Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report November 5, 2019 Quotation of the day “It’s like any family, any business, you have a few bumps in the road, but you stay united and you fix those bumps and you move forward.” Premier Doug Ford positions himself as a national unifier in the wake of what he calls a ​ ​ divisive federal election. 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 morning and afternoon debate: ● Bill 116, Foundations for Promoting and Protecting Mental Health and Addictions ​ Services Act; ● Bill 132, Better for People, Smarter for Business Act; or ​ ● Bill 136, Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act. ​ There’s also a cabinet meeting slated for noon. Monday’s debates and proceedings NDP Leader Andrea Horwath put forward the first Opposition day motion of the session, calling ​ ​ on the government to commit funds to address hospital overcrowding in Wednesday’s Fall Economic Statement, and for new and expanded facilities in Brampton (something over which the NDP went hard on the PCs for during question period last week). The motion was killed (Ayes 38; Nays 63). MPPs continued second-reading debate on Bill 132 for the remainder of the afternoon. ​ ​ In the park Home Care Ontario, the Canadian Credit Union Association and the Chicken Farmers of Ontario are scheduled to hold lobby days and receptions at the legislature today. Ford fundraises off Wexit, offers to host premiers post-election Premier Doug Ford continued to tout himself as a unifying force in the wake of last month’s ​ ​ federal election that he says left the country more divided than ever. Speaking to reporters after a transit re-announcement in Toronto Monday morning, the premier said he fully understands alienation in the West, where people “feel like they’re being ignored.” “We have to send a message to the world that there is certainty here in Canada,” Ford said. “Let’s listen to the concerns of the people out West. Because when I was out there, buildings were empty in Calgary … and just talking to people on the streets. They’re frustrated.” That morning the PC Party also sent out a fundraising email blast, signed by Ford, telling would-be supporters “we’ve got to look out for the whole country, not just ourselves” and blasting the current equalization formula and federal carbon tax. Ontario’s premier suggested he instigated last Friday’s conference call with almost all of his fellow first ministers that earlier reports had said was initiated by Alberta Premier Jason ​ Kenney. ​ Ford said the idea cropped up during last week’s meeting with New Brunswick Premier Blaine ​ ​ ​ Higgs in which they looped in Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe by phone. ​ ​ ​ “We thought it would be a good idea to get the premiers together,” Ford said. “We ended up getting on the line and I offered to host it here in Toronto.” Moe is the current chair of the Council of the Federation, and it will be up to him to call the meeting and determine its location. Ford also highlighted his relationship with Toronto Mayor John Tory at Monday’s joint ​ ​ announcement, saying the pair get along and will work together. “I think the media kind of blows up our relationship,” Ford added. Tory jumped in to reiterate the premier’s unity message and laud Ford for taking the initiative to gather Canada’s premiers. “That is what Ontario historically has done … I think it’s very important we talk together about how we can make the whole country strong, because that contributes to our strength and [the West’s] strength, which is the whole idea.” Ford didn’t seem to have any regrets when asked whether he would do things differently in last year’s controversial council-cutting legislation that Tory staunchly opposed — particularly in light of the fact the PCs agreed not to meddle in other local governance following the regional review. He lauded Municipal Affairs Minister Steve Clark for coming up with the “approach that we ​ ​ should leave this up to the towns and the cities.” “We’re allowing them to empower their decisions because no one understands communities better than local representatives,” Ford said. Elementary teachers inch closer to possible job action, school support staff ratify CUPE deal The possibility of labour unrest in elementary schools ticked up slightly with the teachers’ union seeking a no-board report after hitting a wall during contract talks with the province and school boards. The request comes after the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and Crown negotiators met with a conciliator on Monday, and after Friday’s results of the union’s strike vote showed 98 per cent support for possible job action. A no-board report would start a 17-day countdown to when elementary teachers would be in a legal strike position. Meanwhile, the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation received its no-board report last Friday, which would put members in a legal position to walk off the job November 18 — should they deliver a strike mandate through ongoing votes. Results are expected November 15. The Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association is also holding a strike vote. There was a bit of labour peace for the government on Monday — CUPE, which represents school support staff, announced last month’s tentative deal has been ratified with 79 per cent support. Laura Walton, chair of the bargaining unit who led negotiations, pointed out the agreement ​ “was not passed unanimously or by all locals.” The three-year deal puts $78 million back into the system annually and will see the return of 1,300 jobs lost because of the Ford government’s earlier cuts, Walton said. Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in a statement “the contrast could not be more clear” ​ ​ between the situation with CUPE and ETFO. “On the day our government announced the ratification of the CUPE deal that kept students in class, this union has opted to escalate,” Lecce said of ETFO’s no-board request. While the government has been “a reasonable and constructive force” in negotiations, “today, ETFO has taken another escalating step towards a strike, after less than a day with the conciliator,” Lecce added. Today’s events November 5 – Toronto ​ Premier Doug Ford, Attorney General Doug Downey, Solicitor General Sylvia Jones and ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Associate Mental Health and Addictions Minister Michael Tibollo are scheduled to address the ​ ​ Police Association of Ontario’s fall membership meeting at the Sheraton Centre Hotel. Liberal Interim Leader John Fraser and Green Leader Mike Schreiner are also on the speakers’ ​ ​ ​ ​ docket. Topics of conversation ● Ontario Green Leader Mike Schreiner says he’s currently got no federal ambitions now ​ ​ that Elizabeth May has left a vacancy at the national level. “No, I’m not interested at this ​ ​ time,” Schreiner told reporters at Queen’s Park. “I love being the MPP for Guelph, I love being the leader of the Green Party of Ontario, and I’m really looking forward to leading our party into the next provincial election.” ● Mini-budget news alert: Wednesday’s Fall Economic Statement will include proactive disclosure of physicians’ OHIP billings and tougher audits. The Toronto Star got the jump ​ ​ from Health Minister Christine Elliott, who said people want a system that’s open and ​ ​ transparent, and physician billings are part of that. ○ The Star successfully went to court to get doctor-identified OHIP billings made ​ ​ public; doctor groups and the health ministry had argued to keep the data shielded from the public, citing personal privacy concerns. ○ Elliott said she expects billing info will start being published by 2020-21. ● In the first of four new policy papers, Liberal MPP and wannabe leader Michael Coteau ​ is proposing to make government more ethical by bolstering transparency around lobbying, improving oversight of caucus services bureaus and lowering the voting age to 16, among other things. ○ Restoring trust is key for the Liberal party following last year’s brutal election defeat, Coteau said. “We appeared arrogant and aloof when we did not recognize, correct and apologize for our mistakes,” he wrote. ● Turtle tussle: the Ford government’s new endangered species protection policy is being tested against plans for a new quarry in northern Ontario’s wetlands, the Globe and Mail ​ ​ reports. ​ Appointments and employments Six of the legislature’s standing committee have new chairs following last week’s membership shake-up. ● PC MPP Amarjot Sandhu will chair the finance and economic affairs committee; ​ ​ ● PC MPP Roman Baber will chair the justice policy committee; ​ ​ ● PC MPP Deepak Anand will chair the regulation and private bills committee; ​ ​ ● PC MPP Goldie Ghamari will chair the general government committee; ​ ​ ● PC MPP Kaleed Rasheed will chair the legislative assembly committee; and ​ ​ ● PC MPP Natalia Kusendova will chair the social policy committee. ​ ​ Funding announcements Ministry of Health ● Health Minister Christine Elliott announced a $60-million envelope to help construct a ​ ​ new brain and mental health facility at Sunnybrook. The Garry Hurvitz Brain Sciences Centre is the first of its kind in the country and will “help bring together key services currently scattered throughout the aging hospital,” including more beds and expanded outpatient clinic services, Elliott said. ○ Construction is expected to be completed in December 2022, per a release. Question period NDP lead-off Long-term care beds ● Official Opposition Leader Andrea Horwath played 21 questions about 21 long-term ​ ​ care beds. Horwath devoted several lead questions to long-term care beds announced by the Wynne government but never built, which the NDP claims were re-announced by the Ford government. ○ The FAO and government say roughly half of the 15,000 promised new beds have been allocated, but the NDP says only 21 new beds have been created since the PCs took office.