Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report February 27, 2019

Quotation of the day

“The opposition… The media… They don’t understand how can be so popular.”

PC Fund Chair Tony Miele sent out a call for donations on the eve of tonight’s ​ ​ $1,250-a-plate fundraiser that lobbyists reportedly helped sell tickets for.

Today at Queen’s Park

On the schedule The House convenes at 9 a.m. The government could call any of the following pieces of legislation for debate:

● Bill 66, Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act; ​ ● Bill 68, Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act; or ​ ​ ​ ● Bill 74, The People’s Health Care Act. ​

Tuesday’s debates and proceedings MPPs continued second readings of Bill 66 in the morning and Bill 68 in the afternoon. ​ ​ ​ ​

Health Minister tabled Bill 74, The People’s Health Care Act, during routine ​ ​ ​ ​ proceedings. First reading carried on division, as the NDP opposed its tabling.

In the park Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson was at the legislature for his city’s lobby day yesterday, and beaver ​ ​ tails were served. A small protest against the cancellation of the Indigenous Culture Fund was ​ ​ ​ held on the Queen’s Park lawn at noon.

The Ontario Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists is scheduled to lobby MPPs at a breakfast reception.

‘I haven’t used a Blu-ray myself in a long time’: Minister defend Ford’s souped-up van request

The PCs defended Premier Doug Ford’s request for a decked out OPP van, complete with ​ ​ mini-fridge and a Blu-ray-equipped television.

“He’s not a premier that likes to travel by plane across the province. He certainly does like to get out there and visit Ontarians,” Government House Leader told reporters after ​ ​ Tuesday’s question period. “The premier just wants to be comfortable as he’s doing his work in the back of a van.”

“I would say there was a good chance that the party was going to pay for it, but I don’t know that,” Smith added, noting no action has been taken to obtain Ford’s dream car.

Details of the $50,696 customization request were revealed in recently filed court documents, and are part of OPP deputy commissioner Bill Blair’s notice of intent to sue the premier for ​ ​ defamation over his response to Blair’s concerns about the hiring of Ron Taverner, whose ​ ​ appointment as OPP commissioner is on hold while the integrity commissioner investigates.

Blair, who made it to the final round of interviews for the job, is in court trying to force Ontario Ombudsman Paul Dubé to probe potential political interference in the controversial recruitment ​ ​ of Taverner, a Ford family friend and veteran beat cop.

Blair has alleged the premier’s office wanted the cost of the customization to be kept off the books, which the PCs have categorically denied.

Smith could not explain why Ford’s staff Nico Fidani used his personal email account to discuss ​ ​ the cost estimate of the customization with a company called A1 Mobility.

“It was an email that was sent in the very early days,” he said.

Multiple government sources told Queen’s Park Today that staff in the premier’s office regularly ​ ​ communicate with other ministerial staff via personal email accounts and messaging apps.

Ontario’s information and privacy commissioner has cautioned against staff using personal ​ ​ email accounts and instant messages without proper record-keeping standards. Such records are subject to access-to-information laws if they relate to government business.

NDP MPP likened the van request to a “Taj Mahal on wheels.” ​ ​

Parent says MacLeod ‘twisted’ and ‘manipulated’ her words over autism policy Sherri Taylor says she isn’t interested in the “hollow apology” from Children Services Minister ​ Lisa MacLeod for “twisting” her words about the controversial autism program changes. ​

When defending the plan earlier this week, MacLeod rattled off a list of accolades, including one purported to be from Taylor, a Windsor mom whose child has autism. Taylor took to social media to say the quote was taken out of context, which she called “proof of [MacLeod’s] manipulation, and outright untruths to the public.”

NDP MPP challenged MacLeod’s use of the quote during Tuesday’s question ​ ​ period. The minister told the legislature she thought Taylor provided the quote to her office for ​ ​ use, adding, “But if I used that quote used yesterday incorrectly, I unequivocally apologize.”

Taylor isn’t buying it.

“I don’t accept her apology, that’s not an apology. Anytime you use the word ‘if’ that is not an apology. That’s just another spin,” she told Queen’s Park Today in an interview. ​ ​

“The words that she read at Queen’s Park were entirely my words, they were manipulated by her office and then they were twisted to make it seem as though I sent that in favour of their decision and their plan.”

She provided an email exchange from January, roughly a week before the February 6 autism announcement, with MacLeod’s policy director Susan Truppe, that shows her hesitation in ​ ​ providing a supportive quote. Truppe and Taylor worked on a quote together, but Taylor said she believed the program would fund occupational and speech therapy — it doesn’t.

She said that when the plan was unveiled, she called MacLeod’s office with concerns that they would use her supportive quote.

“They already had their plan in place,” Taylor said. “They don’t really care to hear what we have to say.”

MacLeod had to apologize for comments made to a professional group of behavioural scientists about their reluctance to provide a supportive quote earlier this month.

