 time for question period and I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you kindly speaker. Speaker my first question is to the acting premier it's been over 20 years since the last conservative government announced their plans to mess with home care and introduce competition and more privatization and we're still living with the results today. Private sector providers making healthy profits while personal support workers make little more the minimum wage and are leaving the field in droves for more job security while wait times for home care services can stretch for years and years. What patients heard yesterday was the same conservative government using the same language that they heard before. Why would they believe anything would change? Well I thank the member for the question but the reason why we have introduced to the Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act is to make sure that people receive the care that they expect and deserve. Right now there is a disconnect between our primary care system and our home and community care system. We want to bring it together so that when people who are being discharged from hospital but require home care leave the hospital they will know who is providing the home care what home care is being provided and when it's going to be provided that doesn't always happen now and people end up back in hospital with complications. We want to make sure that when people are discharged from hospital they have the home and community care supports that they need to get well. Supplementary question. Well, patients are still living with the broken home care system created by the Harris Conservatives and kept in place by the Liberals and the results speak for themselves speaker. One study showed nearly 80% of personal support workers were unhappy with the job and yesterday's patient Ombudsman report said this and I quote, patients and caregivers often reported that they had no notice that services would not be available on a given day and they were left on their own to put contingency plans in place and quote. Like the Liberals before them, the Ford government says it will deal with the chronic shortage of personal support workers when will patients actually see a change. Minister. Thank you. Well, I appreciate the personal support workers are an important part of home and community care, but there's a much bigger picture here. However, let me just read a quote from Miranda Ferrier, the president of Ontario Personal Support Workers Association. The proposed changes announced for home and community care in Ontario will provide personal support workers, patients and clients and new opportunity to work together to make Ontario health teams a success. Streamlining and modernizing the scheduling and funding process will offer Ontarians greater access to supports while also promoting continuity of care. The association hopes that these changes will work to stabilize and modernize the PSW profession. We know that it will. The final supplement. Well, Speaker, hope springs eternal when it comes to the way conservatives deal with our health care system. I have to say that what the minister is at recognizing is that it's the frontline workers that make all of the difference. And in this home care system, that's the PSW's. Last October, I asked the Premier about Maria Conas Pescus, an Ottawa resident who has been living literally living in the hospital since 2017 because the personal support workers in home care that she needs aren't available to her. She's still in that hospital. She is still waiting. She's one of many Ontarians who've been let down by a broken home care system that the Liberals had in place and it remains in place. No one is fooled by the government's plans for more for profit operators and a new mega bureaucracy. The simple question is this, when will patients like Maria get the support that they need? I would say to the member that should this legislation that's been introduced in this chamber yesterday passed, people will see immediate improvement in the supports that they will receive because we are working on a number of fronts. The member has indicated the leader of the official opposition has indicated that personal support workers are an issue that we need to deal with. We recognize that we are looking at the health human resource strategy across the board. My colleague, the minister of personal care is looking at it in long term care homes. We are looking at it in hospitals and home support. But let me just read you another quote with respect to one of the key players in this whole transition, the CEO of Home Care Ontario. Home care Ontario welcomes the government's move to modernize home and community care. Today's changes will allow patients to better access the right care at the right time and in the right place. These changes will make the system work more efficiently and ultimately will allow local health teams to better work together to keep people healthier. Thank you very much. The next question, once again, the leader of the opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next questions to the acting Premier, but I can say if this government can't get license plates, right? How are they going to get home care right? That's right. Yesterday, the Premier insisted that the real people backed his plan for education cuts and classroom conflict. Was the Premier briefed on the results of his own government's consultation on education? Oh. Minister of Education. Mr. Speaker, it is the voices of parents and students that has guided our government in this negotiation, and that is order and that is precisely why, Speaker, we have confirmed that we will keep classes low in this province for students in Ontario. In fact, under our government and under the Premier's leadership, we are keeping classrooms the smallest in the nation for the earliest years. We are doing that because we are listening. What we've also heard loud and clear is that parents want us to stand strong, to see more money in schools, not in entitlements and benefits and wages for educators, and that's exactly what we're going to do, Speaker. Well, Speaker, last year, the Premier bragged that the Ford government consultations were the largest consultations in Ontario's history. Yesterday, the result of that consultation went public. Among other things, the secret internal government report said there was no, quote, virtually no support for larger class sizes. How can this government claim that they're on the side of parents and teachers and students when they're literally doing exactly the opposite of what they were told by parents and students and teachers? Mr. Speaker, we are on the side of parents and students by ensuring that the best educators at the front of