 It is now time for oral questions and I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you so much, Speaker. Speaker, my first set of questions to the Premier is regarding the critical pieces that we think were missing from the budget yesterday. As we all know, and maybe the Premier didn't get the memo, but the pandemic is still raging. In fact, today, 2380 cases are being reported in Ontario. This means people are still hurting. Folks are still in crisis. Those frontline health care, or rather those frontline essential workers in hotspot communities particularly, are still facing the third wave of the pandemic. Although that word, third wave, those two words rather, didn't show up in yesterday's budget at all. But it's a serious matter, Speaker, because the budget did not include paid sick days for those essential frontline heroes. Why would the government not include paid sick days for those workers when virtually every expert has indicated that that's exactly the right thing for Ontario to do? Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board to respond. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Leader of the Opposition and the Member Opposite for that question. Mr. Speaker, there is a program. There's a federal program. This program is working. 250,000 Ontarians have benefited from this program. There's over $700 million still available for that program. Every province in this country is benefiting from this program. So I call on the Leader of the Opposition to join us to make every Ontarian aware of this program so that they can get tested and if they need to isolate in one of the many isolation centres that we have put in this province so people can quarantine, Mr. Speaker. And let me tell you this, the number one combatant against the pandemic is vaccinations. Join us in making sure that every Ontarian who wants a vaccine gets one. Thank you. The supplementary question. I'm off to go get the vaccine, Speaker. Look, the other critical piece that was absolutely shocking when I looked at that budget yesterday was the fact that the survivors of the long-term care system saw no hope in that budget for urgent action to fix our long-term care system. And you know what? This government has shown no urgency whatsoever. In the first wave, there was no urgency to save people's lives and fix long-term care. Then the second wave came, and again, the government showed no urgency. In fact, more people lost their lives in the second wave in long-term care, shamefully than in the first wave, tragically. That's what happened here in Ontario. And yet this budget shows no investment for more RQIs, resident quality inspections, no increase, no permanent increase in the salaries of PSWs, no necessity for the working conditions to improve to full-time work for PSWs, no getting the profits out of long-term care. Why did the budget fail our long-term care system? Mr. Speaker, thank you again for that question. Let me remind the Speaker that when the Leader of the Opposition supported the Liberal government and the minority, I don't think the word urgent was in her playbook. And I'll tell you why. They built 611 beds in that time over almost a decade. Mr. Speaker, urgent is in our playbook. That's why we're building 20,000, over 20,000 have already been allocated new bedspaces of the 30,000. That's urgent. In fact, we're doing rapid builds to how some of them built by the end of this year, Mr. Speaker, in terms of the quality of care, four hours of standard of care, Mr. Speaker, the gold standard in Canada. And you know what? We're not waiting. We're already recruiting PSWs. We're having in-class training and training in long-term care homes so we can retain them, recruit them, and motivate them for great careers in the personal support worker sector. Here's the other thing that we were really quite disappointed in. In fact, increasingly worried about what's missing from that budget. And that's the fact that there are hundreds of thousands of Ontarians that are waiting for surgeries, that are waiting for screenings, that are waiting for various procedures. And they're worried and they're in pain. Some of them have cancer spreading through their body. And this government in this budget did not invest significantly in clearing that backlog. Other provinces have. In fact, British Columbia started planning last spring for the clearing of their backlog, and they're actually going to clear their backlog by the summer, not so in Ontario. Why did the government turn their backs on all of those folks who are suffering and not include in the budget a significant amount of investment and an appropriate plan with targets to get rid of the surgical backlog in our province? Mr. Speaker, thank you again to the member opposite for that question. Mr. Speaker, listen, number one, all the great people that have supported this province through the pandemic, including our frontline healthcare workers, nurses, personal support workers, physicians, people who support them, incredible heroes. But let me tell you this, Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure the leader of the opposition has read the budget. And I'll tell you why. We've put unprecedented amounts, long overdue amounts into our healthcare system, building hospitals, putting in money for our long-term care, putting money in for mental health and addiction. And Mr. Speaker, in that budget, we also highlight the substantive amount of monies in addition to the backlog for surgeries that we put in before another $300 million through the great leadership of our Minister of Health. And we're going to clear up that backlog, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The next question, again, the leader of the opposition. Thank you so much, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. But in that budget is about a third per capita of what other provinces are investing in getting rid of their surgical backlog, Speaker. So I don't know why this government can't do that math. However, the budget also confirmed yesterday that we're going to be seeing more cuts to schools. We're going to be seeing more caring adults removed from our school system in our province, almost a billion dollars in cuts to education. So my question is exactly how many educators, how many teachers, how many educational support workers is this government planning to fire this time? Mr. Finance. Mr. Speaker, I thank you again from the leader of the opposition for that question. You know, if you look at the budget, we increase education spending. And spending has going up every single year through our plan. Mr. Speaker, we've heard from parents and we've heard from people right across the province that the most important thing is to bring our children back to school safely. We invested $1.6 billion to do that, and they're very grateful for that. But Mr. Speaker, we're not going to rest. We're going to continue to invest in making sure students can be safely in school. And we've put in additional money so that they can learn online, remotely, in underserved communities, because there's nothing worse than in a lockdown being doing your school online. And the bandwidth isn't there, so we're making historic record investments in broadband so we can connect every single student in this province. And the supplementary. Speaker, school boards in our province are already planning for layoffs. In fact, Ottawa School Board just sent a memo that 167 positions are going to be cut. The government sent a memo just about a month ago telling school boards to prepare for cuts and firings of staff. So my question is, after a year of upheaval, after a year of the most difficult year our students have ever seen, why would this government think that now is the time to pull supports away instead of making sure that our kids are short up and that we have the educational workers, the teachers, the mental health supports that every student needs and deserves to get over this nightmare of a year that they've had to endure? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Ontario's action plan that was unveiled by the Minister of Finance yesterday confirms a $700 million net increase in public education. There is no government in the history of this province in the first year of our mandate, the second year of our mandate, and in this coming fiscal year that has invested more than the Premier Doug Ford. We are committed to ensuring investments continue to rise. It's why we're putting more money in the skilled trades, more money in summer learning. The largest summer learning program or $100 million to mitigate learning loss. It's why we're supporting internet connection every school and right across the province of Ontario to end the digital divide in this province. We are investing in all realms, in mental health, in learning loss, and I acknowledge the Leader of the Opposition that we are going to be providing more support through the grant for student needs, which is the principal vehicle of funding to school boards, which will be released in the coming months, a commitment by the government to continue to invest in safe schools and in quality education in Ontario. And the final supplementary. Earth to the government, earth to the Minister of Education, schools are still closing today in Ontario. We're in a third wave. There's two hundred two thousand three hundred and eighty new cases being reported today. There is still a crisis upon us. The pandemic has not ended here in Ontario. Students need support now more probably than they ever have before in their educational careers. So why does the government just not get it? Why are they so out of touch? Why is the government firing teachers, educational workers, supports to students at the time that those students need the help the most? Mr. Speaker, what is out of touch is the Leader of the Opposition's dismissal of money directly in the pockets of working parents in this province to attack the Minister of Finance for believing that a billion dollars in direct financial relief is not a merited investment of tax dollars. Suggest that you are out of touch respectfully, man. The government is fully committed to investing in quality education to reduce. You've got to make your remarks through the chair, not across the floor. Please conclude your answer. It underscores the truth that the government is investing in quality learning in safe schools while also returning monies directly to moms and dads pockets. We're doing this through a child care relief, a 20 percent top up. In addition to direct supports, $400 per child up to grade 12, $500 per child with special education needs up to age 21. That is a real commitment to helping taxpayers and parents make a real commitment to protecting our schools in this province. Thank you, Speaker. Moments ago, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against the Premier, and this question is directed to the Premier, and is a Conservative campaign against action on the climate crisis. To quote the Court, climate change is real, and it poses a grave threat to humanity's future. After years of wasted time and millions spent in losing court battles, is the Premier prepared to admit he was wrong and to stop attacking efforts to fight the climate crisis? Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to respond? Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker, and thanks for the member opposite for that question. And what we have done since day one of being elected, and what we'll continue to do is continue to fight for affordability for families and small businesses throughout this province. Now, we don't disagree that climate change is a threat to this province and to this country, Mr. Speaker. We want the same things that everyone wants, reduce our GHJ emissions, protect our air, land and water. We want a strong climate plan. However, Mr. Speaker, we want to take a different path. We believe there's a different path moving forward to achieve our goals, Mr. Speaker, and it's not necessarily what the member of the opposites are pushing, Mr. Speaker. We think that we can move forward to reduce our GHJ emissions, achieve our targets, but at the same time protect our air, land and water. And what we've moved forward with, Mr. Speaker, I'm proud to say is we have our first ever strategy on hydrogen going forward with this government, Mr. Speaker. We have our emissions reduction for heavy-duty vehicles going forward, and we have our emissions performance standards, which we are working with the federal government to implement in order to attack those heavy polluters in this province and reduce their emissions. Thank you. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. Again, back to the Premier. We need a Green New Democratic Deal to fight climate change and build a sustainable Ontario. The government lost at the appeals court. They lost at the Supreme Court. They wasted money putting stickers on gas pumps to show just how angry they were. And those stickers didn't even stick. But anger won't address the climate crisis. Only real action will. This is a government that wants to pave over wetlands to build warehouses and cause carbon pricing a green scam. When will they wake up? When will they smell the coffee and start tackling the climate crisis the way Ontarians want them to? Thank you. Minister of the Environment. Thanks again. Thanks again for that supplemental from the member opposite, Mr. Speaker. And what we do believe is that we're able to have a balance between a healthy, strong environment and a healthy economy. Through that healthy economy, we can put more efforts behind fighting climate change. We put more efforts protecting our land, air and water. But just for the member's opposite, just to continue. Not only have we introduced Ontario's first hydrogen strategy consultation, have our climate change advisory panel reporting soon, Mr. Speaker, we also are doing an impact assessment across this province for climate change to see how we can build resilience and change through communities throughout the province to prepare for the changes due to the climate change. We've increased the renewable content of gasoline, Mr. Speaker. And we are going to be moving forward with phasing out the total use of coal within this province, something that wasn't completed from the previous government, something that was started originally where the previous compressive conservative government that is going to be finalized by a progressive conservative government, Mr. Speaker. We're going to continue our investment of 30 million into wetlands in our 20 million green land partnership program as we move forward to protect our land, air and water, and fight climate change. Mr. Speaker. The next question is from the member of the Scarborough Aging Court. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker, as you know, my community of Scarborough Aging Court has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Scarborough is home to more than 600,000 people, and we need significant investments in healthcare services to support our community and continue to stop the spread of COVID-19. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Minister of Finance introduced the government's 2021 budget. Would the minister please tell this house exactly what our government is investing to stop the spread of COVID-19? Minister of Finance. Well, thank you to the member for Scarborough Aging Court for that question. Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, you can't have a healthy economy without healthy people. For the past year, we have focused on protecting people from COVID-19, but many challenges still lie ahead. With vaccines being distributed in every quarter of the province, hope is on the horizon. Mr. Speaker, we will continue to take every necessary step to protect the people of this province against the COVID-19 virus. That's why our 2021 budget, Ontario's Action Plan Protecting People's Health in Our Economy, brings Ontario's total investment to protect people's health since the start of the pandemic to $16.3 billion. Mr. Speaker, while the Liberals spent 15 years ignoring the healthcare needs of this province, this government is making the investments that people of Ontario deserve. Thank you. The supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My supplementary question is to the Minister of Health. This is great news for my community. I know everyone will be very excited to hear about this investment to keep Ontarians healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Expandant healthcare is exactly what the Scarborough needs. Mr. Speaker, would the Minister of Health explain exactly what this year's investments mean for expanding healthcare in Ontario? Thank you. Mr. Hill. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member for Scarborough Aging Court for his question and for your very effective advocacy for your constituents. Our government continues to take every action necessary to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus while making record investments in the healthcare system. Mr. Speaker, this means an increase in base funding for healthcare in Ontario to $64 billion this year. That's up 4.7% from last year's investment. Anthony Dale from the Ontario Hospital Association said that he greatly appreciates the investments announced today and thanks the Government of Ontario for providing hospitals with additional financial resources in an effort to maintain stability during this ongoing crisis. Mr. Speaker, our government will continue to make record investments in our healthcare system so that patients can receive high-quality care in their own communities. Very much. The next question, the member for Waterloo. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My questions to the Minister of Finance. We need to talk about the Ontario Small Business Support Grant. Since it was launched, my colleagues and I have talked to countless frustrated small business owners who never qualified to even apply for the grant. The grant criteria is too narrow. Thousands of businesses have been told you're just out of luck. We're talking about family-owned businesses, dry cleaners, brewers, caterers, electricians and more. They were desperately hoping to see expanded criteria for the grant in yesterday's budget, a call echoed by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce and CFIB, so that all affected businesses could receive some support. Instead, they were left out again. Will the Minister do the right thing, level the playing field so that all businesses can receive this much-needed support? Thank you to the member opposite for the question. You know, Mr. Speaker, the small businesses in our great province, they're really the economic engine for this province, but they're more than that. They're the identity of many of our communities, and they've suffered quite a lot. So that's why we launched the Ontario Small Business Grant Program. That affects over 100,000 businesses that have applied successfully for the grant. We expect 120,000. We're supporting those who are affected by the lockdown and restricted significantly, and I'm pleased to announce yesterday that we were doubling that, because that's often the difference between keeping the lights on and turning them off for good. But we went further than that for those even harder hit in our tourism, in our travel, in our hospitality industry, where we announced over $400 million of additional supports on top of the over $200 million. Mr. Speaker, this government stands behind small business, and we were there for them before. We were there for them yesterday, and we'll be there for them tomorrow. Please supplement your questions. Speaker, yesterday evening on the agenda, a small business owner was asked to rate the Premier's performance on the small business file. She said, am I giving him a grade? It wouldn't be a good one. She called the assistance thus far pathetic. Today, one in six small businesses are at risk of closing. The average debt that these businesses face are $170,000. Many need more support than what is being offered to them to get through this third wave. We have 2,400 cases today in the province of Ontario. What does the minister have to say to small business owners who are rightfully disappointed by yesterday's budget? What hope can you offer when you fail to recognize the turmoil they have faced during this pandemic? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the question from the member opposite. We have spent the last months listening to small business owners and speaking to them and listening about their concerns, Mr. Speaker. That is why the Minister of Finance initially launched the Small Business Support Grant, up to $20,000 grant to support their needs. Over 100,000 applications, over $1.4 billion have been paid out, and yesterday the Minister of Finance announced that he is doubling that payment. We are going to continue to support our small businesses who have faced significant challenges. We're giving them 100% of their property tax to be covered, 100% of their energy costs that are also being covered. If they go to the federal programs, they can get up to 90% of their rent relief and wage assistance up to 75%. We will spare no expense in ensuring that small businesses continue to receive the support they need to get through this difficult time. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and my question is for the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Park. Mr. Speaker, this government has demonstrated repeatedly that fighting climate change is not a priority. From eliminating powers of conservation authorities to making ministerial zoning orders untouchable, this government continues to put our environment at risk. Another demonstration of this lies in the budget, which makes no major financial commitments for reducing emissions with no clear targets and no plan for green COVID-19 recovery. Today's Supreme Court ruling on the carbon tax tells us that this government invested millions of taxpayers' money misplaced priority fighting against protecting the environment. So my question that I would like to ask is, why won't this government take climate change seriously and proactively protect our environment for the generations to come? Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Thanks again from the member from that, the question from member opposite and Mr. Speaker, unlike the party opposite, we believe in affordability of lives for small businesses and people at home. We base our decisions knowing that we can fight climate change, we can have a safe, clean environment while also balancing out the economy, Mr. Speaker, and that is how we're going to move together as a province. Our goals aren't any different than members opposite of ensuring that we reach our targets of 30% below 2030 target, 30% below 2005 levels, Mr. Speaker. We have made numerous programs coming forward to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and I know the member opposite probably wasn't here at the start of the session and maybe she's missed out on some of those programs that we put forward, but she has to agree that the hydrogen strategy, the first ever in Ontario that we're coming forward with, is a strong strategy that is going to lead to zero emission vehicles. It's going to reduce emissions with our trains, reduce the buses, help us store. Thank you very much in the supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We know that this past year has been very challenging for so many Ontarians and what they need right now is for their government to stand for them with needed support. Yet real investments are missing for much needed personal support workers, people that depend on the insufficient support of the Ontario Disability Support Program, mothers who were forced to leave the workforce, students, small businesses, and so many more. Our youth deserves a government that will prioritize fighting for their future and fighting against climate change. Will the government apologize to Ontario taxpayers for wasting so much money to support an anti-environment agenda? Minister Finance. Well, Mr. Speaker, thank you to the member opposite for that question. You know, we're doing a lot to protect the environment. I'll start with some investments that we're making in electric vehicles. We participated in investments at the Ford Plant in Oakville to be the largest manufacturer of electric vehicles in Ontario. That investment will help our critical minerals industry as well and battery operated facilities, because we want to be a leader in electric vehicles in this province, Mr. Speaker. In addition, I can tell you as the Minister of Finance, Ontario has issued more green bonds to finance more green projects than any other province in all of Canada. In fact, Mr. Speaker, 27 projects, some $9 billion of green bonds. What that means, these are projects that reduce gas emissions, carbon emissions, Mr. Speaker, get cars off the load like transit, invest in new technologies. As the Minister of Environment said, water, parks, and so on. And we'll continue to make those investments, Mr. Speaker. The next question, member for Eglinton Lawrence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yesterday, the Minister of Finance released the government's 2021 budget. The Minister has mentioned some impressive investments in healthcare and for small businesses. In my riding and across the province, parents and families have been some of the hardest hit by the pandemic. Over the last year, I have heard from countless parents in my riding who are struggling with the stress and costs of supporting their children's education. Mr. Speaker, can the Minister tell the House what supports for families and children this government has put forward in our 2021 budget? Mr. Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the member from Eglinton Lawrence for that question. The member is right, Mr. Speaker. Parents and families need our support, especially now as we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Speaker, the budget is making good on our commitment to do whatever it takes to keep people safe. It also builds on significant support for families, workers, and employers that have been made available since the beginning of the pandemic. That is why the government's 2021 budget proposes doubling of the support for families and support for learners' programs. Mr. Speaker, now every eligible parent could receive a one-time payment of $400 for children up to grade 12 and $500 for children up to 21 with special needs. Mr. Speaker, hope is on the horizons. It's months, not years away. Until then, we will maintain our unwavering commitment to protect the people of Ontario. Cemetery question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This pandemic has been challenging for families and communities across the province. I know our government has provided record investments to school boards, allowing students to be in class safely and helping to keep schools open. Mr. Speaker, we've done this because we know that students need to be in school, learning alongside their peers. This is critical for the development, for mental health, and for future success. Our investments have been pivotal in preventing transmission in schools, and they have helped to keep students, staff, and families safe. As our government continues to support school boards, can the Minister of Education please explain why it is so important that we also put money directly into the pockets of parents? Minister of Education. Thank you. I want to thank the member from Eglinton Lawrence for her advocacy on behalf of taxpayers because as progressive conservatives, we believe it is critical. We continue to provide direct financial support to the parents of this problem who have worked so hard and sacrificed every step of the way. Yes, we are providing $700 million more in the budget specifically for public education. Yes, we are going to be unveiling more supports, mental health supports, learning law supports, spec ad supports, specific to dealing with September to ensure we have a safe restart. But we also believe in addition to investing in public education and investing in parents providing an additional billion dollars in their pockets to the Ontario COVID-19 child benefit as announced by the Minister of Finance, $400 per child up to grade 12, $500 for a child with special education needs, because it underscores our government's commitment to supporting parents to make sure we defeat this pandemic and we recover stronger than ever before. The next question, the member for Brampton needs. Thank you Speaker. My question is to the Premier. For years now, Brampton has made it very clear we need a standalone, brand new hospital for Brampton. We needed to meet the growing needs of our city of over 600,000 people and the health care crisis. And despite years of demanding this, the Conservator of Government in the Premier's 2021 budget has left Brampton behind once again. There's no commitment to build a fully independent hospital. There's no money and no timelines for any work on Pail Memorial and shockingly no emergency room and there's no acknowledgement for any funding for Brampton Civic, Brampton's only hospital that has been chronically overcrowded and underfunded. This budget is a slap in the face of Brampton and it shows something very clear that the Premier doesn't care about Brampton. When will this Conservator of Government start giving Brampton the respect that we deserve and that means making sure our city has three hospitals and three ERs? Will the Premier commit to doing that for our city today? Thank you Speaker. The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed many gaps and vulnerabilities in our health care system caused by many 15 years of neglect. This is particularly true for the health care sector in Pail Region. That's why our revised capital plan includes an investment of $30.2 billion over the next 10 years in new hospital infrastructure to build, expand and renew hospitals across Ontario so people can receive the care they need close to home. So as part of our 2021 budget we are committed to the transforming the Pail Memorial Hospital for Integrated Health and Wellness in Brampton from an urgent care centre into a new hospital with a 24-7 patient-inpatient way. This project will significantly increase bed capacity in Brampton and by consolidating post-acute inpatient services at the new hospital we will create additional capacity for acute care services at the Brampton Civics. Thank you. Thank you. And the supplementary question. Thank you Premier. Thank you Speaker. Once again back to the Premier. People in Brampton have made it very