 It's now time for oral questions and I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. So much, Speaker. Good morning. Speaker, my first question this morning is to the Premier. You know every day it seems like more and more public health experts are imploring the Premier to slow down the reopening of our province and stop loosening the restrictions that will help us deal with the spread of COVID-19. In fact, just yesterday we saw a couple of prominent medical officers of health do exactly that. They're asking for the Premier to not end the stay-at-home orders in the lockdowns. The Medical Officer of Health for Peel Lawrence Lowe says this. I'm very concerned about the tenuous situation that we find ourselves in and Dr. Lowe was backed up by the Mayor of Mississauga, Bonnie Cromby. Eileen De Villa, the Medical Officer of Health for Toronto, says this. Quote, I have never been as worried about the future as I am today. And Mayor Tory, of course, backed up Dr. De Villa. Dr. De Villa, Dr. Lowe, Mayor Tory, Mayor Cromby are all imploring this Premier to do the right thing to slow down the reopening. Will he finally start listening to them? Thank you, Speaker. And what we're looking at is not a reopening. We're looking at a transition back to the framework that we had before the stay-at-home order was brought forward. This has been contemplated with careful thought that we need to do this very gradually, very carefully, particularly with the variants of concern in operation right now. I know that they are spreading across the province, so we have to be very, very careful. We do have the emergency break that we can bring forward in any situation, any part of Ontario where the cases are growing exponentially, particularly due to the variants of concern that will then put that region back into grey or lockdown area zone. But with respect to the comments made by Dr. De Villa and Dr. Lowe, that is something that we are taking very carefully and considering very carefully. Dr. Williams is in frequent contact with both of those positions. There is a new load of data that is coming in tonight. Response? It's going to determine the recommendation that Dr. Williams will be making to the government with respect to the situation for both Beale and Toronto. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, Ontarians have been doing the right thing. They have been working so hard to stop the spread of COVID-19. Folks are absolutely exhausted. The last thing they need is a government that's preparing to transition us into a disaster with the third wave. The Minister of Health talks about the emergency break, and yet nobody has any details as to what that looks like. What is the criteria? Why isn't the government forthright about exactly what that emergency break is all about? They refuse to do the things that we know will stop the spread of COVID-19. Things like sick days for workers who are our essential workers, that are still going to work and spreading the virus. We know that the variants of concern are heading into Hamilton. We know that they're in Simcoe, and those places are already coming out of lockdown. Dr. de Villa said this. By the time the confirmed variant case counts are big enough to shock us, it'll be too late to do anything. Why isn't the government acting now? Well, protecting the health and safety of the people of Ontario has been our number one priority since the beginning of this pandemic, and always will be. And that's why we brought forward a very, very careful, thoughtful, slow transition back into the framework to protect the people of Ontario. We are very aware of the variants of concern. We are very aware that the numbers are low right now, but they can increase exponentially. And that was the purpose of the emergency break. We are looking at that on a daily basis, and if the emergency break needs to be brought forward in Peel, in Toronto, or any other place in Ontario, we will not hesitate to use it to protect everyone in Ontario. The final supplement. Well, Speaker, it looks like this government is just going to make the same mistake again, that it's made twice already. And people are tired. They're tired of the lockdowns. We have a third wave upon us. In the UK, the third wave in one day, the third wave was worse than the second, and in one day, 1,500 people died in the UK. Charles Gardner, the MOH Medical Officer of Health for Muscova District Health Unit said this, and I quote, be fully prepared to put back in place the stay at home order and the shutdown. Dr. Michael Warner said this, quote, we're being put in a position where we're much more likely to see a third wave. We need to course correct. Why is the government ignoring the experts, ignoring the facts? Why is the Premier prepared to yet again have people get sick, have another lockdown, overwhelm our hospitals, instead of doing the right thing and slowing down the reopening? Minister Powell. Thank you, Speaker, and I would say to the leader of the official opposition through you. I'm not sure what mistakes you're talking about. Since Ontario has the lowest level of cases per 100,000 in the North America, other than the Atlantic bubble at 75 per 100,000. So clearly we are doing some things right. We also created a lab system to be able to test people. We're up to 100,000 people a day that we can manage. We can test up to 100,000 people per day. We created all of that. We've created the vaccine immunization task force. We don't have the supply of vaccines that we need that we're waiting for from the federal government, but notwithstanding that, we've already administered over 500,000 vaccine shots so far. We are doing everything that we can. We are protecting the people of the province of Ontario. And if we need to bring in the emergency break across the province, again, we'll do it. But we are doing everything that we can to not have to do that. And we are relying on the evidence, and we are relying on the medical advice from Dr. Williams in the public health measures table, which I would remind the member opposite contains at least. Thank you very much. The next question, the opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. And I have to say that's not what we've seen here in the legislature. I mean, we came to this legislature this week, the NDP, and put some hopeful, helpful proposals on the table to try to actually do things to help people get through COVID-19 and stop the spread. And it was shocking to see that here we are on the third day and the government has not brought forward a single action, a single action to help people get through COVID-19. There are many things the government can and should do that experts are asking for. Things like paid sick days for workers, so this spread doesn't happen in workplaces. Things like lower class sizes in schools, Speaker, things like the four hours of hands-on care for every person that is living in long-term care. Instead, the Premier comes with threats and insults and bad behavior. The people of Ontario deserve much better than that. When will they start listening to the experts and actually put in place things that will help us get through this next couple of months? Stop the clock. Member for Don Valley East will come to order. The Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry will come to order. Start the clock. Minister of Health to reply. Thank you very much, Speaker. We have taken action since the beginning of this pandemic to protect the people of the province of Ontario with expanding testing, lab capacity, case and contact management, and with respect