 It's now time for oral questions, and I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. I will go slowly as he's about to take his seat. Families across Ontario are in anguish watching the ongoing tragedy unfold in our long-term care homes. The Premier promised to share information with them as soon as he knew it. But yesterday he refused to answer even basic questions. I'd like to start today by asking the question I asked yesterday. Will the Premier tell families with loved ones in long-term care which homes are on the high-risk red list? And if not, why not? To reply on behalf of the Government, the Minister of Long-Term Care. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for the question. Our Government has been clear from the beginning that we will be transparent about these issues. When the Canadian Armed Forces was called in, we were transparent about the homes that they were going into. These homes that are fluctuating out of the various levels, whether it's yellow to red or red to yellow, there is a dynamic nature to this list. It would not be fair to homes if we were to put out a list that was erroneous in terms of the immediate change that occurs in these homes. It is a dynamic situation. We are monitoring these homes. It is the necessary thing to do. And we're looking at making sure that all our homes are improving. And in fact, we are at 14 days of lowering active resident cases. This is good news. And I want to thank all the staff, our frontline workers, our personal support workers and nurses, and all our health workers that are on the front lines for what they're doing to support our homes. The integration with hospitals and public health is appreciated very much. Thank you. Thank you. The supplementary question. The supplementary is back to the Premier Speaker. And the bad news is we've lost 1,652 seniors as of today. That's the bad news. Transparency is about providing information so that people can make decisions and prepare for what their loved ones are going through. For months, families have been unable to see their loved ones. We all know that. Unable to see their loved ones in long-term care. And some have read with horror the reports from military personnel of literally criminal levels of neglect in those homes. The Premier says he knows what's going on inside the homes and which homes pose the highest risk to residents. The government releases daily updates on the progress of COVID-19 in Ontario. You just heard the minister do it again today, just a second ago around how many homes are still in long-term care, rather in COVID crisis. So why can't the Premier tell families what's actually happening in their long-term care homes? Why can't families know what's happening in the places where their loved ones live? Premier? Through you, Mr. Speaker, we've seen the outbreaks in long-term care homes that have occurred in every region of this country, represented by every political party in both public and privately owned facilities. Our number one priority is protecting the health and the safety of the most vulnerable members of our society and residents of long-term care homes. And we've pulled out every single stop, Mr. Speaker, every stop to make sure that we make these homes safe. And we're going to be reviewing it. We're going to be reviewing it through commission. The auditor general is going to be reviewing it. We have the coroner's office reviewing it. We have the ombudsman reviewing it. So we're going to get down to the answers. How this happened over decades, not just in the last 18 months or two years, Mr. Speaker, it's been going on for decades under other governments, under other leaderships, as people have sat around for 15 years and never addressed this problem, we'll address it and we're going to fix it, Mr. Speaker. The final supplementary. Speaker, the minister just said there are still well over 100 homes that are in outbreak with COVID-19. That's the reality this moment. And once again, families are worried. They're worried about their loved ones in long-term care, and they're worried when they see a premier who's more interested in protecting friends that are running for-profit homes than the people who actually live inside those homes, Speaker. Since residents and their families are not allowed to know whether they live inside a high-risk red home, can the premier confirm the for-profit homeowners and their lobbyists know whether or not they're on the red list? Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let's just be very clear. I don't have friends that run long-term care homes, and maybe the leader of the opposition can tell me about it, but every single day we're improving the system. Every single day we're improving it. We will review the system with an independent non-partisan commission, and we'll get down to the bottom of this, Mr. Speaker. We will do whatever it takes to fix these homes. We will do whatever it takes. I want to repeat that, to fix these homes, of the mistakes that have happened for decades. As I said the other day in my news conference, I spoke to one unnamed politician that said, Doug, this has been happening since Bill Davis. We're going to be the government that fixes it. And I'd like to ask the opposition, rather than sit there and criticize- Respond. Why don't you help us? Why don't you help us fix the system that they had 15 years to fix that they did not fix? Next question, the leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, my next question is also to the Premier. I do have to say we've been trying our darnedest for decades to try to get the former government and this government to do something about long-term care. Unfortunately they didn't listen, and instead cut $34 million from long-term care in their budget, which is a mistake. But yesterday families in Kitchener learned that the for-profit Forest Heights facility had been on the red list for weeks, and was finally being taken over after weeks of delay. Over a month ago, grieving families and staff were warning the government that residents with COVID-19 were not being quarantined, even while Rivera insisted that they were meeting or exceeding government standards. Since that time, 28 more residents have died. How long was Forest Heights on the government's secret list of high-risk red homes, and why did the government allow Rivera to continue running the facility and claim that they were meeting government standards? Premier? Through you, Mr. Speaker, I want to call, and I've been calling on the federal government to support us. There's no province in this country that can fix this alone, no matter if it's Ontario, BC, or Quebec. I hear it on our conference calls all the time. We're asking for the support of the federal government. We need the support, financial support to get this fixed. We need the health transfers to increase. If they're true partners, Mr. Speaker, we can rely on 22% of health transfers from the Canadian government. They've been doing a great job, by the way. They've been supporting all provinces, all the people. I want to thank them, but we need more support. We need more support in long-term care. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The supplementary question. In fact, in April, other provinces like British Columbia moved quickly to take control of for-profit homes and ensure proper staffing and infection control way back at the beginning of April. The foreign government refused to act at that time and refused to even share basic information with the public. In British Columbia, to this day, 111 seniors have lost their lives in long-term care during this COVID-19 pandemic. In Ontario, as I already mentioned, over 1,650 long-term care residents have died. Why has the Premier refused to take the measures that BC has taken when it is clear that their actions have, in fact, saved lives? Premier? I want to thank the leader of the opposition for that great question. Actually, I consult with Premier Horgan all the time. I don't consider him just a colleague. Premier Horgan is a friend. And as I've told him many times, I don't look at the political stripe. I don't look if he's the part of the orange party or not, because he's very pragmatic. And he's helped us. He's given us advice. But he'll be the first to admit this virus hit BC four weeks before it hit Ontario, full-fledged. And he's the one that I consult with. I talk to him privately on the phone, not to mention on our weekly calls as well. And I think the world of Premier Horgan, I think he's doing a great job. So if we can learn something off BC, we'll take it. If we can learn something off Quebec, we'll take it. And if we can get the funding for the federal government, we will take that as well and fix the problem. Final supplementary. Well, Speaker, even if it was four weeks before and it wasn't, this is a problem that the Premier has. I mean, if they were in COVID for four weeks longer than us and to this day, only 111 seniors have lost their lives, while in Ontario over 1,650 have lost their lives, then Ontario has made some big mistakes along the way, Speaker. And haven't been listening to what they should have been doing. Across Ontario, thousands of families have been forced to watch helplessly as loved ones in long-term care have fallen ill. Have learned often after their loved ones had died that their loved ones weren't being quarantined and in some cases weren't being cared for at all. Even while for-profit homes insisted that they were meeting government standards. And the Premier was claiming that there was an iron ring protecting their loved ones, which we all know was not the case. Will the Premier do the right thing today then and admit that he and his team have actually failed and call an independent judicial inquiry? Because that's what Ontarians deserve. Minister of Long-Term Care. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for the question. Our government worked in combination with many ministries, with the command table. We were very early back in February putting out guidance for our long-term care homes and we were actively engaged the whole way through. In some instance, taking earlier measures than other provinces. This is a global pandemic. This is not a normal time. Every measure, every tool has been used, possible to prevent the spread of COVID into our long-term care homes. There are many variables. And I can assure you that when we put the active screening in place, essential visitors only, one location of work, infection prevention and control measures, integrating with hospitals to get rapid deployment teams and SWAT teams into our homes, working with public health, taking the directors of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, every measure has been taken and we will continue to take measures as necessary, including the management of homes if necessary. The next question. Once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, my next question is also to the Premier. Yesterday our officers were contacted by Dorothy Rodriguez, the widow of Leonard Rodriguez of Black, PSW from Toronto, who died from COVID-19 because he did not get the PPE that he needed at work. Leonard was a dedicated and beloved husband, father and colleague. But when Leonard got sick, the family experienced a barrier after barrier in accessing appropriate care and after his death, the trauma only continued. Dorothy said, and I quote, we are not able to tell if this, the neglect from our health care system, is a pattern or a one-off because there's no data to support it. Dorothy has called for the immediate collection of race-based data by this government. Will the Premier listen to Dorothy? The Deputy Premier. I think the Leader of the Official Opposition for this question. Normally, the Ministry of Health does not collect race-based data. It's not considered to be particularly relevant. However, in this case, it hasn't been in the past. However, in this case, we have seen that we need for it to be done. And we are trying to set up a system where it can be done, where people's identity can be protected, where this can be collected, because this is going to be relevant to COVID-19, to areas where it has broken out. And we want to make sure that every Ontarian's health is protected. This has been asked for by a number of organisations. We are listening. We are willing to collect this data, and we are looking at the best way to do so to protect everyone, protect everyone's health, and to make sure that we can continue to do that in the future. Thank you. A supplementary question. Speaker, the way that black people are treated in our healthcare system has always been relevant. Anti-black racism exists systemically throughout all of our systems, and it's shameful that this Minister does not acknowledge or recognise that and thinks that it's only relevant because of COVID-19. That is disgraceful. Leonard Rodriguez spent 30 years of his life caring for vulnerable Ontarians as a PSW. His spouse is pleading with the government to act, and I can tell you, she is not alone. Health experts from across the province, as the Minister already mentioned, have identified anti-black racism as a public health crisis and called for government action. Dorothy said, and I quote, Canada has gone too long covering their eyes to racial discrimination by refusing to collect data that challenges Canada's racial bias. And that would be the same right here in Ontario, newsflash for the Minister. We need a plan of action, she says. The Premier can answer this call today. Will the Premier acknowledge that hundreds of thousands of Ontarians face racial discrimination every day in this province and immediately issue an emergency order for the collection of race-based health data in Ontario? The Premier to reply. Mr. Speaker and to the Leader of the Opposition, of course there's systemic racism in Ontario. There's systemic racism across this country. Order. I know it exists, Mr. Speaker. What I don't know is the hardships faced by those communities. And a lot of us in this chamber do not know the hardships within those communities, Mr. Speaker. I don't have those lived experiences. Order. I do not have those lived experiences, and I can empathize with them. But again, Mr. Speaker, a lot of us have never lived that. We've never walked a mile in someone's shoes. That is, faced racism. And not only just in the black community, a lot of minority communities throughout the history of Ontario and Canada have faced racism. And our government stands for it. I won't stand for it as Premier. And we will do everything we can in our powers and work collectively with other parties to stamp this out. Let's start the clock. The next question, the member for Willowdale. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Premier, as you've said many times, this pandemic has been a difficult time for everyone out there. And we've all made great sacrifices. Individuals, people in our province, our country, and indeed around the world. You know, back in March, our government launched the Ontario Together website. And you made a call. You issued a call out to our business community to say we need reinforcements. We need the time that we need your help. And they answered that call, Mr. Speaker. We had our great entrepreneurial leaders step up to the plate and channel that enterprising spirit to help us make the medical supplies and equipment we need to get through this pandemic. Could the Premier please update this legislature about those positive efforts that this has resulted in for the people of this great province? Premier? Mr. Speaker, I want to thank our great member from Willowdale for the question. I want to thank the great business community that have stepped up during this time, that have switched over their lines to make hand sanitizer, switched over lines to make face shields or masks. That is the true Ontario spirit. Since launching the Ontario Together Fund, Mr. Speaker, these are some of the amazing numbers here we've received from over 25,000 submissions from businesses right across the province. 15,000 of those submissions have led to $200 million in purchases of medical supplies and equipment. 121 million masks, 4 million face shields, 100 million surgical gloves, 20.9 million gowns straight to the front lines. We can compete against anyone, Mr. Speaker. And as I've always said, we won't rely on foreign countries for PPE any longer. Thank you. The supplementary question. Thank you very much, Speaker. And thanks for that response, Premier. I think we all share that pride in our businesses in Ontario in this chamber. Now, our government is also proud to partner with these businesses to unleash that power, the power of the private sector in an effort to beat this virus for good and ensure that Ontario never again is at the mercy of another country when it comes to personal protective equipment. Great question. I, as well as everybody else, want to thank the great leaders for stepping up to the plate during this very difficult time. These great examples of leadership by Paul Moyer, an apple farmer in Niagara, who retooled his apple sanitizer machine to sanitize used N95 masks with technology that kills 99.9% of germs. Or true North printed plastics in Bracebridge, who have been teaming up with Northern Ontario medical students to make 3D printed face shields. Question. Could the Premier please share with the legislature other examples of ingenuity and leadership by companies during this time? Great question. Premier. For the question, our government is making a priority to support innovative businesses like SouthMedic and Sterling Industries and SRB Technologies through the Ontario Together Fund. That's why we're pleased to announce that Ontario is investing more than $2.8 million in our homegrown manufacturers to ramp up the production of PPE. With our support, these innovators will increase their output of personal protective equipment to meet the province's needs to keep and help the frontline health care workers have the proper PPE, Mr. Speaker. 12 weeks ago, we're relying on other countries. Now we're relying on our own Ontario base of manufacturers. Thank you. The next question, the member for Brampton East. Thank you, Speaker. For weeks, the Conservative government has promised that they've got testing under control only to underperform and underdeliver. Then yesterday, we learned that they not only didn't have a plan to meet their own testing goals, that they were actively under-reporting and hiding testing data from some hospitals. Cases in my riding are growing and we are desperate, Speaker. We are desperate for more testing. Many are essential workers and are the front line of this crisis and we need to know that their families are safe. My question to the Premier, Mr. Speaker, is how can they trust a government that's so consistently over-promised and under-delivered when it comes to testing and tracking cases for COVID-19? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I would like to say to the member opposite that we have increased our testing. We have been open and transparent in our reporting at every step of the way. The Premier has promised that we will let people know that we will be open with that information. We submitted over 17,000 tests yesterday. As a matter of fact, I also went to a testing center, a pop-up center in Scarborough where we're trying to increase testing. Anyone who wants to be tested who feels that they have symptoms of COVID-19 or feels that they've been in contact with someone and has COVID-19 can go to be tested. So anyone who wants to be tested will be tested at an assessment center. This pop-up center, I can tell you when I was there yesterday, had a lineup of at least 40 people half an hour before they were even going to be opening. So people want to come in for testing. We are accommodating them. We have a strategy to increase our testing and we are increasing it on a daily basis with over 17,000 tests done and over 20,000 on several days just before the weekend. Thank you. Member for Hamilton West and Caster Dundas. To the Premier, Speaker, I've been hearing concerns from small business owners and workers from my writing and from across the province. And they're telling me that the conservative failures on testing aren't just hurting families, they're putting our reopening and our recovery at risk as well. Thousands of Ontario's are going back to work now and they're getting back out in their communities. So we can't continue to underperform on testing and we certainly cannot lose track of tests. So when is the government going to ensure that the hard work and the sacrifices made by everyday Ontarians aren't undone by these failures? Mr. Pell. Well, I would say, Mr. Speaker, through you, to the member opposite, quite the opposite. We understand how important testing is in defeating COVID-19. We very much appreciate the efforts that the 14 and a half million Ontarians have already made by staying home for a long period of time, by physically distancing, by approving and dealing with all of the important health measures that we've asked them to deal with. Currently, we are working with businesses to allow when the time is right for people to come back in a safe way. We are increasing our testing as we know as we open up the economy bit by bit in a careful and measured approach that people will continue to be safe. So we absolutely know that testing is important and we are increasing our testing. We can do 20,000 tests per day now. We're going to increase that so that anyone who wants to test it will be tested and when people come back to employment, they will be tested to make sure that they are, it's safe for them to return. That is a major priority for us. Next question, the member for Orleane. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Long-Term Care. Like too many facilities here in Ontario, Medana Care Community in Orleans has been devastated by COVID-19. One quarter of all residents have died as a result of the disease and out of 61 staff cases, two long-term employees have also passed away. Mr. Speaker, the Premier has said that we'll know everything that he knows. The Minister of Long-Term Care has asked the opposition for help in assisting her in finding a solution to the problem. Yet when asked which facilities are in trouble, she refuses to answer. Mr. Speaker, given the Premier's declaration and the Minister's request for our assistance, will she release the list of long-term care homes in need, those that are scoring yellow and red? Minister of Long-Term Care. Thank you for the question. The monitoring of these homes is ongoing. And there have been inspections, there have been thousands of inspections. The issue here is that we want to make sure the inspections of these homes are unannounced. If we release the lists, then it is much more difficult to do an unannounced inspection. We've heard your concerns. We've heard the concerns from Ontarians and we listen. And that is why these inspections will be unannounced for these long-term care homes. This is a process and I want to clarify something that was said earlier from the leader of the opposition. And in fact, our numbers are not as you portray in terms of the outbreaks. We are reducing substantially our numbers. We're now about 108. Well, actually that was yesterday. Today I believe we're at 94. So we are on the trend downwards. And I think it's exceedingly important to deal with the facts. We are now in a downward trend. The inspections of these homes will be ongoing. They will be unannounced. And it is a way for us to make sure that the inspections that you've asked for and asked for more are being done. Thank you. The supplementary question. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My supplementary is also the minister of long-term care. As I've mentioned in Orleans, the Madonna Care community has been devastated by COVID and they've been relying on local hospitals to supplement their staffing to address the needs of residents. Mr. Speaker, hospitals have indicated that this support can't last forever. In fact, it can't last for very much longer at all. We've been informed that at Madonna Community Care that support might be withdrawn as early as next week. My question to the minister is that we continue to provide support to Madonna Care community through the summer and as we approach the fall into a second wave. Minister of long-term care. Thank you, thank you Speaker and thanks for the question. All these homes are required to provide a stabilization plan and very important to point out here. The staffing crisis that our homes experienced during this horrible tragic pandemic those staffing issues were building over many many years and we began as a government as soon as we took over as a ministry of long-term care new ministry of long-term care to address that issue. These are long-standing issues. They will not be addressed overnight and many partners are working with us to try and address as quickly as possible and stabilize these homes that is exactly what we have been doing all this time and when our homes were in dire need we called in the Canadian Armed Forces and they came and they were there to help and all our partners all our tools, all our measures will be used but our homes have a stabilization plan and we are actively on that. Thank you. Member for Guelph. Thank you Speaker. My question is for the solicitor general. Speaker, earlier the Premier answered a question from the leader of the opposition saying he acknowledges that anti-black racism exists in Ontario after not answering the same question yesterday and after centuries of anti-black racism, anti-indigenous racism and racism against people in colour, I think all of us who were born into privilege need to answer the question about institutionalized and systemic anti-black racism in Ontario so I was happy to see the Premier answer that but I asked the solicitor general speaker what specific actions is the government going to take to combat systemic and institutional anti-black racism, anti-indigenous racism and racism against people of colour in Ontario. The solicitor general. Thank you Speaker and thank you for the question I think this is an important conversation for all of us to have and there are many examples of systemic racism across Ontario but in answer to your specific question about the examples of what we have been doing under the leadership of the Ontario anti-racism directorate, we have developed regulations under the new police legislation the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act we have developed a cutting-edge applied learning program to equip members of the OPS sorry, Ontario Public Service with anti-racism knowledge skills and tools needed to build a public service inclusive, equitable and responsive. We're supporting the Ministry of Health with developing their approach to collecting race-based data in the healthcare sector the anti-racism directorate is providing guidance and support to organisations in the education justice and child welfare sectors to implement the collection of race-based data. Thank you. A supplementary question. Thank you Speaker, I appreciate your general's response. I'll say that the anti-racism act when it was passed it established four commitments for the government to establish a three-year anti-racism strategy to implement the collection of race-based data across all ministries it's important in health but across all ministries to organise and conduct ongoing public consultations to provide the public with reporting and to create an anti-racism campaign for our education system. Speaker, will the government today commit to fully funding the anti-racism directorate and to fully implementing all four of the commitments in the anti-racism act? Solicitor General again. Thank you Speaker, so to be clear and to repeat our government has zero tolerance for racism, hate or discrimination in all of its many forms. There has been zero change to the budget of the anti-racism directorate and our government has been clear in our support for the ARD and its important mandate. The anti-racism director to your point is leading strategic initiatives to advance anti-racism work across government with the plan including through the three-year anti-racism strategy and including initiatives that I've already spoke about and that they're already working on. They are also working to identify and address racial barriers in the recruitment of correctional officers. The anti-racism directorate speaker is doing excellent work and I would hope that with the cooperation of all members of the House we can continue that important work. Thank you. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Essex. Thank you very much Speaker. There are over 100 confirmed COVID-19 cases among migrant workers in my writing of Windsor Essex. Another 100 in Chatham Kent, an outbreak in Niagara and yesterday it was reported that there were 164 cases in an outbreak in Norfolk County. Last Saturday Speaker one of these workers, a young worker 30 years old in Essex County tragically died from COVID-19. Our collective hearts and sympathies go out to his family and his colleagues. These are agricultural workers that were brought here. They were recruited here in the middle of a pandemic because what they do is so essential the work that they perform the expertise that they bring is so essential that our agriculture sector could not operate without them. What concrete steps does the premier intend to take today to protect these workers from the outbreak jeopardizing these workers' health and why hasn't he acted to this point? To respond on behalf of the government, the Minister of Labor. Well thank you very much and thank you to the member opposite for this question. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to begin by expressing our government's condolences to the family of the worker that was killed by COVID-19. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we send our condolences to all of those families that were killed by COVID-19 during this global pandemic. Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite noted, migrant workers play a key part in the agricultural sector of Ontario's economy. I come from the great riding of Lampton Kent Middlesex and migrant workers are part of our communities and part of the agricultural industry in the province. Mr. Speaker, I can report to the House that in April there will be a safety blitz of the agricultural sector of farms, specifically those farms with migrant workers. Mr. Speaker, I can report to the House today that we've done 137 field visits to date. A supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. These regions with large agricultural operations are now the epicenter, the sites of the largest COVID-19 workplace outbreaks in the province. Mr. Speaker, however, this was entirely predictable. The work in the fields in close proximity, the bunk houses where it's practically impossible to properly isolate the need to access personal protective equipment, regular access to sanitation and washing stations, these are hard to find in these workplace environments. Mr. Speaker, the province has bought up banks of hotel and motel rooms elsewhere in the province in order to rehouse those who need to self-isolate. The Premier could do that here in order to help stop a worsening situation and even help the struggling hospitality sector. Here's an idea from the opposition that you could take to make life better for these workers. Will you take this and act on it today? Well, Mr. Speaker, as the member opposite knows the health and safety of every single worker in this province including migrant workers is my top priority as Minister and as our government's top priority. Mr. Speaker, as I said, I launched a blitz in April. We've done 137 field visits in the agricultural sector to protect the health and well-being of migrant workers specifically. Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Labor Training and Skills Development has issued 34 work orders to improve conditions for workers in the agricultural sector. But Mr. Speaker, I would like to talk specifically about a $2.25 million investment announced by Minister Harderman and Olmafra. Mr. Speaker, our government has put in place $2.25 million in response. This will be used for key initiatives like purchasing PPE, enhancing cleaning and disinfection and redesigning workstations on farms to protect migrant workers across this province. Thank you. Member for Glen Gary, Prescott Russell. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Tourism. The tourism sector is one of the most hardest hit industries due to COVID-19. We travel restrictions in place. But there's also a loss of revenue and loss of visitors. This is catastrophic. And there's no end in sight. And as it seems to be the trend, the government has decided to allow the federal government to take complete responsibility for supporting Ontario's tourism sector. It's a minister, Melanie Jolie, that announced $30 million for tourism industry association of Ontario. When will the government cease to depend on the federal government in order to support Ontario's job creators and to assume its responsibility and provide support to the industry? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I have to disagree completely with the member opposite's question. In fact the minister responsible for tourism has been a national leader with respect to bringing together the federal provincial territorial ministers in a plan to react to COVID-19. She has hosted hundreds of round tables. She has worked very closely with Minister Jolie. Yes, the member is correct. She has worked very closely with Minister Jolie. She's appointed within our caucus a member for Perry Sound Mascoka to reach out to tourism operators across the province of Ontario. We've heard from numerous members on our side. And more importantly, Mr. Speaker, the Standing Committee on Finance, which is about to begin meetings on the tourism sector tomorrow, Mr. Speaker, has some 100, over 140 companies that want to present, who want to give ideas on how we can move that sector forward, Mr. Speaker. She has done tremendous amount of work and I'm very proud of the work that she's done and all colleagues have done. We will continue to work with Minister Jolie to bring visitors back, not only to Ontario but all of Canada. Thank you. A supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again to the Minister of Tourism, amongst these businesses, there are craft breweries that are not only important to Ontario's bottom line, but are also one of the sought after destinations in Ontario for tourists and also in hosting festivals and events across the province. I've heard from many of them, including Bows in my writing, on what measures they would like the government to implement in order to allow the economy to reopen. They're working very hard to plan as much as they can to safely reopen for concrete suggestions to the government in order to reopen the economy. We still haven't seen a plan from the government in order to help those businesses in order to reopen. When can we expect the government to offer temporary support measures to craft breweries and wineries in Ontario? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. She's correct. That sector is very important to the economy. It's something that we talk about a lot in this house. Often, we've heard the opposition complain that the government spends too much time talking about that sector of the economy, but we've understood right from the beginning how important the craft brewery economy is to the province of Ontario. It hires hundreds of people, Mr. Speaker, responsible for thousands, millions of dollars in economic activity. It is responsible for tourism across sectors of the province of Ontario, so she is quite correct. It is an important sector. It is one of the sectors that we'll be reporting to the Standing Committee on Finance beginning Thursday. That report is due to be completed within three weeks with recommendations that will come to the Ontario Jobs and Recovery Committee straight to cabinet and into this legislature, Mr. Speaker. It continues on the hard work that's being done by members. The member for the member for Prince Edward, excuse me, Mr. Speaker, there are a number of caucus members here and despite those that have spoken against it in the opposition, we'll continue to value that sector because we know how important it is. Thank you. The next question, the member for Nagra Centre. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Municipal services are at the forefront of this pandemic. The pressure on services such as public health, ambulance and bile enforcement continue to rise. Municipalities are facing an unprecedented challenge which can only be countered by unprecedented cooperation between all levels of government not by just passing the issue back and forth. Cities and towns across this province are passing motions sending letters and pleading for emergency operating funding to help them weather this storm. From Niagara to Sudbury to Toronto local governments are bleeding cash and facing shortfalls in the millions yet this government refuses to act and as cities, towns and everyday Ontarians who will pay the price with tax increases and service cuts. Will the Premier commit to supporting municipalities by providing emergency operating funding now? We respond on behalf of the government, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Thank you, Speaker, to the member opposite. The Premier has made it clear to municipalities that he supports them. I have made it clear to all the municipal organizations in this province that I support them. On a call last week with my federal and provincial colleagues we all acknowledge that the scope and magnitude of what not just Ontario municipalities but Canadian municipalities have faced requires incredible cooperation between all three levels of government. Our government is committed as the Premier has said to be at the table and support our municipal sector financially but again we need to work collaboratively we need to be nonpartisan as the Premier said many times and as I have said many times we have to break down those partisan walls, work together and ensure that municipalities will continue to be strong. They are the level of government that will lead the recovery in our country. Join us. Thank you, the member for Timmons supplement your question. To the minister, if that's the case then you should be doing something. That's along in the short of the story. We had an interview last week with CBC Radio Sudbury and as municipal leaders listened they were hoping there was going to be actually a word coming from you that said yes, we the province will step forward and we will do X, Y or Z. None of that came out. All you said was well we need to talk to the federal government. Yes the federal government we certainly would like their help but you're not incapable of doing things on your own. We can't afford it. Members please take your seats and members will address their comments through the chair. Minister of municipal affairs to respond early and provided along with my colleague minister Smith 200 million dollars to our municipalities to help those most vulnerable. We ensured that that money was so flexible so that they could pick priorities in their own communities. But speaker as we move forward given the magnitude we need to be collaborative every single province and every territory agrees that we need to have a federal commitment. I have stated in this house and I stated on that interview I support the Canadian federation of municipalities with their ask to the federal government. I support the association of municipalities of Ontario ask along with CUPY to the federal government. I think that's the key that we need to have a Canadian solution speaker. That's the key. The next question the member for Windsor West Thank you speaker. It is national accessibility week an opportunity to celebrate the valuable contributions of people with disabilities and to acknowledge the barriers to inclusion and accessibility. The pandemic has amplified these barriers for thousands of people with disabilities and their loved ones. Routines have been disrupted access to vital therapies and services have been lost and parents working on the front lines or from home are caring for their loved ones without support like respite or care workers. Heather from my writing has been a PSW for 23 years and has two children with disabilities that are both medically fragile. Think about how Heather's life has been impacted by the pandemic. She works tirelessly on the front lines while also caring full time for her children with complex needs. Why has this government failed to step up with support for people with disabilities and parents like Heather? Mr Children Community and Social Services Well thanks very much Mr Speaker and thanks to the member opposite for the question I was going to say that it's been a difficult time for everybody in Ontario and I think everybody would agree it's been extremely difficult for people living with children with disabilities and for those living with disabilities and that's why our government acted quickly to help our most vulnerable and more importantly we acted with important programs that were going to be effective for those individuals. As the Minister of Municipal Affairs I'm sorry to interrupt the Minister the question was asked by a member from the official opposition I think the official opposition should want to hear the response