“Please Sir, Can I Have Some More?”

Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report November 26, 2019

Quotation of the day

“Please Sir, can I have some more?”

Social-assistance advocates are planning a Dickens-themed protest outside Premier Doug Ford’s house on Christmas morning.

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 business for morning and afternoon debate:

● Bill 116, Foundations for Promoting and Protecting Mental Health and Addictions Services Act; ● Bill 136, Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act; ● Bill 138, Plan to Build Ontario Together Act; and ● Bill 145, Trust in Real Estate Services Act.

Government House Leader Paul Calandra also has a time-allocation motion on the order paper for Bill 138.

Monday’s debates and proceedings NDP Leader Andrea Horwath’s motion condemning Quebec’s controversial Bill 21 passed with all-party support in the afternoon. The motion is a stronger version than an earlier one from Liberal MPP Michael Coteau because it specifically calls on the Quebec government to change course on its controversial religious freedoms law, Bill 21, and commits Ontario to intervening in any Supreme Court challenge. The PCs took the (non-binding but symbolic) motion a step further and said they will ask their federal counterparts to condemn Bill 21.

Meanwhile, Horwath says Premier Doug Ford should commit to “making the case for a full withdrawal” of the law when he next meets with Premier François Legault.

The government’s time-allocation motion for Bill 136 passed on a voice vote in the afternoon. MPPs kicked off second-reading debate on Bill 145 before adjourning later than the usual 6 p.m.

In the park The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, Child Welfare Political Action Committee and Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers’ Association are scheduled to hold their lobby days and receptions.

Lieutenant-Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell is hosting an evening reception in the LG suite to mark Nature Canada’s 80th anniversary.

Race to replace Kathleen Wynne as OLP leader ramps up The slate of candidates vying to lead the Ontario Liberal party was firmed up on Monday.

Steven Del Duca, Michael Coteau, Mitzie Hunter, Alvin Tedjo and Kate Graham, who previously registered with Elections Ontario, are officially on the ticket.

Wannabe contestants had until yesterday evening to submit their entry fee and members’ signatures to the party.

Ottawa-based personal injury lawyer Brenda Hollingsworth has handed in her paperwork but is still waiting on the party to greenlight her candidacy, which is expected to take some days.

Hollingsworth told Queen’s Park Today she considers herself a political outsider, which gives her a leg up on the competition.

“It’s important to have somebody with a different type of experience,” she said in a phone interview.

Hollingsworth isn’t saying exactly how she raised the $100,000 cost of admission, but she confirmed her fundraising complies with the spirit of Ontario’s election campaign finance laws and does not include contributions from unions or corporations. (This is the first Liberal leadership convention governed by new election finance law, but contestants are not legally required to disclose funds raised before they officially register.)

Meanwhile, her rival leadership campaigns are pumping up their piggybanks.

Team Del Duca announced it has raised over $227,000 and committed to disclosing all donors (even those who give less than $100 and aren’t captured by Elections Ontario).

Coteau’s campaign is reporting about $165,000 raised, with 75 per cent of donors giving $100 or less.

Elections Ontario posts contributions as they roll in, updating about every two weeks or so.

The good, the bad and the ugly: Stakeholders weigh in on Bill 132 at public committee hearings The public and stakeholders are having their say on the Ford government’s omnibus red-tape reduction legislation, Bill 132, Better for People, Smarter for Business Act.

Here’s what they had to say at public committee hearings on Monday.

Environmental advocates warn of weaker protections Representatives from Environmental Defence railed against a slew of provisions they claim weaken environmental protections. That includes a shift toward administrative penalties for polluters, easing up restrictions on the use of neonic pesticides, and undermining municipalities’ ability to control aggregate resource development when it comes to protecting groundwater sources.

Municipalities fear jail time for contaminated water The Association of Municipalities of Ontario echoed the concern around Schedule 16 in particular, which contains a clause to end the use of municipal zoning bylaws that prevent aggregate operations from digging beneath the water table.

“While the proposed amendments … raise the bar by requiring an application process where below-water table extraction is proposed (rather than just amending an existing licence), this still leaves municipal council members vulnerable,” AMO wrote in its submission.

AMO noted councillors can be jailed if drinking water is contaminated.

“They owe a duty of care to the public and they must undertake due diligence to ensure they have done all they can to ensure drinking water is safe to drink. Without a concurrent amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act, council members will be responsible for decisions on applications that the province makes. Council members need to be indemnified where contamination results from a provincial approval process.”

Municipalities will be able to appeal applications to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT) under the new legislation, but AMO says the result will be more red tape.

“This will greatly increase red tape and administrative for the LPAT and municipal governments — not to mention delay decisions for aggregate businesses which would risk new investment in the industry.”

Businesses laud ‘modern regulatory regime’ The Ontario Chamber of Commerce lauded the legislation, which includes some of the business-minded group’s recommendations, such as allowing 24-hour booze sales in airports and streamlining reporting requirements for pharmaceutical companies.

