Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report February 18, 2020

Quotation of the day

“Just a few weeks ago, I joined the best family anyone could ever ask for — the Liberal family. And even in that short period of time, I’ve already seen the difference women can make in this party.”

Recently minted Grit shills for her party in a fundraising email. ​ ​

Today at Queen’s Park

On the schedule The house is back. MPPs kick off the spring session at 9 a.m. with second-reading debate on the government’s Bill 167, Legislative Assembly Amendment Act. The legislation, among other ​ ​ things, expands and clarifies rules around parliamentary privilege, updates labour practices surrounding legislative employees and enshrines an exemption for Indigenous staff members from taking the oath of office.

This afternoon, Transportation Minister is expected to table enabling ​ ​ legislation related to the PC’s $28.5-billion transit expansion plan for the GTA.

The 14-week session runs until June 4, including three constituency breaks.

Government house leader told the Canadian Press back-to-work legislation for ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ teachers is not on the docket. Teachers are staging the first-ever coordinated provincewide walkout this Friday amid stalled contract negotiations. (The latest round of negotiations with the union representing French teachers broke down last week; there are currently no bargaining dates scheduled with the four big teachers’ unions.)

In the park MPPs will face a welcome-back protest on the legislature’s lawn today about the lag in implementing a revamped needs-based autism program.

Lobbying receptions will also return in full force. This evening, the Addictions and Mental Health Organization of , Capital Power Corporation and OCAD University are scheduled to hold advocacy receptions for MPPs.

Committees this week Incoming appointees Douglas McLarty — who is up for a role on the board of the Alcohol and ​ ​ Gaming Commission of Ontario — and Richard Dicerni — who is on track to become chair of ​ ​ the Ontario Energy Board — will testify at the Standing Committee on Government Agencies this morning.

On Wednesday, the public accounts committee convenes to draft reports on Tarion, Waterfront and the Liberal-era hydro plan. The PC’s Bill 145, Trust in Real Estate Services Act, is ​ ​ up for a possible makeover during clause-by-clause consideration at the committee on general government.

Premier watch Premier is calling on Prime Minister to step up and deal with the rail ​ ​ ​ ​ blockades across the country.

During a phone call Sunday evening, Ford said he “urged the Prime Minister to assume responsibility to work with impacted communities to resolve these contentious issues.”

“I emphasized the federal government must find common ground to find a resolution with activists leading the blockade,” the premier said in a statement.

Last week CN Rail announced a shutdown of its Eastern operations amid the protests, including a blockade near Belleville that has been ongoing since February 6. Protesters have said they’re supporting those opposed to the Coastal GasLink pipeline project that goes through the Wet’suwet’en First Nation territory in British Columbia.

Ottawa and will also establish a joint committee to address the blockades, which have shut down passenger and freight rail services between and Toronto.

Premier François Legault said he spoke with Ford and recommended Ontario sign on to the ​ ​ committee too. “It does not concern Quebec, it does not concern Ontario, it concerns the federal government. It’s up to them to find the solution. It’s not our responsibility, Doug or myself, but we are suffering a lot,” Legault maintained.

National Post columnist Matt Gurney called it Ford’s “Caledonia moment.” ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

Meanwhile, Ford hit up events around the Canadian International Auto Show last weekend, delivering remarks at the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association’s presidents’ reception. Ministers , , Bill Walker and were also on hand. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

The premier also gave a 99th birthday greeting to his confidante Hazel McCallion, ​ ​ ​ ’s former and longest-serving ; offered a Valentine’s Day shout-out to his wife, Karla Ford; and marked Family Day in Ontario with a statement calling the long weekend ​ ​ an “opportunity to rediscover our beautiful province by spending quality time” with loved ones.

Ontario names employment services managers in new pilot, including for-profit firm The Ford government has picked the managers for employment and social assistance services in three regions as part of a new pilot program, which for the first time includes a for-profit firm — prompting concerns from experts and advocates.

The three-year pilot will see the for-profit APM Group manage employment services in Peel, while a consortium led by New York-based non-profit Fedcap runs services in Hamilton-Niagara and Fleming College handles Muskoka and the Kawarthas.

APM is based in Australia, where it is the country’s largest provider of disability employment services. The firm, which operates in Canada under its subsidiary WCG Services, also has contracts with the province of B.C. and the City of Calgary.

The for-profit experiment has been tried in Australia and the U.K., with poor results, according to the Maytree Foundation’s Garima Talwar Kapoor. Kapoor told the Catholic Register that, in ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ those cases, contractors were being rewarded for quickly moving clients away from social assistance to a job, whether they were ready or not.

In a press release, Labour Minister Monte McNaughton said the new “locally-focused model” ​ ​ will streamline employment services that had previously been delivered separately through Ontario Works, the Ontario Disability Support Program and Employment Ontario.

However, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario says the prototype plan will take away authority from nine municipal governments that currently administer employment services under Ontario Works.

AMO says it is “disappointed” no municipalities were selected through the government’s competitive bidding process and that the nine affected towns and cities will be in limbo until they know whether the selected service managers decide to partner with them and continue to fund municipal-led job hunting programs.

The new service-delivery model goes online in October 2020. McNaughton says he hopes for a full provincial rollout by 2022.

