Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report March 5, 2020

Quotation of the day

“You can’t keep the real down.” ​ ​

Toronto Star columnist Bob Hepburn argues the premier’s new collegial tone was short-lived. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Today at Queen’s Park

On the schedule The house convenes at 9 a.m. The government could put forward any of the following bills for debate:

● Bill 159, Rebuilding Consumer Confidence Act; ​ ● Bill 161, Smarter and Stronger Justice Act; and ​ ● Bill 175, Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act. ​

Two non-binding backbench motions and a PC bill will be called during this afternoon’s private members’ business debates:

● PC MPP will move her motion calling on the government to include small ​ ​ modular nuclear reactors in its climate change policies. ○ In December, Premier Doug Ford signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ​ ​ New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs and Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe to ​ ​ ​ ​ collaborate on the development and deployment of the technology. ○ Park will talk about her motion in the Queen’s Park media studio this morning.

● Independent MPP will put forward his motion to establish a Standing ​ ​ Committee on Indigenous Relations.

● PC MPP will move his private member’s Bill 166, Great Lakes Protection ​ ​ ​ ​ Amendment Act, which would enshrine the promotion of tourism and economic activities and allow the government to consult with jurisdictions outside Ontario when it comes to the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin.

Wednesday’s debates and proceedings Bill 156, Security From Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act, is now off to the justice policy ​ committee after passing second reading (Ayes 100; Nays 0).

Dubbed “ag-gag” by critics and animal justice activists, the legislation would stiffen penalties for trespassing on farms, which some say would make it more difficult to expose animal cruelty. Should it pass, the government says Bill 156 would protect farmers and food safety. The Alberta government passed similar legislation last year.

On Tuesday PC MPP introduced private member’s Bill 179, Assessment ​ ​ ​ ​ Amendment Act. The bill proposes to exclude speculative property sales when determining the value of commercial or industrial land in certain areas.

MPPs debated a routine government motion related to ministry expenses in the afternoon.

Bill 145, Trust in Real Estate Services Act, also received royal assent. The law gives real estate ​ agents their long-lobbied ability to form personal corporations.

In the park A major education rally is expected to enclose Queen’s Park Circle today, drawing as many as 15,000 participants as three of the four major teacher unions strike.

The unions representing French and Catholic school boards are planning provincewide walkouts while the high school teachers’ union is set to strike in certain boards, including Ontario’s biggest in . Negotiations between the province and Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association ended Wednesday without a deal, while the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation has called off informal talks.

The Ontario Association of Social Workers and Dieticians of Canada are also scheduled to hold their lobby days and receptions today.

Budget 2020 drops March 25 #onpoli nerds, rejoice! Budget 2020 will hit the clerk’s table March 25, Finance Minister Rod ​ Phillips announced Wednesday at the LIUNA local 183 training centre in Kleinburg. ​

Phillips is still forecasting a deficit of $9 billion for 2019-20 and a balanced budget by 2023-24 (which would occur during a second mandate).

The Ford government’s second budget since taking office will be the first for Phillips, who assumed the fiscal caretaker role from last June. ​ ​

Fedeli was shuffled to the trade portfolio roughly two months after he tabled the PC’s first budget, which was met with a hail of controversy that led to several policy reversals on issues ranging from child benefits to autism funding to public health.

Phillips teased this spring’s budget as a “practical plan” that ensures “Ontario is an island of stability in an increasingly uncertain global economy.”

While Ontario budgets typically get tabled on Thursdays, this year’s Wednesday introduction could make for a dramatic question period the morning after. The lock-up for media and stakeholders will also go down a little differently than in years past, taking place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre because of ongoing renovations at Macdonald Block.

Meanwhile, Phillips told reporters he discussed the economic impact of COVID-19 on a call with federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau and his provincial and territorial counterparts ​ ​ Wednesday.