class. Mr. Speaker, this government is on the side of parents and students by suggesting that more money entering the system ought to go in schools, and not ought to go, Speaker, in a higher benefit asked by the teachers' unions. And we respect our educators. We value what they do. We pay them well. But the priority of the government, listening, heeding the advice of parents and taxpayers in Ontario is to put more money where it counts. That's in mental health. That's in STEM education. That's in math. That's in the priorities that people want. It's what we're going to deliver in this negotiation, Speaker. The final supplementary. Well, Speaker, the Premier and the Minister can't have it both ways. Well, the Premier was standing here yesterday spinning tales about make-believe people who want cuts in the classroom. He was sitting on a government report that showed exactly the opposite. No one believes him anymore. No one believes the Education Minister anymore. Will the government stop talking about their imaginary supporters? Take the advice of parents, teachers and school boards, the advice that was given them during the government's own consultations, cancel the cuts and get to work on actually making a deal that works for our classrooms and our kids. Well, Speaker, the deal that we seek is one that keeps kids in class a good deal for students that puts their interests ahead of union interests. And that's what we believe is so important to advance in this negotiation. In this negotiation, we're going to keep classroom sizes low. We're going to keep this, we're going to maintain in writing a full day kindergarten. We're going to commit to invest 100% investments in STEM, pardon me, in special education to help the most vulnerable kids in our school. Speaker, this is a good plan for kids. What you can have both ways, Speaker, is small classroom sizes or more investments in kids and heightened compensation. We choose, we choose not to raise taxes to keep them low and to invest the taxpayers' dollars where it matters, and that's the success of our students. The next question, the member for Davenport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And my question is actually to the minister of education on a similar topic. Time after time in committees and here in this chamber, we've asked this government to table the results of that education consultation. And now we know why they did everything in their power to stop it from coming to light. The Premier knew Ontarians opposed his plan before making a name for herself in the license plate business. The former education minister knew as well and the current minister knows it too. People do not want more children jammed in fewer classrooms with less supports. Will the minister finally admit that this plan has nothing to do with modernizing education and everything to do with saving money on the backs of the next generation of students? Well, Speaker, it is this government that is investing more in public education. That's why we believe, Speaker, in the defense of education. But we also believe in getting more out of the system. We also believe, Speaker, that more money should be flowing in schools. And this negotiation, let me just confirm what we're fighting for with precision. We're committed to keeping classroom sizes low for elementary and high school students in this province. In fact, the smallest classroom sizes in the Federation for the earliest years. We're committing a hundred percent investment in special education to support those with needs in our schools. But we're also committed to maintaining our position on a fair one percent increase in benefits and wages for our workers. We think that is in the public interest to put more money where it counts in the success of our students. And that is precisely what we're doing in this negotiation. Mr. Speaker, the only folks in this province benefiting from this government's plan to cut classrooms are the private school companies with ratios of 14 to 1. As the details of this top secret apparently consultation report came out, we're hearing even more voices who told the government not to do this. School boards, the Black Educators Association, directors of education, superintendents, the list goes on. They made it clear that increasing class sizes was going to hurt our kids. Submission after submission said this would negatively affect courses available, increase safety issues, limit achievement, and limit career pathways for our students. Will the minister finally stop using our children as pawns in this bargaining game and reverse his cuts to education? Mr. Speaker, we went to the negotiating table on Monday to get a deal. We tabled what I believe to be positive proposals for students. Keeping classroom sizes low, 100% investment in special education, and more importantly, a commitment in writing to maintain full-day kindergarten. We also asserted the willingness to use our children as pawns in the future. And we also made it clear to the government that we would not be able to use our children as pawns. We also asserted that we will maintain the line on a 1% increase in wages and benefits. And what the response was from the union is that they want higher wages, and if we do not give in on higher benefits rather, that they will continue to strike. That is unacceptable. Member for Davenport, come board. We're going to hold the line in the defense of money in schools and our students. That's what parents expect, Speaker. The next question, the member for Don Valley North. Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health. For months, we have seen news report from around the world about COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. This illness has been spread within Hubei province in China and the other jurisdiction has been taking steps to protect their citizens. Here in Ontario, we learned a great deal from the last outbreak in 2003, which saw Toronto Public Health system put under significant strength. We have seen close relationship, cooperation between all of our health authorities as Ontario and the rest of Canada prepare to respond to this outbreak. Can the Minister tell us more about the Ontario approach to the COVID-19? Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to the member from Don Valley North for your question, which I know is important to all Ontarians. Our public health authorities have responded to COVID-19 with all of the hard work and professionalism that the people of Ontario have come to expect. When dealing with an illness like COVID-19, cooperation and transparency are key. Ontarians should continue to look to public health officials for updates as the situation evolves. We are working with the federal government to ensure that our public health care system will respond appropriately. I would like to thank all of our skilled health workers who have brought their considerable experience and professionalism to deal with this situation. We all owe them a big debt of gratitude. The people of Ontario have been and will always be our top priority. A supplementary question. Thank you Speaker and thank you to the Minister for update. I would also like to thank our health care provider for the excellent care they provide in our community each and every day. Ontario is approaching this situation by prioritising transparency and open communication. I appreciate the regular update from the public health officials providing accurate information to the public on this situation. Thanks to these updates we know that there are many measures in place to help contain the virus. Can the Minister speak to some of the other steps that have been taken to protect the public from COVID-19? Thank you. Thank you. Since learning of the virus Ontario has responded to COVID-19 by monitoring hospitals for potential cases of the virus in individuals with a travel history from some of the affected areas. Public health units have quickly and effectively taken all necessary measures to investigate complete tests of the virus. Emergency health services communication centres across Ontario have implemented enhanced screening protocols. The Ministry of Health has also met with hospitals, paramedics and public health units near Pearson International Airport to provide further information on federal border screening measures. We are also continuing to collaborate with the federal government and our government will continue to actively work with our health care partners to monitor for detect and if needed contain any cases of COVID-19. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Essence. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Economic Development. Ontario families are still waiting for answers from the Ford Government about the shadowy Vaughan working families group and their efforts to ensure that the minister's service is in place. The Minister of Economic Development said in a report to the minister that they have yet to receive a response to four simple questions put to the minister regarding recently appointed vice chair of the LCBO Kinto Anibali. Mr. Anibali we now know received the invoice for these dark money ads. He also joined Mr. Kinto Anibali's connection to the ad campaign and any role in its placement prior to it being reported in the media. Questions to the Minister of Economic Development. Ontario businesses engage in a rigorous open and fair application process whatever we lead missions overseas. In fiscal 2018-19 nearly 800 small and medium size enterprises participated in our government facilitated business missions. Participating delegates are required to cover their own expenses including flights, accommodation and delegate fees. I have not had any contact with Mr. Anibali in regards to the education advertisements that appeared in newspapers earlier this month and as my colleague the minister of education has stated our government remains focused on keeping kids in the classroom. Thank you for your question. It is clear that the minister had a relationship with Mr. Anibali and a strong one at that because it's not every day that a newly appointed vice chair of the LCBO gets invited to travel the world on a trade mission. Did the minister have a relationship with Mr. Anibali or at any point before this trip and if so was it disclosed to any member of cabinet before his visit to the LCBO? Minister? As I said in my previous answer I have not spoken to Mr. Anibali regarding the advertisements the member is referring to. As with any participating delegate on a business mission all businesses are responsible for covering their own expenses including flights, accommodations and delegate fees. But we are proud of the tangible events that came out of our mission and Mr. Anibali has mentioned it. VVDN Technologies announced they will be opening a new facility in Kitchener Waterloo employing 200 engineering jobs. I am surprised the member hasn't asked about the 200 new engineering jobs in Kitchener Waterloo. VVDN Technologies is already located in Kitchener with their office and they will be starting their hiring in the next couple of weeks. I could go on for hours and be very proud of our record of job creation and leading the nation in job creation. Thank you Speaker. Thank you Speaker. My question is to the Deputy Premier. Today I am joined by representatives from Children's Mental Health Organizations. Our Children and Youth Mental Healthcare is in crisis. Over the last two years we have seen a doubling of the number of mental health services in this province. We have seen rising suicide rates and an increase in avoidable hospital visits for mental health care. Our youth are benefiting from decreasing stigma and seeking care in a higher numbers for anxiety and depression. However despite the Conservatives campaigning on matching federal mental health investments they have not kept their word. The Deputy Premier explained why this promise to the youth of this province has not been kept. The Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Our government is delivering real action by investing a historic $3.8 billion over the next 10 years to build a comprehensive integrated and connected mental health and addiction system one that is evidence based data driven and meets the needs and their families. We are committed to building a system where services are easier to access, high quality and focused on better outcomes for everyone including children, youth and their parents. And under the leadership of our Premier our government has invested an additional $10 million annually in child and youth mental health core services funding in communities across the province nearly $40 million targeting mental health supports for Ontario students $6 million in intensive services for youth with addictions including withdrawal management services and residential treatment $3.5 million for early psychosis intervention services $1 million for a new provincial eating disorders prevention and early intervention program. Our government is also providing $3.3 million over four years for a pilot to test an integrated youth in this province. Mr. Speaker, we are making the supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. And I thank the minister for his response. But, Speaker, the Children's Mental Health Ontario estimates that the investment that we're asking for today would pay for itself by saving thousands of dollars in avoidable hospital visits per year. So while this government is looking for savings for youth in this province, there is a real human cost to inaction. In the past ten months, the University of Ottawa has seen five students die by suicide. Our kids can't wait two and a half years on a waiting list for services and for supports. BB, a student at the University of Ottawa says, I have an outrage critical that institutions, especially government and universities adopt meaningful and effective mental health policies and provide adequate resources to those in need. So, Speaker, I'm asking this minister to commit today to flow... Thank you. Thank you. Please take your seat. Please take your seat. The minister to respond. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And today, as you all know, is Ping Shirt Day and the anti-bullying... It's an important thing that we recognize as members of the legislature and that we support our students, our youth, because it is another issue that affects mental health as well. Bullying is something that's very serious and affects many, many people. Mr. Speaker, we inherited a system under the previous government that was plagued with issues. There are problems of accessing services. There is a fragmented system. There are barriers to accessing those services, whether you're a child, a youth, an adult, or a senior for that matter. And what we're trying to do, Mr. Speaker, is look, and we've met with stakeholders. We've met with youth organizations. We've met with people with lived experience. And what we've done is we've worked diligently to create. We're launching the mental health plan for the province. Mr. Speaker, we take the youth the suicide rates very seriously and we were working to create a... Thank you very much. The next question, the member from WITTEA. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Energy. Speaker Otero is the leading the way on small modular reactor development to create a more clean and reliable energy future. SMRs have the potential to generate clean low-cost energy and drive job creation, economic growth and export opportunities. Can the Minister tell this House how he's promoting Ontario's existing nuclear supply chain and experienced nuclear operators to support SMR development and deployment? Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Alliance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member from WITTEA, part of the DERM4 who not only wear the coolest sunglasses throw the greatest parties Mr. Speaker, but our big fans of the nuclear sector and this exciting next generation or chapter for the nuclear sector and Ontario is going to lead the way, Mr. Speaker. Last December, the Premier led the charge with a memorandum of understanding we were joined by the provinces of Saskatchewan and New Brunswick who have raw materials implicated in this development, who have technology implicated in this development, and already we're hearing from other provinces and territories who see real science and real opportunity for Ontario to lead the charge for this exciting technology, Mr. Speaker. I'm heading up to Ottawa for the next couple of days to join people with the Canadian Nuclear Association Conference. We're going to be hosting panels, Mr. Speaker, in talking about the exciting opportunity that Ontario has to move small modular reactors forward, lead the world, Mr. Speaker and make safe clean energy for this province and across this country and around the world. Thank you. Thank you to the minister for the answer and I can see the importance in expanding our nuclear industry here in Ontario. Can the minister explain the benefits of this small modular reactor agreement to our local industry? Minister? Thank the member for that question, Mr. Speaker. Let's start with some important statistics or facts here, Mr. Speaker. First of all, nuclear generation accounts for 62% of our supply in this province but only 45% of its cost. Contrast that with wind and solar combined 9% of our electricity generation but over 25% of its cost, Mr. Speaker. Turns out the answer isn't blown in the wind, Mr. Speaker. It's about investing in 76,000 people who are employed, Mr. Speaker, in a nuclear sector with science, technology, engineering and mathematics backgrounds, Mr. Speaker. A high prevalence of women leading the charge in this exciting sector, Mr. Speaker. An opportunity for small modular reactors to be the solutions for off-grid opportunities, Mr. Speaker. Remote and isolated communities and resource projects in Canada's remote parts, Mr. Speaker. Ontario is going to lead the way and I'm so grateful that the Premier last December signed a memorandum of understanding so we have a clear path forward. Thank you very much. Next question, the leader of the opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. The Premier threw away years of planning and hundreds of millions of public dollars when he suddenly cancelled the Hamilton LRT without warning. Hamilton chose an LRT as their transit priority. They want the Premier and the federal government to work together to find a solution. If there is a deal to be made with the Hamilton LRT, will the Premier agree to resume the RFP process and get the LRT back on track? Thank you very much to the member for the question. Our Premier, our Government, this side of the House has been very clear that we remain committed to providing Hamilton with a billion dollars. We have formed a task force of very credible individuals who are working very diligently to make recommendations to our Government which are very eager and excited to review. They have asked for a small extension to lead into March but we are very excited to look at the recommendations and our Government has been very clear one billion dollars to the people of Hamilton. Here. A supplementary question. Well, it is the case speaker that the Premier's appointed task force is running out of time for a recommendation and he may just be faced with the choice if they recommend what everyone already knows which is that the investment that Hamilton needs and deserves and will see will come with an LRT so he can continue in his current path wasting hundreds of millions of dollars in scrapping years of planning for the Hamilton LRT or he could work with the Federal Government to find a funding solution. Yesterday the Federal Government said that they would be a willing funding partner if only the province would make a formal request. Will the Minister make a formal request for funding to the Federal Government to get the Hamilton LRT back on track? Minister. Thank you very much to the member and I want to be perfectly clear it was the chair of the task force that requested an extension and of course our Minister of Transportation accepted and approved that request. We know they are working very hard we support them in our efforts that being said we have been very clear we are committed a billion dollars to the people of