 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Waterloo. Thank you very much and good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Parents are relieved that they can finally book appointments in this province for their young children's vaccines. But they found that this morning that the province's booking system doesn't have appointments for families with more than one child. Parents have to book separate appointments for each child and they are not being offered at the same time much less the same day. Speaker, I don't know if it's news to this government, but there are many families with more than one child. Why did the government not get this plan right again and when they designed the vaccine portal at the very start of this process? And why do they keep messing up vaccines in the province of Ontario? The reply on behalf of the government, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you very much, Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for the question. Well, in fact, we have had an incredible vaccination program for adults. We currently have 89% of people 12 years old and over having had the first dose of the vaccine, 86% of the second dose. I'm sure that the vaccinations for children will go equally as well. It is wonderful news that Health Canada has approved vaccinations for children aged 5 to 11. They're being shipped now. They've been received in Toronto. They're being shipped now to places where they can be delivered into little ones arms. We expect that will happen as of this Thursday. We recognize that people can book their appointments as of the central booking portal, but there are also parts of Ontario. Some of the 34 public health units already have their own system that will allow for multiple vaccinations. We are hoping that some parents will be going with their children to receive the vaccines where other members of the family can receive them, as well as the parents themselves. A supplementary question. Speaker, it is not going well. A mom named Catherine wrote this morning that she was relieved to finally have appointments for her young children, but she writes that she can't book multiple kids at the same time so that they'll have to be vaccinated on different days. Another mom, Bayhand, said, and I quote, booked both kids for their vaccine on different days in different regions. In BC, 75,000 kids were pre-registered last week in both Alberta and Manitoba. Somehow, those two conservative premiers were able to design a system that worked for families. Why are Ontario parents having to take multiple appointments on different days in different regions just to get their kids vaccinated in the province of Ontario? The minister of health. Well, first with respect to what's happened in other provinces, that was not done in Ontario because we did not know when we would be receiving the approval from Health Canada. There's no point in booking appointments when you don't know when you actually will have the vaccines. Secondly, this is a problem that can be easily remedied by calling the line that one has always been able to call and make appointments for all three, two children, however many children that you have. It's not necessary to book them online for separate days. This could be done with a simple phone call to make sure that all children can receive their vaccines at the same time. And perhaps the parents as well if they haven't received their vaccines. The final supplementary. Speaker, this chaos could have been avoided. There shouldn't be more roadblocks for families. They've already been through enough. Parents have done their part. They kept their kids home from visiting their friends or going to birthday parties. In the spring, the Premier even told kids they couldn't play on playgrounds and get some exercise. Some parents today, right now, are being locked in from their kids' health cart. Others are reporting that the government portal won't let their internet browser through. After all of the problems of these vaccine portals, how could the government not foresee that families need to book multiple appointments for their kids? Will the Health Minister commit today to correct this design flaw that they apparently never saw coming? Families in this province deserve so much better and we must get this right for children in Ontario. And the Minister of Health, please talk. Well, our vaccine portal has been very, very successful with respect to adults. This has been planned for months for the vaccination of children and is a problem that is easily remedied if the parent makes the phone call to ask to make sure that the appointments can be booked for all three children. This is not a serious concern. Of course, we anticipate that the people might have more than one child and this is a situation that can be dealt with. Order. Very, very easily by simply making the phone call as adults did in the previous situation for their vaccinations. How's it come to order? Member for Brampton East. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Workers in Brampton faced some of the greatest hardships during this pandemic. Not only are they essential workers who have to go to work so others can work from home, but a year into this pandemic they didn't even have paid sick days because the Premier ripped up the two paid sick days that they actually had and that put workers at risk. Their lives at risk and their families at risk. And in Brampton, workers and their families lost their lives because they didn't have paid sick days. But instead of fixing this problem, the Premier is making it worse by ripping up the temporary paid sick days that workers finally did get at the end of this year. Why doesn't the Premier care about workers and why won't he bring in permanent paid sick days so workers can stay home if they're not well? Thank you, Premier. From the start of this pandemic, our government has said yes to protecting workers. We were the first to introduce unlimited job-protected leave so that nobody had to choose between their job and their health. This includes those who need to take time off, get vaccinated, mums and dads who need to take care of their children, Mr. Speaker. COVID-19 putting workers first act passed unanimously for flexible paid sick days. No sick notes needed. We led the way with legislating COVID-19 paid sick days offering double payments for the federal sick days program. More than 200,000 workers took us up on this offer, Mr. Speaker. Our worker income protection benefit does not require a doctor's note and includes time off staying home if you're not feeling well, getting COVID test and wait COVID test results, going to get vaccinated or recover from side effects. So I think we did a pretty good job, Mr. Speaker. With 23 days sick pays, no one in the country, no. