Legislative Assembly of Ontario

No. 172 N^o 172

Votes and Proceedings

Procès-verbaux

Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Assemblée législative de l'Ontario

1st Session, 36th Parliament

1re session, 36e législature

Tuesday, March 4, 1997

Mardi 4 mars 1997

PRAYERS 1:30 P.M.

PRIÈRES 13 H 30

Mr Johnson (Don Mills) delivered to the Speaker a message from Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor signed by her own hand, and the said message was read by the Speaker and is as follows:-

The Lieutenant Governor transmits Estimates of certain sums required for the services of the Province for the year ending 31st March 1997 and recommends them to the Legislative Assembly.

La lieutenante-gouverneure transmet les prévisions de certains montants nécessaires pour assurer les services de la province pour l'exercice se terminant le 31 mars 1997 et les recommande à l'Assemblée législative.

Toronto, 4th March 1997

Toronto, le 4 mars 1997

(Sessional Paper No. 3, Office of the Assembly, Office of the Chief Election Officer, Ombudsman Ontario and Office of the Provincial Auditor.)

(Document parlementaire no 3, Bureau de l'Assemblée législative, Bureau du directeur général des élections, Ombudsman Ontario et Bureau du vérificateur provincial.)

Ordered, That the message of the Lieutenant Governor together with the Estimates accompanying same be deemed to be referred to the Standing Committee on Estimates pursuant to Standing Order 58.

PETITIONS

PÉTITIONS

Petitions relating to Strengthening measures against impaired drivers in Ontario (Sessional Paper No. P-102) (Tabled March 4, 1997) Mr J. Baird, Mr T. Barrett, Mr D. Galt and Mrs M. Marland.

Petition relating to Workers Health and Safety Centre and Occupational Health Clinics (Sessional Paper No. P-118) (Tabled March 4, 1997) Mr D. Christopherson.

Petition relating to Not altering the Occupational Health and Safety Act or eroding the rights of workers (Sessional Paper No. P-162) (Tabled March 4, 1997) Mr D. Christopherson.

Petitions relating to Amalgamating the six municipalities within Toronto (Sessional Paper No. P-179) (Tabled March 4, 1997) Mr J. Bradley and Mr A. Curling.

Petition relating to Bill 84, Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1996 (Sessional Paper No. P-197) (Tabled March 4, 1997) Mr D. Christopherson.

Petitions relating to Cuts to base funding for hospitals and the removal of hospital services (Sessional Paper No. P-214) (Tabled March 4, 1997) Mr L. Jordan and Mr F. Miclash.

Petition relating to Regulated Health Care Workers (Sessional Paper No. P-234) (Tabled March 4, 1997) Mr J. Cleary.

INTRODUCTION OF BILLS

DÉPÔT DES PROJETS DE LOI

The following Bills were introduced, read the first time and referred to the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills:-

Les projets de loi suivants sont présentés, lus une première fois et déférés au Comité permanent des règlements et des projets de loi privés:-

Bill Pr74, An Act respecting 4588 Bathurst. Ms I. Bassett.

Bill Pr75, An Act respecting 750 Spadina Avenue Association. Ms I. Bassett.

ORDERS OF THE DAY

ORDRE DU JOUR

Opposition Day

Jour de l'opposition

Mr Colle moved,

M. Colle propose,

Whereas the Harris government is wiping out the existing municipalities of Toronto, the City of York, East York, North York, Scarborough and Etobicoke and replacing them with one enormous Megacity of 2.3 million people;

Whereas Mike Harris and his party platform made no mention of amalgamating the six municipalities composing Metropolitan Toronto prior to the 1995 provincial election and were not elected on that basis;

Whereas the Harris government has no mandate from the people to amalgamate Metropolitan Toronto into a Megacity;

Whereas, as recently as 1994, Mike Harris said, "There is no cost for a municipality to retain its name and identity. Why destroy our roots and pride? I disagree with restructuring because it believes that bigger is better. Services always cost more in larger communities";

Whereas the Harris government is forcing the people of Metropolitan Toronto into a Megacity to hide the $531 million in increased taxes for Metro residents that will be caused by the Harris government's dumping of provincial costs onto the municipalities of Ontario;

Whereas the ill-conceived plan to create this Megacity is based on a three-week KPMG study carried out behind closed doors and without consultation;

Whereas the KPMG study contradicts the recommendations of every other study carried out on Greater Toronto Area restructuring over the last 40 years;

Whereas even the author of the KPMG study admitted that "There has been no amalgamation of which I am aware in the current fiscal environment that would demonstrate the certainty of savings";

Whereas the Harris government has stated that it plans to drive the legislation creating the Megacity through the Legislature by April, without leaving adequate time for study or consultation;