Hamilton but transportation we have made it very clear on this side of the house that it is a top priority for this Government. The previous Liberal Administration ignored transportation infrastructure for 15 years we have shown our commitment we are investing $28.5 billion to build subways in the city of Toronto we are helping Mississauga build the Cure Ontario line we are supporting Ottawa building their LRT and we will support the people of Hamilton Thank you The member for Simple Grade Thank you My question is for the Minister of Health Speaker 18 other countries have negotiated a deal with Vertex in order to allow patients with cystic fibrosis to access life-saving medication Canada is the only industrialized country that lags behind Ontario approved Colitico five years ago Matti Vanstone from my riding who received this medication are now thriving in fact Matti hiked the Great Wall of China last year to increase awareness about the desperate need for these cystic fibrosis drugs Matti is proof that these medications work and the only difference between her and other patients with cystic fibrosis is that they have a slightly different gene type and therefore require a slightly different medication to treat the disease My constituents and many others here today will the Minister make a firm commitment that she will sit down and negotiate a deal with the pharmaceutical firm Vertex for these life-saving drugs, save these patients all of the distress and despair they're going through, save the expense on the health care system and do the right thing Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Well I thank the member very much for the question and I know that this is something that has been a very important issue for you and for many of your constituents for a very long period of time We take the struggles that cystic fibrosis patients and their families deal with on a daily basis very seriously and like everyone else in Ontario we hope that these new medications provide the promised relief but we recognize that access to new drug therapies is important especially in less common diseases where there are significant health impacts and where there are limited treatment options so we are in discussions with our health partners we are in discussions with Vertex we know that the Pan Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance has also been in discussions with Vertex with the meeting having been held in January this is something that all of us are actively working on I know there are concerns with respect to timing and I will deal with that in my supplementary answer The supplementary question Well thank you Speaker The supplementary question in November as you know I made this house aware of two brothers from my riding Andre and Joshua LaRocque their parents are here today age seven and nine they have cystic fibrosis one brother has access to a gene modulating drug made by Vertex through a drug trial the other brother does not when the two brothers had a cold recently the boy on the drug trial was able to shake the cold like a normal child would he was sick for weeks he coughed nonstop for hours and days at a time he coughed up blood lost significant weight his lung function dropped by over 20% every time this seven year old gets a simple cold he loses more lung function he will eventually become resistant to antibiotics and require lengthy hospitalizations and he could and very much probably will ultimately need a lung transplant without drugs like lidical and or can be and other gene modulating drugs I guess my constituents because we've raised this it goes back to 2014 when you and I chased around the former health minister on the same issue can you do everything in your power and with the premier beside you to speed up these negotiations and get these life saving drugs to these people thank you very much minister to a plot there are very significant health consequences here we are certainly very well aware of that and we are doing our best to move this forward part of the issue as you will be aware is that there's both provincial requirements that have to be completed and federal requirements in order for a drug to be approved to be put on the formulary and to be available to people one of my roles is as co-chair of the provincial territorial federal group it is something that I intend to bring forward at our next meeting this spring to see if some of these approval processes can be written concurrently instead of consecutively to speed up the process we know that there are certain levels of safety and effectiveness that we have to prove but it shouldn't take years and years for this to be completed I'm very concerned about the timeframes as well I do intend to bring this forward with respect to the specific drugs themselves or can be simdeco and tricafta can be is approved in pediatric circumstances in exceptional cases simdeco is still going through as I understand the cata thank you very much the next question the member for storm on thank you speaker my question is for the minister of economic development job creation and trade on this side of the house we know that being open for business and open for jobs means being open as the MPP for has an international border free trade with the U.S. is a key concern to my constituents if Ontario were a country we would be the third largest trading partner of the U.S. with nearly $400 billion in two-way trade given the importance of this relationship to businesses in storm on Dundas in South Hungary would the minister please inform the house of what efforts are underway to ensure that NAFTA 2.0 is ratified by the government as quickly as possible minister of economic development job creation speaker we live in a globally competitive world and our government knows that we must take a proactive approach to international trade throughout the negotiation of NAFTA 2.0 our government's top priority was to protect jobs for the hardworking people of Ontario and our work continues in our submission to the federal standing committee on international trade we urged all federal parties to work together and ratify the agreement as quickly as possible speaker we outlined that one in five jobs are U.S. trade related a successful NAFTA 2.0 agreement is the critical next step in providing certainty to businesses around the world speaker that certainty will add to the over 300,000 new jobs already created here in the province of Ontario supplementary thank you to the minister for that answer and Mr. Speaker I'm glad to hear the minister is continuing to take a leadership role in ensuring the ratification of NAFTA 2.0 today nearly one in five jobs in Ontario depend on trade so that's more than 1.3 million hardworking men and women whose jobs are supported by exports in our