Today’s events

February 18 at 9:30 a.m. – Toronto ​ Liberal Interim Leader John Fraser will discuss the new session in the Queen’s Park media ​ ​ studio.

February 18 at 10 a.m. – Toronto ​ The parent-led Ontario Autism Coalition will talk about its protest and concerns over delays in implementing a needs-based autism program in the media studio.

February 18 at 12:30 p.m. – Toronto ​ Heritage Minister Lisa MacLeod will formally launch Ontario Heritage Week at the Ontario ​ ​ Heritage Trust.

February 18 at 1 p.m. – Toronto ​ Chief medical officer of health Dr. David Williams will provide a regular update on the response ​ ​ to the novel coronavirus in the media studio.

February 18 at 2 p.m. – Toronto ​ Liberal MPP will talk about a private member’s bill concerning fetal alcohol ​ ​ spectrum disorder in schools in the media studio.

February 18 at 4:10 p.m. – Toronto ​ Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney will speak to reporters in the media studio following ​ ​ a statement in the legislature.

Topics of conversation

● Ontario’s new blue-branded vehicle licence plates are under the spotlight after a ​ Kingston police sergeant raised questions about their night-visibility. The government ​ says it is looking into concerns over the plates’ readability, but maintained they were successfully tested using advanced technology and that law enforcement was consulted over the new design.

● Global News is reporting that Quinto Annibale, the PC-appointed LCBO vice-chair ​ ​ ​ ​ linked to the controversial Vaughan Working Families anti-teacher-union ad campaign, has stepped down as director of the group — but there are no plans for him to exit the LCBO board.

● Over in the heart of Ford Nation, two men are facing mischief charges after allegedly dumping manure in front of the premier’s Etobicoke constituency office last December. ○ The Hamilton chapter of climate change activist group Extinction Rebellion claimed credit for the act, saying it was in protest of the PC’s environmental plan.

● Another citizen has been arrested for the second time in connection with emails targeting Heritage Minister Lisa MacLeod. Rebecca Reid, a mother of a child with severe autism, ​ ​ ​ ​ is facing charges following emails directed at MacLeod, who used to be in charge of the ​ ​ political hot-potato autism file. Reid was previously convicted of threatening and harrassing MacLeod last year.

● The Canadian Towing Association is calling on the PCs to tighten towing regulations amidst an uptick in violence, including two alleged murders, related to the GTA towing ​ ​ industry over the past year. ○ In 2015, the former Liberal rulers passed a bill to reform towing rules, but industry advocates say they are ineffective and don’t deter bad actors.

● Ex-PC leader, now Mayor Patrick Brown is throwing his provincial political ​ ​ organizing weight behind Peter MacKay’s bid for federal Conservative leader, according ​ ​ ​ to Maclean’s. ​ ​

● Liberal leadership candidate Kate Graham announced she and her partner, city ​ ​ Councillor Jesse Helmer, are expecting their first child this summer. ​ ​

● Jeanette Runciman, wife of former Leeds—Grenville MPP and senator Bob ​ ​ Runciman, was struck and killed last Thursday after a vehicle collision in the Brockville ​ hospital parking lot. ○ The former politician was named chair of the St. Lawrence Parks Commission by the PCs last year.

News briefs

City Hall, Queen’s Park co-sign GTA transit expansion deal ● The province and city of Toronto have co-signed a preliminary agreement to expand transit in the GTA to the tune of $28.5 billion, including the construction of the downtown relief . ○ Transportation Minister Caroline Mulroney said the Ontario-Toronto Transit ​ ​ Partnership Agreement is an “important step” to getting the ambitious network up and running. ○ Toronto Mayor , who approved the agreement along with council last ​ ​ fall, added the new deal will ensure “both governments are working in full cooperation” and “accelerate four major transit projects in our city,” including the

Scarborough Subway extension, Yonge North subway extension and the next phase of the Eglinton LRT. ○ Mulroney also met with federal Transportation Minister Marc Garneau to formally ​ ​ request pitch in at least 40 per cent of the cost for the projects — $6 billion more than the province had previously asked for. ○ Meanwhile, the unpacks over 5,000 confidential documents to tell ​ ​ ​ the tale of how the Ontario Line — which Premier Doug Ford dubbed the “crown ​ ​ jewel” of his ambitious GTA transit expansion plan — came to be, featuring Michael Schabas, the U.K.-based private consultant who pitched the project last ​ winter.

Province weighs including 13 new invasive species under Invasive Species Act ​ ● Natural Resources Minister announced 13 species are up for ​ ​ consideration under the province’s Invasive Species Act, which was created in 2015 and ​ ​ currently lists 20 species. ○ Among the new species that could be added to the list are wild pigs, the New Zealand mud snail and the mountain pine beetle — which has ravaged forests across British Columbia and Alberta, contributing to forest fires. The beetle’s population growth and spread has been attributed to climate change.

Funding announcements

● FedDev Ontario, a federal agency, has committed to spending $8 million on 160 EV charging stations in 73 locations across the province. ○ Hydro One and Ontario Power Generation have teamed up to launch a new company that will build the stations, dubbed the Ivy Charging Network. ○ The former Liberal government built 350 EV charging stations when it was in power, but the PCs halted the planned expansion of the network and removed ​ some charging stations in GO Train parking lots. ​

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

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