clear we need investment in our broken health care system. That means funding for Brampton Civic. That means building an additional hospital and that means converting Pail Memorial from a hospital in from a health care centre into a hospital. But the Premier's budget has no money allocated for Pail Memorial. No timeline and most shockingly no emergency room. The 2021 budget is a disgrace and it shows how little respect this Premier has for the people of Brampton. The Premier has not any money committed in the budget towards the construction of a new hospital and gives no details as when we can expect to see one. So I'm going to be very, very clear on my question to the Premier Speaker. Will the Premier commit today to converting Pail Memorial from a health care centre to a hospital with an emergency room? Will he commit to building an additional hospital in our city and will he commit to properly funding Brampton Civic, a hospital that has been overcrowded and underfunded for years? Most exciting day for the people of Brampton in decades. For 15 years the NDP and the Liberals ignored the people of Brampton. We'll have a message for the people of Brampton. You don't have to worry anymore. You're going to have a 24-7 emergency room. We're going to have a brand new hospital there. But what bothers me is how that member neglected, ignored his own constituents and the NDP backed the Liberals for 15 years and they put a little clinic there. Nine to five we're going to have 24-7 operating hospital, a brand new one and they can spin it any way they want. But I can't wait to get there, get the shovels in the ground and start getting this built. Because the people of Brampton have been waiting way too long under the NDP and the Liberals. The PC government is actually building a brand new hospital for the people of Brampton. The next question, the member for Scarborough Guildworth. Thank you Speaker. My question is to the Premier Speaker. His government's record on climate change has been costly and destructive. Canceling Ontario's successful cap and trade market driven program, spending $30 million to fight the federal carbon tax which the Supreme Court of Canada just struck down, spending $231 million to cancel green energy projects and jobs, ripping up electric vehicle charging stations, selling off the green belt to friends, bypassing the environmental protections through the abuse of MZOs and finding small business owners tens of thousands of dollars for refusing to display anti-climate stickers which the courts have also deemed unconstitutional and a misuse of a governing party's legislative power. Speaker, through you to the Premier, how would you vote? Does the members of your party recognize that climate change as an existential crisis that our scientists have described is real? General remind members to make their comments through the chair. Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks to respond. Well thanks, thanks very much Mr. Speaker and thank the member opposite for that question and you know I stated earlier in question period that we do, we don't disagree that climate change isn't a serious threat to this province. What we do believe in is that the fact that we can move forward to protect our land, air and water and protect and fight against climate change in a balanced manner, protect the environment and the economy at the same time. Mr. Speaker, that member opposite and her party for 15 years, economic policies drove this province into the ground, businesses fled 300,000 jobs left, small businesses closed, they destroyed farmland throughout this province and they cut up and sold up the green belt Mr. Speaker. We're not doing that Mr. Speaker. We have a plan moving forward that's going to put 30 million dollars into our wetlands to restore them, 20 million dollars to protect more land working with nature concerns in Canada and Mr. Speaker. We're first for the decades we are expanding the green belt through consultation something that member and that party. Thank you. I represent the Liberal Party of Ontario created the green belt and at a time when we led the OECD countries in economic growth. So Speaker, my question back to the government is Ontario's budget yesterday was supposed to bring hope for the people of Ontario. Unfortunately, what they got was a budget that fell far short and this is truly unprecedented times yet this budget is abandoning the people of Ontario. In fact, Speaker, we don't know what else is hidden in this budget as we're still going through it. We remember the last time you tabled a budget and you implemented Schedule 6 which was a threat to conservation authorities destroying very valuable wetlands. So Speaker, why did this government not include a climate recovery, a green recovery in their budget yesterday? Why did you miss that opportunity? Thank you. Minister of the Environment. Thanks very much Mr. Speaker and you know Ontario has a main enter environment plan that's going to protect the land, air and water. Mr. Speaker, at the same time we're moving forward to fight climate change and reduce our emissions to hit our Paris agreement targets of 30% below 2005 levels. Member Opposites continues to shout out to us Mr. Speaker but I know she wants to hear my answer. She wants to know that we're moving forward with the first ever hydrogen strategy in this province which is going to create a new economy of low carbon, low emission energy. It's going to be able to store energy Mr. Speaker. It's going to reduce our GHG emissions through natural gas with the mixture of hydrogen. It's going to create the ability for trains and buses and trucks to move towards hydrogen powered engines to move forward Mr. Speaker. We are going to finalize the phase out of coal. Something the Member Opposites party refused to do in the 15 years that they're in power. We are going to finalize the ending of coal in industry throughout this province Mr. Speaker and we're investing 30 million into wetlands and 20 million into thank you very much. Thank you Mr. Speaker and my question is to the Minister of Finance. Mr. Speaker, businesses in my riding are struggling. Small business owners I have spoken to understand and respect that we need to protect our health care system capacity and save lives but it doesn't change the fact that many are still struggling to pay bills, pay staff and keep going with important public health restrictions still in place. Just yesterday the Minister of Finance introduced the government's 2021 budget. Mr. Speaker, I would like to know what is in the budget for small businesses in my riding of Oakville and indeed throughout the province of Ontario which continue to struggle financially while doing their part to fight the spread of COVID-19. Would the Minister of Finance please tell us what is in the 2021 budget so that I can take back this information to the hardworking business owners in my riding. Mr. Finance. Mr. Speaker, thank you to the member for that question and Mr. Speaker we have lots of great news not only for the members constituents but every single members in this house's constituents. Let me tell you and I want to quote the CFIB since the member opposite raised it CFIB is placed and I quote to see a much needed boost to the Ontario small business grant program by and by adding a second round of funding this will help thousands of businesses hard hit by the extended lockdowns and restrictions now the OCC this is what they had to say the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. Ontario's business community welcomes the 2021 budget which gives businesses much needed supports to confront the current health crisis while laying the foundation for a strong and inclusive economic recovery. Ontario's 2021 budget will help the hardest sectors including new funding for aid for women who have been deeply impacted by the pandemic and initiatives related to tourism training and broadband infrastructure that will enable a strong economic recovery Mr. Speaker. Thank you. And the supplementary question. Thank you Mr. Speaker that's great news for all the small businesses throughout Ontario and in my writing my second question is to the minister of small business and red tape production automatic second payments for small businesses support grants will provide the support that small businesses in my writing need. Mr. Speaker we can't take a one size fits all approach some businesses need rent relief some need make help making payroll and some need help adapting to be open with new restrictions. Mr. Speaker can the minister clarify how this injection of financial support can be utilized. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for being a strong advocate for small businesses and the minister of finance for his advocacy and support of small businesses in this budget protecting Ontario's economy starts with protecting our small businesses and that's exactly what yesterday's budget has done. Ontarians can rest assured that our government has and will continue to be there to support our small businesses. This grant is designed with feedback directly from our businesses to increase flexibility so businesses can use it to meet their unique new needs whether it's to to fund or maintain inventory an investment in a website or some extra help to cover some wages. We want small businesses across Ontario to decide what they need and what works for them best. Nobody knows small businesses better than those small businesses and that's why our government is going to double the supports through the small business support grant with an automatic payment to respond to small businesses owners who are struggling and need more help. Thank you. The next question for Brampton Center. Thank you. Good morning Speaker. My question is to the Premier. The government's budget falls woefully short of what our long term care system needs to deliver the quality of care our seniors deserve in communities like Brampton and other parts of Ontario. This government is still refusing to instate a permanent wage increase for personal support workers nor does it commit to reinstating comprehensive resident quality inspections. As experts indicate these are both simple ways and effective ways that we can ensure that the horrors that have occurred in our long term care homes over the pandemic never happen again. Speaker why is this government refusing to listen to Ontario's long term care experts. Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question. It's undeniable that the cracks in long term care were exposed by COVID-19 and the many years of neglect of this sector were exposed but our government is repairing and rebuilding long term care in Ontario like never before and we didn't get here overnight. Budget 2021 is a major step forward with unprecedented investments. We are spending more than 9.6 billion in new dollars dollars that the Liberals and the NDP never spent and that is what the opposition should be explaining to Ontarians 4.9 billion dollars over the next four years to reach a standard of an average of four hours per day per resident in long term care. This is going to make Ontario a leader in the country and we are committed to doing this and that budget demonstrated that 246 million dollars to improve living conditions in long term care homes creating 27,000 new positions for long term care PSWs and nurses 2.6 billion dollars to support building and redeveloping 30,000 new spaces. All of this is part of repairing and rebuilding and advancing long term care something that the previous government supported by the NDP never did. The government is failing to recognize the value of PSWs in our province with a permanent wage increase. The budget actually provides cash incentives for these PSWs and I think this is a really important point that this budget is providing a cash incentive for PSWs to leave long term care homes that desperately need them and move to for-profit providers and retirement homes. Shame on this government. This government claims it has hired 8,600 workers in long term care but it's not clear how and where these workers will be allocated. In fact, what we see this government do is offer $5,000 cash incentives for these PSWs to work in those for-profit retirement homes. Why is this government diverting staff away from long term care homes and recruiting them to for-profit care providers? Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Once again, you know that the crisis in long term care, the staffing crisis was many years in the making. It happened under the previous government supported by the NDP and it is our government that has 17,000, over 17,000 workers in the pipeline, including the 8,636 that we are able to hire with the pandemic pay and then our monumental historic commitment of accumulating $1.9 billion to create the staffing required. 27,000 new hires that will be required and our 24 public colleges with 8,200 positions that are ongoing, 2,000 of those are already in the pipeline. This staff will be graduating and ready to work in our sector by the fall. This is monumental historic commitment by this government. It is our concern. The next question, the member for Guelph. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The Supreme Court this morning confirmed what we all knew. The Premier's lawsuit against climate carbon pricing was a complete waste of taxpayer dollars. Since day one, this government has wasted taxpayer dollars on partisan lawsuits, stickers that don't stick, and cancelling contracts. Even the Auditor General has said that the government's made-to-fail environment plan will not reduce climate pollution. So, Speaker, my question for the Premier is, will the Premier stop wasting our hard-earned tax dollars sabotaging climate solutions and actually start investing in urgent climate action? Mr. Environment, Conservation, and Parks. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the member opposite for that question. And, you know, I've said this from the start. We're not disagreeing that climate change is not a threat to this province or this country. And we are taking measures forward with our main Ontario Environment Plan, Mr. Speaker. We all want the same results at the end of the day, Mr. Speaker. We all want a clean environment. We want safe water to drink. We want protected lands. We want air that's quality to breathe. And we want to make sure that we reduce our emissions to the targets that we set forth of this government, Mr. Speaker. And that we signed on with the federal government with regards to a Paris climate reduction. And, Mr. Speaker, we're just doing that. We just don't believe we have the same path as the member opposite has moving forward. We believe in a balance between a healthy strong economy and a healthy strong environment, Mr. Speaker. And I'm looking forward to this year as we implement our emissions performance standards to those heavy polluters, those heavy polluters in this province as has been approved by the federal government. This this program is going to move forward to lower their emissions, but also keeping them competitive to keep jobs in this country and to ensure that we can grow our economy and protect our economy and get our targets down to the levels we need to be. Mr. Speaker, all day today the minister has said we're about protecting air, land, and water. Well, let's look at the record and let's look at what citizens of this province have said. Two and a half years ago when they tried to open the green belt for development, I was a leading voice in this legislature that got them to back off on doing that. More recently, when they wanted to pave over the Duffins Creek wetland, citizens spoke out and I was a leading voice in this house and now they backed off on that. Citizens are speaking out against Highway 413, which is going to supercharge sprawl, pave over farmland in parts of the green belt, and we're going to stop that too, Speaker. That is the record. So, Speaker, the government has an opportunity right now to remove Schedule 3 from Bill 257, which would allow them to completely disregard the provincial policy statement. The minister is serious about protecting land in wetlands and farmland in this province. Will they remove Schedule 3 from Bill 257? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and this government has a proud history on our environment plan going for instance 2018. Mr. Speaker, we move forward to give municipalities a say again how they deal with their land with regards to green energy projects. Something that member did not support Mr. Speaker. We move forward with municipalities having to say where to site landfills, Mr. Speaker, so that they could protect their land locally that they needed to be protected, Mr. Speaker. We've invested $20 million in our Greenland Partnership Program with Nature Conservancy of Canada to protect and conserve land throughout this province. We've put $30 million, Mr. Speaker, towards wetlands restoration and protection, Mr. Speaker. And, Mr. Speaker, we are consulting now on the biggest expansion to the green belt in decades, Mr. Speaker. We're going to protect more green green belt land, Mr. Speaker. I am proud of the the environment policy that we've put forth in addition to our hydrogen strategy, our emission reduction with heavy duty vehicles, and our emissions performance standards, Mr. Speaker. We're well on our way to achieving our goal 30 percent below 2005 levels in 2030, Mr. Speaker. Next member for Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. The Premier knows that we need economic growth in this province, but he seems to have forgotten that without meaningful action on the child care crisis, a full economic recovery is impossible. We're in the midst of a she-session with women suffering majority of job losses during the pandemic. We don't just need any recovery, we need a she-covery, and we can't achieve that without affordable child care. Why is this government refusing to increase funding for child care and invest in the system we need? Well, thank you to the member opposite for that question. You know, as I mentioned in my speech yesterday, you know, I've been surrounded by incredible women in my life, very fortunate, including my grandmother, who came from Europe during World War II, who came to this country with bombs and bullets overhead, and came to this country, and Ontario has afforded so much to her in her life, and she was a teacher. I really understand, and my government, our government, understands how important the leadership of women have been through this crisis and how women need to be part of the recovery. So child care is an important part of that, and that's why we've struck a task force with the Minister, Associate Minister of Women and Children, and myself to hear from all women to make sure that our economic recovery is inclusive and works with all the incredible women in this province. Thank you. Speaker, this budget does not solve the problem of Ontario having the highest child care fees in the country. It does nothing for families struggling to find space for their child. Last year, for the first time in a decade, more child care centres closed than opened in this province, a net loss of 58 child care centres. Why does this budget have no plan to control fees and create the desperately needed new child care spaces? Mr Speaker, thank you very much for the very important question from the member opposite. Mr Speaker, as I outlined in the budget yesterday, we've created the support for learners, support for families, Ontario child COVID benefit, child benefit, immediate money into the pockets of the many families, mothers and fathers in this province, with children, zero to grade 12. Immediately, that's doubling what we did before. Mr Speaker, we doubled the child care tax credit to put more money into the pockets of those families for expenses such as child care. We're continuing on our pledge to build 30,000 new child care spaces. We've already announced to build 20,000, including in my riding and pickering. The first public school in 20 years in pickering, including 85 child care spaces. This is very important to our government. It's very important to me, and we have a lot more to do on this. We'll do it together. Thank you. Thank you. The next question, the member for Glen Gary, Prescott Russell. Thank you, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, my question is for the Minister of the Environment. Just a few years ago, I stood with him and many of our Conservative colleagues, when the previous leader announced the need to get serious about climate change, and I quote, that the Ontario PCs will opt in to the federal carbon pricing benchmark rather than directly impose one of its own from the people's guarantee. I still believe climate change is real. I still believe a price on carbon on pollution is needed. So, Mr Speaker, why does the Minister think a carbon tax was the right policy under Patrick Brown, but not under the current leader, the Premier? And why is he letting climate change deniers dictate policy? Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, and thanks to the member opposite. She also stood with us as a party and was elected on our party's mandate to make life more affordable for families and small businesses, which was to remove the cap and trade and fight the carbon tax in this province. And we stood by our election promises and our mandate. We didn't walk away from the party on that issue, Mr Speaker. So, what we have done, we've come forward with a made in Ontario environment plan that is going to take a path that we believe will get us towards our targets, which is going to protect land, air, and water, Mr Speaker. We are going to ensure that we reach our targets on climate change and we have a number of initiatives that we put forward that that member supported on this side of the house. And I look forward to implementing more measures going forward so that we will reach our target, protect our environment, and at the same time, balance out and strengthen and grow our economy in this province, jobs, and make life affordable. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Mr Speaker. In response to the Supreme Court ruling that the federal carbon pricing scheme is constitutional, the minister of the environment said this, and I quote, we are protecting our province's land, air, and water. Let's review this government's record on the environment. Canceled the cap and trade program, spent $231 million cancelling green energy projects and jobs, axed the environmental commissioner, bypassed environmental protections, and cut up the green bell through MZOs. Not sure how any of that protects our land, air, and water, but Mr Speaker, now that the Supreme Court has ruled against his conservative government's partisan and costly court challenge, how can he and his government justify spending $30 million of taxpayer money on defending climate change deniers? Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. And again, thank the member opposite for that question. And of course, remind the member that's many of the items that she listed out she voted and supported for in this House during this legislature, Mr Speaker. But in addition, Mr Speaker, we're moving forward with a $20 million investment in the Greenland's conservation partner. We're going to work with Nature Conservancy Canada, Mr Speaker, in order to preserve and protect lands. Mr Speaker, as the finance minister mentioned, we put a heavy investment into Ford Canada in order to transform their plant to producing electric vehicles, which is going to, in the long term, not only create a lot of jobs and stabilize Ford for Ontario for decades to come, it's also going to provide an opportunity to grow the economy, electric vehicle market, which at the end of the day will decrease greenhouse gases, will make our targets achievable, Mr Speaker, and it will also support the land, air, and water we're protecting in this province, Mr Speaker. And I'm proud. I'm proud of the budget that the member of finance put forward and our environmental plan. It is for the people of this province and it's for a healthy economy and a healthy environment. Thank you. The next question, the member for Humber River, Black Creek. Thank you, Speaker. A survey recently conducted by the San Romanoway Revitalization Association and Black Creek Community Health Center found that at-risk seniors who are part of a group that meet regularly in the Jane and Finch area, most live in Toronto Community Housing and other nearby buildings, would get vaccinated if it was more accessible. There are many such groups in my community, as well as Toronto Community Housing Buildings, each with several hundred seniors living there that have available space on site for mobile vaccination. Speaker, time is of the essence and could make a difference in saving lives. Will this government commit today to adequate mobile vaccinations in my community and work with local community partners as soon as possible so at-risk seniors can get vaccinated? Let's get it done. Thank you, Speaker. Well, I can certainly agree with the the member opposite. The time is of the essence. Time is of the essence to get more needles into more arms as soon as possible while the variants of concern are still out there and are increasing in our communities. What we really need is supply right now. We are operating. We were able to do yesterday 79,447 injections of vaccines. That's really significant. We have the opportunity to double or quadruple that amount as soon as we have significant volumes of vaccines. We have received some Pfizer vaccines in. We're waiting for another shipment next week. We are going to be operating mass vaccination clinics. We are going to be expanding into more pharmacies. We are going to have more specialty clinics, more in primary care. We have plans to do that. We are ready to do that in a moment's notice as soon as we receive those vaccines. But that is what we are asking for from the federal government. As soon as we have them, we will be expanding into your community and into communities across Ontario because you're absolutely right. Time is of the essence. We need to get it done now. The supplemented member for Scarborough South West. Thank you, Speaker. My question is also to the Minister of Health. Speaker, I still hear from constituents who have no idea whether or not they're eligible yet for their vaccines. Seniors who cannot properly navigate the complicated booking systems and folks having to wait for hours on the phone to register. I hear from families who are beyond concerned that they're home. I'm talking about families across this province. I think the minister should listen. The minister of what energy should really listen. It's really heartbreaking that we cannot get across the stories of our constituents in this house. I apologize to the member who has the floor. I can't hear the member who has the floor. I invite her to place her question. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, I hear from families who are beyond concerned that their homebound loved ones or those who have mobility issues cannot access vaccines. In fact, last week I heard from a constituent Alice Walker, whose mom, a senior, had to wait outside in the cold for over an hour to get vaccinated despite having an appointment. Mr Speaker, it is clear that this government's vaccine rollout is disorganized and ignores equity needs in communities like mine in Scarborough and many other parts of the province. The budget announced yesterday was a disappointment for Scarborough. It ignored the needs of Scarborough healthcare needs, for example. Why wasn't Scarborough mentioned in the healthcare budget at all? Our infrastructures, our buildings, are the oldest in the province, Mr Speaker. And yet this vaccine rollout is another disappointment. Can this government commit to a truly equitable vaccine strategy that is not one size fits all and takes into account the unique and necessary needs of our communities like Scarborough and Northwest Toronto? Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Minister of Health. There's a lot there and I'll try and answer in the short time that I have available. But first of all, I would say that no part of Ontario has been forgotten. With our budget, including Scarborough, all hospitals across the province of Ontario have received a 3.4 percent increase, which has been recognized and acknowledged by Anthony Dale, the head of the Ontario Hospital Association. He welcomes this investment, which will allow hospitals to respond to COVID patients, other patients, and vaccine rollouts. With respect to the vaccine rollouts, our system, our booking system is robust. It has withstood hundreds of thousands of calls. As of yesterday, we had 551,000 over 700 appointments already booked on the system. If people are having problems accessing through the booking system, they are certainly welcome to call our on-call centre that they can receive assistance there for booking. But as for people not being able to receive bookings if they're inbound or homebound, that is absolutely not the case. We are going to make sure that everyone in Ontario that wants to receive a vaccine will receive a vaccine, whether that's through the assistance of their primary care provider or through their home and community visiting nurse. Everyone who wants one will get one, and our booking system and our customer care system will help them to be able to do that. Thank you very much. That concludes our question period for this morning, and the government house leaders inform me he has a point of order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It just dries in accordance with standing order 59, I believe it is, just to outline the business for next week and just to thank colleagues for what has been a great week highlighted, of course, by the budget of the Minister of Finance. We will obviously start next week, Mr. Speaker, on the Monday morning with PMB. As you know, this government added an extra PMB, and that will take place on Monday morning again as it has been for weeks. In the afternoon, we will continue on with the budget with the budget bill, and that is on the 29th. On the 30th, we will again in the morning, the budget bill. And in the afternoon session, we will continue with the budget. Again, on the 30th, the morning of the 30th, we will continue with the budget followed by bill 257, the building broadband faster in the afternoon. On the morning of the first building broadband faster, obviously in the morning, and in the afternoon back to the budget. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There being no further business this morning, this house stands in recess until 1 p.m.