I'm going to give you some extra time Thank you very much because we've done a lot Mr Speaker and I would just like to start with the fact that out of the gates we got a $200 million emergency benefit program out the door the social services relief benefit that was aimed at helping those who were most vulnerable at this time $148 million to municipalities so that they could provide those services to individuals and then $52 million in emergency benefit Mr Speaker we brought forward a $40 million residential relief fund which helps those in the developmental services sector immensely and I've been speaking with all of our partners in that sector to ensure that they're getting the support that they need and overwhelming. Thank you. Mr Speaker my constituents in Toronto St Paul's are being forced to live off ODSP checks which do not match the inflation rate of this province that with a global health pandemic in which we have told people they shouldn't work they cannot work and my constituents are hanging on by a fraying thread Sandra who lives in St Paul's is on ODSP and wouldn't be able to work even if the province wasn't having emergency measures but she's been told by her worker she can access her employment insurance without receiving 100% dollar for dollar clawbacks Mr Speaker during a global health crisis this conservative government should not be asking anyone to give a single cent of these checks back to the province the province has no right profiting on the backs of Ontarians who are disabled that is disgusting when will the conservatives Mr Speaker to the premier do the right thing by Sandra and all ODSP recipients in Ontario and reverse your clawback decision now Mr Speaker we've taken a very thoughtful approach to how we're treating the Canada emergency response benefit here in Ontario many provinces are taking 100% of that money back but we're not doing that we're allowing the individuals to stack their income the SERB and the services that they're receiving ODSP Mr Speaker so they're coming out further ahead than they would have otherwise allowing those individuals and this is very very important to keep their medical benefits that they're getting under ODSP under what the federal government was proposing those individuals would get kicked out of the system and lose their medical benefits everybody on ODSP is now getting more and what we've done with the 50% clawback we're investing into those individuals that weren't able to benefit by receiving response and we're investing those back into discretionary emergency benefits to those individuals so they can receive $100 per individual per month or $200 per family to help them pay for the increased cost during this pandemic thank you member for Windsor West has to come to order the minister of children community and social services has to come to order our health care research centers with Southeast Aurora San Bernard Fronton at Kingston Speaker, my question is to the ministry of long-term care during a state of emergency all executive powersopia whereas the Illinois妥 as Death's in long-term care began the moment in the end the AMA offered now inactive because of the emergency orders. These proposals were all rejected prior to April 22. The rejection puzzled many of us. Speaker, my question to the minister is, when was the OMA offer initially made, but more importantly, who rejected it? Was it the minister, the premier, or the COVID command table? Mr. Long-Term Care. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for the question. Looking at the process by which we began to plan and respond to COVID-19 worldwide pandemic with a devastating effect in long-term care across the world, we worked with the Ministry of Health, we worked with the command table, there was an integrative process with Ontario Health and Ontario Health teams, and many, many partners to put together a response for our long-term care homes. I know physicians, many of them, involved in the long-term care homes, on the front lines, participating. So I know that physicians were involved not only in long-term care, but across the hospitals in terms of planning and organizing. So I want to make sure that the member opposite understands we've reached across the spectrum for all levels of assistance, and I want to assure you that the physician and medical expertise has been valued, as has the nursing expertise, as has been RPSWs, and everyone else who is contributing to the understanding of COVID-19. Thank you. A supplementary question again to the minister. On March 13th, we had 79 cases in LTC. Four days later, that number was 189, still mostly in long-term care, and the state of emergency was declared for 14 days. On March 26th, the command table resisted testing everyone in LTC, and by April 1st, we had 40 deaths in our LTC homes, and by the time the OMA, the specific OMA proposal to help, was rejected, the number of deaths had risen to 500 in long-term care. The need for help was clearly evident, and you said earlier today that every tool was used, but the OMA tool was not used. There are now over 1,650 deaths in long-term care. Speaker, my question to the minister is simple. Who made this terrible decision that imperiled the lives of so many? Was it the minister, was it the premier, or was it the COVID command table? Minister. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you again to the member opposite for the question. This is an integrated approach, as I've said before, and I will continue to say that until someone understands what that means. It is an integrative response using Ontario Health, the command table, multiple ministries, and looking at how we use all the resources available to us to support our homes. This has been an ongoing process, an integrated process, and as I said, there has been medical assistance through physicians. There has been nursing assistance. We have had portals. We have had the ability to have volunteers. Also, provincial and federal portals. Every tool has been used, and I do not speak specifically to this issue, because it was an integrated response. And the command table, it's been very transparent about the command table from the beginning, and we need an integrated response, and that's what that was. Thank you. Next question. Member for Davenport. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and my question is to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, Pam's Rody Shop is a treasured neighborhood restaurant in my community. It's been there for decades. They have been trying, like so many others, to keep afloat during this difficult time. Pam and her staff are offering takeout, they're offering delivery, they're innovating, and they're even finding ways to give back. They donated meals to frontline healthcare workers, let me tell you, Mr. Speaker. Just recently, they donated 100 meals to workers at three hospitals. But now it's Pam who needs our support. This week, they turned to the community for help when their landlord was threatening to evict them. This landlord knows about the CECRA, but refuses to apply. And in fact, Mr. Speaker, I'll note that we now know that just over 1%, only 1% of landlords have opted into the federal provincial program. It's a massive failure and it's leaving businesses like Pam's with no government support. Mr. Speaker, how many of our local businesses have to be shuttered before the Premier halts commercial evictions and brings in a small business rent relief program that works? The Minister of Finance answered this question many times in the House. And I think what the member forgets to say is that the legislature passed $10 billion in support early on during the pandemic and it included $6 billion in support related to the deferral of taxes, $1.8 billion in regards to property taxes, and that we enabled municipalities to do. One member has the floor at the time. Member asks the question, the Minister responds. You have to allow him to make his response without an eruption. I'm going to give the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing a little more time. Thank you, Speaker. And we also provided $1.9 billion in WSIB supports. This government will continue to work with our business community. We will continue, as Minister Phillips has said in this House many times, continue to work with Minister Morneau and the federal government on this program. These are early days in this program, but we again appreciate the experiences that members have in their own writings, but make no mistake, this government will continue to support our business community. Thank you. And the supplementary question, the member for Toronto Senate. Thank you, Speaker. My question is also to the Premier. The Conservatives in action on evictions aren't just closing the doors on thousands of businesses, not only in my writing, but across Ontario. But this government is also failing residential tenants as well. And quite frankly, thousands of tenants are still receiving eviction notices from their landlords, getting them in the queue for the landlord tenant board when it reopens, despite the fact that there is currently a ban on evictions. And I recently spoke to one of my constituents named Emily. And despite being laid off, she still managed to pay the majority of her rent. She paid most of it. She was only a few hundred dollars behind. Within an hour, within an hour falling a little bit behind on her rent, she had an N4 slid under her door to get her in the queue for the landlord and tenant board of the second that it reopens. Now, Speaker, I've heard from countless constituents that are all in the same place and they want to know why this Conservative government is leaving them behind when they need help the most. Why is this government proceeding to rush through legislation that will make it easier for landlords to evict tenants in tenants darkest hour when they need us the most? Why are you making it easier to evict tenants? Speaker, under the Residential Tenancies Act, every tenant facing eviction in Ontario has the right to a hearing at the landlord tenant board. And the bill 184 that's on the order paper does not change that speaker. What our proposed change will allow is an alternative dispute resolution if the tenant prefers. This means that the tenant and the landlord can go to mediation instead of going to the landlord tenant board. Once the tenant and the landlord come to an agreement through mediation, everyone must abide by the terms but make no mistake. Our proposed change allows for mediation outside the landlord and tenant board freeing up resources. It does not change the tenant's right to have a hearing at the LTB. That information that's being spread by the opposition is incorrect. The next question, the member for Whitby. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Transportation. I, alongside my caucus colleagues from Durham Region, have been long time advocates for making life more affordable for drivers in the region. Every interior has felt the financial impacts of COVID-19, including drivers who use highways 407, 412 and 418. I was pleased, Speaker, to hear that the minister has taken proactive steps to protect those drivers from further financial burdens. Could the minister please share the work she has done with respect to the tolls on highways 407, 412 and 418? Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I would like to thank the member from Whitby for the question. Ontarians are facing great hardship and economic difficulties as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. And, Speaker, that's why our government moved quickly to freeze the CPI increase to toll rates on highways 407, 412 and 418 that were scheduled to come into effect on June 1st, 2020. Mr. Speaker, I want to repeat. Our government took action to freeze the CPI increase on highways 407, 412 and 418. We've also suspended the collection of interest on unpaid fees. We have taken a series of important steps to ease the burden on drivers and on commercial carriers during these challenging times. And I look forward to sharing more during the supplementary. The supplementary question. Thank you to the minister for that answer. And the news was incredibly well received. Speaker, while freezing highway toll hikes and suspending the collection of interest on unpaid fees are both very important steps. I also understand that there are many other actions the minister is undertaking to make life easier for not only drivers in Durham region, but also across Ontario. Speaker, could the minister please share what additional measures she has introduced to make life easier and more affordable for drivers and commercial carriers? Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you again to the member from Whitby for the question. The associate minister of transportation and I speak regularly to industry stakeholders to learn about the issues and the challenges that they're facing within the transportation sector and to determine steps that our government can take to make life easier for them. To that end, Mr. Speaker, we've extended the validation periods for government driver vehicle and carrier products by extending the validation for international registration plan and other commercial vehicle and driver products. The collection of fees has been postponed. Speaker, our government has also expedited the opening of public rest areas to give truck drivers across the province places to stop and rest safely. And Mr. Speaker, with the new Ontario 511 app, truck drivers have immediate access to important information that they need to stay safe, fed and rested while delivering essential goods across the province. Our government will continue to support the transportation sector, to support drivers in Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. The concludes question period for today and the host stands in recess until one o'clock this afternoon.