to the variants of concern that I know Dr. de Villa and Dr. Lowe are very concerned about, we have started a six-point plan which started with mandatory on-arrival testing of international travelers at Pearson Airport. Despite asking the federal government to do this for many, many months, we finally moved that forward ourselves because that's how the variants of concern got into Ontario in the first place. We are waiting for the federal government to take further measures, but in any event, we knew it was necessary to do that screening and we have caught over 2% capacity. We've caught a number of people who inadvertently have COVID-19 coming into Ontario and they are being closely followed to make sure that we control the spread. We also enhance screening and sequencing to identify new variants. That is something that with new testing capacity we can now determine if people are coming in with known variants or if new variants are being determined. We've also maintained public health measures to keep people safe, strengthening case and contact management. Thank you. Supplementary question. Well, Speaker, just a few minutes ago, another suggestion that the NDP brought forward was shot down by this government and that is to actually permanently increase the pay of PSWs in our province. Those folks work very hard. PSWs have one of the hardest jobs in Ontario and yet they are not respected nor are they well paid by this government and sure, there's a temporary increase in their wages. It's going to end on March 31st. Look, the government's own study, own staffing study, showed that the PSW wages need to be increased. In fact, we've known this for a very long time, but particularly in the context of COVID-19, those workers deserve a better pay packet each and every day for the work that they do to protect our seniors in long-term care. When will the government act and permanently increase the wages of PSWs? We also recognize the incredible work that personal support workers provide in hospitals and long-term care homes and home and community care. They are on the front lines. They come to work each and every day. They deserve our additional financial support and that's why we have increased PSW wages, $3 an hour for eligible workers in long-term care, $3 an hour to eligible workers in home and community care, $2 an hour for eligible workers in public hospitals, and $3 per hour for eligible workers in social services providing direct care to support services for the activities of daily living. This is something that we know is very important. We know that we need to keep more PSWs. We know that we need to increase their pay. We are doing that to March 31st, at which point we will reexamine that and see what needs to be done going forward. Thank you. The final supplementary. Well, Speaker, the government needs to assure PSWs that the value of their work is not going to go down suddenly on March 31st. But look, people have made tremendous sacrifices across our province. Folks have dealt with unbelievable loss, loss of loved ones, loss of businesses. It has been a very, very tough time. COVID-19 has really devastated our province. We saw 7,000 people evicted when the government raised the eviction ban last time around. We saw 355,000 people lose their jobs in 2020 because of COVID-19. 6,700 people lose their lives to COVID-19. 3,800 of those in long-term care. And yet the government continues to refuse to do the things that all experts are telling them they need to do. Why is the government putting, why is the Premier putting money ahead of public health? Why are they putting lives ahead of profits and politics? Why will the government not step up and do the right thing to protect Ontarians? Minister of Health to reply. From the beginning, the health and safety of the people of Ontario have been our priority. That is what we have addressed. We have dealt with it in terms of health. We've dealt with it in terms of supports for living, for housing, for every other aspect of people's lives. But with respect to health, that's been first. And we've increased our capacity greatly. We've increased our capacity to make sure that people can be cared for in hospitals. We've put over several billion dollars into doing that. We've put over 450 million dollars into enhancing home and community care. We're working every day to increase our supports and we're working every day to provide inoculations vaccines to every person on Ontario. I'm sure the leader of the Official Opposition is very well aware of the shortages and the shipments that we've not received from both Pfizer and Moderna. We expect to receive significant shipments by the end of this month. That's what we've been advised by the federal government. And we will be able to triple or quadruple our production of immunizations at that point because we're working with each of the public health units across the province. Thank you very much. The next question is a member for Brampton Centre. Thank you and good morning Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The Premier should know, as we do on this side of the House, that frontline healthcare professionals like our personal support workers deserve much better recognition and much better pay than this government has been willing to provide. PSWs have been on the front lines and they are frontline heroes of the disaster in long term care from the beginning of this pandemic speaker. They deserve more than just a temporary pay bump. They deserve a permanent pay raise. Will the Premier support frontline workers and our motion to make the pandemic pay for personal support workers a permanent pay increase? Government House hearing. Sorry, yes, Mr. Speaker. Look, as the Minister of Health highlighted just moments ago, we've actually already done that in a very significant way with respect to the motion that the member just tried to pass through the House with unanimous support. Mr. Speaker, I think it was very clear on that yesterday that these types of motions should be dealt with by the whole by the entire House in the proper fashion that the House has put forward. If it's a good motion, it will pass. If it's not a good motion, it will fail. But trying to do such things with unanimous consent without the opportunity for members to have their say I think is just wrong. Notwithstanding the fact that of course that we have already made significant supports for PSWs, they are the heroes of this, Mr. Speaker, and we've continued to support them and we'll continue to do that. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. What PSWs need is not empty platitudes from this government. They actually need permanent pay increases. The minister and the premium know that the pay increase is set to expire on March 31st, but the crisis in long-term care is still underway. PSWs have been lifelines for family members, residents in long-term care throughout this pandemic, but their pay bump was temporary, Speaker. The government's own staffing strategy clearly urges the government to address the compensation disparities in the sector and that drive the amazing staff out of this workforce. The Premier can fix this today. Will this government support passing our motion to make the pay permanent? That pay increase permanent for PSWs. And again, the government. Again, Mr. Speaker, I just said when the members sought unanimous consent to do that, I think I've been very clear over the last number of days and since I've been in the House Leader's role that the House will deal with motions like this, private members business, in the time that is allotted for us to do so. I think it would be completely inappropriate for us to be passing items through unanimous consent. I say to the member when it is her opportunity to have a bill debated or a motion debated, the House will consider it. If it is a good motion, the House will pass it. If it is not, the House will turn it down. The next question, the member for Durham. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, governments around the world continue to work hard to respond to the wide ranging and unprecedented impacts of COVID-19. As we continue to deal with the risks of new variants in Canada, it's important that we continue to find ways to quickly identify, manage and monitor outbreaks of COVID-19. In my writing, Speaker, I've been really impressed with the work at Ontario Tech University, a recent project I learned about. They started research last June in the Faculty of Science on the early detection of COVID-19, traces of it, in wastewater. And so this project has expanded the City of Berry is now sending samples to Ontario Tech as part of it Durham Region Public Health is sending samples. And so I just wondered if the Minister of Environment, that's who my question is to, Speaker, could tell the House what work his ministry is doing to support this kind of environment in Ontario. Thank you. Minister of the Environment, Conservation Parks. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you very much, member from Durham, for that question. You know, nothing is more important than health and well-being of Ontarians and under the leadership of Premier Ford and our entire caucus. We've worked hard to ensure that we contain the spread of this virus. And as we continue to respond to this pandemic, Mr. Speaker, we've invested over $12 million in a new COVID-19 wastewater surveillance initiative. Moderating wastewater for COVID-19 gives us a choice to real-time way to track the spread of the virus even before people are experiencing the symptoms, Mr. Speaker. And this initiative will help us prevent the further transmission of the virus and save lives. This data allows public health officials to take early action that could prevent further transmission, reduce the severity of outbreaks and again save lives, Mr. Speaker. We hope to build on the good work that is already underway in regions across Ontario and to successfully use wastewater sampling to detect and monitor COVID-19, Mr. Speaker, throughout our communities in Ontario. Thank you. Thank you. A supplementary question. The member for Durham. Thank you, Speaker. And that initiative was announced in budget 2020. And I just want to thank the minister and the whole government for their support of this research. I know how appreciative Ontario Tech University is of that support. Wastewater monitoring is a tool that's being used to identify populations at higher risk of outbreaks even before we're aware that an outbreak is occurring. And scientists are finding that early detection and scientists around the world are finding this that the early detection of COVID-19 traces of it in the wastewater may provide public health authorities with an additional detection tool. This early detection can be used in tandem, not in isolation, but in tandem with clinical testing and other public health data to help inform these real and complex decisions our public health units are making and required for the ongoing management of COVID-19. Can the minister expand on the benefits of wastewater surveillance and how it's being used in Ontario to fight COVID-19? That's pretty environment. Thanks again, from the member opposite or side to me for that question, Mr. Speaker. And wastewater monitoring has been used for years by scientists and public health officials throughout the world as a noninvasive way to monitor how diseases are circling within communities. And for example, wastewater sampling has been used internationally to monitor the surveillance of polio. Our government is partnering with academic institutions in cooperation with public health units municipalities to create an integrated project that expands wastewater sampling and analysis province-wide. Along with other clinical and public health data, wastewater sampling results can help local public health units identify hot spots for the virus and can inform decisions on where and how to mobilize the resources to best deal with that response. Mr. Speaker, this is an Ontario-led approach to wastewater surveillance that we can help ensure that more public health units have access to wastewater data management and enhance the ability of our public health agencies to provide timely responses to COVID-19 and many of our communities and continue to save lives throughout this province, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The next question, the member for Essex. Very much, Mr. Speaker. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Speaker, small businesses across the province are barely hanging on and tragically 10,000 businesses closed their doors forever last year and the CFIB says that one in six business owners are considering permanently closing their doors this year. But again, here today, this government voted against a small business support package voting instead to leave those businesses in the lurch. Speaker, through you to the Premier, Main Street businesses need help today and they are going to need it fast to survive the third wave that is inevitable in this province. Speaker, why won't the government give it to them? The parliamentary system and members who will allow it. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate the member officer bringing up a very important issue. We recognize how difficult this pandemic has been on small businesses and running a small business is hard at the best of times let alone during this very difficult time. And that's why our government has been there for small businesses from the beginning with a series of supports in conjunction with multiple levels of government. Most recently, Mr. Speaker, $1.4 billion allocated to the small business support grant program. I'm proud to say that over 55,000 businesses have received money in hand of up to $20,000 a piece. Speaker, that's $755 million in direct supports for businesses who were forced to shut down as a result of rising COVID-19 numbers. Speaker, we understand that there is more to be done and I look forward to presenting to honor before March 31st of this year our budget for further supports for small businesses. Thank you. A supplementary question. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. If businesses do end up surviving the crisis, it's going to be in spite of this conservative government not because of them or anything that they did or pretend to do. Last year, Speaker, the Premier failed to give businesses rent relief or bring in an eviction ban letting mainstream shops across the province go under for good. He ignored calls for grants and direct supports instead telling businesses that their only option was to take on more debt and just hope for the best. Speaker, again to the Premier, businesses, business owners need more than a hope and a prayer to survive because honestly, most of them don't even have hope right now. Speaker, why won't the government join us to start fighting for small businesses today? The Parliament's Assistant Member for the National Landline. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And Mr. Speaker, our government recognizes that small businesses have been severely impacted by the public health measures that we have put in place to keep Ontarians safe. And that is why we launched the Ontario Small Business Support Grant to provide a minimum of $10,000 and up to $20,000 in support of eligible small businesses. In just a few weeks, we have approved grants for over 55,000 small businesses with over $770 million to these small businesses. And Mr. Speaker, I work with small businesses right across... Member for York Centre will come to order. Sorry to interrupt. Member for Flamborough Glam Brook. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I've worked with small business owners right across the city of Hamilton in the Leader of the Oppositions riding. They've reached out to me. They are grateful for the support that helps them weather the storm through this pandemic. Mr. Speaker, this money can be used for whatever small businesses want. They may need support for paying employee wages or rent while others may need support maintaining their inventory. It was designed to be flexible and to meet the various unique demands of individual small businesses. Thank you very much. The next question, the Member for Scarborough Gilgill. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Speaker, at the beginning of this month, the Scarborough ICU Director was quoted, we are beyond capacity and I expect it will only get worse. Scarborough has remained a hotspot for almost a year now with no break in the spread of the virus in our community. Hospitals are seeing whole families admitted as COVID-19 positive. And sadly, some members of the family don't make it out while others do. And you've heard that Dr. de Villa said yesterday I have never been as worried about the future as I am today. Speaker, how can the residents of Scarborough feel safe with the emergency orders ending its Chief Medical Officer of Health so worried and we're going headlong into a third wave of this virus with unknown variants? Sure. Deputy Premier, what are you doing to make sure that the people of Scarborough feel safe? The Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Well, we have since the beginning of this pandemic taken every step possible to protect the health and safety of all Ontarians. That being said, we recognize that there are some areas where there have been particular difficulties. We made accommodations for that in allowing for things like testing during weekends. People walk in testing rather than to have an appointment. Mobile testing, working with local hospitals for going into neighborhoods and helping out working with community health centers by also having areas where we have set up 1500 isolation spots for people in situations where if they have COVID they can then go and isolate on their own so that they don't have they don't affect other family members. These are all steps that we're taking recognizing that there are some areas that have particular difficulties and that's what we want to do to keep concern at a minimum and not overwhelm our hospital capacity. But we certainly recognize there are areas in Toronto particularly and other areas peel as well where we have to pay particular attention. We are on the testing side and I can also thank you very much. This supplementary question. Here back to the Deputy Premier Deputy Premier we need one of those isolation spots in Scarborough that is family friendly because that's one of the problems that we have. It's been 11 straight months of battling COVID-19 for Scarborough's hospitals doctors nurses orderlies admittance staff frontline workers in our health care system and they are exhausted. I thank them for their compassion and for their care and when it comes to this virus and now with the new variants spreading in our province there is a sense of dread that they have. They don't know what is coming through the door next. Despite loud warning bells the stay at home orders are coming to an end. On Monday in Toronto schools have already reopened the hospital workers in Scarborough know that there's community spread. They know that these changes are going to increase their workload and that more question will die. Speaker through you to the Deputy Premier can you tell us specifically about the genomics testing what variants are we testing and when will you report on this to the people of Ontario. Minister of Health first of all first let me say we are also very grateful for the work that's being done by all of our frontline healthcare workers. They have been really put to the test over the last year. We're certainly aware that many of them are exhausted. That they are working extra hours that they are putting themselves in danger as well. And we hope to be able to have vaccines available to make sure that all of our frontline healthcare workers can be immunized as quickly as possible. But we are aware of the stress in our hospital system capacity. That's why we've put several billion dollars into expanding spots. We've created over 3,300 new beds since this time last year. We know that we need extra spaces just recently. We put another 125 million dollars into creating 500 more spots acute care and medicine beds across the province to make sure that we can handle any surges in capacity. And that is partly with the opening of the Korteluchi Vaughan Hospital and other spaces that are being created. But we are certainly aware of the need for immunization and the screening and testing which you're also asking about. We are testing every single sample now and screening it to do. Thank you very much. Thank you. The next question member for Ottawa Wes McKeon. Thank you Speaker. My question is to the solicitor general. Earlier this year as part of the initial rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in Ontario our government announced that those in Ontario's most remote First Nations communities would be among the first to receive a vaccine. COVID-19 poses an increased risk to these communities due to the long travel required to receive enhanced medical care. We have heard some incredibly uplifting stories about planes filled with precious cargo that were sent north as operation remote immunity to bring the Moderna vaccine to 32 remote and fly in First Nations communities in Ontario. Speaker, I am sure that this is no easy feat given that many of these communities require long travel to receive this enhanced medical care. Can the minister please update the House on how this project is progressing in protecting Ontario's remote communities? Well thank you very much and thank you for the member from Ottawa Wes McKeon. You know the city of Ottawa is not the only public health unit that is doing an excellent job on the vaccine rollout. Operation remote immunity is a truly excellent example. Given the remote nature of the fly in communities it's wonderful to see how our teams and what they have achieved thus far. You know around this time of year we start preparing in the Solicitor General's Office emergency responses for remote communities in case of flooding occurs as a result of the spring melt. We wanted to make sure that these communities were given an opportunity to be vaccinated early to ensure that potential evacuations situations were worsened by a possible COVID-19 infections. Working with Orange Air Ambulance Nishnabi Aski Nation the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry the Canadian Rangers and other partners this program is seeing amazing success. This includes a large and diverse pool of health professionals to administer these vaccines. Our goal is to vaccinate the supplementary question. Well thank you to the minister for that response it is