Whereas the Harris government's plans to force the people of Metropolitan Toronto into a Megacity will cause property taxes to soar, will lead to more cuts in services and will make government even more remote from the people that it is supposed to serve;

Whereas studies have shown that, once a city grows to over 1 million people, economies of scale in municipal operations disappear and per capita costs for basic services go up;

Whereas Mike Harris and Al Leach have failed to provide the people of Ontario with any numbers to support their contention that amalgamation will lead to cost savings;

Whereas the Harris government's own study anticipates transition costs of $150 million to $220 million following amalgamation;

Whereas unprecedented grass-roots opposition to the Megacity plan has sprung up all over Metropolitan Toronto;

Whereas thousands of Metro residents have spontaneously and vocally expressed their opposition to the Megacity plan;

Whereas the public hearings on Bill 103 conducted by the Harris government have failed to reveal any widespread public support for this legislation and instead have revealed deep and consistent concern about this plan among citizens of all political stripes and affiliations;

Whereas the Harris government has refused to conduct its own referendum on the issue of amalgamation;

Whereas the Mike Harris government has stated that it plans to proceed with its plan to force the citizens of Metro Toronto into a Megacity regardless of their wishes;

Whereas the Harris government is consistently ignoring the voice of the people of Metropolitan Toronto by continuing to plow ahead with its Megacity plan, and is acting undemocratically by forcing this massive change down the throats of the citizens of Metropolitan Toronto without proper consultation or a mandate from the people;

Therefore this House calls upon the provincial government to reverse its decision to amalgamate Metropolitan Toronto into a Megacity, to withdraw Bill 103 and to proceed to consult with the people and governments of Metropolitan Toronto, to develop a plan to restructure the Greater Toronto Area for better co-ordination of services and strengthened local government and to make this a better place for all citizens to live.

A debate arising, after some time, the motion was lost on the following division:-

Un débat s'ensuit et après quelque temps, la motion est rejetée par le vote suivant:-

Bartolucci Gravelle Patten

Bisson Hampton Phillips

Boyd Hoy Pouliot

Bradley Kennedy Pupatello

Caplan Kormos Ramsay

Christopherson Kwinter Ruprecht

Cleary Lankin Sergio

Colle Marchese Silipo

Cordiano Martel Wildman

Crozier Martin Wood

Curling McGuinty (Cochrane North)

Duncan McLeod

Gerretsen Miclash

Arnott Harris Pettit

Baird Hastings Rollins

Barrett Hudak Ross

Beaubien Johns Saunderson

Boushy Johnson Shea

Carr (Brantford) Sheehan

Carroll Johnson Skarica

Chudleigh (Don Mills) Smith

DeFaria Jordan Snobelen

Doyle Kells Spina

Ecker Klees Sterling

Elliott Leadston Stewart

Fisher Martiniuk Tascona

Flaherty Maves Tsubouchi

Ford McLean Turnbull

Fox Munro Vankoughnet

Froese Murdoch Villeneuve

Galt Mushinski Wettlaufer

Gilchrist Newman Wilson

Guzzo O'Toole Wood

Hardeman Ouellette (London South)

Harnick Parker Young

The House then adjourned at 6:10 p.m.

À 18 h 10, la chambre a ensuite ajourné ses travaux.

Sessional Papers Presented Pursuant to Standing Order 39(c):-

Documents Parlementaires Déposés Conformément à l'article 39(c) du Règlement:-

Questions Answered (see Sessional Paper No. 5):-

Responses to Petitions:-

Réponses aux Pétitions:-

Petitions relating to North York Branson Hospital (Sessional Paper No. P-15):

Petition relating to Opposing reductions to the education system (Sessional Paper No. P-128): (Tabled February 17, 1997) Ms S. Martel.

Petition relating to Providing funding for long-term care institutions and eliminating the user taxes on prescription drugs for seniors (Sessional Paper No. P-164):

Petition relating to Amalgamating the six municipalities within Toronto (Sessional Paper No. P-179):

Petitions relating to Bill 84, Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1996 (Sessional Paper No. P-197):

Petitions relating to Cuts to base funding for hospitals and the removal of hospital services (Sessional Paper No. P-214):

Petition relating to Providing Peterborough Hospital with the next MRI unit (Sessional Paper No. P-215):

Petition relating to the Mail-in referendum for the City of Scarborough (Sessional Paper No. P-219):

Pétition ayant rapport aux Coupures qui affectent l'éducation (Document parlementaire n^o. P-221): (Déposée le 18 février 1997) M^me S. Martel.

Pétition ayant rapport à la Fondation PACE 2000 (Document parlementaire n^o. P-222):