province we are now the number one customer in 19 U.S. states and second for nine others and account for more than one half of the total merchandise trade between Canada and the U.S. I hope all members of this house regardless of partner are able to appreciate the importance of NAFTA 2.0 to the stability of our economy can the minister please explain to the house in more detail how Ontario is continuing to pursue the increased trade with the U.S. earlier this month Premier Ford let a trade mission to Washington and Dallas we met with a number of U.S. governors and business leaders to build on our multi-billion dollar trade relationship however speaker we know we cannot take these relationships for granted so we are focused on ensuring Ontario has the right tools to strengthen U.S. economic partnerships as part of our new strategy for U.S. trade Ontario will now pursue a first of their kind strategic investment and procurement agreements with key U.S. states speaker these agreements will expand important economic relationships they will ensure Ontario companies are on a level playing field for government procurement opportunities as free traders we have a fundamental obligation to ensure Ontario companies have the greatest market response as possible and we will continue to push for free trade and fair trade with our U.S. partners member for London North Centre my question is to the Premier speaker this government's half-baked plan for involuntary e-learning is just as unpopular among London North Centre parents as it is in the rest of the province of Ontario the government needs to put on its listening years Mark is a father in my writing who says that having educators in class are essential for his son's learning because when his son reads something he often has a difficult time understanding what's required the fact remains he does much better with more one-on-one instruction online courses would be horrendous for his learning style teachers who administer e-learning tell me that the student success rate for those who willingly take these courses is just over half that's with dedication and consent why is this government so committed to making learning more difficult for Ontario students and life more difficult for families like Mark's Minister of Education the government is committed to providing more course offerings for students right across Ontario and that's why we believe when we've seen a 144% increase from 2012 in enrollment when we see young people turning digitally knowing that the future of jobs is online the future of jobs is embracing the fluency required in the marketplace we think providing more offerings providing internet every school providing exceptions for children who otherwise would not be in that program perhaps with those individualized learning plans for example this is a plan that works for all young people it's a plan to ensure our kids are modern and are learning online giving them the skills that they need to learn and to have the skills that they need to learn in the future of jobs that's the purpose of tomorrow speaker supplementary question back to the premier the minister through you speaker talks about more courses but what he's really saying is fewer caring adults students don't need forced screen time the minister needs to check his watch e-learning is not being used by our excellent Ontario educators speaker students learn best in classrooms with their friends not alone with a computer it's a superior learning environment and better for their mental health Jen is a mother in my writing who works as a 911 dispatcher she hears the struggles of teenagers with mental health and behaviour issues every single day Jen told me that e-learning is not the answer for students with mental health needs and the isolation teenagers already face the struggles they have with mental health hiding them behind a computer will only make this worse I don't want my daughter's future education to be jeopardised by these completely disturbing and unnecessary cuts to education will this government take the mental health of students seriously and cancel its online learning scheme thank you thank you speaker this government is very committed to the mental health and strength of every young person in the province as the associate minister of mental health and addiction today we are all standing together as legislators to combat bullying in all of its forms and that's why I was really proud to be at we the education centre earlier today virtually with young people in appeal region students in school who are sharing their stories and lived experiences where I announced and we launched the survey an anti-bullying survey to empower young people to have a voice and be part of the solution to combat this challenge we are going to take this seriously we are going to continue to invest continue to listen and ensure children are safe in schools in this country remember for Brantford branch thank you speaker my question today is for the associate minister of mental health and addictions minister constituents in my writing of Brantford branch have told me that for too long they felt lost and unsupported by the previous government when it came to accessing mental health and addictions care I know that the minister has recently been travelling across the province to hear directly from those with lived experience and experts within the mental health and addiction sector about the changes they expect to see within the province's mental health and addiction system I was proud to be able to host the minister for one of these engagement sessions in my writing where we heard directly from community leaders and experts in the field on mental health and addictions care following the session I heard from many participants who were pleased to see that our government is taking action to address mental health and addictions in the province minister could you please update the members of this legislature about what you have heard during your travels across the province associate minister of mental health and addictions thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for Brantford branch for the excellent question and the great work that he's been doing and for welcoming me into his community so that we can have a frank conversation about the needs of the community last year Mr. Speaker we began traveling across the province to hear directly from mental health and addiction system leaders experts community and municipal leaders indigenous leaders people with lived experience first responders and among many others that were continually neglected under the previous government and since June of last year Mr. Speaker I've traveled across the province from large cities to remote flying communities to hear directly from those