reassuring to hear about all of these partners coming together in support of this critical mission. Throughout this pandemic we have all witnessed phenomenal teamwork from local public health care teams. For example earlier this year in my community the Ottawa hospital showed tremendous leadership in the COVID vaccine rollout by piloting a project to move doses of the Pfizer biotech COVID-19 vaccine outside the Ottawa hospital and deliver them directly to long-term care homes and I commend both Dr. Atchis and Cameron Love for their leadership in Ottawa on this project. The success of this community-based solution has been felt province-wide and is just one example of the success of our vaccine program. Getting the vaccines to those that cannot come to the vaccine is saving lives. Could the Solicitor General offer the legislature a little bit more detail on some early results on how Operation Remote Immunity is protecting these vulnerable communities? The Solicitor General. Thank you. You know I'm proud to say that through the great leadership and support of Ontario's vaccine distribution task force Orange Air Ambulance the indigenous leaders such as Chief Rosanne Archibald we are making great progress. By the numbers I'm proud to confirm that the first doses have been completed in 12 communities with more than 9 additional communities in progress. Over 7,000 first doses have been administered across 21 remote and fly-in communities. Adults in First Nations Métis and Inuit populations living in remote or isolated areas are among the first to receive the vaccine. Operation Remote Immunity is a great example of when we work together even with limited supply we are offering vaccines and getting communities vaccinated across Ontario. Thank you Speaker. Thank you very much. The next question the member for our Kitchener Centre. Thank you Mr Speaker. My question is to the Premier COVID-19 has exposed a gaping wound in the senior sector. The government has failed to deliver on the iron ring that they promised almost a year ago and now thousands of seniors have lost their lives. Our call for a seniors advocate will help to ensure that this never happens again. And so through you Mr Speaker to the Premier will the government pass my bill to establish the first ever seniors advocate in Ontario. The Minister of Children Community and Social Services. Well thanks very much Mr Speaker and thanks to the member opposite for the question. The health and well-being of the seniors in the province of Ontario is our top priority and I think that's been illustrated by all of the actions that our government has been taking. We believe that it's fundamentally important as well for seniors to have a seat at the cabinet table and that's why we've established the Ministry of Seniors and accessibility to address those issues on a daily basis and ensure we're shining a spotlight on the need to enhance the unique challenges that come from that sector every day. And I'm proud to say that we have a very active minister of seniors and accessibility. I know my cabinet colleagues will agree that every opportunity Minister Cho has an opportunity to address something that the government is doing. He puts that lens on it Mr Speaker. We've announced several very important initiatives to support seniors during the COVID-19 outbreak and I'll outline some of those in the supplementary but we are committed to ensuring that our seniors stay healthy and active members of their community. Thank you Mr Speaker. Door knobs were taken off of doors in retirement homes and there was nowhere for anybody to place their complaints. I'm going to talk to you about somebody in my riding Linda Perez. She's from my riding and she's struggling to make sure that her father who's suffering from dementia has the quality of care that he deserves. Linda's father is 76. He's receiving some support but unfortunately some of the care is making it worse. He's been given the wrong dosage of medication. He's been subject to disrespect and now his family is being put through the ringer trying to find him the care and the care workers that he needs. Speaker this is why we need a seniors advocate to give these families hope that government will finally fix the care system for older adults in this province and so through you Mr Speaker and back to the Premier why is the government standing in the way of Ontario seniors getting the independent non-partisan advocate that families are calling for? Mr Children Committee and Social Services Well thanks again Speaker and I can tell you there's no greater advocate for seniors in the province of Ontario than minister Raymond Chow he's doing an outstanding job he really is committed and I wish people could really see minister Chow in our cabinet meetings when we're talking about these very important issues you know our government is committed to enhancing the lives of our seniors we've committed 16 million dollars to the Ontario community support program ensuring that vital services are provided to vulnerable populations including seniors when they're self isolating we've also invested four and a half million dollars in the seniors community grant program dedicated to creating more supports for seniors in all of our communities across the province we've committed 61 million dollars in infection control measures to protect our seniors in licensed retirement homes across Ontario Speaker we recognize many seniors are forced to self isolate and that's why there are many programs dedicated to the mental health of our seniors as well and I can tell you there's a free service available 24 seven if you don't know all the services that are available to you simply call 211 Mr. Speaker it's a free call 24 seven over 150 language thank you very much the next question the member for Don Valley East thank you very much Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question today is to the minister of labour minister your government refuses to support paid sick days you constantly refer to it as a duplication of a federal program but your federal counterpart in Ottawa has been on the record saying that it's not a substitute for paid sick leave which normally falls under provincial jurisdiction she also denied that a provincial program would be a duplication minister you have the power to put in place a provincial sick day program to protect workers their families and the workplace minister will you reconsider your rejection of paid sick days and support one of the two bills in this house I'll remind members to make their comments through the chair not directly across the floor to respond on behalf of the government the member for Burlington and parliamentary assistant thank you so much speaker speaker for 81 years governments of all political strikes at all levels have recognized that the federal government is best equipped to operate and manage these employment support programs there is no reason for this province to duplicate an existing federal program and just to be clear there's 73 percent unspent monies there's 800 million waiting to be spent it is our responsibility it is our responsibility to let people know that they can phone workers can phone and add to the Canada recovery and sickness benefit 1-800-959-2019 so supplementary question thank you very much Mr. Speaker minister your premise said that the federal government should add more money to the CRSB actually suggested that they double it from $500 to $1,000 per month minister with all due respect your government has not invested a single dime and put cash in the hands of workers during