“It’s early days yet, but certainly issues around supply chains, issues around tourism, and finally issues around consumer confidence are all things that we’ve been monitoring,” he said.

Budget watchdog: $2 billion left over in PC’s cash arsenal While Phillips will soon map out the government’s plans for 2020-21, there is still cash to burn in the meantime.

Financial Accountability Officer Peter Weltman’s quarterly expenditure update, also released on ​ ​ Wednesday, showed the government has yet to spend $2 billion planned by the end of the fiscal year on March 31.

If that pace continues, the FAO projects a much lower deficit this year of $6.1 billion, versus the Tories’ third-quarter estimate of $9 billion. It would also mean the $1-billion reserve fund that the government typically counts toward the bottom line may not be needed.

In the first nine months of 2019-20, expenditures clocked in at $112.4 billion, or 1.7 per cent lower than planned, with every sector underspending to the tune of $2 billion overall — with the exception of education, which went $576 million over.

Opposition critics zeroed in on autism spending, only half of which has been doled out. The PCs doubled the $331 million budget for the autism program to $610 million, but have only used up $302.8 million or 49.6 per cent, thus far.

NDP Finance critic said the budget watchdog’s report shows the PCs are making ​ ​ deeper cuts than previously laid out. That means “less money for everything from autism to health care to school board capital grants, even as our loved ones lie in hospital hallways, our

kids sit in crumbling classrooms and parents of children with autism plead for needs-based support now.”

“For all the noise the premier made about increasing autism funding, we now have proof that less than 50 per cent of this money has actually been spent,” said Green Leader Mike ​ Schreiner. ​

Independent MPP Randy Hillier said the $610-million commitment “was simply baloney” and ​ ​ “intended to deflect the immense pressure the government was getting on their mishandling of the autism file.”

Weltman first teased the FAO’s new quarterly spending reports in Queen’s Park Today last ​ ​ October.

Today’s events

March 5 at 10 a.m. – Toronto ​ The Ontario Health Coalition will discuss concerns over the PC’s new home and community care legislation in the Queen’s Park media studio.

March 5 at 12:40 p.m. – Toronto ​ Health Minister will discuss the government’s new mental health and ​ ​ addictions strategy at a Canadian Club luncheon at the Hilton Hotel.

March 5 at 1:30 p.m. – Toronto ​ Liberal MPPs will be in the media studio to introduce MPP-elects ​ (Ottawa-Vanier) and (Orléans), who handily won last week’s byelections. ​ ​

March 5 at 3 p.m. – Toronto ​ Chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams will provide an update on COVID-19 in the ​ ​ media studio.

March 5 at 5:30 p.m. – Toronto ​ Premier Doug Ford is headlining the PC Party’s $1,250-a-plate leader’s dinner, billed as the ​ ​ “biggest fundraiser of the year” at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Media aren’t invited. ​ ​

March 5 at 7 p.m. – Maple ​ Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will address a $1,000-a-ticket Liberal Party of Canada ​ ​ fundraising event at the Eagles Nest Golf Club. Media are invited for the speech portion.

Topics of conversation

● Increasing emergency call volumes and hospital offloading delays, coupled with an aging population, has led to a shortage of ambulances across the province, CUPE says in a new report. ○ CUPE, which represents 5,500 paramedics and dispatchers in 22 regions, FOI-ed data that shows emergency call volumes increased by more than 10 per cent from 2016 to 2018. ○ Compounding the problem is the fact that paramedics are experiencing more delays when transferring patients to hospitals. Almost 58,000 hours were lost while paramedics waited in ERs in 2018, the report states. ○ In 2018, there were 2,409 instances when ambulance availability was “critical,” and 1,062 times when only one or no ambulances were on hand — but the union says the number of incidents is likely much higher because not every municipality keeps track of that information. ○ Jason Fraser, chair of CUPE’s ambulance committee, said there aren’t enough ​ ambulances and paramedics to go around. “Overtime costs and workplace illness and injury are rising alongside demand,” he added. “It is reasonable for people to wonder whether an ambulance will be available when they need one.” ○ The union says more funding for paramedic services, hospitals and public health programs is needed, and that municipalities should collect and report ambulance shortage data. ○ Health Minister Christine Elliott acknowledged the problem has contributed to ​ ​ hospital overcrowding. She underscored $16 million spent last year to help train nurses to receive ER patients so that paramedics can get back out on the road. “We are looking at reducing some of the congestion that they’re experiencing in our hospitals,” Elliott said.

