mr. Scott Mr. Kooto Mr. Hodute Mr. Leo Mr. Leo Mr. Flynn Mr. Flynn Mr. Zimmer Mr. Zimmer Mr. DeLaney, Mr. Balkasen, Mr. Albanese, Mr. Dixie, Mr. Dixie, Mr. Mangat, Mr. Kraj, Mr. Kraj, Ms. Wong, Ms. Hunter, Mr. Sergio, Mr. Moro, Mr. Moro, Ms. Jasek, Ms. Dahmerer, Ms. Dahmerer, Mr. Fraser, Mr. Andersen, Mr. Anderson, Mr. Baker, Mr. Baker, Mr. Baller, Mr. Dahl, Mr. Dahl, Ms. Hogarth, Ms. Kuala, Ms. Kuala, Madam LaLong, Ms. Mahler, Ms. Martin, Ms. McGarry, Ms. McMahon, Mr. Milcher, Ms. Nadu Harris, Mr. Rinaldi, Ms. Renea, Mr. Tebow, Mr. Harris, Mr. Arne, Ms. Acabasca, Mr. Clark, Mr. McNaughton, Ms. Jones, Mr. Barrett, Ms. Monroe, Ms. Scott, Ms. Scott, Mr. Bailey, Mr. Walker, Mr. Smith, Mr. Smith, Ms. Martau, Ms. Martau, Mr. McDonnell, Mr. Manklin, Mr. Mansfield, Mr. Besson, Ms. Holden, Mr. Vanklin, Mr. Nova, Mr. Nova, Madam Jelena, Mr. Tabins, Mr. Miller, Hamilton, East Stony Creek, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Natashow, Mr. Sain, Ms. Spice, Ms. Forster, Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Gates, Ms. Gretzky, Ms. French, Ms. French. Time and be recognized by the clerk. The ayes are 88, the nays are zero. The ayes being 88 and the nays being zero, I declare the motion carried. Shall the bill be ordered for third reading? Minister of Transportation. So ordered. Can barely hear what he's saying. The bill has been referred to the Committee for General Government. You're welcome, Member from Renfrew, Nipissing Pembroke. In the Speaker's Gallery are friends of mine from the Riding of Brandt who are here with lunch with the MPP and their support for charity, Mr. Ken Mercer and Sherry Martin. Welcome and thank you for being here. There are no further deferred votes. This house stands adjourned until 3 p.m. this afternoon.