 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of his Majesty's Loyal Opportunities. This question is for the Premier. Early last year, the government's own hand-picked Housing Affordability Task Force made 55 recommendations to encourage new housing supply. The task force said that a shortage of land was not the cause of the housing crisis. They recommended, in fact, that the green belt and farmland be protected. Instead, the Premier and his government went ahead anyways and they tried to make their friends richer. Now they're being investigated by the RCMP. So to the Premier, why did his government rig the system to benefit a select few insiders instead of the people of Ontario? President House Leader and Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Speaker, look, as I've said on a number of occasions, we have been guided since 2018 by the principle that we had to build more homes across the province of Ontario. It is undue the obstacles that have been put in the way by the previous Liberal and NDP coalition in this province for over 15 years. Having said that, we made a public policy decision with respect to the green belt that was not supported by the people of the province of Ontario. That is why we have taken steps to put that land back and codify it in law. But again, Mr Speaker, make no mistake about it. We will meet our housing targets. We will ensure that the next generation of Ontarians can have the exact same dream that previous generations have had. And that's the dream of homeownership, Mr Speaker. We will not be moved from that ball and we will get it done. Supplementary question. Speaker, this government's green belt grabbed their MZO's, their urban boundary changes. They're not about building housing at all. One of the task force's recommendations was to allow four-story multiplex housing in every neighbourhood. The NDP tried to add this into the government's most recent housing bill and the government said no. In fact, the member for Perth Wellington, he said the government wasn't due, was just doing just enough. Enough. Doing enough to address the housing crisis? Doing enough while housing starts across the province are going down and not up? So back to the Premier. When will he start putting people's needs ahead of his own backroom deals? Well, Mr Speaker, we've actually been doing that right from the beginning and the member voted against every single initiative that we have done. Every single initiative, Mr Speaker. We said we want to build more homes around transit infrastructure. Now, I know they don't know anything about transit infrastructure because for 15 years they helped the Liberals build nothing. We are saying we're not only going to build transit, we're going to build homes around that transit. We're going to build thousands of homes. She voted and her party voted against that, Mr Speaker. The Leader of the Opposition talks about the MZO's. Well, there are MZO's that we have done at the request of the City of Toronto to build social housing in her own community that she voted against, Mr Speaker. So let me be very clear to the Leader of the Opposition. There is one party in this House that stands for the next generation of this province who want the exact same dream that everybody else has had for generations. Why people have come here? Why my parents came here? And that was the dream of home ownership. We will untangle the mess that they left behind and we will get it done for them. Final supplementary. It is that even before last year's forced urban boundary expansions, there were already enough land available in the province for new builds to accommodate three cities the size of Paris. But we have a government that's rigged the system. They've put a situation, a plan in place where only if you're a well connected insider and you have a stag and doe ticket, do you get the zoning changes that you need? And they're prioritizing that over building the homes that Ontarians need. The Premier has wasted over a year enriching his friends, throwing the planning system into chaos, making it harder to build the homes that Ontarians actually need in the neighbourhoods where they want to live. So back to the Premier. How many homes would have been built by now if he hadn't put shady backroom deals first? Mr. Ms. Volker, I think the evidence is clear. When the opposition had the opportunity working with the Liberals to actually get homes built in the province of Ontario, what did we see happen? Nothing, Mr. Speaker. Nothing. In fact, housing starts were at their lowest levels at the conclusion of their time in office with the Liberals. What have we seen month after month after month? Housing starts have increased this year. We are at the highest level in over 15 years, but we didn't stop just at housing, Mr. Speaker. We knew that we had to do more on purpose-built rentals as well. They know nothing about this, Mr. Speaker, because of the time that they had with the Liberals. Nobody was building rental housing across the province of Ontario. And we have the highest starts in over 15 years. And you know what, Mr. Speaker? That is continuing to grow in Ontario. So look, we are going to continue on this path to ensure that we build more homes across the province of Ontario. Stensibly, what we have to do is continue to remove the obstacles that they love and that they put in place. We'll continue to get that job done. The next question. Leader of the Ontario. Well, that's a creative response. I'll give them that. Speaker, expert after expert have shown that we need to build at least one and a half million new homes. The Ontario NDP supports this goal. But so far, the government has relied entirely on half measures. Their whole housing plan is predicated on backroom deals, and now they're under an RCMP criminal investigation. And according to the government's own figures, housing starts in Ontario, as I said, are projected to go down, not up. Clearly, this government's plan is not working, so back to the Premier. Will he get his government out of the backrooms and off the massage tables and start building the homes our province actually needs? Mr. Mr. Blair's analysis. Well, Mr. Speaker, the only thing that was actually credible in that was that we're being creative, because we are being creative, Mr. Speaker. And we had to be creative because of the obstacles that they put in the way. Look, Mr. Speaker, we have removed over $8 billion of obstacles. Obstacles that stood in the way of small, medium and large job creators, including home builders, from doing what they do best. Building homes. That is why in the province of Ontario we have a housing crisis. You know why we have a housing crisis? Because