October 1, 2019
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Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report October 1, 2019 Quotation of the day “He’s getting sick of the cheap shots.” Premier Doug Ford may be losing his patience with Justin Trudeau’s non-stop jabs on the campaign trail, unnamed Tory sources told the Toronto Star. Today at Queen’s Park On the schedule The House is on extended recess until Monday, October 28. In the park Liberal MPP and leadership hopeful Michael Coteau hand delivered a letter urging Premier Doug Ford to recall the legislature ahead of schedule in the “public interest” over education policy. It comes after labour negotiations with CUPE deteriorated over the weekend, leading to a partial withdrawal of services performed by school support staff as part of the work-to-rule campaign that began Monday. But — as is common for most MPPs and staff when the house is adjourned — no one was at Ford’s office on the second floor of the east wing to receive Coteau’s letter. Laryssa Waler, the premier’s executive director of communications, pointed out on Twitter staff were in the Whitney Block offices across the street. That didn’t stop a war of words between the premier and aspirant premier. Coteau called out the premier for voting in favour of the government’s motion to adjourn until six weeks beyond the originally scheduled start of the fall session and accused him of skirting accountability “to shore up [his] federal friends” on the campaign trail. “As the government enters negotiations around contracts with public-sector education labour partners, it is critical the legislature have the opportunity to scrutinize these alarming policies,” Coteau said. He cited last week’s bombshell report from budget watchdog Peter Weltman, which projects Ontario will have about 10,000 fewer teachers in five years due to an increase in class sizes. The PCs say their policy raising the average high school class from 22 to 28 students and from 23 to 24 elementary students in Grades 4 to 8 over four years would actually result in only 3,475 fewer teachers in the system. Ford spokeswoman Ivana Yelich noted Coteau “didn’t even bother to show up to” vote on the majority rulers’ motion to adjourn the house in June and said it would be “inappropriate” to pursue labour negotiations within the legislature. Meanwhile, Global News has the skinny on the latest scrap between Ford’s office and federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau about post-secondary education. Critics fault Ford government with breakdown in school labour talks The Ford government took heat from Opposition critics on day one of a work-to-rule campaign launched by school support staff represented by CUPE. “It didn’t have to be this way. We should never have come to this moment,” NDP Education critic Marit Stiles told reporters at Queen’s Park Monday. Stiles contended the PCs “went to war” with students and unions well before bargaining began by making controversial changes to education policy, such as hiking class sizes and mandating online courses. Green Leader Mike Schreiner said Premier Doug Ford should focus on improving the public education system instead of pinching pennies. Talks between the province, school boards and the union broke down over the weekend, and while all three parties said Monday they are willing to head back to the bargaining table, CUPE maintains it will escalate the job action to get a fair deal for its 55,000 members. No date has been set for a return to bargaining. Education Minister Stephen Lecce struck a more conciliatory tone on Monday compared to his statement the night before that specifically called out the union. Lecce said he knows many CUPE members himself that are “good people, work very hard” and “will never compromise the safety of kids.” “It’s critical that the government, which is one of the three partners at the table, continues to be a constructive force to land a deal,” the minister said at an unrelated announcement. For its part, CUPE says its members are some of the lowest paid workers in the public education system, a majority of whom are women who face layoffs each summer. The union said the Ford government is “determined to spend money on tax cuts for the wealthiest and corporations, while saying frontline education workers and students need to accept cuts to services.” Today’s events October 1 at 9:30 a.m. — Mississauga Labour Minister Monte McNaughton will make an announcement about workplace health and safety at the airport Hilton. October 1 at 10 a.m. — Toronto NDP MPP Jill Andrew will be in the Queen’s Park media studio to discuss how the Ford government’s cuts are impacting the magazine industry. October 1 at 11:30 a.m. — Toronto Children, Community and Social Services Minister Todd Smith will address the Economic Club on the theme of “supporting and empowering the people of Ontario to contribute to the