Means-testing scale, budget (sort of) unveiled Meanwhile, MacLeod shed some light on questions swirling around the autism program’s funding formula. The Liberals and parents and advocates have called for clarity on the figures.

The ministry also released the sliding scale for means-testing. It confirms that families making ​ ​ $55,000 or less would receive 100 per cent of the possible funding, depending on the child’s age. Those earning more would see their allotment reduced on a sliding scale, and families raking in $250,000 or more would be cut off from the public purse.

MacLeod’s office told Queen’s Park Today spending for the autism program is projected at ​ ​ about $361 million for fiscal 2018-19, and the annual budget going forward under the PC program scheduled to kick in April 1 is estimated at around $321 million.

MacLeod said she inherited the Liberals’ $256-million program and had to go to the Treasury Board to get a $62-million “holdback” released. She went back a second time for $40 million, which rounds out at $102 million in “emergency funding” to keep the system going. That adds up to the roughly $361 million budgeted for this year (there are rounding differences).

At issue for Liberal MPP is that the 2018-19 estimates earmarked roughly $321 ​ ​ million for the autism program, so he wasn’t sure where the minister’s oft cited $256 million comes from.

Coteau said funding is released as the program hits certain benchmarks and suggested the PC government may not have known that when coming to power. He maintains the overall budget under the Liberal program was $321 million, which is what the estimates show.

Coteau has formally written to the integrity commissioner regarding MacLeod’s handling of the file and says he will soon be supplementing his complaint with the requisite affidavit. The watchdog can’t launch a probe until that happens.

Health minister tables major health-care system reform bill The PC government has tabled new legislation it says will “break down the barriers to patient care.” Under the proposed bill, a single super agency, dubbed Ontario Health, will replace the province’s 14 local health integration networks, as well as agencies including Cancer Care Ontario, Health Quality Ontario and eHealth.

At a media event at Bridgepoint Health Tuesday morning, Health Minister Christine Elliott said ​ ​ too much time has been spent on maintaining a “siloed” and “fractured” bureaucracy, and the PC changes would take the best practices from certain agencies and amplify them throughout the entire healthcare system.

“Right now, we are leaving Ontarians behind because we have a system that is disconnected,” she said.

Elliott could not say if the changes, via Bill 74, the People’s Health Care Act, would lead to job ​ ​ losses — Premier Ford said none would occur if he took office, during last year’s election campaign, despite promising to find billions in efficiencies. Elliott said while the rearrangement would impact certain positions, the government will still need front-line workers under the revamped system.

The government also says there is duplicative work being done at the senior management and administrative support levels of the agencies that are being folded into Ontario Health.

Ontario Health Teams (which were referred to as Mycare groups in an earlier leaked draft of the bill put out by the NDP) will consist of providers in primary, home, long-term, palliative, and mental health and addictions care and services, and be responsible for delivering health care to people in their region. They will report to the central agency.

Government officials speaking at a tech briefing said the transformation, ideally, would take three years, but could go on longer.

Groups representing doctors, nurses and hospitals backed the changes.

Dr. Nadia Alam, president of the Ontario Medical Association, said the current system doesn’t ​ ​ ​ work for patients the way it should and was cautiously optimistic the Tories’ plan could change that.

Doris Grinspun of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario pointed out concerns that ​ some organizations “have ballooned in terms of staffing.”

The Ontario Hospital Association’s Anthony Dale gave a thumbs-up to a central oversight, ​ ​ which he believes will help address overcrowding in hospitals, saying the status quo is “wildly out of balance.”

The PC-friendly Ontario Chamber of Commerce said it supports the government’s commitment to streamlining the system and to the uptake of new digital tools. But vice-president Ashley ​ Challinor said the business group is “concerned that a single health agency will be unable to ​ meet the distinct regional needs of the province, particularly for patients in rural, remote, and Northern communities.”

CUPE and Ontario Health Coalition (an umbrella organization for labour and community groups) teamed up to express their fears about “a serious threat to patient care.”

The OHC warns the new legislation “invites expressions of interest from for-profit companies, including giant multinational chain corporations like Centric Health that have already expressed interest in expanding in Canada and taking over integrated health services.”

Don Mills Surgical Unit Limited, a public-private surgical hospital operated by Centric Health, recently registered to lobby the government “to position the Surgical Centre and private hospital licenses as an opportunity to support ending hallway medicine.”

Today’s events

February 27 at 9:30 a.m. – Toronto ​ ​ NDP MPP will be in the media studio to discuss a motion calling on the PC ​ ​ government to create 27,000 paid work opportunities for recent graduates and underemployed youth.

February 27 at 5:30 p.m. – Etobicoke ​ ​ The Ontario Progressive Conservatives’ $1,250-a-plate leader’s dinner fundraiser takes place at the Toronto Congress Centre. Media is reportedly barred. ​ ​

Topics of conversation

● iPolitics has the latest update in Doug Ford’s tariff tizzy, with the premier and his trade ​ ​ minister now seemingly on the same page when it comes to asking Ottawa to review retaliatory levies imposed in response to U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum.