they supported the Liberals to put obstacle after obstacle after obstacle in the way, Mr. Speaker. We're removing those obstacles. We're seeing the trend on new home starts in the province of Ontario this year has continued to move forward. And equally exciting, colleagues, is the fact that purpose-built rentals are at their highest level in over 15 years. You know why? Because we've been creative about how we're doing it. This is a member who votes against housing in her own writing. She voted against MZOs for social housing that were requested by the City of Toronto. She voted against long-term care homes. She voted against purpose-built rentals. And she votes against individuals who have it. Supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, the thing is that this province used to build housing. We used to be in the business of building non-market homes. We used to fund and finance tens of thousands of public, nonprofit and co-op housing every year. Homes that are built based on need, not on profit. That stopped in 1995 when, yes, the Conservatives abandoned that responsibility completely. And that set the stage for our housing crisis today. So back to the Premier. Will he support the NDP's solution to build the non-market housing that our province so desperately needs? Mr. Speaker, thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Leader of the Opposition has voted against every initiative we've done to speed up housing. They've voted against building 1.5 million homes, even though we set a record on building homes. Third year record of 2021 is 99,000 homes we put forward in their building, 2,096,000 homes that we're building. And since the start of this year, there have been 57,000 housing starts. But Mr. Speaker, they're against building. They're against building purpose-built rentals. They're against building affordable housing, attainable housing. They're against building roads to get to those housing. They're against building highways to get to the housing. And then they're against, when the community comes together, the long-term care homes. They're against the hospitals. They're against absolutely everything. They say one thing in front of the media. And then when they're in here, they vote against everything, especially Mr. Speaker. Order. Order. The Premier will take his seat. The Premier will take his seat. You know what the truth is, Speaker? The truth about housing in this province? Order. Record rent evictions. Homeless people living in the streets all across this province. That's the reality under this Premier. Just like health care and education and retirement security, if the private sector won't build enough homes that are affordable for everyone who needs one, then the public sector must step up. It is clear this government's plan isn't working, Speaker. Those of us on this side of the House, we want to make sure every Ontarian has a good home they can actually afford. Order. Back to the Premier. When will the government start taking this housing crisis seriously? I recognize the Premier. This is really rich, Mr. Speaker. You know something? We've implemented 21 of the Housing Affordability Task Force recommendations as we're moving forward. We've let the country, in getting the federal government to knock off the HST, we're knocking off the PST for purpose-built rentals. We've eliminated skyrocketing municipal fees on affordable and non-profit housing. And by the way, they voted against that. They voted against the previous. We introduced a Building Faster Fund, $1.2 billion in new funding for municipalities. Large municipalities, another $500 million. But guess what, Mr. Speaker? They voted against that. All the parties voted against it. By the way, they're anti-development. They're anti-housing, anti-infrastructure, anti-everything. If they were in charge, this province could be a disaster like they were for 15 years, Mr. Speaker. Member for London North Centre. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, 30 years ago, the Harris government got us out of the business of building housing. If governments had continued to build at that rate, we would have built 1.2 million homes since then. Instead, Ontario needs to build 1.5 million homes to meet the current need. Why doesn't this government think it has a responsibility for building truly affordable homes? Premier. Let's just remind everyone of the province when the NDP were in power, they increased taxes 45 times on the backs of businesses or on the backs of homes. They chased hundreds of thousands of jobs out of this province. They escalated the debt under the NDP by hundreds of billions of dollars, Mr. Speaker. And I'm proud to say my father is part of that government. They created 700,000 jobs when they were in part. And I know Mike Harris Jr. He's proud of what his dad did, too. They're the ones who accelerated the economy, accelerated the boom on housing. You know, I don't talk at all any day about Bob Ray versus Mike Harris. The Bob Ray days. Don't forget the Bob Ray days. Start the clock. The supplementary question. Speaker, I'm so honored that the Premier got up just to point fingers and not to lead by voting for this motion. Three lists of projects that did not work. Now is the time to think big. Private developers have said they can't solve this crisis alone. The Canadian Housing Statistics Program recently revealed that housing supplied slowed last year, slowed under this government. Why won't this government join us and get Ontarians back to work in good jobs building the truly affordable housing that Ontarians need? Excellent. What to say about that, Mr. Speaker. I don't even know what to say about it. So let me be very clear. We're not voting for a program that was taken out of the playbook of Communist Russia. It's just not happening, all right? So let me just put that. So I would suggest to the member opposite, vote, listen to the NDP Socialist Caucus, listen to what is happening and what is working. Vote with us to remove obstacles, because when you do, housing starts to go up. Vote with us to remove taxes, because when you do, housing starts to increase, Mr. Speaker. And you know what else you can do? Call your friend in Ottawa, Mr. Singh, Jagmeet, 1-800 Jagmeet, and say, remove taxes from carbon taxes because that'll help put more money back in people's pockets. Don't do what you did here. Support a liberal government that brought the province to its knees, Mr. Speaker. That is what they do. So very clearly, we're not voting for government building homes. We're going to let the private sector do what they're doing in record numbers under this government. And that's built. Order. Start the clock. The next question, the member for Brantford Brandt. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Tomorrow, the Bank of Canada will announce their decision on whether they will implement another interest rate hike. Sadly, for many Ontarians, this decision could lead to devastating economic consequences. If another painful interest rate hike is announced, many individuals and families might not be able to pay their bills, pay their rent, mortgage, or be able to keep their home. It is hard working ordinary people across this province who are being hit hardest and are having to pay a heavy price at the checkout and at the pumps. The people of our province need to know that our government hears their concerns and understands their fears. Speaker, can the Premier please continue to advocate on behalf of the people of Ontario about the damaging impact that another interest rate hike would have on them? Thank you. And to reply, the Premier. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member from Bramford Grant and for leading caucus as well. So thank you to the member. I wrote a letter, Mr. Speaker, to the Governor of Bank of Canada insisting that he does not raise interest rates. Do you know the differences? The Governor of Bank of Canada is sitting in his ivory tower, not talking to the common folks. I took a call this morning, Mr. Speaker, about a married couple with kids that are going to have to sell their home. They're going to have to sell their home because their mortgage has tripled. It has absolutely tripled, went up thousands of dollars. They won't be able to afford it. See, the Bank of Canada is way out the lunch, in my opinion, Mr. Speaker, way out the lunch. They're creating inflation. They're creating inflation on groceries. Then we have the carbon tax that the federal government implemented. Created inflation on building homes. They're creating inflation. They're living back in the 1970s. They need to get their act together, if anything. Thank you. Thank you very much. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you, Premier. In this time of economic uncertainty, everyone should be working together to make things better for the people of Ontario. The Premier is correct in saying that this issue is not just impacting Ontario alone, but every Canadian is being hurt by these interest rate hikes. Premiers of all political stripes agree that further increases are counterproductive and will do more harm than good. Now is the time for the federal government to work with the provinces to address the longstanding root causes that have led to inflation and to high interest rates. Speaker, can the Premier please share what priorities should be addressed with the federal government to help to provide real relief to struggling families and businesses? Thank you. Order. Premier. Thank the member from Bramford Brandt. Coincidentally, we're all getting together in Nova Scotia, all the Premiers of all different political stripes, but we always have one thing in common. Making sure we take care of our people. Making sure we're building infrastructure across the country, specifically here in Ontario. Making sure that we're building the 413 and the 410. But Mr. Speaker, what we're all against is making sure we get rid of the carbon tax. Folks, let me tell you what we've done. We've cut the gas tax by 10.7 cents per liter. We scrapped the license plate stickers for 8 million people. We cut the tolls for 412 and 418. We increased ODSP by 5% tied to inflation. We cut income tax to 1.1 million low income workers. We increased minimum wage. We extended the 10 cents, tuition fees to take the burden off the students going to colleges and universities. We're doubling the payments for low income seniors which will provide maximum increase of almost $1,000 and what we're asking the federal government knock off the 14.5 cents of carbon tax. The next question, the member for Niagara Centre. Thank you Speaker. Through you to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing this government's green belt grab exposed to deeply troubling pattern of trade deals and preferential treatment for well connected land speculators. Now we see evidence of the same activity around urban boundaries and MZO land deals. Just last week the auditor general confirmed an investigation into this government's questionable use of MZO's. Yesterday after the flip-flop announcement on urban boundary expansions the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing said he was still reviewing previous MZO's and emphasized and I quote the last majority I'm not concerned with. My question speaker, which one is he concerned with? Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing A very good question from the member opposite what I'm concerned with are those MZO's that have led to no action being taken. The MZO's that I'm pleased with the course are the ones that the Minister of Long-Term Care has asked for, the ones that the Minister of Education has asked for, the ones that the Minister of Health has asked for across the province of Ontario we've received requests from municipal leaders but there are a couple of MZO's where they were issued and no work has been done to advance the goal of building homes or building long-term care or building hospitals so on those I'm reviewing those and if we're not seeing the action to do what the MZO was issued for, I'll revoke them. Supplementary question Speaker this government has issued more MZO's since coming to office than the previous 25 years combined. Just last week Member for Nagra Center I'd wait till after the investigation before I clap but I guess that's just me. Just last week this Minister bragged about them. He claimed they were being used to build nursing homes and affordable homes for immigrants now he's not so sure since this Minister is now so busy throwing the former Minister under the bus why won't he just tell us what he's concerned about. Can you take the seat? Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Any advice to the member? Your question is answered the first time you might want to change your second question Mr. Speaker on the fly. He says he wants to wait to clap until he hears the investigation well it didn't stop him from coming to a long-term care opening in his riding. Now that you say we shouldn't have sped up so he was more than happy to come but let's look at some of the things that we've done. Social housing in the City of Toronto Social housing in the City of Toronto 44 additional social housing units in the City of Toronto Hospital expansions Ajax, a 320 bed long-term care home Long-term care home in Oakville Long-term care home in Toronto Medical Park in Oro Medante Do you want me to go on? I can go on if you like. Modular housing 252 supportive housing units in Toronto so the Leader of the Opposition doesn't want that right? I can go on Mr. Speaker if you give me extra time I'll go on. You're out of time. The next question the member for Carlton. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade. The previous Liberal government supported by the NDP put up mountains of red tape that hurt every sector of our economy but it especially hurt our tech sector making it impossible for tech companies to innovate, grow and create good paying jobs. Thankfully when our government took office we immediately took action to reverse the disastrous Liberals anti-growth agenda. As a result we've seen our record investments and job creation in our tech sector. Speaker through you can the Minister please provide an update on the state of Ontario's tech sector Thank you. Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade. Speaker with more than 420,000 tech workers at more than 25,000 firms, Ontario is the global tech leader. By cutting red tape and reducing the cost of doing business by 8 billion dollars annually we've created the conditions for the tech sector to prosper and that's why we've seen the creation of more than 100,000 good paying tech jobs since we took office. In just this last year cutting edge tech companies like Snowflake, DNEG, Use Ready invested 142 million dollars to expand their operations and have created 950 good paying jobs. As a result, Ontario is now one of the largest IT clusters in North America. Our message is clear speaker, if you're a tech worker, researcher or firm there's no better place to be than right here in Ontario. Supplementary. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the Minister for his answer. Our government knows that Ontario is competing in the global tech race. We've created the conditions for businesses to succeed but there is heightened competition when it comes to attracting skilled tech workers. Tech companies from across Ontario are ramping up their efforts to attract and retain talent. Speaker, through you, can the Minister please share how Ontario is dealing with the increased competition for tech talent. Thank you. Minister of economic development, job creation and trade. Well, despite fierce competition from around the globe, Ontario is winning the race for tech talent and investments. In July in a 48 hour period, we saw over 10,000 US tech workers apply for permanent residency here in Ontario. And according to the CBRE's latest tech talent report released yesterday Ontario has more tech jobs available than anywhere else in all of North America. The brightest tech workers and leading tech firms are packing bags and coming here into Ontario, Speaker. Reaffirming their confidence in the thriving tech ecosystem that we have built. Our government will continue to do absolutely everything to ensure Ontario remains a global tech powerhouse. So, Hamilton West and Caster Dundas. Thank you, my question to the Premier. Environmental defense and eco justice filed a Freedom of Information request late last year. They say the purpose of the request was to find out what kind of influence developers had on the Ontario Cabinet and Premier in its Green Belt decision. This government unlawfully ignored their request so the Information and Privacy Commissioner ordered the government to comply with the law. The government then unlawfully ignored the order. Now environmental defense and eco justice are suing to use these records. I'm going to caution the member on her language and ask the minister to reply. Minister of municipal affairs and housing. We will compile whatever requests that we are required to compile and we will turn that over to the Information Privacy Commissioner when that is completed, Mr Speaker. But at the same time, as I've been saying constantly and as this government has been showing, we will not stray from our desire to build 1.5 million Ontario. That is our goal. It is the overriding goal of everything that we've been doing since 2018. It includes the reason why we're building transit across the province of Ontario. It's to support the over 700,000 jobs that have been created in the province of Ontario, not by government, but by the private sector, Mr Speaker, because they're coming back to Ontario and the province is booming as a result and we want to build more homes. So we will not stray from that, but we'll have to build more homes, and we will build more homes that will be available after obstacle after obstacle in the way. They're good at that. We will entangle the mess that they left behind and we'll get the job done. Supplementary questions. Clearly, Ontario still doesn't have the full story about how the government selected lands for a removal from the Greenville. The freedom of information requests submitted by environmental steps to recover records that may have been deleted or destroyed. The Premier can't keep ignoring freedom of information laws and IPC orders. I mean, do I need to remind the Premier and the Minister that the Liberal Government's gas plan scandal cover-up sent the Premier's Chief of Staff to prison? Minister of Mythical Affairs and Housing. And if I recall correctly, that despite the trauma that the people of the Province of Ontario were in when the Liberals were in power and you held the balance of power, you still continue to support them and keep them in office, Mr. Speaker. That is what an NDP balance of power means, right? So it really is an awkward question coming from the member officer, right? But what it is, it's an attempt to distract from the challenges that the opposition have, right? They're offside with the people of the Province of Ontario, right? They support a carbon tax. Nobody else in the country does. They do. They hold the balance of power in Ottawa and they could have their federal leader tomorrow insist that the carbon tax is removed and millions of dollars put back into the pockets of the people of Ontario. Will they do it? No, Mr. Speaker. No, Mr. Speaker. But what we will continue to do is focus on the priorities of the people of the Province of Ontario, building strong communities, building the environment where we can continue to create jobs. Mr. Speaker, we're seeing jobs come back. Housing starts are at their highest. Thank you very much. Next question, the member for Glove. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. This government has wasted years failing to address the housing crisis, breaking all the rules so a handful of wealthy, well-connected insiders could cash in for paving over farm land. Greenbelt, boundary expansion, MZOs. It's past time to start building homes that ordinary people can afford in the communities they want to live in on land already approved for development. To do this, local governments will need money for sewer and water lines, streets and transit operations in order to service new homes. But this government took that money away and residents are now facing big property tax hikes and delayed home building, making the affordability crisis worse. So, Speaker, will the government make people and municipalities whole by closing the financial gap they created? The Premier. Well, Mr. Speaker, last night, I usually don't watch the news, I was flicking the channels and Mr. Green was on the show saying, we need more housing. In Guelph, they had the lowest... Can I ask the Premier to refer to the member for Guelph as the member for Guelph? Code name Green, you know, Mr. Speaker, he was actually had the nerve to stand up there and say, we need more housing. Guelph has the slowest housing starts in the entire province out of 444 municipalities. Guelph voted against housing unions for students across from Guelph University. Where was the member from Guelph? He never spoke up. He's voted against every housing initiative we've had. He's voted against every infrastructure that we've had. He is anti-builder. He's all about making sure he puts a little rose bushes in and everything's hunky-dory. No highways. You don't want to expand Highway 7, do you? Premier, please take a seat. Members to make your comments through the chair. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. I'm okay to be referred to as Mr. Green any time, so... I just want to be able to say one thing. Do a simple Google search. Guelph does not have the lowest housing starts in the province. As a matter of fact, it's higher than Peterborough's if you want to look at the record. Last week, Guelph City Council approved a major housing project for students. Guelph has passed rules for multiplexes. Guelph is ready to build. Here's the challenge municipalities including Guelph face. The government took 1.5 billion... Government side, come to order. Municipalities need that money for sewer lines, water lines, to build the infrastructure needed for new homes. I want those new homes to have sewer and water lines. They won't be built if it doesn't happen. Question. The government a year ago said they would make municipalities whole. They have failed to deliver that. Will they commit to it today, Speaker? To reply, the Premier. We have the member from Guelph on record. And I hope the media is listening to this. He's on record that he's going to vote for our infrastructure plan. He's going to vote for our housing plan. He's going to make sure he holds the mayor accountable. And by the way, I like your mayor. He just can't get up there and make a decision. So he always wants to pile it onto the province. And he's a good guy actually. I like him. But your whole council and Guelph are a bunch of left wing lunatics. Simple as that. Anyways, Mr. Speaker, I'm glad that you've agreed to vote for our infrastructure, our housing plan, Highway 7, Highway 413. It's going to benefit the people from Guelph. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Long-Term Care. Yes. As the needs of Ontario seniors become more medically complex, the services to address those needs must be available. After years of neglect by the previous Liberal government, we are seeing excellent progress in creating a long-term care system that Ontario's can be proud of. But there is still more that needs to be done. The ability to provide in-home diagnostic services has been limited by the availability of equipment and trained staff. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how our government is supporting long-term care homes to better address the care and needs of our seniors? Thank you, Speaker. Happy to expand on that important topic the member brings up from Richmond Hill, who works very hard for seniors in a ride. Thank you for that. Just last Tuesday, Mr. Speaker, I was at Belmont House, about a click up the road here from Queens Park, not far at all, to announce $10 million in diagnostic funding. This funding will allow long-term care homes in the province to purchase specialized equipment that will help manage or treat conditions that normally lead to an emergency room visit or a hospital visit. Nobody wants that, of course, for our seniors. So think minor ailments, fractures. Instead of the senior going to the hospital for diagnostics, imagine the diagnostics coming to the senior, the right care in the right place. This fund also enables specialized staff training to make sure they can diagnose residents within the comfort of their own home. It's this premier that's investing record capital dollars into expansion, record dollars into making sure they have the human health resources, and into diagnostics for better outcomes for our amazing seniors in Ontario. Thank you. The supplementary question. Thank you, Minister, for working so hard to prepare this. It is great to hear that our government is continuing to invest in both equipment and the people. The purchases made this funding will prove critical in supporting seniors across our province. We are reassuring that residents with complex needs can get the diagnostic services they deserve in the comfort of home instead of a hospital. However, our government must remain focused on implementing solutions that will continue to ensure our seniors receive the quality of care that they need. Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on how our government is expanding specialized services in long-term care homes? Minister of Long-Term Care. Thank you, Speaker. The member focuses on a very important term, quality of care. That's exactly what we're focusing in this government. It's not just enough to build record beds, we are. It's not enough just to build or invest record dollars into health human resources, we are. It's also about improving outcomes for our seniors. This fund will make sure that specialized teams of nurse practitioners, registered nurses will be available and underserved communities. This fund, along with the local priorities fund, will make sure that long-term care homes have access to specialized equipment. We know seniors are living longer. Coming to long-term care homes with more complex needs, we need to be aware of that situation and adapt with the times. That's what we're doing here, Speaker. We're not building beds, we're building homes in this province for our seniors. Let's remember, our seniors built our communities, they built this province, they built this country, they built our lives, they took care of us, we're going to take care of them. It's this government that's getting it done for seniors. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. My caucus colleagues and I have heard from a number of seniors in our communities who are struggling to find flu shots, RSV vaccines and COVID-19 boosters. From reports of limited eligibility for seniors in my own riding of St. Paul's to RSV doses costing seniors $200 to $300, this government is once again failing to support vulnerable Ontarians. Especially those in rural communities, quite frankly, heading into another respiratory illness season. My question is for the Premier and hopefully he'll answer it today. Why haven't you ensured all seniors in Ontario have reliable access to vaccines to keep them healthy? Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. I have to say what we have been able to do with a brand new RSV vaccine that was not available ever. We for the first time have made that available free of charge for our seniors in our most vulnerable settings. Of course, those are our long-term care homes and our high-risk retirement homes. Why did we do that? Because we understand and we know with limited supply you focus on the people that is going to make the biggest impact. We are doing that. Of course we are also through our pharmacy channels because we know how valuable and important our pharmacy partners are in accessing and giving those flu and RSV shots to individuals in community who want it. But first and foremost, free of charge, using your OHIP card, we are providing it to high-risk seniors in retirement and long-term care homes. Thank you. And a supplementary question. Thank you to the Minister of Health for that response and I do hope that you will respond to the letter that I sent to you by hand on long COVID. Anyways, back to the Premier Speaker. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have increased but Ontario seniors can't find vaccines and boosters. People in Halliburton were told they would have access to shots by early October. But their local pharmacies say they haven't received the doses. Did we learn nothing from the chaotic and inequitable distribution of vaccines in the early stages of the pandemic courtesy of this Conservative government? My question is back to the Premier. COVID-19 vaccines were promised by October. Why are seniors across this province still unable to access them? Thank you. Again, I'm going to respectfully say if you have limited supply you focus on where it's going to make the biggest impact. We absolutely are making it available in pharmacies. That rollout is actually happening by October 30th. It is exciting, in fact, that people are interested and engaged and want to get that vaccine as soon as possible. We are making sure that we have put in place all tools and all pathways to make sure that people get the flu shot, the vaccine, the RSV, whatever they want and we are doing it through multiple channels. Whether it is through our primary care partners, our pharmacy partners and, of course, our public health units. We will continue to do the work. If you want to talk to Health Canada about increasing the supply, I would be happy to take it. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The RCMP has announced a criminal investigation into the $8.3 billion Greenbelt Land Giveaway. Yesterday, the Minister of Municipal Affairs announced he would reverse controversial changes to urban boundaries that were imposed by his predecessor. The Minister admitted that there was too much involvement from the previous Minister's office in these decisions and that they failed to meet the standard of public trust. Mr. Speaker, given the criminal investigation into the Greenbelt and the similarities with the decisions on the urban boundary expansions, will the Premier take responsibility for leading a government under a shroud of secrecy leading to criminal investigations or will he continue to throw his ministers under the bus and backing up again? Mr. Speaker, what we had decided to do back in 2018 was look at where the province of Ontario was and thankfully the people of Ontario took a good look at that election and that's why they reduced the Liberal Party from a majority government to a bunch of independence. Why? Because they had put obstacle after obstacle after obstacle in the way of the economy. What did that mean? Thousands of jobs were lost thanks to the Liberals supported by the NDP. It means housing starts were nonexistent in the province of Ontario thanks to the Liberals supported by the NDP. It meant that our taxes were the highest in Canada thanks to the Liberals supported by the NDP. The highest level of red tape thanks to the Liberals supported by the NDP. We're the highest tax jurisdiction, the most indebted jurisdiction and what do we have to show for the excesses of the 15 years of the Liberal NDP government? Nothing Mr. Speaker. Absolutely nothing. And what do we have now? 700,000 people who have the dignity of a job. Rows, transit, transportation, a better education system, a better healthcare system, more long-term care and the highest level of housing starts in over a decade. The supplementary question. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My supplemental is also for the Premier. Now the Minister of Municipal Affairs is undoing everything his predecessor did. Getting it undone is a beautiful tagline. I can see it on the billboards now Mr. Speaker. The government delayed the approval of Otto's official plan by a year, dragging it out throughout the election and it seems that they spent that time fundraising on changes or potential changes of the plan that could be seen if they won re-election. Not only did they get caught with their hand in the cookie jar Mr. Speaker, they took a giant bite out of the cookie and are trying to put it back in without anyone noticing. Mr. Speaker, given the criminal investigation into the green belt and the similarities with the decisions on the urban boundary, will the Premier invite the RCMP to expand their investigation to include these urban boundary decisions as well? Minister of Municipal Affairs This coming from a member who was in charge of building a transit system in Ottawa for the first time. This coming from a member whose party's infrastructure prowess saw them building a bridge upside down Mr. Speaker. That is what the Liberals do. Yes, it is about undoing things. It's about undoing 15 years of liberal mess across the province of Ontario. That is why we were elected. Not only once, but we're like progressive conservatives everywhere. We're working every day for the people of the province of Ontario. We won't stop undoing the mess that you left behind supported by this group of radicals over there. Not sure if pirouettes are out of order or not, but I'll have to consider that and think about it for later on. Start the clock. The next question. The next question member for Essex. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Government. The previous Liberal Government propped up by the NDP drove jobs out of Ontario and failed to unlock our province's full economic potential. Many of those jobs were in the manufacturing sector. Small businesses were also negatively impacted and endured hardships. The previous Liberal Government could have helped Northern Indigenous but sadly they chose to ignore them calling them a no-man's land. Unlike other parts of the province the North faces unique barriers to starting and growing businesses. Speaker, what is the Government doing to support small business and economic development projects across Northern Ontario? Mr. Northern Development and Indigenous Affairs is a busy week and small business week in Northern Ontario. We started out in the Riverland Lake by expanding the industrial part for natural gas and telecommunication infrastructure and some design innovations. B&G industrial services in Holdco in Thornlow Mr. Speaker they're getting robotic welders for product positioners and an overhead crane. Tri-Cube contracting in Matheson is going to expand their aggregate crushing capacity. They're getting additional capacity to reduce customer wait times and more storage space. In Hearst we're helping a logging company purchase new equipment for increased demand from local sawmills and the Lee Golf Club in Cochrane for new equipment to allow the facility to operate all year long. They're so excited about these opportunities it's too bad that no less than two NDP members and an independent member voted against them. Supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker. I listened to the minister's response and it's clear that our government is serious about building up every corner of the province including Northern Ontario. Small businesses are an integral part of any community and we are proud to support them. In addition Northern and Indigenous communities can be proud of the many attractions and opportunities they offer in the hospitality and tourism sectors. That is why it is important that our government continues to invest in projects that will develop more cultural and tourism spaces. Speaker I'm asking the minister to please explain how our government is supporting and expanding opportunities for economic prosperity in Northern communities. Northern Development. Question let's move out to Northwestern Ontario where we supported Suneros beautiful Crawford camps for expanded facilities in lodging accommodations. This is going to expand the tourist industry in Suneros and create new employment in Canora the Lake of the Woods Brewing Company public relations managers onboarding Mr. Speaker including a community outreach and events coordinator. Down in Fort Francis DJ Roach Electric is hiring an electrician apprentice in a busy construction and maintenance field and in Dryden the clever Corvid Art and Art Workshop with Rhonda Beckman in Dryden has built a beautiful facility just outside of the town. These investments are going to create more culture profile attract more tourists and foster artistic responsibility in our communities. Fortunately their member voted in favour of this project. Next question the member for Niagara Falls Thank you. My question is to the Premier in October 21 the Premier made a promise to the people of Ontario the Premier promised he would double the number of long term care inspectors so he would have one inspector for every two homes in the province but last week CBC reported that although they are 624 long term care homes in the province there are only 234 inspectors currently working. That means this government is 78 inspectors short. Speaker why did the Premier choose to break another promise to the people of Ontario and once again fail our seniors? To respond Minister of Long Term Care Yes Speaker unbelievable isn't it the NDP support deliverables when they do nothing they do absolutely nothing we see the holes in the system throughout a difficult time of the pandemic and then it's this Premier this government comes around and says we're finally going to invest into our seniors not just with record capital and building beds but into improving the inspectorate in fact 72 million dollars over three years to double the number of the inspectors to actually have one inspector for every two homes in this province but we go further we say we're not just going to have reactive inspections we're going to have proactive ones we're going to have one proactive inspection per home per here the numbers that the CBIS article quotes are aligned with our framework to getting to that goal Speaker this is an opposition that ignored our seniors this government is taking care of them we will take no lessons from the NDP Thank you just three days ago this minister admitted that he had been on the job for six weeks when we announced a long term care facility you know we worked on that for ten years so when you say that when you stand up and say that we didn't care about long term care we built new homes in Fort Erie we're working in Niagara Falls Niagara and the lake so I don't need a lesson from you on what we have to do with long term care but I'll finish my next question one thing we should always count on this government is breaking promises the ombudsman revealed long term care inspectors zero for seven weeks in the spring of 2020 think about seniors who suffered in long term care and let's talk about the number of seniors who had died in long term care close to 6,000 seniors have died in long term care think about the families that will never be the same again Speaker how many more seniors need to die in long term care before this government holds for profit long term care and have the number of inspectors inspections that we need protect our seniors every single day in the province thank you we announced it was this government that announced the new long term care bets in that member's riding importantly also that member voted against those very homes that got built in his riding the member also mentions that I've been stop the clock the house will come to order start the clock minister of long term care has the floor the member opposite mentions that I've been on the job for six weeks I have and in six weeks we've done more for long term care than they did in 15 years so I'll repeat the largest investment into inspections in this country's history doubling the inspector the largest capital investment to build and redeveloped 58,000 beds homes in this country