No. 64 No 64 ISSN 1180-2987 Legislative Assembly Assemblée législative of Ontario de l’Ontario First Session, 37th Parliament Première session, 37e législature Official Report Journal of Debates des débats (Hansard) (Hansard) Wednesday 31 May 2000 Mercredi 31 mai 2000 Speaker Président Honourable Gary Carr L’honorable Gary Carr Clerk Greffier Claude L. DesRosiers Claude L. DesRosiers Hansard on the Internet Le Journal des débats sur Internet Hansard and other documents of the Legislative Assembly L’adresse pour faire paraître sur votre ordinateur personnel can be on your personal computer within hours after each le Journal et d’autres documents de l’Assemblée législative sitting. 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Phone 416-326-5310, 326-5311 or toll-free téléphone : 416-326-5310, 326-5311, ou sans frais : 1-800-668-9938. 1-800-668-9938. Hansard Reporting and Interpretation Services Service du Journal des débats et d’interprétation 3330 Whitney Block, 99 Wellesley St W 3330 Édifice Whitney ; 99, rue Wellesley ouest Toronto ON M7A 1A2 Toronto ON M7A 1A2 Telephone 416-325-7400; fax 416-325-7430 Téléphone, 416-325-7400 ; télécopieur, 416-325-7430 Published by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Publié par l’Assemblée législative de l’Ontario 3301 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE OF ONTARIO DE L’ONTARIO Wednesday 31 May 2000 Mercredi 31 mai 2000 The House met at 1330. the festival celebrates the age of steamship, antique boats Prayers. and nautical history in general. The organizing committee of Ken Gadsden, Mike McGill, Jim Musselman, Bruce Aikens and the chairman, MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS Paul Arculus, has been hard at work putting together this outstanding community event. The Port Perry Chamber of Commerce and Port Perry Business Improvement WATER QUALITY Association have supported the efforts of this committee. This year’s event will feature the legendary steamboat Mrs Sandra Pupatello (Windsor West): Events in from the 1951 movie African Queen. The steamboat’s Walkerton over the last couple of weeks have made all of owners Jim and Barb Hendricks will be towing the 30- us not just sad but have left us with many questions and, foot steamer all the way from Florida to attend the event. in particular, have given a whole new meaning to the area Also on hand will be Woodwind Yachts, with a dis- and to the cause of red tape and cutting of red tape. play of their boat restorations, classic and antique steam- Many of us have always followed this Red Tape boats from across the province, the Antique Outboard Commission and looked at the kinds of things that were Motor Club and model engineer clubs from across the being advanced as simple bureaucracy, needless bureau- Kawarthas and the province. The Port Perry High School cracy, that in fact are turning into what really is life and band will provide entertainment. death on many fronts, in particular the area of the en- vironment. Where I come from, the Great Lakes cleanup The nautical events in Port Perry don’t stop there. Our is a perfect example, where both the Ministry of Natural annual Canoe the Nonquon event will take place this Resources and the Ministry of the Environment have Saturday morning. This fundraiser for the Scugog Shores made cuts, significant staff cuts, budgetary cuts, that have Historical Museum is the province’s oldest continually resulted in less being available for cleanup and, frankly, running canoe race. less availability of people who are in the business of I encourage all boat lovers across the province to cleanup and ensuring that legal levels of toxins are even attend the festival of boats in Port Perry in my riding of acceptable. Durham. What we are seeing in Windsor now is a rise in the level of mercury in the Detroit River. What we see now WALKERTON TRAGEDY is that local councillors who are participating in commit- tees are begging the province to come to the table. In Mr George Smitherman (Toronto Centre-Rose- fact, they are not even meeting the obligation they signed dale): Before I begin my statement, I’d like to acknowl- on to in agreements with the Canadian government. edge a group of distinguished visitors from my great I would like to call on the Ministers of the Environ- riding of Toronto Centre-Rosedale who are in the west ment and the Minister of Natural Resources to do a members’ gallery. complete review of all of the cuts they have made as they My member’s statement is on the subject of the situa- relate to the cleanup of the Detroit River, to its obliga- tion in the town of Walkerton, and I would like to convey tions to international agreements which they signed on to my sympathies to the people in that town. and now are not coming to the table and fulfilling. Yesterday in this House Ontarians were treated to an incredible display of Tory arrogance. Not only did the Premier suggest to the people of Walkerton this soothing EVENTS IN DURHAM sound bite, “The procedures in place were sound,” but he Mr John O’Toole (Durham): I’m pleased to rise also defended the view that it is appropriate for an ac- today to inform the House of an upcoming event in my cused party to investigate itself. This from a government riding of Durham. The Lake Scugog Historical Society that purports to be tough on crime. has once again organized an annual Steamboats on the We witnessed the cabal of dumped Tory cabinet min- Scugog Festival, which will be held on June 9, 10 and 11. isters laughing up a storm while this Legislature was en- The festival takes place at Port Perry, which is located gaged in the debate about the tragic events in Walkerton. on Lake Scugog, part of the Trent-Severn system. Over Then, to top it all off, we had the member for Brampton 50 steamships are known to have plied these waters, and Centre, the same member who sponsored a bill to audit 3302 LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO 31 MAY 2000 food banks, offering the following comeback to passion- Carleton medical officer to boil their water due to ate demands for an independent inquiry: He said that’s coliforms found when their water was tested. the way it’s going to be because “we’re the government Are we going to wait until we have another Walkerton and you’re the opposition.” I got in his face outside the in eastern Ontario or is this government prepared to Legislature, and I’ll be in Brampton tonight, where I’ll admit their mistakes and reinstate the responsibility for put it on the record again. He is under the mistaken im- testing back to the provincial level? Mr Sterling said that pression that a majority government absents him and his his government should have done more when handing party from being held accountable for the impact of their over the responsibility for water testing to the private sec- decisions—decisions which have contributed to death. tor. I beg the minister to act immediately for the villages of Cumberland and Osgoode to ensure that we don’t have any more deaths due to the negligence of this govern- YORK CENTRAL HOSPITAL ment. Enough is enough. Mrs Tina R. Molinari (Thornhill): I am very pleased to report that the York Central Hospital, which serves my riding of Thornhill, is preparing to open its new MEMBER’S WEB SITE $25-million Continuing Care and Rehabilitation Centre. Mr Tony Martin (Sault Ste Marie): I rise today to This is a much-needed complex which will greatly bene- share with the Legislature and with the larger community fit the residents of Thornhill. At capacity, the building of Ontario out there something that I launched in my own will contain 116 long-term-care beds, 90 complex con- community from my constituency office last Wednesday, tinuing care beds, 32 rehabilitation beds, a dialysis unit, and that is the existence now of a Web site that people an adult day program and a child daycare centre. can plug into and get information from and communicate The facility is among the most modern of its kind in with me on a variety of issues. The address of the Web central Ontario, going beyond what is traditionally site is www.tonymartinmpp.com and one of the first offered at a nursing home. Providing opportunities for offerings on that site is a newsletter I put out this past intergenerational activities, the presence of a child care week that focuses on a couple of things I think we need centre on the ground floor provides 60 care spaces for to enter into dialogue about. One certainly is the econ- children of hospital staff and the community. The centre omy, and the other is the Canadian narrative: where it is also features an outdoor play area, rest and dining areas.