who have been struggling to navigate a complex and confusing system caused by the neglect of the previous government the reality is that our mental health and addiction system has been challenged by extensive wait times barriers to access inconsistent quality of care and a lack of standardized data that's why we've continued to make mental health and addictions a priority Ontario's across all stages of life need and deserve quality mental health and addictions care and our government will deliver that care supplementary question Speaker I'd like to thank the minister for his response and I am thrilled to hear that our government is continuing to listen to the many Ontarians who struggle with mental health and addictions challenges across the province it is clear that our government is engaging directly with system leaders individuals with lived experience among many others who will directly inform our government's plans for this system I know that the residents of my writing of Brandford Brandt are looking forward to hearing more about our government's plans for mental health and addictions in the province Speaker could the minister please explain to the members of this legislature what Ontarians can expect to see in our plan for mental health Ontario Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you again for that question Mr. Speaker our government is very much looking forward to sharing more about our plans for mental health and addictions in the province of Ontario since the start of our mandate our government held extensive consultations spanning the entire province we recognize that our unique considerations related to the provision of mental health and addictions in communities across Ontario and they need to be taken into account in our strategy and that's why together with the ministry of health work on mental health and addictions it's being conducted in a way that it brings all partner ministries together so we are working with children community and social services municipal affairs and housing among others mental health affects all of us Mr. Speaker whether it's our children or our seniors we will continue to make mental health and addictions a priority for our government and look forward to delivering real and meaningful change to the system not just for us but for our children and the many generations to come The government side will come to order start the clock Once again I apologize to the member for Hamilton's Stone Creek I thank the government side for the reception I'm not even one of the all stars over there My question to the premier This government wants to pretend that everyday Ontarians support their plan to make life worse for students and teachers but they can't show us the receipts from anyone who agrees with them So let's hear from another parent who unlike the conservatives is fighting for what matters a good education for the kids Heather a mum in Hamilton East Stony Creek reached out to me to say that with the conservative course cancellations her grade 12 daughter almost didn't have enough classes to graduate this year Heather supports teachers because supporting teachers means supporting students. Why doesn't the government Mr. Speaker I'd like to hear a story from Melissa who wrote into one of my caucus colleagues and this is what she said she's a parent with three school age children who is struggling and growing weary of the union job action her message was clear she's taking more days off her husband has no more vacation days to take and the impact on her family of this escalation is real it's impacting so many young people and their parents in this province and her message was that she thinks the time has come to put an end to this the parents are in dire straits that they need help and the continued pressures of juggling child care is not helping anyone she believes that teachers are well compensated and speaker she's willing to stay at the table to get a deal we agree our aim in this negotiation is to fight for Melissa every child in this province so that their children remains in class self-relementary question thank you speaker Heather is also concerned about the conservative plan to force kids out of the classroom and into mandatory online learning she said that if this plan had been in place this year her daughter might not have passed at all or graduated she in her career in high school had failed two online courses and that was an option that she didn't expect like many parents Heather agrees that mandatory e-learning isn't just bad idea Mr. Speaker it will be a devastating for students like her daughter so again to the premier why does this government care so little about families like Heather that they're willing to put the futures of hundreds of thousands of kids in our province at stake Mr. Speaker we want to ensure and we're fighting hard that Heather's child remains in class that is the government's mission it's what we're trying to do at the negotiating table however speaker it requires a willing partner and as we hear from Miguel another individual taxpayer citizen and parent shared their story through one of my cox colleagues and he believes that teachers are well compensated and they should not be striking because of quote higher benefits on the backs of taxpayers he says that the government is offering a fair deal he wants them to accept it he wants their children in class and he believes the teacher too wants to be back in class and so the question speaker is how can we work to ensure that they remain in class it's by putting a fair deal on the table which is what we did low classroom sizes protecting full day kindergarten investing a hundred percent speaker hoarder special education and offering a fair one percent wage the benefits it's a good deal for suits it's about time to use accept that member for Scarborough Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Economic Development job creation and trade on Monday the minister spoke to the Toronto Region Board of Trade rewriting our commitment to being open for business while outlining the importance of Ontario's trade strategy Ontario is leading the nation in job creation with over three hundred thousand jobs created in Ontario since our government was elected in June 2018 this is a made in Ontario success story and speaks to the tremendous efforts made by our government to create a business environment that enables Ontario to compete for jobs and investment in the global market Mr. Speaker can the minister update the legislature on how our plan is creating opportunities for businesses right here in Ontario Mr. Economic Development job creation trade Speaker the member is correct over three hundred thousand new jobs have been created in Ontario but to put a finer point on that three quarters