in this province speaker the largest investment into health human resources in this country's history that is the legacy of this premier and this former long term care minister we are taking care of seniors because they did it member for Carlton is anxiously awaiting the opportunity to ask her question I would ask the house to come to order so we can start the clock again and resume question period start the clock member for Carlton great question is for the minister of public and business service delivery yesterday our government introduced new consumer protection legislation this is an important milestone as the existing consumer protection act has not had any meaningful review since 2005 I'm pleased to see the proactive stance that our government is taking by introducing a bill that, if passed will strengthen protections for Ontarians from unfair business practices the reality is that the marketplace of today has evolved significantly with an increase in online shopping and the use of apps Ontarians deserve better protection so through you Mr. Speaker can the minister please elaborate on how our government is proposing to modernizing laws to better protect the rights of consumers thank you Mr. Public and business service delivery thank you Mr. Speaker and I thank the member for Carlton for that excellent question the better for consumers better for businesses act 2023 tabled for first reading yesterday is the first initiation of a comprehensive reform to Ontario's consumer protection laws in almost two decades Speaker this government and our premier strongly believe that Ontarians deserve to feel protected when spending their hard earned dollars and this legislation, if passed is a testament to our government's promise to always listen to the needs of Ontarians after years of insufficient attention from the Liberal Party in 2019 our ministry embarked on a long and extensive consultation journey and we conducted a comprehensive review of existing legislation gathering feedback from stakeholders, consumer groups advocates the legal community in everyday Ontarians the reality is that Ontarians have long deserved consumer protections to be updated we're getting it done supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker it is clear that from the minister's response that our government is taking action when it comes to protecting Ontarians from unscrupulous business practices and safeguarding their personal information it is also encouraging that our government is carefully consulting with individuals that would be most impacted by any changes sadly many Ontarians find themselves in difficult and upsetting circumstances when it comes to issues such as leasing equipment and signing contracts that is why it is essential that our government takes action to increase trust and implement greater consumer protection measures for all Ontarians Speaker through you can the minister please explain how the better for consumers better for businesses act will help to strengthen trust between consumers and businesses thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you again to the member for Carlton for another important question I'm sure everyone in this chamber would agree that when consumers feel confident and protected and they feel that the government has their backs everyone in our economy is a winner the proposed bill would if passed strengthen consumer rights empower consumers and give the ministry stronger enforcement powers to crack down on bad actors it would also address the concerns and harms of our most vulnerable citizens when facing contract amendments subscription traps high termination costs and long term leases and unfair business practices used by door to door sellers it is our government's goal to protect Ontarians with common sense policies that reduce red tape and make it easier for consumers and businesses alike because speaker when Ontario Ontario citizens feel secure and spending their hard earned dollars we can all focus on what matters most a strong vibrant economy Good morning speaker and thank you my questions to the premier paramedics in the Niagara region are facing a violence epidemic within seven months there has been 56 incidents which has added to staff attrition no one should ever feel unsafe going into work Premier paramedics should not be made to feel like second class first responders will you commit to a provincial staffing strategy to address compensation training and resources to ensure the safety of our paramedics and combat burnout Good question one thing I will agree with the member opposite is that there is no one in our healthcare system who should feel unsafe when they are doing a job and protecting the people of Ontario we have worked very closely with our paramedic chiefs and associations to make sure that we have resourced them appropriately of course the member opposite knows we are a 50-50 partner with our municipal partners to make sure that we fund 50% of any expansion of the paramedic services in the province of Ontario we will continue to do that but I want to make it very clear that we do not tolerate violence in our healthcare system including of course with our paramedics supplementary thank you speaker back to the premier our paramedics our local heroes are facing rising violence on the job they stand on the front lines daily risking it all they let me repeat that they stand on the front lines daily risking everything premier you control the purse strings can we get our can we get your commitment today to scrutinize the critical situation of our paramedics in Ontario and ensure they receive the same level of resources as other first responders they deserve nothing less absolutely so again I will repeat we have zero tolerance for workplace violence one incident is one too many but you know I must say I'm also incredibly proud of our government and premier when we announced a PTSD center with run amied and to ensure that our first responders including our paramedics who we know historically have had a higher rate of PTSD have the supports they need with an expansion of that center thank you speaker thank you very much that concludes our question period for this morning pursuant to standing order 36a the member for Guelph has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the premier concerning funding for his new homes this matter will be debated today following private members public business next we have a deferred vote on the motion for second reading of bill 135 an act to amend the connecting care act 2019 with respect to home and community care services and health governance and to make related amendments to other acts call in the members this is a five minute bell