● Ontario won’t renew a $1 million, one-time additional funding package for the province’s 42 rape crisis centres, the Globe and Mail reports. ​ ​ ​ ​

● The Ford government is staring down another battle on the labour front. This time, the Ontario Nurses’ Association says contract talks with the Ontario Hospital Association have broken down and are headed for a two-day arbitration session March 25. At issue for the union is the PC’s legislated one-per-cent compensation cap, a.k.a. Bill 124, ​ ​ which a coalition of public-sector labour groups, ONA included, is legally challenging. ○ “While ONA always prefers to negotiate a new contract for our dedicated and highly educated members, the unfortunate reality is that the provincial government’s passage of Bill 124 interferes with free collective bargaining,” ONA president Vicki McKenna said in a release. ​ ​ ○ The Ontario Federation of Labour, which is leading the charge against Bill 124, announced it had filed the constitutional challenge Wednesday. ○ Treasury Board President has said he’s confident the law will ​ ​ hold up in court.

● The Parliamentary Budget Office is crediting the PCs with nearly closing Ontario’s fiscal gap of 0.9 per cent of GDP, to 0.1 per cent, based on last November’s Fall Economic Statement. TVO breaks down what it means for fiscal sustainability. ​ ​ ​

Question period NDP lead-off Teacher talks ● Official Opposition Leader began the debate true to form, with a ​ ​ question about education negotiations. She called on the government to further soften its revised plans for 23-student high school classes and opt-out-able e-learning and accused Education Minister of making the announcement “at a podium, ​ ​ not at a bargaining table.”

● Premier Doug Ford fired back that the “unions have known about these moves for ​ ​ weeks, and yet they continue to escalate.” Ford also said he believed a new online course system will “grow organically. The kids are going to want to go online, so let’s see what happens.”

NDP ask AG to probe #Plategate ● Ethics critic told the house the NDP formally asked Auditor General ​ ​ Bonnie Lysyk to investigate the new licence plate procurement and replacement plans, ​ in light of visibility problems. ○ While the PCs maintain the revamped version, slated to roll out March 16, won’t come at a cost to taxpayers, only the AG has the ability to scrutinize the documents behind the claim because the PCs signed a non-disclosure agreement with 3M Canada. (3M was contracted to help manufacture the plates, which are produced in correctional institutions.) ○ In a letter to Lysyk, Horwath said Ontarians should know the financial implications of the redesign and what went wrong with the original version. ○ “The chaotic rollout of these new plates will certainly have costs associated. However, the government has not revealed the costs to Ontarians for these replacements, such as materials, shipping costs and untold other costs of their redesign,” Horwath wrote. ○ Lysyk’s spokesperson Christine Pedias told QPT her office is not auditing the ​ ​ ​ ​ licence plate procurement on its own, adding that only the legislative assembly, a minister or the public accounts committee can request a special investigation. That’s unlikely to happen as the PCs have a majority at each level.

● Government and Consumer Services Minister Lisa Thompson maintained the ​ ​ government has listened to concerns (from police, safety experts and impaired driving advocates) and is taking steps to fix the plate debacle.

● While Thompson has said the NDP didn’t grasp the concept of “commercially sensitive” information, Natyshak assured the AG would review details “without revealing any sensitive information about the contract.”

● Premier Doug Ford chimed in to reiterate, “There is no cost. Zip. Zero.” ​ ​