this challenging time meanwhile the federal government has made up to $49,200 available for a family of four during this global pandemic other jurisdictions in Canada provinces territories have stepped up in the Yukon for example a program has been put in place to rebate employers the cost of providing 10 paid sick days minister will you reconsider your position for paid sick days and provide the stability the predictability and the protections that Ontario workers are looking for? one more time make your comments through the chair the response the member for Burlington there were two provinces that had paid sick days they cancelled their programs once the federal supports were in place there was no other province or territory in Canada that is looking to duplicate the federal government's 10 paid sick days again people at home that are watching so we're clear please call over to the Canada recovery and sickness benefit 1-800-959-2019 so you can get your $800 million is waiting to be spent thank you so much order order the next question the member for Northumberland Peter Burrow-Seth thank you thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Associate Minister of Energy we know that this pandemic has been hard hit for families seniors and businesses across Ontario in recent months I've heard from many of my constituents who have struggled to make ends meet Mr. Speaker this is a plight felt across Canada across the world as we look forward to a gradual and safe order for the response framework regions across our province are wondering and I'm asking the Minister of Energy what supports are in place to help businesses to help individuals help them struggling to pay their electricity bills thank you Mr. Speaker once again please make your comments through the chair the way you might phrase it is Mr. Speaker I would like to ask the minister whatever you want to say and make the comments that way Associate Minister of Energy very much Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for that important question and for his incredible work on behalf of the people and businesses of Northumberland Peterborough South Mr. Speaker our government acted quickly and decisively to minimize the financial burden face banterns while asking them to stay at home during the COVID emergency we did this by holding the off-peak electricity rate to 8.5 cents per kilowatt hour starting on January 1st this lower rate remains in effect 24 hours per day seven days a week Mr. Speaker we did this to get families small businesses and farms stable and predictable electricity bills when they needed it the most this rate will be in place until February 22nd as more public health regions transition back into the COVID-19 response framework Mr. Speaker providing this rate relief on electricity bills has helped all internal families and small businesses in a real and meaningful way as we now look forward to a safe reopening and focus on economic recovery thank you speaker supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for that answer Mr. Speaker we know the tough situation Ontarians were left in after the electricity mess the previous government left this province in Mr. Speaker I know that this support for electricity relief is appreciated by the people of Northumberland Peterborough South minister through you Mr. Speaker minister can you inform this house about the COVID-19 energy assistance program and additional supports available for businesses and individuals in Northumberland Peterborough South and across the province of Ontario thank you the associate minister of energy thank you again to the member from Northumberland Peterborough South for the great question we know that many small businesses have been struggling and this is why supporting them has been an urgent priority for our government under our COVID-19 energy assistance program or CEP we've already provided help to more than 17,000 small businesses with over 35 million dollars in payments issued so far we've also made it easier for businesses to access this support by expanding eligibility criteria any residential small business or registered charity customer who are behind in their electricity or natural gas bills on or after March 17th 2020 is eligible to apply for support through CEP and I encourage them to do so Mr. Speaker under this program small businesses and charities can receive up to 1500 dollars in support per regulated fuel type whether it's electricity or natural gas residential customers could also receive up to 750 dollars per fuel type Mr. Speaker our government is proud to be helping small businesses and ratepayers in the members riding and all across interior recover from this extraordinary crisis and lead our economic recovery thank you next we have the member for Niagara Falls thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier last month the family of 35 years old Chris Clavers contacted me about his horrible condition Chris had to live with at Great Cliff Manor a retirement home Chris's family documented the conditions of his room feces and urine in his bed and on the floor his 12 year old daughter was laying in the bed with him when he died the sheets hadn't been changed in weeks I contacted Public Health the retirement home regulatory authority and the minister's office Great Cliff's owners had previously had their license revoked but still run the home with a third party operator until June 1st how could the RHA allow this home to have residents living in their such awful awful conditions will the Premier make the necessary changes and ensure that the retirement home residents are actually protected and the homes are held accountable you're here thank you Chris Clavers Minister of Children Community and Social Services thanks very much Mr. Speaker and thanks to the member opposite for the question I know he did reach out to the minister of seniors and accessibility about this issue and it was most appreciative to hear from him we would like to express our sympathies first of all to the families affected by the stressful situation involving the retirement home which is owned by the Martino family speaker and upon learning of the alleged disturbing reports we acted quickly and reached out to the RHA as the member opposite mentioned as well to ensure a thorough investigation is conducted into this matter speaker we've been assured by the RHA that they will not hesitate to take appropriate action to protect all residents from any harm or or risk of harm that may be there the Canadian Red Cross has been supporting the home with infection prevention and control measures since the 5th of February and we will continue to focus on protecting the health and safety of the residents but I thank the member from Niagara Falls for raising this issue with the minister a supplementary question no 12 year old daughter should have to have this the last few moments with their father in those conditions anywhere in the province of Ontario back to the Premier Chris should never ended up at Great Cliff Manor in Niagara Falls with complex medical needs St. Joe's Hospital in Hamilton discharged Chris to Great Cliff Manor Retirement Hall where they don't have the staff or the expertise to manage complex medical needs last year's auto generals report noted this widespread problem in Ontario with thousands with thousands of retirement home beds being used as alternate level of care residents Speaker will the Premier agree to replace the RHRA with a body that has the authority and the mandate to enforce strict regulations ensure people are cared for in a safe