Michelle Eaton told MPPs on the committee the public tends to bristle at cutting red tape as “regulation is often characterized as necessary to reduce risk.”

“What is often overlooked is the inherent risk in accepting the status quo of excessive and sometimes ineffective regulation, stifling economic prosperity and preventing businesses from investing,” the OCC’s vice-president of communications and government relations said in prepared remarks.

Indigenous chiefs say Mining Act changes undermine duty to consult First Nation chiefs also raised concerns that provisions related to the Mining Act give the government of the day “unilateral” power over new mining developments. At issue is a new 45-day timeline for ministry officials to respond to prospective mine operators’ applications.

Nishnawbe Aski Nation Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler previously called out Bill 132, saying it “seriously undermines the mining industry obligation to consult with First Nation communities.”

Today’s events

November 26 at 9 a.m. – Toronto NDP MPP Wayne Gates will be in the Queen’s Park media studio to discuss a motion about prostate screening tests.

November 26 at 10 a.m. – Toronto The Child Welfare PAC will be in the media studio to call on the government to address problems facing youth in care.

November 26 at 10:30 a.m. – Toronto Lieutenant-Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell will bestow the Hilary M. Weston scholarship award to two graduate students focused on mental health research.

November 26 at 11 a.m. – Hamilton Health Minister Christine Elliott will christen a new Ontario Health Team at McMaster University’s health sciences centre.

November 26 at 11:30 a.m. – Toronto A group of young people will be in the media studio to discuss the impacts of climate change.

Topics of conversation

● Ontarians may think public education trumps fiscal balance when it comes to government spending. That’s the upshot from a wide-ranging Nanos poll commissioned by the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, which shows 61 per cent of respondents said spending on public education is more important than wiping out the province’s $9-billion deficit. ○ Another 66 per cent of respondents were either opposed or strongly opposed to larger class sizes as a cost-saving measure. The PCs have walked back the plan to raise the high school student teacher ratio to 28:1 over four years, committing to a ratio of 25:1.

● The poll comes amid tense negotiations with education unions; Ontario’s elementary and high school teachers are also poised to begin a work-to-rule campaign today.

● Metrolinx is under fire from neighbourhood groups for using Instagram influencers to plug the Ontario Line, the Toronto Star reports. The transit agency says the “cost-effective” campaign was designed to influence the transit habits of a younger demographic.

Appointments and employments

Office of the Premier ● Rana Shamoon is now the director of health policy in the premier’s office.

News briefs — governmental

Ontario Health Teams start rolling out ● Health Minister Christine Elliott unveiled one of the first 24 Ontario Health Teams in Mississauga on Monday. Mississauga’s OHT will see local health providers — including a community health network, family physicians and Trillium Health Partners among others — work together to coordinate and deliver care. Its proposed programs and services will be implemented starting in 2020, per a release.

Question period

NDP lead-off Cancelled energy projects ● NDP Leader Andrea Horwath kicked off the debate with a question about the cost of cancelling over 750 green energy projects. The NDP again tried to prompt Auditor General Bonnie Lysyk to probe the pricetag, which was $231 million in 2018-19, via a unanimous consent motion before question period that was promptly shut down.

● Premier Doug Ford reiterated he’s “proud” of the move, saying it will save taxpayers $790 million.

National pharmacare ● Horwath also asked Ford to clarify his remarks about a national pharmacare program following his meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa on Friday. “Can the premier confirm that he told Ottawa not to move ahead with the national pharmacare plan because Ontario didn’t want one?”

● “I’m glad the leader of the Opposition knew what we were saying in a private office, but that’s another whole story,” Ford fired back. He said pharmacare will be top of docket at the all-premiers’ Council of the Federation meeting on December 2 in Toronto. ○ “We don’t believe the federal government should be spending $20 billion when we do have a robust private sector plan that takes care of a lot of prescriptions,” he said. ○ After taking office the PCs scaled back the Liberal-era OHIP+ plan that provided free prescription drugs to all Ontarians under 25 — it now only covers young people without a private insurance plan.

The NDP also asked about the Chedoke Creek sewage spill, school repairs, the courts quashing the Student Choice Initiative, scrapping rent control provisions, funding cuts to programs and services for women impacted by violence, and support for injured workers.

Independent question Government lawsuits

● Liberal MPP Michael Coteau wanted to know why the government continues “to fight losing battles against student governments, the City of Toronto and the federal government?” — and how much it has cost taxpayers to fight the mounting legal challenges.

● Attorney General Doug Downey pointed to the spending estimates and said it would be inappropriate to comment further on ongoing lawsuits.

PC friendly questions Tories asked themselves about Ford’s meeting with Trudeau, changes at the Ontario Securities Commission, women’s abuse prevention month, and Minister Lisa MacLeod’s trip to Hollywood.

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

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