Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report March 11, 2019 Quotation of the day “Doug Ford has been ducking work and ducking accountability.” NDP MPP Catherine Fife criticizes the premier for being MIA in question period more than half ​ ​ of the time since December. Today at Queen’s Park On the schedule MPPs are in their ridings for the March Break constituency week. The House is adjourned until Monday, March 18. Premier watch This weekend Premier Doug Ford hit up a youth-focused roundtable discussion with ​ ​ Mississauga-Malton MPP Deepak Anand and visited IBM Canada’s headquarters in Markham. ​ ​ Ford trumpeted his government’s work to make Ontario “open for business” and “life more affordable for university and college students” on his social media feeds. But NDP MPP Catherine Fife says the premier has been “ducking work and ducking ​ ​ accountability” over the Ron Taverner controversy, pointing out Ford was MIA for 11 of 18 ​ ​ question periods since December. Meanwhile the premier’s office points out official Opposition ​ ​ Leader Andrea Horwath has skipped out on question period in about equal proportion over the ​ ​ last session. Global News breaks down the details. ​ ​ Hydro One executive salary will be capped at $1.5M Ontario’s PC government has won a standoff with Hydro One over executive pay. The provincial utility said Friday it agreed to cap its next boss’ direct compensation at $1.5 ​ ​ million, which includes a $500,000 base salary and up to $1 million in bonuses for hitting certain short- and long-term benchmarks. The salaries of other board members will be limited to 75 per cent of what the next CEO rakes in. The move comes after Energy Minister Greg Rickford issued a formal directive ordering the ​ ​ preferred $1.5-million paycheque, after turning down Hydro One’s earlier compensation framework proposal that set CEO pay at around $2.7 million. That’s well below what former CEO Mayo Schmidt, who Premier Doug Ford dubbed the ​ ​ ​ ​ “six-million-dollar-man,” earned at the helm. Reining in executive pay was a main fixture of the PCs campaign platform. Today’s events March 11 at 9 a.m. – Ottawa ​ ​ Education Minister Lisa Thompson will make an announcement and scrum with reporters at ​ ​ the Shaw Centre. March 11 at 9:30 a.m. – Toronto ​ ​ NDP MPP Jessica Bell is sponsoring a news conference about changes to tuition. ​ ​ Upcoming events March 23 at 11 a.m. – Ottawa ​ ​ Premier Doug Ford will deliver a keynote at the Manning Centre conference that runs March ​ ​ 22-24 in Ottawa. Ford will be introduced by his parliamentary assistant Stephen Lecce and ​ ​ interviewed by journalist and former Alberta politician Danielle Smith. ​ ​ May 29 – Toronto ​ ​ Save the date: The Queen’s Park Press Gallery’s annual spring fling returns to U of T’s Hart House on Wednesday, May 29 after a hiatus for the 2018 election. Rumour has it Premier Doug ​ Ford is expected to attend; stay tuned for ticket information. ​ Topics of conversation ● Ottawa police say a woman has been charged with criminal harassment and uttering ​ ​ threats against Children and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod. MacLeod said she ​ ​ would not attend last Thursday’s big protest over autism policy changes because she received threats that made her fear for her safety. MacLeod, who has taken much flak over the controversial autism program, was also rushed out of an International Women’s ​ ​ Day event at Ottawa City Hall by her security detail. ● The province wants school boards to lay out what supports and resources may be necessary as they grapple with an expected influx of high-needs students transitioning to the classroom when the autism funding changes kick in April 1. The Globe and Mail got ​ ​ its hands on an email deputy minister Nancy Naylor sent to the boards saying a survey ​ ​ ​ would go out this week and “will have a return date of later in this month.” ○ Toronto’s school boards are the latest to join the chorus of education heavyweights urging the provincial government to provide more resources to deal with its controversial policy, the Toronto Star reports. ​ ​ ​ ​ ● Finance Minister Vic Fedeli has penned a letter to his federal counterpart asking Ottawa ​ ​ to legalize single-event sports betting on tickets like the Super Bowl and Grey Cup, according to the Toronto Sun. ​ ​ ● The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario issued the first three retail cannabis operator licences for shops in Toronto, St. Catharines and London as part of the two-step licensing process. The Hunny Pot Cannabis Co. on Toronto’s Queen Street West and The Niagara Herbalist on Lakeshore Road in St. Catharines also got their ​ retail store authorizations after clearing an inspection to ensure they meet regulatory ​ requirements. Stores must open for business by April 1 or face steep fines. ● Time sure flies in #onpoli. Sunday marked one year since Premier Ford eked out a narrow win over Health Minister and Deputy Premier Christine Elliott to claim the PC ​ ​ leadership. Toronto Sun columnist Brian Lilley runs down a whirlwind year. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ○ Ford isn’t the only one celebrating an anniversary: Ford’s spokesperson Simon ​ Jefferies recently rang in his birthday. ​ ​ ● Labour Minister Laurie Scott issued a statement bemoaning a Toronto Star op-ed ​ ​ ​ ​ published on International Women’s Day urging the PC government not to further delay pay transparency legislation to close the gender gap. ○ The Star editorial board suggests the government’s ongoing consultation (and ​ ​ main reason for pausing Liberal-era legislation) is designed to churn out answers it wants to hear, but contends nothing short of full transparency will bridge the gender wage gap. Scott maintains the government is committed to hearing from “the people and job creators touched by this legislation.” ○ The Tories’ pay transparency consultation paper is centred on hearing from ​ ​ businesses about the burden of reporting requirements. ● The CBC proffers an analysis debunking Premier Doug Ford’s campaign pledge that not ​ ​ ​ ​ a single person in the public service will lose their job under his government. ● Ontario’s eyeing a ban on single-use plastics as part of ongoing consultations on reducing litter and waste that’s diverted to landfills, the Canadian Press reports. ​ ​ ​ ​ ○ The notion seems popular. The New Democrats say they’ll tease a forthcoming private member’s bill proposal this week to ban “single-use, throw away” plastics. (And model parliamentarians liked it so much they passed a plastics-banning bill ​ with the widest margin of support.) ​ ○ PMBs rarely become law, but governments have often rolled parts of bills they like into legislation and policy of their own. ● The CBC’s Fifth Estate dives deep into the story of 12 OPP officers who have died by ​ ​ ​ ​ suicide since 2012, when the ombudsman urged the force to make changes to prevent suicides. ○ Police sources told Queen’s Park Today that top brass met with Labour Minister ​ ​ Laurie Scott and Community Safety Minister Sylvia Jones in December. The ​ ​ ​ cabinet ministers signalled they may support the revival of a now-defunct ministry ​ working group on post-traumatic stress disorder that’s been inactive since ​ presumptive legislation was passed with an eye to speeding up access to WSIB benefits and treatment. ● Ask and you shall receive, Joel Harden. The sitting day after the NDP’s shadow minister ​ ​ for accessibility asked for it, former lieutenant governor David Onley’s final review of the ​ ​ Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act was publicly tabled in the legislature. ○ Harden also called on the minister responsible for the file, Raymond Cho, to lift ​ ​ the government’s freeze on the work of the Education and Health Care Standards development committees, which have had their work frozen since last spring’s election. ● In case you were wondering what ex-premier Kathleen Wynne thinks about l’affaire ​ ​ ​ SNC-Lavalin, Power and Politics has you covered. ​ ​ ​ Appointments and employments Ontario Health ● The Ontario Health super-agency has its “early slate” of board nominees. They are: ○ Bill Hatanaka, chair ​ ○ Elyse Allan, vice-chair ​ ○ Jay Aspin ○ Andrea Barrack ○ Dr. Alexander Barron ○ Dr. Adalsteinn Brown ○ Rob Devitt ○ Garry Foster ○ Shelly Jamieson ○ Jackie Moss ○ Paul Tsaparis ○ Anju Virmani News releases — governmental Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade ● Ontario gained 36,900 net new jobs last month, which the government tied to its open-for-business mantra. ​ Queen's Park Today is written by Sabrina Nanji, reporting from the Queen's Park press gallery. What did you think of this Daily Report? What else would you like to see here? Email [email protected] and let us know. ​ ​ Copyright © 2018 Queen’s Park Today. It is a violation of copyright to distribute this newsletter without permission. .