clean needs appropriate home in the province of Ontario thank you thank the children's community for your concern Thanks Speaker and thanks again to the member opposite for raising this very important issue I think there is unanimity amongst all members of this house that the situation that the member has described is not tolerable in any way and that's why the ministry has acted quickly when it comes to a Great Cliff Manor home and we don't tolerate any violations of the Retirement Homes Act or associated regulations we brought in the RHRA quickly they've been investigating here and we look forward to their findings in the review that they're conducting right now we support the RHRA's decision of ensuring the bad actors in the retirement home sector cannot continue operating especially in this manner and the RHRA had issued a management order for a Great Cliff Manor last year and in order to revoke the license of the home by June 1st of this year the RHRA has been doing its job by using its enforcement power speaker to make sure that licensed retirement homes are meeting the required standards set out by the province thank you very much the next question the member for Gwell Good morning speaker my question is for the premier Ontarians are confused the government doesn't have money to pay for paid sick days or long-term care staff but it has six to ten billion dollars to build a highway that will pave over 400 acres of the green belt and 2,000 acres of prime farmland to save commuters 30 seconds highway 413 is not only a waste of money it threatens food and farming jobs food security during a pandemic and flood protection this highway will super-charge sprawl and benefit speculators but Ontarians will foot the bill speaker will the premier listen to farmers listen to local elected leaders and community organizations calling on the premier to stop paving over the places we love by canceling highway 413 government house leader thank you very much thank you very much mr. Speaker as the member knows just just the other day in fact the minister of municipal affairs and housing outlined a a significant expansion of the green belt in the province of Ontario which includes something that the member raised the Paris galt moraine that she raised in the private members bill when it comes to building infrastructure in the province of Ontario we've been very clear from the start that there was an infrastructure deficit that that we inherited and that we had to do our best to get people moving around whether it's subways mr. Speaker whether it's roads and highways we are going to make those investments but we'll do it in a way that is respectful obviously order environment which is respectful and takes into considerations what we're hearing from our partners at at different levels mr. Speaker and that includes this project and the supplementary question speaker of course I support expanding the green belt but no possibility of expanding the green belt will cover up the government's efforts around environmental destruction actions speak louder than words if the government is serious about expanding the green belt they would cancel the destruction of the Duffins Creek wetland they would restore the power of conservation authorities they would cancel highway 413 they would bring back proper environmental assessments and they will restore municipal regulation to blow the water table aggregate extraction all actions that affect the integrity of the green belt so speaker will the minister give his green belt conversation a bit of credibility by committing today to canceling highway 413 restoring the ability of ca to protect us from flooding and bringing back the environmental protections that the premier has taken away that's a great question minister of municipal affairs and housing finally speaker a question about growing the green belt fantastic I was very proud yesterday speaker to make an announcement that the government is delivering on our promise in the 2020 budget to grow the quality and the quantity of the green belt and speaker the member opposite I would have thought would have been a little more enthusiastic because I remember very clearly seeing the member before he was elected at MPP up in the gallery watching debate and I remember talking to him about how that he wanted to put partnership over partisanship so I'm glad that he cornered I'm glad that we we cornered part of his private members bill on the periscope response added it to the consultation because I believe as members of this house believe that we can make some some good gains as a government in growing the green belt by looking at the urban river valleys and by looking at the periscope thank you thank you very much question the member for Thunder Bay Atticope thank you speaker my question is for the premier Alston has now taken over bombardiers operations in Thunder Bay and Toronto still needs transit vehicles there will be further layoffs at the plant unless the province stands up now and commits to funding new orders what is this government's plan to secure those good northern Ontario jobs at the Alston plant the government house Peter thank you very much Mr. Speaker I'm grateful that the member at least recognizes the important work that this government has been doing to expand transit transportation opportunities across the the province of Ontario including the most significant expansion of subway service that this province has seen since a previous conservative government was a course of power Mr. Speaker that includes the Ontario line which we've announced that includes the expansion of the of the subway and to Scarborough that includes light rail Mr. Speaker of course we will always be looking at not only expanding transit transportation but also making sure that those who supply these very important pieces of the puzzle will have will play a very significant role we have some of the greatest workers in the world right here in the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker and that's why we're able to accomplish so much when it comes to transit transportation I am so proud response this government is making the most significant expansion of of of public transportation in the history of this province Mr. Speaker and I'm grateful for the member for recognizing that and I hope she will continue to support us on these important initiatives supplementary question Thank you Speaker again to the Premier Ontario needs a real plan for economic recovery after COVID and it needs it now and we need more jobs now the province can create those jobs in Thunder Bay by committing to order made in Ontario transit vehicles now there's been a lot of talk but not enough action meanwhile hundreds of my constituents have lost their jobs why won't this government act now Governor House later well Mr. Speaker of course as I just said we are making significant investments in transit and transportation not only across the GTA we are waiting for some some additional support from our federal partners Mr. Speaker whether it's in Hamilton or in my across my area York Region Mr. Speaker we've made significant contributions I know that the people in the surrounding areas York Region is prepared to make significant contributions the City of Toronto is prepared to make significant contributions we are waiting for that partnership agreement from the federal government Mr. Speaker they have said that they would come to the table in the last election they said they would come to the table we're still waiting for them to come to the table and sign off so that we can