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Premier. The temporary sick days that this concert of government introduced is never enough to cover the self-isolation period of COVID-19, which is 14 days. Our NDP bill on sick days will guarantee workers the respect they deserve with 10 permanent paid sick days. It also makes sure that the government helps businesses during the pandemic with the cost of up to 14 paid days. For workers in the Brampton, paid sick days would allow them to take care of themselves, so opposed to helping workers get the paid time off they need when they're sick. Premier. No mistake, Ontario workers, including foreign temporary workers have access to the most generous sick pay program coast to coast. No one even comes close to us. No province across the country comes close to what we offered again, 23 paid sick days. We believe in taking care of the people. We believe in taking care of the companies. Unlike the opposition, they don't worry about the companies. They may talk a good game, but they do absolutely nothing to help small businesses and the workers. Thank you. Final supplementary. Back to the Premier. I don't think the Premier understands who's impacted by paid sick days, so let me spell it out for him. 60% of workers in Ontario don't have paid sick days. They have paid sick days. They have paid sick days. They have paid sick days for workers and food services and hospitality and in retail. And those frontline workers who applaud every single day in this house are often racialized and new Canadians. Speaker, these frontline workers, they deserve decent wages, they deserve workplace rights and they deserve workplaces that respect their health, but they do not have a good off hand. They have paid sick days. Nigander apply in the Premier. Again. Mr. Speaker, I'm not too sure of the opposition heard what I was saying. We have the best program in the entire country. 23. Border days, paid sick days. And we also made sure that we boosted up the minimum wage We are the party of the hard-working folks. They're the party of the backroom deals. The House will come to order. Member for Ottawa South will come to order. Member for Hamilton Mountain will come to order. The next question. Member for Tomiskaming Cochrane. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. We've had our first snow event of the year in Northern Ontario. And as a result, Highway 11, Highway 17, the Trans-Canada Highway, were closed portions of it for over 24 hours. You have to understand, in Northern Ontario, there's many places, no places to park, no places to stop, and you've already been on the road for several hours when you find out the road is closed. So, in the last session, we put forward legislation, the NDP did, to make Highway 11 and 17 a class I highways for winter maintenance, like the 400 series, because of the Trans-Canada Highway. Your government Premier, you voted solidly against it. The minister said it wasn't necessary because, you know, 11 and 17 are often the same standard as the 400 highways. That wasn't accurate when she said it, and it certainly wasn't accurate a few days ago. So, Northerners need to know, will you make Highway 11 and 17 the Trans-Canada Highway, a class I highway for winter maintenance, once and for all. Remind the members to make their comments through the chair. The government house leader to reply. Thank you, Mayor. I appreciate the opportunity to answer the question. The member knows full well that the government has been making significant investments in improving on road maintenance, not only in Northern Ontario, but across the province of Ontario, Mr. Speaker. I was pleased yesterday to see the return on the Ontario Northland as well, Mr. Speaker. That's good news for Northern communities, but as the member knows, it's not just about road maintenance. We've increased road maintenance in the north because we understand how important it is to get people moving across the north, Mr. Speaker. It's part of the work that we are doing to unleash economic activity in the north. There have been significant other investments in the north. I know in Sault Ste. Marie, the member there has been working very hard to ensure that the steel industry there remains secure with significant investments, and there are a whole host of other investments that have been made in Northern Ontario to bring prosperity back to the north, Mr. Speaker, to make it safer for people to travel in the north. And the one thing that remains constant is the NDP vote against every single one of those investments. The supplementary question. That's cold comfort when you're stranded on the highway with your kids. Cool, yeah. Literally. The government house leader said winter maintenance isn't the only challenge. There's other challenges in northern roads, transport trucks. The majority of transport drivers are excellent, but not all. Recently in Latsford, a 40-ton tractor trailer fully loaded, the driver was charged with stunt driving over 160. OPP stats, deaths involving commercial vehicles on those highways are up 40%. In the summertime, and now we're going to the wintertime, I urge the folks on the other side to look at the videos on Facebook. There's one from Beardmore that will send chills, chills through you. So where is the MTO? What are you doing to make sure that all drivers are adequately trained for the unique conditions on northern roads? Where is the MTO? Stand to reply to the government house leader. Obviously a priority of the government that we ensure that our roads are safe, and that includes driver testing for those individuals that transport our goods and services along our highways, Mr. Speaker. But let's be clear that it is the opposition that is voted against every single one of those initiatives. Whether it's initiatives to increase policing and additional resources for the OPP, they vote against it, Mr. Speaker. Whether it was increased legislation to protect stunt driving, they vote against it, Mr. Speaker. So we understand how important it is to keep the economy going, not just in the north, but across Ontario. And in order to do that, there has to be significant investments in health care. There has to be significant investments in roads, Mr. Speaker. We have to make sure that our roads are safe, that people can get their driver testing done, Mr. Speaker. But unlike the member opposite who would seek to score and push to score and across all of those people who do the hard work of transporting our goods and services to market, we are doing the opposite. We're supporting them. Mr. Speaker. Once again, the member for Waterloo will come to order. The next question, the member for Scarborough, Rouge Park. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Energy. My constituents often write to my office with questions about how Ontario is generating the energy that they are using on a daily basis. They want to know that their homes and businesses are powered by clean and sustainable power. At the same time, they also want to be sure that their government is fighting for them to ensure their bills remain affordable. Ontarians can count on access to affordable electricity to get by, and they know this province can't go back to the skyrocketing hydro rates we had under the previous Liberal government. Speaker, through you to the Minister, what is our government doing to ensure Ontarians continue to have access to electricity that is affordable, reliable, and emissions free? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To apply the Minister of Energy. Well, Speaker, thank you very much, and I want to thank the member from Scarborough for the great question this morning. Ontario has one of the cleanest electricity grids in North America in the world. 