No. 80 No 80 ISSN 1180-2987 Legislative Assembly Assemblée législative of Ontario de l’Ontario First Session, 37th Parliament Première session, 37e législature Official Report Journal of Debates des débats (Hansard) (Hansard) Wednesday 27 September 2000 Mercredi 27 septembre 2000 Speaker Président Honourable Gary Carr L’honorable Gary Carr Clerk Greffier Claude L. DesRosiers Claude L. DesRosiers Hansard on the Internet Le Journal des débats sur Internet Hansard and other documents of the Legislative Assembly L’adresse pour faire paraître sur votre ordinateur personnel can be on your personal computer within hours after each le Journal et d’autres documents de l’Assemblée législative sitting. 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Phone 416-326-5310, 326-5311 or toll-free téléphone : 416-326-5310, 326-5311, ou sans frais : 1-800-668-9938. 1-800-668-9938. Hansard Reporting and Interpretation Services Service du Journal des débats et d’interprétation 3330 Whitney Block, 99 Wellesley St W 3330 Édifice Whitney ; 99, rue Wellesley ouest Toronto ON M7A 1A2 Toronto ON M7A 1A2 Telephone 416-325-7400; fax 416-325-7430 Téléphone, 416-325-7400 ; télécopieur, 416-325-7430 Published by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Publié par l’Assemblée législative de l’Ontario 4201 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE OF ONTARIO DE L’ONTARIO Wednesday 27 September 2000 Mercredi 27 septembre 2000 The House met at 1330. community for the breakfast and official kickoff on Prayers. Monday, October 2, outside in front of the Legislature. Agriculture Week is a great opportunity to recognize Ontario’s farmers and the importance of the agri-food MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS industry. It’s important to note that agriculture injects $25 billion annually into the Ontario economy and employs more than 640,000 people. I would encourage ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES all members to take a moment next week to help salute LEGISLATION our agri-food industry in their own riding. In my riding of Perth-Middlesex, Tourism Stratford, Mr Michael Bryant (St Paul’s): The broken the Perth County Federation of Agriculture, and Perth promises to and shabby, tragic treatment of disabled County Junior Farmers are helping to kick off Agri- Ontarians by this government has been one of its worst culture Week with their annual harvest day tour on legacies. Sunday, October 1. This tour is hosted by farms and agri- I’ll tell you about one story in my riding, the family of food businesses in Perth county. These types of events Madalena Silva and her brother, Daniel. I went to their help to remind Ontarians of the unique role played by all home. Mrs Silva is saving this province hundreds of those who help bring food from the farm gate to the thousands of dollars every year by caring for her dinner plate. physically disabled mother and her developmentally and physically disabled brother at home. All they want and Next week, join me in celebrating the third annual need is a wheelchair ramp so that Daniel, who is totally Ontario Agriculture Week. Invite Ontario home for confined to a wheelchair, can get out of the house to go dinner. to medical treatments and can get out of the confines of four walls to enjoy everyday life. Yet she has been CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES denied funding from this government at every single turn. As a result, she has had to somehow carry Daniel up Mr Dave Levac (Brant): Imagine our surprise and and down the stairs with the wheelchair, some 200 amazement to find out there has been another escape pounds, injuring herself, and as a result now she has to from a privately run, for-profit detention centre in call for neighbours or ask her husband to take time off Ontario. It happened on Tuesday, September 19, at the work. In turn, Daniel is missing medical appointments. Genest Youth Detention Centre, a high-security facility. He is unable to go down the street to get an ice cream and First, Camp Turnaround or, as it is called, Camp Run- enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Daniel is imprisoned Amok, on its first day of operation, an escape. Next, a by his own disability and the barriers this government few months ago, an escape from a facility run by the refuses to tear down. same company that runs Genest. The use of a stolen van It’s time for Ontario to assist these Ontarians to fulfill during that escape nearly cost the lives of a dozen the dream, I know of mine, and I know of Dalton toddlers from a nearby daycare centre. Now this one. McGuinty’s, of a barrier-free Ontario. Premier, let’s get Even with the cherry-picked, best-behaved offenders that ramp for Daniel and let’s remove barriers for all in private facilities, the Minister of Community and disabled Ontarians. Social Services still just doesn’t get it: privately run, for- profit detention centres don’t work. Today, we find that Minister Baird has had a report since April that cites ONTARIO AGRICULTURE WEEK untrained staff, non-compliance with policies and staff Mr Bert Johnson (Perth-Middlesex): I rise in the shortages are increasing the risk of injury to both staff Legislature today to remind my colleagues that one of the and community. All these previously predicted problems most important weeks of the year is fast approaching: cost the ministry $2.3 million a year. Minister, your own Ontario Agriculture Week. commission report, submitted in April, is asking you to This year Ontario Agriculture Week will be celebrated halt privatization drives. from October 2 to October 8. I hope that all members, Our party leader, Dalton McGuinty, supports the many especially those with urban constituencies, will join with communities across the province in their fight against me and representatives from Ontario’s agricultural private, for-profit detention centres and correctional 4202 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO 27 SEPTEMBER 2000 facilities. Do yourself and the communities across this Mike Harris ran on a platform in 1995 in which his province a favour and stop the privatization. party committed to bringing in a comprehensive shelter allowance program. Instead, they cut the shelter portion of welfare and have brought in no program. That’s why I CUMBERLAND FIREFIGHTERS feel that the minister’s remarks last week were so out- Mr Brian Coburn (Ottawa-Orléans): I rise today to rageous. He demands actions from everyone but himself. speak on a very important addition to my area of the His record is clear: all promises, no provincial money, no national capital region. A year ago, the Cumberland action, no plan except a plan to transfer his responsi- Volunteer Firefighters Association received $8,000 for bilities on to municipalities and to blame everyone but the purchase of a much-needed fire rescue boat. That himself and his government. If he thinks he’s done money came from the city of Cumberland’s portion of enough, he’s wrong. the advanced funding program for Ontario charities. I hope that when people who are concerned about More money was raised in my community of Cumber- housing see the minister’s pathetic record in keeping his land in Ottawa-Orléans to complete the purchase with own meagre promises, they’ll join me in expressing their very limited impact on the fire department’s operating disgust for the insincerity of his remarks last week. budget. Since it was put into service, the boat and its 1340 team have responded to many incidents, including the successful rescue of three youths back in May of this year whose canoe had tipped in the Ottawa River. The TEACHER MISCONDUCT conditions were fair, but the water temperature was frigid Mr Joseph N. Tascona (Barrie-Simcoe-Bradford): I and all three were suffering from hypothermia. From the rise today to express the concerns and outrage of many time of the first emergency call to the time the kids were parents in my riding when they learned that a teacher pulled to safety by the firefighters on the boat was 12 who received an indefinite suspension for writing minutes. One of the children’s fathers was told by a inappropriate letters to a young student was back in the doctor at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario that classroom teaching their children. he came very close to losing his son. The Cumberland When parents expressed concern for their children firefighters’ quick response time was crucial in saving they were told that this is a teacher in good standing and the child’s life. cleared by the College of Teachers as fit to teach. To say The opportunity provided through the Ontario that parents feel their young children are vulnerable in charities grant program for the city of Cumberland and its this teacher’s classroom is a classic understatement. volunteer firefighters continues to yield very positive Our government created the College of Teachers to results.