Mr Garfield Dunlop (Simcoe North): My question today is for the Acting Premier as well. On September 9, Minister Pupatello announced that your government will close your only regional centre in Orillia by March 31, 2009. It will affect 680 employees and 350 clients.

I support the concept of moving people with developmental disabilities from institutions into the community, providing they do not have severe, complex needs. The reality, however, is that many of HRC's residents are folks with very complex needs that cannot be met in a regular group home setting in any community that I know of in the province. For example, many are both severely developmentally disabled and mentally ill.

Minister, where do you intend to place these people so they can live their lives with the dignity and respect they deserve?

Hon Gerard Kennedy (Minister of Education): I thank the member for his question. Obviously, it is a concern for every member of this House and every party in this House that has participated in a long-term plan to see inclusion be the operative word and the operative experience for those who, now adults, started off as children with developmental disabilities. And there have been successful plans to integrate people who have been living in institutional care into communities.

We will be following those kinds of paths. We will be working with the communities affected; we will be working with the families affected. In many cases, sadly and unfortunately, there aren't remaining family members. And the government, in this case our government, dealing with this portion of those people still living in facilities, will treat them and their future with the dignity and care they deserve. So this is a longer-term plan. It's over a period of time.

Interjections.

Hon Mr Kennedy: The members opposite ask about how. The how comes with the successful support of people living in the community, just as has been done in institution after institution that we've phased out in this province under the party opposite, under the third party. It's been successfully done. And respect means not prejudging these people, but all of us offering the kind of support that's required to have them truly participate in the community. That's the path we're headed on. It's truly the one that is --

The Speaker (Hon Alvin Curling): Thank you. Supplementary?

Mr Dunlop: I say to the Acting Premier that this government has not consulted with the families of the clients. Your minister said in this House on October 18, "It is important that on the day we made that announcement we took great care to have an opportunity to speak with families in advance."

I don't think that the 200 people I met with on Saturday would agree that a heads-up on the day of the announcement shows you even care about their opinion. These people, family members of the HRC residents, are scared and horrified by your cruel decision: closure with no plan. They are afraid that even if you find places for their loved ones, they still won't get the level of care they are receiving currently.

Acting Premier, on behalf of the families of the 350 clients, is your government prepared to revisit your cruel decision to close this HRC without any real plan?

Hon Mr Kennedy: I ask the member opposite to have a care, to take care, in terms of the kind of thing he is inciting with the characterization he's made of the government's plans. He stands in his place, knowing full well --

Interjections.

The Speaker: Order. Member from Whitby-Ajax, come to order.

Mr Frank Klees (Oak Ridges): Who do you think you are?

The Speaker: Member for Oak Ridges, order.

Acting Premier?

Hon Mr Kennedy: For the member opposite to characterize it the way he has is to ignore the fact that there is a plan that would take this to 2009 for an adjustment period, that the government has already agreed to meet with parents to be involved in that plan and that there is a commitment of $110 million: $70 million to create new places and $40 million in community services. If the member rose in his place unaware of that, he is now aware. And he shares the responsibility of every person in this House to help these families, to advocate on behalf of those children, but to make sure it's done in a way that does not create undue alarm on the part of either those families or the persons affected.

We have inclusive policies that have shown this can and --

The Speaker: Thank you. New question.