94% of our electricity is being generated with zero emissions, and of course, it's all made possible by the foundation, the backbone of our electricity system and our diverse power supply. Nuclear power, Mr. Speaker. Nuclear currently supplies 60% of the power used by Ontarians every single day. It's emissions free, it's reliable, and it's low cost, and it's also helping to drive economic growth here in Ontario. Most of the 76,000 Canadian jobs in the nuclear industry are right here in our province, Mr. Speaker, and the planned refurbishments and the refurbishments that are underway at Darlington and Bruce are creating $100 billion to our GDP over the next number of years, Mr. Speaker. Earlier this month, it was with the MPP from Cawortha Lakes, Peterborough, Peterborough, Cawortha, and there was $50 million left from there. Thank you. Thank you. The supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the minister for his answer. It's great to hear more in this house about many benefits of nuclear power that has for all Ontarians. And I'm glad that our government have been strong supporters of this source of energy that offers clean, reliable, and low cost power while driving economic growth in our province. Ontario and Canada have a story history of being at the forefront of technological development in this exciting field that we should all be proud of. Speaker, through you to the minister, can the minister tell us more about some of the opportunities presented by the technological developments in the nuclear sector and how will the province position itself to ensure all Ontarians can benefit from them? Minister of Energy. Very good question. Thanks to the member from Scarborough again. The member's correct. Ontario has a tremendous opportunity in front of us, Mr. Speaker. I recently met with my colleagues from Saskatchewan and from New Brunswick and Alberta to talk about the further development of SMR technology, small modular reactor technology here in Canada. They can be a game changer, Mr. Speaker, generating clean, low cost, reliable energy while continuing to drive economic growth and export opportunities around the world. I also recently discussed exciting new possibilities in the field of lifesaving medical isotopes, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank the member over there from Bruce Gray Owen Sound for his great motion that he brought forward, introducing a motion to make medical isotopes production a key strategic priority for Ontario going forward and we know that the global isotope market is expected to double by 2023, Mr. Speaker. That's just around the corner. We can see all kinds of opportunities when it comes to isotopes here in Ontario in jobs and making sure that we're providing this lifesaving treatment around the world. Thank you very much. Member from Scarborough, St. Paul. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Ontario has yet to sign the $10 day child care deal, a delay not only hurting families, but our economy, Speaker. In Toronto, St. Paul's, I heard from a constituent, Sandy, who quit her job as the cost of child care in Toronto outweighed her monthly income. It was less expensive for her not to work than to afford child care. There are families cases by no means isolated. As child care costs continue to rise, more families will be forced to make this same decision. The result? A labour exodus, mostly being experienced by women. Meanwhile, it's confirmed low-cost universal child care is an economic multiplier. Tax credits, a Patrick solution, simply don't have the same impact. Speaker, how does the Premier explain his delay to sign this deal, aiding the economic recovery, especially and particularly as she covered in our province of Ontario? Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question from the member opposite. Look, we understand how important it is to make child care affordable across the province of Ontario. Obviously, it's important to the economic recovery of the province. That is why we set out right from the beginning to reverse the trend that we saw under the previous Liberal government that saw rates for child care increased to the highest level in the country, Mr. Speaker. We are working very closely with the federal government on a deal that would see Ontario families have access to far more affordable child care, $10 a day child care, Mr. Speaker. We're working on that closely right now with federal government, and I'm confident that we'll get there. Any supplementary question? Thank you, Speaker. Well, Sandy needs them to get on it yesterday. My question is to the Premier. Just last week, the Minister of Education excused this delay, saying they were waiting to deal with minimal strings attached, quote, unquote, instead of the federal deal which emphasises nonprofit or public spaces. Speaker, we have seen what this government does with no strings attached funding. It pads the pockets of rich, for-profit investors, and lets whatever pennies are left trickle into a failing care system. Speaker, when will the needs of struggling families faced with costs many times upwards of $2,000 for, quote, unquote, child care per child come before the needs of this government's conservative buddies? When will the government get to the table to sign the Affordable Child Care Deal following in the footsteps of provinces even led by the conservatives across Canada? Even Kenny said yes. When is Ford going to get on the ball? Thank you. Stop the clock. Please don't say a thing. Mr. Speaker, again, the question is somewhat perplexing. What we have here is a federal government that is willing to work with the province of Ontario to better understand the needs of getting to the stated goal of $10 a day child care per child care in Canada. I think that's a good point. I think that's a good point. I think that's a good point. I think that's a good point. I think that's a good point. I think that's a good point. Mr. Speaker, again. Even Kenny said yes. What we're trying to onion does not bring about the goal of $10 a day child care for the people of the province of Ontario. The circumstances are a little bit different in Ontario than they are in other provinces. We are working with the federal government to achieve that goal for the people of the province of Ontario. What the NDP and the Liberal are saying, that, like it was a progressive conservative government that brought in public health care, it will be a progressive conservative government that delivers $10 a day child care for the people of the province of Ontario, like it was a conservative government that brought into the college system, like it was a conservative government that brought first subways to the province of Ontario, we'll get the job done, we'll lay talk. Member for Toronto, St. Paul's will come to order, the Minister of Energy will come to order. The next question, the Member for York Centre. Thank you Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Colleges and Universities. Post-secondary students have suffered a catastrophe over the last two years, even though thankfully late teens and early 20s are statistically at no risk of the virus. They miss many milestones like graduations, proms, frosh weeks and pub nights. But now many post-secondary schools are exacerbating the catastrophe and de-enrolling students who made a different medical choice. Schools like Brock and Wilfred Laurier won't even allow students to enroll into online courses unless they're vaccinated, even though you can't transmit COVID over Zoom. Many students whose health or religious persuasion precludes them from taking the shot are unable to get an exemption and are forced to choose between their health and their education. I'm