Queen’s Park Today – Daily Report August 1, 2019 Quotation of the day “Ontario’s democracy requires nurturing and respect, a duty that belongs to all of us. Let’s never squander it.” Outgoing Liberal MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers delivers her resignation letter to the Speaker. ​ ​ Today at Queen’s Park On the schedule The House is adjourned until Monday, October 28. Des Rosiers resigns, prompts byelection countdown in Ottawa-Vanier Ontario’s 42nd parliament will soon have its first byelection. The minivan-sized Ontario Grit caucus shrunk by one with the official exit of Nathalie Des ​ Rosiers, prompting a six-month countdown to a byelection call in Ottawa—Vanier. ​ “It is with a heavy heart that I resign my seat,” Des Rosiers said in a statement. “It has been an honour and a privilege to serve the community of Ottawa—Vanier. I have had the opportunity to work closely with so many community leaders and remain in awe of their dedication.” She delivered her letter of resignation to the Speaker Wednesday, who will issue a warrant informing Chief Electoral Officer Greg Essensa of the vacancy. Once Essensa receives that ​ ​ warrant, Premier Doug Ford will have six months to call a byelection to fill the seat. The writ for ​ ​ the byelection has to be drawn up on a Wednesday, and voting would take place on the fifth following Thursday. Des Rosiers is going back to her academic roots: she is set to become the next principal of Massey College at the University of Toronto, replacing Hugh Segal, a former senator and ​ ​ self-described red Tory. Segal also led the development of the former Liberal government’s now-defunct basic income pilot. Before she was elected to Queen’s Park in 2016, Des Rosiers served as dean of the University of Ottawa’s law school and trained at the Université de Montréal and Harvard. She also co-wrote the handbook on the Constitution. Under ex-premier Kathleen Wynne, she served as the minister of natural resources and ​ ​ forestry and as parliamentary assistant to the premier and ministers of energy, housing and status of women. On the opposition bench, she pushed for more legislative powers for unrecognized parties and encouraged cross-partisan collaboration among her fellow Independent members, such as the Parliamentary Reform Caucus formed alongside then-PC, now-Independent Randy Hillier and ​ ​ ​ Green Mike Schreiner. ​ ​ She also takes the title for most private members’ bills with seven tabled in the first session of ​ ​ the 42nd parliament. Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser called Des Rosiers an “invaluable” member of his caucus ​ ​ whose “well researched, articulate arguments and clear communication in the legislature was respected by members of all parties.” “Nathalie championed important issues like protecting civil liberties and human rights, ensuring environmental sustainability, fighting for pay equity and advocating for the Franco-Ontarian community,” Fraser said in a statement. “She will be missed at Queen’s Park.” The Grits may stand to lose another member: MPP Marie-France Lalonde has said she will ​ ​ step down if she wins the federal Liberal nomination in Orléans, which she reps provincially. Should that happen, the Liberals would be left with just five MPPs at the legislature. Des Rosiers was removed from the justice policy committee Wednesday. The seat is now vacant. Green leader wants beefed-up appointments process in wake of patronage scandal Green Leader Mike Schreiner says Ontario’s public appointments process must be reformed ​ ​ “to mitigate another cronyism crisis in the future.” Schreiner’s call comes amid the patronage scandal that has rocked the Ford government for weeks, leading to the resignations of the premier’s former chief of staff, Dean French, and half ​ ​ a dozen of his personal connections who were given appointments. “Government appointments should be based on merit, not who happened to play lacrosse with the premier’s chief of staff,” Schreiner told reporters at Queen’s Park. “It’s clear that the current appointments process is deeply flawed, and we need to fix it now.” Schreiner proposed a slew of reforms Wednesday he says will stamp out the potential for more nepotism drama and restore public trust. That includes picking appointees based on merit, something that’s currently only required for would-be members of adjudicative tribunals. He also wants to add a public complaints component and to empower the integrity commissioner to handle and probe those complaints. Schreiner said an all-party select or legislative committee should look into revamping the process. Premier Doug Ford’s office has launched a review of pending appointments, and the Treasury ​ ​ Board is reviewing the process to bolster conflict-of-interest screening and transparency. Today’s events August 1 at 11 a.m. – Maynooth ​ PC MPP Daryl Kramp will participate in an infrastructure event alongside federal and local ​ ​ politicians at the Hastings Highlands Municipal Office. August 1 at 10 a.m. – Ottawa ​ NDP Leader Andrea Horwath will hold