● The premier’s chief of staff Dean French has been grilled by the integrity watchdog in ​ ​ the ongoing investigation into possible political interference in the hiring of future OPP commissioner Ron Taverner, according to the Toronto Star. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

● Energy, Northern Development and Mines Minister appeared before the ​ ​ Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources Tuesday to provide testimony on the federal government's controversial Bill C-69, ​ ​ Impact Assessment Act, which overhaul’s the environmental assessment process for energy, mining and infrastructure projects. ○ Rickford warned the bill, in its current form, will hurt Ontario jobs, particularly in the mining sector, by adding more red tape and “regulatory hurdles” to projects.

● Fresh data from Statistics Canada show Ontario is the only province in the country where month-over-month cannabis sales are in decline, Marijuana Business Daily ​ reports. Meanwhile, nearly half of the first 25 pot shops in the province have been ​ ​ proposed and posted to the AGCO’s website. ​

● The Financial Accountability Office’s latest breakdown of the 2018-19 expenditure estimates points out that the estimates tabled in November have not been updated to reflect the PC’s Fall Economic Statement (FES) — instead, the numbers reflect the Liberals’ 2018 budget. ○ Estimates lay out ministry spending for the fiscal year and serve as the government’s formal request to the legislature for spending approval (via a Supply Bill). As it stands, the estimates set spending of $145.8 billion this year, but the FES has an expense plan of $161.8 billion, which is a $3.3 billion increase over the $158.5 billion projection in the Liberal budget.

○ “Based on the FAO’s review, the $3.3 billion expense increase represents a $0.1 billion net increase in Supply Bill spending, a $0.9 billion net increase in spending by standalone legislation, a $0.8 billion net increase in other spending and a $1.4 billion net increase resulting from the elimination of savings targets included in the 2018 Ontario Budget. None of these changes are reflected in the 2018-19 Expenditure Estimates,” the report says. ○ Effectively, that means the government has yet to identify savings of $0.1 billion, or $100 million, since it can’t spend more than what’s authorized. ○ “Moreover, the $0.1 billion net increase reflects spending changes to approximately 40 of the 128 ministry expense programs funded through the Supply Bill,” the FAO says. “This means that, for over 30 per cent of ministry programs, the spending request in the 2018-19 Expenditure Estimates does not reflect current government plans.”

● The Tories’ review of the Far North Act is getting a tentative nod from First Nations leaders, the National Observer reports. ​ ​ ​ ​

● NDP MPP is defending her stance on private property rights, after the ​ ​ ​ ​ PC Party circulated a clip of an interview she gave to CFRB about proposed real estate bidding rule changes.

● ICYMI federal Queen’s Park alumni and federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh won a seat ​ ​ in the Canadian House of Commons in Monday’s byelection in British Columbia. His brother — and Ontario NDP MPP — was on hand for the celebrations. ​ ​ ○ NDP Leader tweeted her congratulations and, on a point of ​ ​ ​ order, NDP MPP gave a shout-out to his “brother from another ​ ​ mother” in the legislature. In Tory bastion York—Simcoe, federal Conservative Party of Canada candidate Scot Davidson won the right to represent the seat ​ ​ formerly held by Peter Van Loan. ​ ​ ○ Attorney General stumped for Davidson during the campaign ​ ​ period.

News releases — governmental Ministry of the Attorney General ● Ontario has announced a much anticipated funding increase for rape crisis centres, committing $1 million in funding. ​

Question period

NDP lead-off Autism program

● NDP MPP led question period by asking how many families were ​ ​ denied services under the autism waitlist freeze for new clients — which Children Services Minister Lisa MacLeod has denied constitutes a freeze. ​ ​ ● NDP MPP Lisa Gretzky asked about Sherri Taylor, a Windsor mom with a child with ​ ​ ​ ​ autism mentioned by Children Services Minister Lisa MacLeod earlier this week. ​ ​ Brushett-Taylor wrote on Facebook that MacLeod’s statement “is proof of her manipulation, and outright untruths.”

Dan’s Law ● In a rare bipartisan moment, Health Minister Christine Elliott walked across the aisle to ​ ​ shake hands with Gretzky, who retabled her private member’s bill Dan’s Law — which would remove access barriers to home care services — for the third time Monday. Elliott also said the PCs would support the changes in the private member’s bill, which rarely become law as governments tend to roll parts they like into legislation of their own.

The NDP also asked about the “Taj Mahal on wheels,” the health-care bureaucracy shakeup and the cancellation of the Indigenous Culture Fund.

Liberal questions ● Liberal Interim Leader John Fraser also asked about Gretzky’s Dan’s Law, which ​ ​ previously died on the order paper twice under his government. ● Liberal MPP Michael Coteau, his party’s critic for autism services and the former ​ ​ minister in charge of the file, asked MacLeod to clarify her policy and funding.

PC friendly questions Tories asked themselves about the COPS Act twice as well as the Far North Act review.

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

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