getting calls and emails from students who cannot graduate or forfeiting their tuition. My question to the Minister, I don't anticipate that she will end this discrimination, but will she at least make sure that students who can continue to learn remotely just like they've done for the last two years regardless of their medical status? And to reply, the Minister of Colleges and Universities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the Member for your question. I'd like to remind you that universities, colleges and private career colleges are autonomous legal entities who are responsible for making their own academic and administrative decisions. In fact, in August, we provided opening framework in conjunction with the Chief Medical Officer of Health. This included masking as well as exempting institutions from certain indoor physical distancing requirements and also a mandatory vaccine policy in place. In fact, the vaccine rates in universities, colleges and private career colleges is 96 percent for students and 95 percent for staff and faculty. So I'd like to congratulate the sector for the high vaccine rate and in fact above the provincial average. In fact, my own daughters attend post-secondary institutions and are happy to be back in their classrooms. This is so important for the mental health of our students. And thank you for the question. A supplementary question. Speaker, how about the mental health of the students that are getting de-enrolled that cannot get an exemption like members of the Ontario PC Caucus and cannot complete their education? When the Minister says that she doesn't have the ability to regulate what's happening vis-a-vis the policies, I'm not sure that that's accurate and I invite the Minister to consider that again. Last week, I received a call from a Don Valley North constituent. He told me about his son who just started your university and paid full tuition. Mark didn't have a policy in place until the first day of school, but then the students enrolled in all online courses and paid tuition. Two weeks ago, he learned that all of his courses are moving to in-person. He sought a religious exemption but was denied. The email that denied them, the exemption also advised them that because of his medical status, he was de-enrolled from every course he was in effective immediately without notice. The school won't let him attend class remotely and won't refund his tuition. I asked the Minister, what is the harm in making sure that students can learn them remotely? Are they not putting any lives at risk instead of seeking accommodation? Will the Minister please ensure that students who made a different medical choice are able to continue to learn remotely and if not, why not? Minister of Colleges and Universities, to respond. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank you to the member for that question. As I mentioned, universities and colleges have had the opportunity to allow students to return safely to in-class. I have my own three daughters who have all returned to their universities for this semester and are happy to be back with high vaccination rates in place. The vaccination policy was in place by September 7th and universities and colleges and private career colleges followed that mandate and have returned in some situations to fully in class, others to hybrid and some to online as well. But you know, we're continuing to work with the post-secondary sector to ensure that Ontario is best positioned to deliver high quality post-secondary learning consistent across the province. It's important that, you know, the updated post-secondary education health measures, the framework for the fall of 2021 was in place and the end of August. Thank you to the Chief Medical Officer of Health for his work in ensuring that students were able to return safely to post-secondary education. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Renthrough, Nipissing Pembroke. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Health. Speaker, we heard yesterday that children ages 5 to 11 will now be eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccine. I know this announcement is welcome news for many of my constituents. Throughout the pandemic, parents have reached out to my office and the offices of my colleagues to find out how to best protect their children from the COVID-19 virus, which is why we were thrilled with Health Canada's recent approval. Because of this, I know many constituents in my riding are anxious to have their children receive the vaccine. Could the Minister please tell the House how Ontarians can book and when they can expect to receive their book, their children, and when they can expect to receive their vaccination? Good question. Minister of Health to reply. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member from Renthrough, Nipissing Pembroke for the question. Mr. Speaker, I am proud of our success with our vaccine rollout, which has resulted in one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. With 89% of the population having their first dose and 86% being fully vaccinated. With the announcement yesterday, we are happy that children aged 5 to 11 will be eligible to book an appointment to receive the vaccine beginning today. And I've been advised that 68,000 appointments have already been booked since 8am this morning. So Ontario is receiving over a million doses of the pediatric vaccine from the federal government. And throughout the week, doses will immediately be shipped to public health units, pharmacies and primary care settings across the province. Appointments across the province are expected to begin as early as November 25th, but timing of course may vary slightly based on local context, but this is very good news for the people of Ontario. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. I'd like to thank the Minister for her response. Minister, parents in my riding will be excited to hear the news that they are now able to book appointments for their children. We know that achieving the highest vaccination rates possible is key to limiting the risk of transmission and to protecting our hard fought progress against COVID-19. Most parents in my riding are excited about this announcement, but I know some parents have reached out and like more information on the vaccine. Speaker, can the Minister tell us where constituents who have questions or who are just not sure yet can go for more information? Yes, and thank you again to the member for the question. I'd like to start by saying that we know vaccines are the safest and most effective way of preventing COVID-19 transmission, but we do understand that many parents have questions and they need answers before having their children vaccinated. Parents, caregivers and children are encouraged to call the provincial vaccine confidence line that can be accessed by calling the provincial vaccine contact centre at 1-833-943-3900 or visit COVID-19 vaccine consult service to book a confidential phone appointment with a sick kids clinician. So we look forward to getting another step closer, Mr. Speaker, to having all Ontarians having safe and effective protection from COVID-19. Thank you. Thank you. The next question, the member for Hamilton Mountain. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. There is an affordable housing crisis in Hamilton. Renovations have become a serious issue in my community. My constituency office has received countless calls from constituents who are at risk of being displaced by this unfair practice, and they will have absolutely nowhere to go. My office received a call from one of my constituents named Doug, who is being threatened of an eviction notice at his townhouse complex, where he and his family have lived for years. Doug and his son are both on ODSP and cannot afford the rent anywhere else. These constituents will have nowhere to go if they are evicted. Speaker, will the Premier commit to ending the practice of renovations in Hamilton and across the province? Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Thanks, Speaker. I want to thank the member for the comment. I know that the Attorney General has worked very hard with improvements that our government has made at the Landlord Tenant Board. I want to remind the member opposite. We made some significant changes regarding tenant protections in our strengthening community housing and rental housing bill. A bill, again, Speaker, that that member and her party voted against. We'll continue to work with both landlords and tenants. Again, I want to say that completely through the pandemic, we've seen tremendous cooperation between both. I want to say to the member that if her constituent suspects that there is wrongdoing from the tenant or from the landlord, I want to say that there is the Rental Housing Enforcement Unit, which I can put her in touch with and we can have an investigation on that particular situation. The supplementary question. Speaker, this minister is obviously completely out of touch with what is happening across this province. He needs to have a look around. Look at the increase of tenants, look at the increase of homeless people, and then maybe he'll want to have a new answer. Doug's home means everything to him and his family. This is the last place that he lived with his late wife, Rosa. This is not just a rental unit to him. It is their home. And now they're facing the looming threat of an eviction notice if they do not move out on their own. Eviction is a predatory practice that only serves to harm tenants and continues to leave people displaced. Speaker, once again, will the Premier acknowledge that renovations are predatory and will he commit to stopping this practice immediately? Mr. Minister, I think her voting against Bill 184, that increased fines under the Residential Attendances Act to $50,000 to an individual, and $250,000 for a corporation. The member should rethink the fact that she voted against requiring landlords to disclose whether they had previously filed for an eviction at the landlord tenant board. She voted against increased tenant compensation for bad faith evictions. She voted against providing a tenant with two years in sort of one if they apply to a remedy from a landlord. We continue to propose and present our floor improvements and protection for tenants. This member and her party vote against it every single time. Next question, the member for Orléans. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Mr. Speaker, electric vehicles sales have declined dramatically in Ontario after this government eliminated incentive programs. British Columbia and Quebec both have EV incentive programs and is reflected in the sale of vehicles. In Quebec, 5.5% of all cars sold were electric in Q1. And in BC, that number approaches 9.5%, Mr. Speaker. Here in Ontario, the engine of Canada's economy and the home of the Canadian auto sector, EVs account for an anemic 1% of sales. If there is to be an EV market in Canada, it has to be anchored here in Ontario, Mr. Speaker. And yet this government actively discourages middle-class families from buying electric. This government labels electric cars for the rich, only for millionaires, Mr. Speaker. Incentives would allow middle-class families to enter the EV market, spurring uptake, which means more builds, more jobs, and lower prices. This morning, Ontario Liberals announced an aggressive program to incentivize EV ownership. If the Premier is serious about making Ontario an EV powerhouse, will he join us in helping middle-class families enter the EV market? Mr. Speaker, the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Thank you, Speaker. I appreciate the question from the member opposite. Speaker, on the side of the House, the Premier and this government are working extensively to create the market for EVs. That means investing in critical mineral strategy to ensure that EVs are made right here in Ontario. The net result of the six billion investment that we've seen attracted under this Premier's leadership at a time when, under that previous government, we saw manufacturing flee the province of Ontario. The net result, a 210% increase in EV sales year over year from Q2 2020 to Q2 2021. The facts are, this year alone, we've seen a record number of EV sales in the province of Ontario. We're going to continue to create the opportunity for economic growth. We're going to keep insurance. Ontarians have an opportunity to get up on the auto corridor each and every day with the dignity of a job, a clean green one at that. Thank you. Supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, Mr. Speaker, for nearly two decades, Ontario had been a leader in the fight against climate change. But when this government was elected, that came to a screeching halt. We need a government that will revive the EV market to fight climate change, create good, well-paying green jobs, and deliver much-needed pocketbook relief for middle-class families. This morning, Mr. Speaker, the price of gas in Ottawa is $1.3750, $1.49 in Toronto and a whopping $1.50.1 in Thunder Bay. The government should be focused on giving hardworking families the help they need to enter the electric vehicle market to get rid of that gas guzzler, Mr. Speaker. Instead, they spend hundreds of millions of dollars ripping out charging stations, cancelling green energy jobs, and fighting losing core battles. Under this government, the cost of living has skyrocketed. We're approaching winter with the highest gas prices we've ever seen. And this government has no plan to help middle-class families enter the electric vehicle market. Why is this government so dead-set against supporting middle-class families, helping them buy their first electric car? Thank you, Speaker. We'll take no lesson from that member opposite, first and foremost, whose leader bypassed his permitting processes to build his own pool in his backyard. Secondly, from that government who got all of their insider friends rich off of green energy contracts on the backs of hardworking rural Ontarians, farmers, and bypassing the municipal planning process. On this side of the house, we recognize that investing in public transit will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Investing in clean alternatives is helping reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, we've seen partnering with industry, we can make a far more meaningful app impact on climate change. Like the partnership with Algoma, a three-megaton decrease in GHG emissions under this government that's equivalent to 50 million trees planted or cement regulation I just signed off of, equivalent to two-megaton decrease, another 33 million trees. Speaker, we'll take no lessons from that member opposite who couldn't even get transit right in his own community. The next question, the member for Aurora, Oak Ridge's Richmond Hill. Thank you. Speaker, as we all know, our government is committed to taking continued action to combat racism and discrimination in our province. While our government has been clear that any act of hatred and violence will never be tolerated, the terrorist attack that took place in London this past July reminds us that strong leadership is needed to stamp out Islamophobia in Ontario. We're proud that Ontario is home to many racialized communities, including the Muslim community. So, Speaker, to the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism, what is the government doing to confront and dismantle Islamophobia wherever it hides? Mr. Citizenship and Multiculturalism. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank my colleague, the member from Aurora, Oak Ridge and Richmond Hill, Mr. Speaker, and for his tremendous work. And I want to also assure this House, our government will always defend the right of every person in Ontario to worship, practice their faith, and live their lives free of hate and discrimination, Mr. Speaker. One of my first acts as a Minister was to meet with the National Council of Canadian Muslims, and it was great being able to carry on our conversation yesterday during their advocacy day here at Queen's Park. This is also why our government continuously worked closely with our community partners like NCCM to develop our anti-racism, anti-hate grant program, Mr. Speaker. We recognize that more investments are needed for this grant, so we doubled it in our recent fall economic statement, Mr. Speaker. Our government will continue to listen and work with communities right across this great province and fight Islamophobia, racism, and hate in all of its forms. Supplementary question. Thank you very much, Speaker, and I want to thank the Minister for that answer. I'm pleased to know that our government is working closely with community partners to take immediate action that targets Islamophobia in our province. Speaker, doing so ensures that Islamophobia initiatives, anti-Islamophobia initiatives like the anti-racism, anti-hate grant responds to the needs of local communities in a meaningful way. This is an important step forward to building an even more inclusive province where everyone is welcomed and kept safe. As this critical work continues, we know that there's more to be done and we need to reach out to our community partners. So, Speaker, can the Minister tell us specifically how he is connecting with community groups to support racial communities in Ontario? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member for the question. Again, Mr. Speaker, racialized communities across Ontario have an ally in this government. We listened, and that's why in our recent fall economic statement, we are investing additional $8.1 million to address some of these challenges, Mr. Speaker. We said yes to doubling the anti-racism, anti-hate grant from $1.6 million to $3.2 million. We said yes to helping businesses build a fully inclusive workplace with $1.5 million for Business Resources Hub for employers, Mr. Speaker. And we said yes to developing a grant for racialized and indigenous entrepreneurs and investing in investment worth $5 million, Mr. Speaker. On this side of the house, we will not rest until slamaphobia and hate is eliminated right across our province. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The next question, the member for York Southwest. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. In March of 2020, coming up to two years ago now, your government announced providing businesses suffering due to construction of the Eglinton Crosstown LRT with $3 million in addition support having recognized the project to be delayed and disruptive. Business owners, the Eglinton Hill BIA in our community of York Southwest and other BIAs on Eglinton Crosstown on Crosstown Corridor are asking where our support is and want and require more than just their windows washed. Through you, Mr. Speaker, when can I tell the business owners and indeed our community that the overdue help is on its way? Government House Leader. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Let me just say that we're very pleased with the work that is progressing on the Eglinton Crosstown Speaker. It is an important, another one of these important transit initiatives that the government has undertaken to not only reduce gridlock but as the Minister of Environment has said on numerous occasions it is an important part of helping to reduce our GHG emissions. Obviously we understand though that at the same time it is a very difficult challenge for local businesses when projects like this occur. There's a number of initiatives that we have to undertake whether it's working with the local BIA, whether it's working with the city or Metrolinx to ensure that local businesses have the support that they need to not only get through the construction phase, Mr. Speaker but to ultimately bring people back into communities that might have suffered construction. So we're continuing to work on that, Speaker. And again, I'm encouraged that the member is excited about the project that has been undertaken. Supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question back to the Premier. I have written letters to the Transportation Minister about this issue. Residents and the Eglinton Hill BIA has made a bill as well. This government has acknowledged the disruption to businesses and has promised financial support, but there seems little planning and oversight to ensure many spend is done so meaningful, not only just washing their windows, they need a direct support. Through you, Mr. Speaker, when will this government provide a direct relief to the members of Eglinton Hill BIA and cross the Eglinton Crosstown corridor and also Eglinton Hill BIA in our community of York, Southwestern? Government House Leader. Again, Speaker, I know that the Minister has, of course, and the member will know that the Minister has committed, I believe it's $3 million to assist local business owners in the area. Look, it's an important transit initiative, another important infrastructure initiative that the government is undertaking. It's part of a historic rebuild of the province of Ontario following 15 years of really inaction by the Liberal government. It's part of a multi-pronged approach to not only building roads and transportation, Mr. Speaker, but building subways, Speaker. It's about building hospitals. It's about building long-term care. There is a tremendous amount of work that has to be undertaken in the province of Ontario really to recover from 15 years of stagnation that we saw under the Liberal government. But the people of the province of Ontario know that they can always rely on progressive, conservative governments to get the job done on their behalf, whether it's subways, whether it's for schools, whether it's for the college system, universities. Mr. Speaker, we'll get the job done and we'll continue to get the job done for your constituents too. Next question, the member for Chatham Kent, Leamington. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health. You just approved injecting children 5 to 11 with vaccines that many still call experimental drugs. Recently, London Health Sciences and Toronto Sick Kids have been prepping their pediatric stroke wards. But don't you find it coincidental that while you are jabbing these little arms, hospitals are enhancing their pediatric stroke protocols. Research has shown that children between 0 and 19 years are not at serious risk from COVID. Pfizer's own data shows that their inoculations are doing more harm than good. Their six-month trial results show a 300% increase in adverse events, a 75% increase in severe events, and 43% increase in deaths. Now, Taiwan has stopped using the Pfizer vaccine in 12 to 17-year-olds due to the risk of adverse reactions. Our kids deserve the same protections, especially our younger ones. So, Minister, can you guarantee parents that their child will not die from these injections since you say they're safe? I'm going to remind the members to make their comments through the chair. Minister of Health to reply. Thank you very much, Speaker. We are relying on the expert opinions of epidemiologist experts in this field. We know that Health Canada has approved these vaccines for children aged 5 to 11, as has the FDA, as has the World Health Organization. We know that while there can be some adverse events with the vaccines, there is a much greater, much greater risk of children contracting COVID and having very, very serious results, even resulting in death. We also know right now that a third of all of the COVID cases that we have right now here in Ontario are in school-aged children. So, it is imperative that we work quickly to provide to children with these vaccines and provide their parents with the information that they need in order to make the decision to provide them with the vaccines. It's the safest way to save their lives, and that's what we need to do in the province of Ontario. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the minister. Today in the legislature, we will vote to extend the emergency orders to March 28, 2022. Now, if this motion passes, you're giving pharmaceutical country, a company, sorry, a free get out of jail card as they can't be sued for injuries incurred from these injections. Isn't it ironic that on the same day that you approved the start of injecting children 5 to 11, the government wants to extend the emergency orders? You confidently claim the vaccines are safe for everyone. What will you tell families when their child suffers a vaccine injury or even dies? I will not vote in favour of this extension, nor should any elected official hold big pharma accountable. I have a saying, dare to be a red jacket in a world of blue suits. I choose to stand up and speak out on behalf of millions. If this motion carries, who are you really protecting? Ontarians or Pfizer and other pharmaceutical companies? Again, I'll remind members to make their comments through the chair, not directly across the floor. The Minister of Health. To the member opposite, there's no correlation between those two issues. It is imperative that we protect the children of the province of Ontario. We need to protect them with these vaccines that specialists, doctors have indicated, epidemiologists have indicated are safe for children. Absolutely, we need to carry on with this because of the fact that we want to save these children with a third of the new cases of COVID coming into Ontario right now, being involved in school-aged children. There's a far greater risk if these children catch COVID and have serious permanent injuries as a result. So it's our duty, it's our obligation to move forward and to protect these children with these vaccines to make sure that we can save their lives and that they can have a future to look forward to. Next question, the member for Windsor West. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Constituents in my writing have been contacting my office because they are unable to book a road test with our local drive test centre until well into 2022. Some can't book before 2023. I wrote a letter a month ago to both the Premier and the Minister of Transportation requesting that, as they have done in many other cities across Ontario, that they open a temporary drive test centre in Windsor to alleviate the backlog of tests. They have yet to address this issue for my constituents. The closest temporary location is in Sarnia, almost two hours away from Windsor. No one should be forced to travel hours to the next available testing centre or risk losing their entire licence and be forced to start the process all over again at step one. Speaker, when will this government fix this problem and open a temporary drive test location in Windsor with adequate staffing? And to reply, Government House Leader. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. As the member knows, obviously we are coming through a global health and economic pandemic which has caused backlogs in a whole host of sectors across the province of Ontario, and that also includes driver testing. But I know the Minister has been working very closely with the sector to ensure that additional resources are in place across the province of Ontario so that we can make up for the testing backlog. Speaker, the member will know that those resources have been put in place by the Minister, which includes in her area. We've heard also some discussions with the need for additional resources in northern Ontario. We've done that, but obviously more work needs to be done, Mr Speaker. The sooner we can get out of this pandemic and catch up on that, I'm sure that the member will do everything in her power to assist us and vote for those initiatives that help us make up that backlog. Thank you. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. I just want to remind the Government House Leader a little geography lesson. Sarnia is not Windsor. It's at least a two-hour drive for people in my area to get to a temporary drive test. Windsor residents need cars to get to work, school, medical appointments to pick up their children from childcare and to get groceries. People are worried they are going to lose their job because their license is set to expire before they can book a road test. For some, a driver's license is a condition of employment. Windsor residents are faced with the avoidable reality that their current classification of license will expire before they can book an appointment. Many will be forced to start the entire licensing process all over again, causing an even bigger backlog for tests. Over 420,000 road tests were cancelled across Ontario. The Government should have anticipated the backlog problem and put something in place to try and alleviate it. Speaker, just for statistics sake, according to 2020StatsCan, they reported that Sarnia's population on its own was just over 74,000. With an entire Lambton County, it's under 140,000, yet Windsor alone is 336,000. How can this government justify not putting in a fully staffed temporary drive test centre for the people of Windsor? The government has stated it. Again, Mr. Speaker, we are on the tail end of what we hope has been a very challenging global health and economic pandemic. This has caused challenges, not only in driver testing, but in a number of areas. That is why the government has put in the Minister of Finance in his most recent budget and in the ones prior to that put in significant resources to help us address the backlog, not only in driver testing, but in a whole host of other areas. We are working very diligently on this. We understand how important it is. We should have every confidence that not only do we know, but we are moving to address the problem as quickly as possible. And the next question, the member for Ottawa, Vanie. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and to the Minister of Environment Conservation and Park. Mr. Speaker, this government refuses to acknowledge that our environment is at high risk. Yesterday's auditor general report said that the government has made environmental decisions. They said no to making polluters pay. They said no to recycling. They said no to protecting endangered species. Despite this government's assertions, Ontario is far behind on its goal to reduce gas emissions. So Mr. Speaker, for you and everyone watching at home, let me break it down simply. This government has no credible plan so my question is will the government release a credible plan before the next provincial election? Mr. Environment Conservation and Park. Thank you, Speaker, and I appreciate the member opposite's question. I'll first start by correcting the record on recycling. It is that member's party that said no to diverting waste from landfills. They were staring down the barrel of the independent crisis with landfills and they did nothing. It was this government under the leadership of Premier Ford that launched extended producer responsibility. In fact, a subject that was of great interest to others at the COP conference were taking meaningful action because we know that Ontarians want to do more to recycle. We're enabling them to do just that. Under that previous Liberal government we had batteries and toxins leaching into landfills and they did that under our government. We're seeing it supporting fertilizers for our farmers, reducing it to core minerals, to core metals that can be reused once again supporting clean green jobs in the province of Ontario. I could go on Speaker, but that member's party presided over Thank you very much. Supplementary. Mr. Speaker, this government has been breaking environmental laws and avoiding accountability for their actions. The use of MZOs by the government has violated the environmental Bill of Rights by bypassing consultations that are legally required. These orders have been used by this government abusively to pave over nature and Firmland for projects that were not a priority to help us recover from COVID, but were for the benefit of a few. The Auditor General has said that the government deliberately avoided consulting the public about the environment. My question is, how can the Minister of the Environment justify turning its back on Ontarians by not allowing them to have their voice heard on important environmental matters and decisions? Mr. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Thanks Speaker, and again that party again in this House shows a disrespect to Ontario's 444 municipalities. He mentions Minister's Zoning Orders, which we on this side of the House feel is a very valuable tool. They had a chance for 15 years to build long-term care, they built 611 beds, MZOs alone, just MZOs, not all the other initiatives the government is doing, we're already putting in place 3,700 beds. So there's the compare and contrast. But again Speaker, every Minister's Zoning Order that I consider a non-provincially representative comes at the request of a Council, resolution to me. So it's up to the Council to do their public due diligence, it's up to the Council to do their Indigenous consultation. We value our municipal partners, but they've got to dot their eyes and they've got to cross their T's before they send the MZO requesting to me. Next we have a member for London North Centre. My question is to the Premier, people have done the right thing to make sure that they're safe and careful throughout this pandemic. Going to fill a prescription or to pick up essential health care items should not put someone at greater risk for COVID infection. The Premier's plan to allow symptomatic COVID testing and shoppers drug market is a terrible idea that puts seniors, immunocompromised folks and workers all at risk. My constituent, and we'll call her Donna, told me she felt purposely put in harm's way by this government. Why is the Premier doing this? I think it's important that we have a head-to-head plan when other major pharmacy chains like Rexall and Pharmacave have declined or are still awaiting details. Thank you. Well, it's important that we have more venues for people to be tested, especially as we are gradually, slowly, incrementally opening up Ontario. We want to make sure that with more students returning to in Ontario, especially in more rural and northern communities, and pharmacies are performing a great purpose here. But they are not all pharmacies will be available to do that just because of the physical configuration of their areas. But this is something that has been reviewed by our medical officials, Dr. Kieran Murrow, Chief Medical Officer of Health, has this to say on symptomatic testing. We absolutely anticipate a great partnership with our physicians. We are working with them to have the best infection prevention and control protocols in place to best protect their clients, but very much welcome their partnership. So this is not going to be done in every pharmacy, but everywhere it is going to be done is going to be subject to very strict infection prevention and control measures. And the supplementary questions. It seems like these conservatives are talking about a planet is more choice and more danger for Ontarians. It's pretty simple. Mixing people who are suffering COVID symptoms with the general public is a recipe for disaster. It's like this government has learned nothing. When the announcement about shoppers offering symptomatic COVID testing hit the news, my constituent Donna called the premier's office. Even the premier's staff who answered the phone was shocked by the announcement. Throughout the conversation, the premier was concerned about protocols that the ministry says, and I quote, should be in place. That's concerning, Speaker. Should is not a strong requirement. Should is a heck of a lot weaker than must. According to a memo obtained by Cp24, shoppers franchisees fear that the agreements with the law of law will be terminated if they refuse to perform symptomatic testing . The premier stumbling ahead with this weak plan which puts seniors immunocompromised folks and pharmacy workers at risk of COVID infection. This is an opt-in program for pharmacy. Some pharmacies may choose not to do so because of the limitations of their space. Some may have outdoor spaces where they will be able to do this testing. That's not always the case with some urban pharmacies. There are more places for people to be tested. That's in the interest of the health and safety of all Ontarians because we want it to be a convenient location for people to attend. However, there will be a requirement to have these strict infection prevention and control measures in place and this is something that will continue to be followed by the inspectors that we have out there and also by the college of pharmacists that will be able to learn about the adherence by pharmacies with respect to this. They will require appointments that they will have time in between appointments to make sure that the appropriate sanitization can be done. This is for the health and safety of all Ontarians but we do need more venues for testing for the basic security of everyone in the province of Ontario. That concludes question period . . .