Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report July 25, 2019

Quotation of the day

“Block this [Doug Ford] yute.”

Grammy award-winning Toronto hip hop producer Boi1da is not a fan of Premier Ford’s frequent ​ ​ Instagram interactions with popular account @6ixbuzztv.

Today at Queen’s Park

On the schedule The summer recess is on until Monday, October 28.

Today’s events

July 25 at 6 p.m. – Mississauga ​ Premier Doug Ford is holding a Peel-region leader’s reception fundraiser for the PC Party at ​ ​ the Capitol Banquet Centre. Tickets are $1,000 each.

Topics of conversation

● Federal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor has written to her provincial counterpart ​ ​ ​ ​ Christine Elliott reminding her about the Canada Health Act obligations to cover ​ ​ ​ out-of-country medically necessary hospital and physician services, which the PCs have proposed to eliminate under OHIP. ○ “This could become extremely costly to Canadians, and even jeopardize their access to necessary medical care,” the minister wrote. ○ The proposed regulatory change, announced in April, raised the ire of the Canadian Snowbird Association, a non-profit group that advocates for Canada’s famed winter travellers, who said scrapping out-of-country emergency medical coverage will ultimately increase private travel health insurance premiums by up to 7.5 per cent. The NDP subsequently took the PCs to task for how the coverage reduction could affect travellers who require regular kidney dialysis. ○ Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk has recommended the government find ways to ​ ​ reduce administrative costs; the province spends $2.8 million a year to administer

about $9 million in claims. For example, Lysyk suggested adopting a single reimbursement rate for all out-of-country health services. ○ If the PCs go ahead coverage would end October 1. ○ Petitpas Taylor also said she wants to work with Elliott to reduce barriers to ​ abortion services after a report showed patients across the country travel long distances to get prescriptions for the abortion pill after failing to get it closer to home.

● The LCBO says the booze shortage caused by the technology disruption at the agency’s Durham warehouse will be resolved in two to three weeks, but OPSEU union head Warren “Smokey” Thomas says that probably won’t happen until September. ​ ○ Only 15 stores are currently impacted by delivery delays, down from 240 outlets a few weeks ago, CP reports. ​ ​ ​ ○ Thomas previously said workers warned the agency about problems with the new system earlier this year but were ignored.

● Long live summer break! Inking a new collective agreement with teachers by the government’s target deadline of August 31 may be impossible. That’s according to Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation president Harvey Bischof, who told ​ ​ ​ Newstalk 1010 the province’s labour board won’t come back with a decision to settle a ​ dispute over what provisions should be hammered out at the central bargaining table and what should be decided at the local level until weeks after a hearing on August 22. ○ “There’s simply no chance for an agreement by the start of the school year,” Bischof said. Teachers would continue to follow the terms of the old agreements, and Bischof said that doesn’t necessarily mean job action or class disruption. “If there is good faith, productive bargaining from government and school boards then we will continue to negotiate until we reach an agreement.” ○ Bischof has previously complained the Ontario Public School Board Association wants to centrally bargain certain matters that should be negotiated by the local boards, such as procedures on submitting sick notes. ○ The school boards say matters of “significant financial consequence” should be determined at the central table, where all parties have a seat.

● Ontario Real Estate Association CEO Tim Hudak is calling on the province to review ​ ​ what he calls a “broken” professional disciplinary system. In a letter to Government and Consumer Services Minister Lisa Thompson, Hudak said the current Real Estate ​ ​ Council of Ontario (RECO) has little authority to revoke or suspend real estate licences for “egregious behaviour.” That power lies with the Licence Appeal Tribunal, “a body consisting of political appointees with very little real estate experience” that has “a demonstrably poor track record of punishing those who break the rules, even in circumstances involving criminal behaviour.”

○ Hudak wants RECO’s discipline and appeals committee empowered to revoke and suspend licences, order an agent to repay any finances gained from a breach of the code of ethics and conduct proactive investigations. ○ He cited recent media coverage of real estate disciplinary matters. Earlier this month, the Globe reported on RECO’s unsuccessful case to revoke the licence of ​ ​ ​ ​ a realtor accused of theft. ○ The government is currently reviewing real estate policy and the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, which Hudak introduced when he was a PC minister in 2001.