a press conference to address the Ford government’s ​ ​ funding cuts to long-term care homes. Topics of conversation ● The much-awaited report from the public inquiry into the case of serial killer nurse Elizabeth Wettlaufer says there are “systemic vulnerabilities” in provincial health care ​ that must be looked at in order to avoid a similar tragedy in the future. ○ The sweeping report from Justice Eileen Gillese makes 91 recommendations, ​ ​ ​ ​ including better ministry oversight of long-term care homes, funding for staff training, increasing the number of registered nurses and more cash for infrastructure to improve how medication is stored. ○ Wetlauffer killed nine people in two southwestern Ontario nursing homes with insulin overdoses between 2007 and 2016. ○ Long-term Care Minister Merrilee Fullerton committed to additional funding to ​ ​ help address Gillese’s recommendations. She also said the government will table a progress report on the recommendations by July 31, 2020. ● A majority of the PC caucus want to see changes to Ontario News Now, according to an MPP who spoke to CTV Toronto. The call comes amid a fresh wave of criticism this ​ ​ week after Queen’s Park Today uncovered more ONN spots featuring companies run by ​ ​ people who have donated to the party, following a promo for Pelee Island Winery. The latter prompted a boycott because the winery’s president had donated $1,000 to the PC Party weeks prior. ○ For his part, PC MPP Rick Nicholls, who appears alongside Premier Ford in the ​ ​ controversial Pelee Island video, took to Twitter to defend the vintner. “So it’s not ‘cool’ for a local business to donate to a political party because of the good things the Ford government is doing for Ontario?,” he posited, before suggesting a double standard exists for “unions who use union dues to donate to the NDP and Liberals.” ○ Union and corporate political donations are banned in Ontario. ● The Ford government paid a $40,000 “flat fee” to Odgers Berndtson, the recruiting firm enlisted in the search that led to the premier’s friend Ron Taverner’s now-defunct ​ ​ appointment as OPP commissioner, according to the Globe and Mail. ​ ​ ​ ○ Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake has determined the hiring process was ​ ​ “flawed.” ● Prime Minister Justin Trudeau continues to draw Ontario Premier Doug Ford into the ​ ​ ​ ​ federal election fray despite Ford’s pledge not to wade into the campaign. Trudeau rallied Liberal candidates in Ottawa Wednesday, saying Canada’s middle class “cannot afford another Doug Ford,” the Toronto Star reports. ​ ​ ​ ​ ○ “On the campaign trail, conservative politicians love to say that they are ‘for the people,’ but we all know too well what happens once they’re in office,” Trudeau also quipped. ○ The Liberals and third-party, union-backed groups have painted Conservative Party of Canada Leader Andrew Scheer with a Ford brush. For his part, Scheer ​ ​ says he’s his own person. ​ ​ ● Ontario spent nearly $700 million subsidizing fossil fuel consumption and production last year, something that a new study suggests spurs their use and pollution. The National ​ Observer digs into a new report from the International Institute for Sustainable ​ Development. Appointments and employments University of Guelph ● Nathalie Des Rosiers isn’t the only Grit headed for academia. Former Liberal cabinet ​ minister Indira Naidoo-Harris is taking on the role of assistant vice-president of diversity ​ ​ and human rights at the University of Guelph later this month. ​ ​ News briefs — Governmental Ministry of the Solicitor General ● The provincial coroner will hold an inquest into the death of Sammy Yatim, the ​ ​ ​ ​ 18-year-old who was fatally shot by police on an empty streetcar in the summer of 2013. ○ Toronto Police Constable James Forcillo was later acquitted of second-degree ​ ​ murder but convicted of attempted murder and sentenced to six years in prison. ○ The coroner’s office says the inquest will examine the circumstances surrounding Yatim’s death and may result in recommendations aimed at preventing future deaths. A date has yet to be announced. Ministry of Government and Consumer Services ● The Ford government has kicked off the next round of public consultations for a new Ontario Data Strategy and released a discussion paper. ​ ​ Funding announcements Ministry of Housing ● Housing Minister Steve Clark was in Midland Wednesday to announce $9.1 million for ​ ​ ​ ​ Simcoe County to help people who are homeless or at risk of becoming so access support services and housing. The municipality can decide how they spend the funds, which will flow through the Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative. ○ This follows similar cash handouts to Lambton County, Hamilton and Brantford last month. ○ Clark also issued a zoning order to fast-track Simcoe County Christian Senior Home Inc.’s proposal to build its second long-term care home in Barrie. The company had proposed a 600-bed, seven-building complex, but got “stuck in ​ layers and layers of red tape,” according to Clark.