continue the massive expansion she is absolutely correct Mr. Speaker these types of investments not only benefit local communities but they benefit the people across the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker I know just a segue a little bit but remember for starting with line five and Enbridge these are all things that come together to keep people of the province of Ontario working we should be proud of our workers and this government will do everything that we can to save protect and enhance those jobs Mr. Speaker the next question the member for Ottawa so very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of long-term care and we all knew that address addressing the critical staffing shortage in long-term care was the most important thing we could do to protect all residents in long-term care from the second wave and in September the government announced 14 million dollars to train and recruit PSWs and then in January we learned that the government set aside 42 million dollars for security guards in long-term care so Speaker through you can the minister explain why her ministry is spending three times as much money on security guards as they are in recruiting and retraining and training PSWs thank you Speaker Minister of long-term care thank you Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question it's been very clear that staffing in long-term care has been neglected for many many years and dozens of reports commissioned by previous governments order all stripes from stakeholders academics and labourers have fallen on deaf ears we are committed to increasing the quality of care and we're doing this by investing 1.9 billion dollars annually by 20 by 2024-25 to create more than 27,000 new positions for PSWs and RNs despite the empty promises of the former Liberal government it will be our concerned government that delivers on providing an average of four hours member for Don Valley East come to order the supplementary member for Don Valley East will come to order the minister of that resources and forestry come to order supplementary question thank you speaker well the minister may accuse us of neglecting it's very clear that she is right now if she's spending three times as much money on security guards as she is on training PSWs that's neglect so we all knew that staffing was an issue so last summer when homes were begging speaker begging for a plan to recruit PSWs that didn't come until September the province of Quebec said we need 10,000 PSWs we need them and you know what they they went out to do that and they didn't get they didn't get 10,000 PSWs they only got 7,000 but that's about 7,000 more than Ontario got so Quebec took action to address their need and the results are clear in the per capita outbreaks being less in Quebec than they are in Ontario so their effort minister made a difference speaker made a big difference question so once again Ontario is lagging behind other provinces so one more time can the minister explain why they're spending three times as much money on security guards as they are on training PSWs thank you speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question we are the first government to understand the importance of changes that are so desperately needed in long-term care the opposition had the opportunity to support staffing with build 124 and they voted against it the NDP and the Liberals voted against regulation 2010-20 allowing for the change of management of homes and outbreaks it is constant that the stage was set by the inaction of the previous government the NDP and the Liberals voted against regulation 1077-20 which allows for staff to be deployed to priority areas the NDP and the Liberals voted against regulation 95-20 allowing for homes to respond to resident care needs by streamlining reporting the NDP and Liberals voted against regulation 146-20 the one site order that reduced travel between homes the measures that our government took to protect our seniors thank you thank you very much the next question the member for Otto Austin thank you speaker my question is for the premier it's about paid sick days and I have to admit it's been tough this week to sit in the chamber and listen to this government defend a failing federal program I've heard members of this government give out the phone number you know what the phone number should be speaker it should be 1-800 useless that's what the phone number should be because you have to work 50% of a week you wait for days for the program to come when will this government step up because you know who wants them to step up let me tell you who wants them to step up Jessica Carpinone small business owner and auto center she is a small business that's been delivering paid sick days to her workers since 2013 she wants you to step up she wants you to stop dodging and playing jurisdictional ping pong people are getting sick people are dying when are you going to show a leadership role spend some of the COVID money given to you and take action with the paid sick day program now perhaps for the last time today I'll remind members to make their comments through the chair member for Burlington to respond parliament you know what stepping up is stepping up is when we negotiated a historic 1.1 billion federal program that workers get 10 paid sick days I noticed when I talked about the 800 million waiting to be spent everybody over there their jaws drop but what let me just be clear there's 110,000 Ontarians independent members just so we do the math together here today to date there's only 271 million that has been accessed so that leaves 800 million waiting to be spent again the 188 188 number 9592019 so people's mouths don't drop when they know there's 800 million dollars waiting to be spent that concludes our question period for today point of order government yes speaker just in accordance with I believe the standing order 59 outline the business for next week Monday morning February 22nd we will begin with ballad item number 49 standing in the name of the member for Mississauga Streetsville and we will continue on in the afternoon with bill 245 accelerating access to justice fact Tuesday February 23rd in the morning we will continue on with bill 238 the workplace safety and insurance amendment act in the afternoon bill 245 elect accelerating access to justice act and in the evening PMB standing in the name of the member for Perry sound Mississauga bill 228 keeping polystyrene out of Ontario's lakes and rivers on Wednesday in the morning we will continue with bill 245 accelerating access to justice act in the in the afternoon government notice of motion number 101 and PMB ballot item 51 from the member for York South Weston we'll do that say the COVID-19 strategy on Thursday February 25th in the morning of in the morning bill 245 accelerating access to justice act in the afternoon there will be a take note debate Mr. Speaker on line five in the PMB ballot item number 52 standing in the name of the member for London West unknown at this time with that with the member will be bringing forward I mean anxiously await some indication from the member as to what she will be debating on that day thank you Mr. Speaker thank you very much Member for York Center has a point of order Mr. Speaker I'm seeking unanimous consent to move a motion without notice regarding notice private members public business for York Center is seeking unanimous consent of the House to move a motion without notice with respect to private members public business agreed heard a note this House stands in recess until 1 p.m