Mr. Garfield Dunlop (Simcoe North): My question today is for the Minister of Finance. I'm sure all members of the House are delighted to see such a large representation here today from the police services boards across Ontario, and I appreciate the fact that the OAPSB has arranged this lobby day here at Queen's Park.
I've had the opportunity to meet with them, and I'm especially concerned by the information we have received about emergency service labour costs. I note that since 2000, wages have increased by an average of 5% annually, outstripping the other sectors, which are averaging around 2% to 3%. Minister, can you tell the House what you, as Minister of Finance, are prepared to do to assist the police services boards and municipalities to control these costs?

Hon. Greg Sorbara (Minister of Finance, Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet): When I hear the information provided by my friend, I think of the work done by my colleague the Minister of Government Services in negotiating contracts for the collective agreements for which we're directly responsible. I should tell him that the Ontario municipal partnership fund provides specific support for these kinds of services, and indeed the policing costs under the partnership fund take special care to speak to the additional burdens of policing, particularly in the northern and rural communities. In that fund, over the course of the past two years, sir, we have increased our commitment to municipalities by about $200 million.

It may not be enough in the view of the member opposite, but I think we're going a very long way to help municipal police boards across the province meet their requirements.
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Mr. Dunlop: You've talked around the issue, but as you know, the OAPSB has made specific requests to your ministry, which have included issues such as the Ontario health premium, your health tax; retention pay; and court security costs, which in a lot of cases are running rampant in some areas. Minister, are you prepared to meet with the OAPSB and discuss how the province will assist the boards? If so, when will that occur and when can you expect to report back to the House on the answer to those questions?

Hon. Mr. Sorbara: I have obviously had a number of requests to meet from a variety of organizations across the province where there are pressures relating to cost. I simply repeat to my friend that what we have achieved and the equity we have achieved through the Ontario municipal partnership fund has gone a very long way toward meeting the requirements of municipalities. Let us remember, sir, that police service boards operate under the umbrella of municipal councils, and there is an ongoing dialogue and relationship between AMO, individual municipalities, representatives in my ministry and indeed with my colleague the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

I think the dialogue is at a very high level, but if there's other information we need to be informed of, certainly I would be interested in hearing that information.