● And Michael Coteau makes two. The Liberal MPP officially registered as a leadership ​ ​ contestant with Elections Ontario on Wednesday; former cabinet minister Steven Del ​ Duca registered on Friday, the day after the race to replace Kathleen Wynne kicked off. ​ ​ ​ ○ Coteau also wants to go head-to-head with his opponents in seven debates across the province. He said local journalists should moderate, as opposed to party-appointed convention co-chairs, which is what happened during the last convention in 2013. ○ “The same-old, same-old approach will not cut it,” Coteau wrote in an open letter to party president Brian Johns. “Our leadership debates should help Ontarians ​ ​ understand that Liberals want to hear a wide range of ideas and perspectives through an inclusive and accessible province-wide process open to party members, media and the public.” ○ Card-carrying Grits will pick their next leader on March 7, 2020, through a delegated convention, after rejecting a one-member-one-vote proposal at their AGM last month.

● Premier Doug Ford’s chief of staff Jamie Wallace and deputy chief Amin Massoudi ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ reportedly met with Toronto Mayor John Tory’s top staffers Luke Robertson and Vince ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Gasparro at City Hall Wednesday. ​ ○ Meanwhile, the operation to fix his worship’s Achilles tendon was successful. "I am determined to be back on my feet and visiting community events across the city as quickly as possible,” Tory said in a statement, although he’s not expected to attend public events for about two weeks.

● Almost half of Ontarians surveyed in an Ipsos poll for Toyota Canada say they’re less ​ ​ likely to take a road trip this summer due to rising gas prices. That’s despite the price of gas being lower than it was last summer.

● The federal Conservatives have greenlit candidate Ghada Melek, who was rejected by ​ ​ the Ontario PCs ahead of the 2018 election over now-deleted social media posts about Muslim extremism, according to the National Post. ​ ​ ​

○ Sources said there is no communication between the provincial and federal parties when it comes to nomination contestants, so Melek was picked to fly the federal Tory banner in Mississauga—Streetsville. ○ Melek denied she was turned down by the Ontario PCs, saying she bowed out for personal reasons.

● Federal E-Day could be rescheduled. A judge has ordered Elections Canada to reconsider whether polling day should be moved from October 21, the legal deadline, because it conflicts with a Jewish holiday. ○ Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault, who previously decided against ​ ​ ​ ​ changing the date under a short timeline, will have to take a second look and issue a new decision by August 1. The judge said his decision must adequately balance the Charter rights of affected voters and election law. ○ Perrault can’t change Election Day — he can only make recommendations to cabinet. ○ B’nai Brith Canada and Chani Aryeh-Bain, the federal Conservative candidate in ​ ​ Eglinton—Lawrence who brought forward the legal challenge, have suggested holding the vote on October 28. That’s the same day Ontario’s legislature is set to be recalled.

● ICYMI former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister and Oakville MPP Kevin Flynn lost his ​ ​ federal nomination bid in the same riding last month. U of T law professor Anita Anand ​ will run for the Liberal Party of Canada in the bellwether riding. ○ Flynn isn’t the only ex-Liberal MPP with hopes of entering the federal arena: Helena Jaczek is seeking the nomination in Markham-Stouffville, and Han Dong ​ ​ is vying to run in Don Valley North. Yvan Baker is the Liberal candidate in ​ ​ Etobicoke Centre and will hold a campaign office opening party this Saturday. ○ Current MPP Marie-France Lalonde is hoping to replace Andrew Leslie in ​ ​ ​ ​ Orléans.

News briefs – governmental Ministry of Long-term Care ● Minister Merrilee Fullerton on Wednesday announced the allocation of more beds at ​ ​ three long-term care homes in Mississauga, as follows: ○ 220 beds at Trillium Health Partners; ○ 320 new beds at a seniors’ care partnership between Indus Community Services, Trillium Health Partners and the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care; ○ 137 new beds and 55 upgraded beds at Schlegel Villages.

Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs

● Housing Minister Steve Clark announced $3.1 million to Lambton County for supportive ​ ​ housing programs for people who are homeless, or at risk of becoming so. This follows similar cash handouts to the City of Hamilton and the City of Brantford earlier this week.

Queen's Park Today is written by Sabrina Nanji, reporting from the Queen's Park press gallery.

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