Your morning briefing

Headlines

And the plot thickens.

The leader of a socially conservative parents' group involved in the controversy over PC Leader Patrick Brown's Scarborough - Rouge River anti-sex-ed letter is speaking out.

As you may recall, a few days after the letter became public, Brown said he believed its promise to "scrap" curriculum went too far. He said he didn't see the letter before it was sent out — and when he found out about it he was upset, and wrote an op-ed in the Toronto Star to inform everyone of his true feelings in support of the sex-ed curriculum.

However, Parents as First Educations (PAFE) leader Tanya Granic Allen says that Brown's Chief of Staff, Nicolas Pappalardo, told her "scrap" was Brown's choice of word. She'd been in discussions with him, involving MPP Monte McNaughton, about what Brown would say on sex-ed that would make her group happy. She had asked for the word "repeal" to be used — but Brown hasn't said that since the leadership race.

According to Allen, Pappalardo told her it was Patrick's personal preference that "scrap" be used instead of "repeal."

You can read Allen's entire account of things here.

For his part, Brown has refused to say exactly what led to that letter being sent out, only that "a mistake was made" and he's taking responsibility for it.

In other news: Tractors. 

Check out our image gallery from yesterday's International Plowing Match, where the premier faced a tough crowd and heckling over Hydro rates. 

A report slamming Canada's "slow, inefficient and costly," criminal justice system is coming out today, and the National Post has a sneak peek. Ontario's system is relatively less costly, compared to most others in Canada, it's found.

The OECD is warning economic growth is going take a hit, as globalization stalls around the globe.

A consultant tasked with co-managing funds for Kashechewan First Nation is now charged with taking $694,000, meant for a children's breakfast program, for himself, the Post reports. Giuseppe (Joe) Crupi is scheduled to appear in court today.

In the opinion pages:

• "Let us distinguish between changing your views in the face of new evidence and jettisoning your principles upon discovering they’re inconvenient," writes the Citizen's David Reevely, in a strongly worded column on Patrick Brown.
• The Unifor-GM deal is a stake in the heart of (the vampire known as) comapny pension plans, writes Thomas Walkom.

Bills

Second Reading of Bill 2, An Act to amend various statutes with respect to election matters.

Second Reading of Bill 13, An Act in respect of the cost of electricity.

Resuming the debate adjourned on September 15, 2016 on the motion for an Address in Reply to the Speech of Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor at the Opening of the Session.

Committees

9:00 a.m.

Standing Committee on Justice Policy will meet for the purpose of organization. Room No. 1.

9:00 a.m.

Standing Committee on Public Accounts will meet for the purpose of report writing. Room No. 151. (closed session, CCCAs and Healthy Schools Strategy.)

12:30 a.m.

Standing Committee on Public Accounts will meet for the purpose of report writing. Room No. 151. (closed session, CCCAs and Healthy Schools Strategy.)

3:45 p.m.

Standing Committee on Estimates will meet to review the 2016-2017 Estimates of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

5:15 p.m.

Standing Committee on Estimates will meet to review the 2016-2017 Estimates of the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs.

Events

9 a.m.

Mitzie Hunter, Minister of Education, will meet with students and teachers at J.R. Wilcox Community School, followed by an announcement. J.R. Wilcox Community School, 231 Ava Rd., Toronto.

9:45 a.m.

NDP MPP France Gélinas, will hold a press conference about the re- introduction of a bill for the creation of the L’Université de l’Ontario Français. Media studio, Queen's Park, Toronto.

10:00 a.m.

The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) will be releasing student achievement results for each school and school board from the 2015–2016 Assessments of Reading, Writing and Mathematics, Primary Division (Grades 1–3) and Junior Division (Grades 4–6), the Grade 9 Assessment of Mathematics and the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test. Online.

12:00

Canadian Families Alliance holds a protest outside Queen's Park to "demand that MPP’s repeal the controversial, age-inappropriate sex-ed curriculum."

6:30 p.m

Inaugural town hall of Ontario's newly appointed Patient Ombudsman, Christine Elliott, moderated by Steve Paikin, of TVO's The Agenda. St. Lawrence Centre, Jane Mallett Theatre 27 Front St E, Toronto.