of all new jobs created in Canada were created right here in the province of Ontario and this did not happen by accident it's because we lowered the cost of doing business in Ontario by five billion dollars last year five point four billion dollars this year we've removed red tape reduce the regulatory burden and speaker now we want to build on this momentum and maximize our trade advantage to compete and win Ontario will help businesses unlock new economic opportunities we will focus on three trade areas inter-provincial right across Canada speaker into the US and all across the world this new strategy is an exciting new chapter for Ontario as we continue to create the climate for job creation the supplementary question thank you to the minister for that answer it is clear that making Ontario open for business and open for jobs is a top priority for our government because of the action taken by our government Ontario has seen an increase in trade and investment by creating the conditions necessary for businesses to succeed our government is laying the foundation for a growing economy that will provide good jobs for Ontario workers results matter mr speaker and our government is delivering for the people of Ontario back to the minister mr speaker can he provide some context on how Ontario is faring in a globally competitive market minister speaker Ontario is leading the nation in job creation in fact Ontario created Ontario created more jobs than Michigan New York and California combined at home and abroad they understand that Ontario is an island of stability in an uncertain geopolitical landscape since 2002 Ontario's worldwide market access has grown from 5 countries to 49 through new trade agreements around the world doing business in Ontario means businesses here have preferential access to over 1.5 billion customers worldwide so speaker we will continue our efforts to create the right conditions for growth and send a message to job creators around the world Ontario is open for business open for jobs thank you very much thank you and good morning speaker my question is to the premier on May 28, 2019 Fort Albany First Nation council declared a state of emergency in relation to a widespread pandemic caused by drug and alcohol that greatly affecting the community lives have been lost families are torn apart and children and elders are left to their own because of this pandemic having visited the community a few weeks ago Fort Albany chief confirmed that after 9 months the emergency is still ongoing why does this government refuse to listen to the people of Fort Albany and once and for all take action Mr. Speaker we continue to work closely with First Nations leadership regionally and at the community level to ensure that economic prosperity their fair share of economic prosperity which will solve many of the problems in these communities is on this government's agenda my colleague the associate minister responsible for mental health and addictions has done a great job of engaging with indigenous communities ensuring that they have today in the design development of community based support Mr. Speaker in fact we've taken a whole of government approach I've recently visited a couple of the isolated communities with the minister of child youth and social services Mr. Speaker and we saw great examples of how those communities are making fundamental changes Mr. Speaker and outcomes for young for young people Mr. Speaker we're interested in a future for indigenous people that offers economic prosperity Mr. Speaker and we're focused on the kinds of policy options that will create just that thank you Mr. Speaker the supplementary question Speaker to this day Fort Albany has received absolutely no help to manage this addiction emergency chief and council want to open the mental health and detox center to treat people near their loved ones and according to their traditions my office has reached out to the minister's office on multiple occasions to receive repeatedly the same answer the federal government is leading the response to this emergency Speaker why did this government continue playing jurisdictional ping-pong instead of standing up for the people of Fort Albany First Nations in this ongoing and what in doing what is right the associate minister of mental health and addictions thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you for that very important question Mr. Speaker our government takes the development of a mental health strategy very seriously and we have done many consultations with numerous indigenous communities around the province what we're trying to do what we will do is establish a connected system that will look after access and providing services when and where they are needed in the local communities so Mr. Speaker we will continue to work to hear a little bit more from the member opposite with respect to Fort Albany we have met yesterday for instance with many of the cheese from Ontario and many of the support workers around indigenous communities and we heard overwhelmingly the problems that exist now these problems weren't created a year ago these problems have existed for a long time for previous governments but rest assured our government is doing everything it can and will do from the standpoint of all of us working together with the thank you very much question the member for Don Valley North thank you Speaker my question my question is again for the Minister of Health yesterday our government introduced the connecting people to home and community care up this bill introduced includes many changes that a past would improve the coordination of home care services making them more accessible for Ontarians who need them right now there are patients who are well enough to leave the hospital but can't do so because they are unable to assess appropriate home care services fishing this problem is an essential part of ending whole well healthcare can the minister tell this house how the past would help solve no sound issues for the home care sector thank you thank you very much to the member for the question if past the connecting people to home and community care act will solve many of the problems caused by the current outdated legislative framework we intend to help our home and community care service providers respond to the needs of patients and families in communities around the entire province this proposed legislation would remove restrictions on the model of delivery including care coordination this would support flexible home and community care that is connected with both acute hospital care and with primary care as we debate this bill we look forward to further discussions on how our changes can help more patients access and of course improve their quality of life thank you very much