province’s economic success” at the Fairmont Royal York. Topics of conversation ● CAMH is urging the Ford government to temper plans to retail booze in convenience stores, saying more access will lead to “an increase in harm and consumption.” In its alcohol policy framework released Monday, CAMH says that if the PCs go ahead with their pledge to open up the sale of alcohol, municipalities should be given the option to opt out of selling at corner stores, similar to what the province did for the recreational cannabis market. ○ “Safeguards around alcohol have gradually eroded over the past couple of decades,” the report states, citing research that suggests the Liberal-era expansion of beer and wine sales to grocery stores “may not appear consequential” but “has already led to an increase in hospitalizations.” ○ “Controls on the price, physical availability and marketing of alcohol are particularly high-impact; they are also cost-effective and simple to implement.” ● Doug Ford may be laying low, but Alberta Premier Jason Kenney will be in Ontario’s electorally lucrative 905 region this weekend to help federal Conservative candidates on the campaign trail, according to the Globe and Mail. ● College and university kids hit by the $600-million cut to OSAP say they’ve been forced to max out credit cards, take on multiple jobs and consider a lighter course load to make up for thousands less in financial aid. Students Mohamad Abdulhadi, Hannah Perka and Humera Dasu were at the legislature Monday alongside NDP Colleges and Universities critic Chris Glover to call on the Ford government to reverse the changes. ○ “My OSAP this year doesn’t cover my full tuition, and on top of that, I still need to pay for textbooks, online programs, food, transit and rent in Toronto. I need OSAP to survive,” Perka said. ● A number of craft breweries are doing damage control following an Ontario Craft Brewers roundtable last week that was hosted by Stan Cho, parliamentary assistant to the minister of finance, and also attended by Niagara West PC MPP Sam Oosterhoff. At least three breweries, including Bench Brewing Co., Sawdust City Brewing Co. and Great Lakes Brewery, issued statements on social media clarifying the nature of the meeting. The latter two explicitly distanced themselves from Oosterhoff’s social conservative beliefs. News briefs — governmental Ministry of Finance ● A report landed on the desk of Finance Minister Rod Phillips Monday packed full of recommendations for how the province should modernize the mortgage broker industry. ○ The report, compiled by Attorney General Doug Downey at the request of former finance minister Vic Fedeli last fall, will inform the province’s mandatory five-year review of the Mortgage Brokerages, Lenders and Administrators Act. ○ It recommends the creation of a separate framework for commercial mortgage broker activity that will reduce the regulatory burden on “transactions between sophisticated entities such as large companies and financial institutions.” ○ It also calls on the province to work with the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario on a new licensing regime that licenses mortgage brokers and agents separately and to cut down on red tape in the licensing process. ○ With an eye to cracking down on money laundering, Downey’s report recommends amping up industry educational and professional standards, requiring private lenders to be registered, and strengthening administrative monetary penalties for brokers and agents who break the rules. Ministry of Natural Resources ● Minister John Yakabuski and parliamentary assistant Mike Harris Jr. opened up the 45-day public comment period for a new draft strategy for managing the baitfish industry. Yakabuski said the government is “aiming for a policy that protects our lakes and rivers while minimizing the impact on anglers and increasing business certainty for the commercial industry that relies on bait.” ○ Among other things, the proposal would limit the number of eligible baitfish species and require anglers to use bait harvested or purchased from within the same zone in which they’re fishing. ○ The deadline for feedback is November 14. Ministry of the Solicitor General ● Solicitor General Sylvia Jones was on hand to christen the OPP’s new cyber operations centre in Orillia. Jones said the centre will house all of the OPP’s cybercrime digital evidence resources and support 50 staff. ○ “With the rapid acceleration of technology and global access through the internet, crime has become increasingly sophisticated, dramatically changing the nature of policing and public safety in recent years,” the minister said in a statement. The new unit will support investigators who rely on digital evidence, especially in cases of cyberbullying, human trafficking, hacking and online fraud, Jones added. Queen's Park Today is written by Sabrina Nanji, reporting from the Queen's Park press gallery.