I thank the member for Kitchener–Conestoga. I always enjoy hearing his contributions to debate in this House and receiving his questions. Also he’s a fellow Maple Leafs fan, and they’re on a winning streak now—four in row. I suppose tonight we’ll find out whether Auston Matthews, in returning to his hometown, will get to number 50—

This is very, very important. It’s a very important question, because we are moving the five days to 10 days. We think that’s a more reasonable approach. As I indicated in my remarks, the key is to be able to plan. If you can get your answer within three days and you can get it done within 10, that’s fine, but the key is to plan. As long as you know it may take a couple of weeks, you can deal with and work around that delay.

It is a shorter digging season in northern Ontario. We have to deal with that. Ontario One Call will have the flexibility of a number of other tools and options short of AMPs, or administrative monetary penalties, to help ensure compliance with the law and the timelines.

The Leader of the Opposition will please take her seat. The member for Sault Ste. Marie will come to order. The member for Kitchener–Conestoga will come to order.

Interjections.

The Premier can respond.

Interjection.

The final supplementary: once again, the Leader of the Opposition.

The Minister of Health.

Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

The supplementary question? The member for Nickel Belt.

And the member from Kitchener–Conestoga—I appreciate his enthusiasm for my one-hour lead.

Speaker, as we’re talking about building infrastructure safely, I would like to raise a couple of points that have been raised by a member of my community. His name is Jim McEwen. I imagine that there are members of the government who have also received letters from Jim through the years. He sends lots of emails and has thoughtful comments. He has been raising an issue, I think, with all members across Durham region about the Bowmanville GO expansion. I’m looking across at my colleague from the riding of Durham. We are excited about the GO train to Bowmanville. We want the Bowmanville GO train. We want it, and I have been reassured it’s coming. I don’t want to cast aspersions. I want it just as much as everybody else across Durham region, and I want it built safely.

So I’m going to raise his challenges because I’ve raised it when I talked directly to Metrolinx, and I get no reassurance. I have raised this in this House, and everybody looks at me and thinks, “I wonder if that’s a real thing?” And I get no reassurance. So I’m going to do it again.

Jim McEwen has written to me and written to the folks at Metrolinx and government members, and this is just a piece of one of his letters. He said, “Knowing of how restricted the topography is in west Oshawa, please explain to me how Metrolinx/Stantec plan to build the new railway link between the Oshawa station and the bridge over Hwy. 401 to a grade of 1-2 per cent and while utilizing a horizontal curve in compliance with national railway standards? A passenger train cannot make a sharp 90 degree turn as suggested in your documents....

“And please do not hide behind the design/build process, because as the proponent and in accordance with the Ontario EA Act, Metrolinx has a duty to prove engineering feasibility with your recommended solutions.”

That is a lot of specific stuff, and when I have met with Metrolinx and said, “Please put my mind at ease, because I have got an inbox full from Mr. McEwen raising specifics around the safety of this curve, the angles, the type of train—the diesel train.”

He said, “A diesel locomotive cannot descend a 4 per cent grade and make a sharp 90 degree turn into the existing Oshawa station.” And it goes on with more specifics.

To date, I am unaware of a response that puts his mind at ease, or mine.

In fact, continuing on from there, when I have spoken to them at Metrolinx, I’ve said, “I read in the news that you don’t have any engineers on staff.” They don’t. They have told me that they contract engineers as needed. Fine. Hopefully, there’s an engineer who can ensure that this train that is going to be travelling over the 401, not too far from where I live, actually, in Oshawa—and we’re watching the bridge happen. Can somebody just say, “Yes, don’t worry, Oshawa and everybody on the train. Someone has done due diligence”?

As far as the point of order that he raised, in this hour lead, I have been very glad to be able to stay very close to the title. If the government wanted to name it “only talk about locates,” then, yes, I’d be limited. But the government chose to call this bill Building Infrastructure Safely Act. So I’m excited to have that opportunity to talk about ways to build infrastructure safely.

In the first 40 minutes or so, I was very happy to be able to “dig deep” into the locates topic—

Anyway, the Building Infrastructure Safely Act is, yes, about locates. I’ve had 40 minutes to talk about that. But when we’re wanting to build infrastructure safely, we want to stop skipping planning steps; we want to see environmental assessments; we want folks to call before they dig. That’s an NDP collaboration from back in the day with Sarnia–Lambton, as I talked about earlier. But we also want to hire engineers—

God, I’m really sorry to folks—

Speaker, I’m going to digress again—just for the member from Kitchener–Conestoga. I had all morning and all day at committee, where I was also glad to give the government what for on a couple of things and talk. Apparently, I’m out of practice. I did not think that I could talk more than my voice could handle. I’ve been teaching for many years, and I’ve been an elected member for 10. I didn’t think I’d ever have a problem talking.

Anyway, one of the other pieces I wanted to raise while I’ve got a couple of minutes is the need for engineers to be more involved or to be involved in processes to—did somebody send me cough drops?

Interjection.

Point of order: the member from Kitchener–Conestoga.

Interjections.