 It is now time for oral questions. I recognise the Member for Waterloo. My question is to the Premier. The lack of transparency in the finances of this province are becoming increasingly concerning. Fortunately, we have the FAO who tracks actual spending against government announcements. The FAO has said, and I quote, Ontario's Conservative government is not being transparent about how it plans to spend money over the next several years. The government's current spending plan contains $40 billion in programme funding shortfalls over six years, though it also contains $44 billion in unallocated contingency funds. The contingencies could be used to address those shortfalls, but it is an unusual way of budgeting, he said. He also points out, what we haven't seen is this level of shortfall, but we haven't seen the size of the contingency fund before. Speaker, this budgeting practice is irresponsible when there are such pressing issues in this province on health care, on education, on housing. Will Budget 23 actually focus on the real priorities of Ontario? A Member for Oakville and Parliamentary Assistant. Thank you to the Member Opposite. I'll tell you, we as a government are so excited today. Today is Budget Day. It's a big day in the province of Ontario. While we can't get into the specifics of the Budget, we'll be announcing that at 4 o'clock. What I can tell you is that we are going to continue to move ahead in this province with investments in hospitals, with investments in infrastructure, with investments in public transit, with investments in highways to get people from home quicker and safer. But I will also add that with respect to the underspend question that you mentioned, the Member Opposite is a member of the public accounts. Take a look at the public accounts numbers. Those are the actual facts as to what we spend every single year, and you'll see that we are spending more than any government in the history of Ontario on the investments you just touched on. Thank you. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. One area that didn't receive the budgeted amount promised was municipal infrastructure. Now we all know that because of Bill 23, municipalities are struggling to complete and fulfil housing development plans because of infrastructure deficits. Bill 23 is a piece of legislation that removes the development charges for cities and towns, thus creating barriers for housing. This also caused Ontario's 444 municipalities by surprise. In fact, this is what AMO President said. In 125 years, it's the biggest affront to Ontario's municipalities that I've ever seen. You are clearly not very respectful of our municipal partners. We'll budget 2023, make municipalities whole, as this minister has promised, so that they can address the homelessness crisis that this government won't even acknowledge exists. What this member is hiding from Ontarians is the fact that her party stands shoulder to shoulder. I'm going to caution the member on his language. Caution, they are standing in favour of fees and charges that represent in some municipalities $150,000 on the price of a new home, and if you don't think that that's a factor, listen to CMHC, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, government charges can represent more than 20% of the cost of building a home in major Canadian cities. We believe, Speaker, that affordable housing, attainable housing and non-profit housing should be incented, and that's exactly what Bill 23 did. Speaker, AMO ED Brian Rossboro has said that in rural communities people are living in seasonal trailer parks and campments in woods. There are encampments in Greater Sudbury, in Waterloo Region, in Peterborough, among other communities. Ontario spends $2,000 less per person on services and programs than the average province across Canada. AMO has said that Bill 23, and I quote, is undermining the financial capacity of municipalities to support growth. So the simple question is, will Budget 23 reverse the damage that you've done to municipalities? Will it assist municipalities with water, sewage, transit, parks, electricity and waste infrastructure costs, which those development charges pay for, so that housing can actually be built in the province of Ontario? Mr. Secretary's analogy? No, Speaker, the one thing that we've learned this week in the House is that new Democrats stand shoulder to shoulder with taxing affordable housing, which would making sure that housing is out of reach of two men and chairs. Our government will always stand with young families, with new Canadians, with people. I believe that all three levels of government have a responsibility, not just the province of Ontario. The next question, the member for Scarborough, south-west. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, we're facing some extremely challenging times for the people of this province. Today's Budget is an opportunity to address these challenges and provide the support Ontarians need. So my question is very simple, Speaker. Will this Budget, will this government take this opportunity that the Budget provides and chart a new hopeful course, one where the needs of everybody in this province, every single person are met? Thank you very much. I'm not your assistant. Thank you to the member opposite. And listen, we're excited by the Budget today. We're excited that Minister Bethan Falvey is going to announce at four o'clock what initiatives this government is going to undertake. But what I can tell you is in the past, that will give you a sense as to what our direction is going forward. In the past, what we've done is put the right critical investments in place to support those in need, whether it's on ODSP or low-income seniors with the gain support or the low-income tax credit, which is the largest tax credit in history of Ontario for low-income families. But more importantly, we need workers to work, and we're going to make the right investments and create the right environment for business to flourish. We had just an announcement just in this past week that the Minister of Economic Development was down near London with the largest investment in Canadian history in electric vehicle manufacturing. This is the beginning of a manufacturing renaissance in Ontario, and we're going to continue on that path. Thank you very much. Well, that's a question. Speaker, the member mentioned ODSP. They'll need to do much better than what they did last time. People on ODSP are lining up at food banks. They're going homeless, so they'll need to do much better than what they did in the past. Speaker, budgets are about priorities, and time and time again, this government has shown that it doesn't share the priorities of folks who aren't the insider friends of this government. A recent FAO report found that the Premier's plan for healthcare falls $21.3 billion short of the funding needed for hospitals, home care, and long-term care. We have seen under-investment in social services, education, and infrastructure speaker. So my question is, will the budget, will Budget 2023 reverse course and make up for the shortfall this government has manufactured? Again, thank you to the member opposite. And we certainly, as a government, we have nothing to reverse course on. On contrary, we're going to move ahead. We're going to move ahead with investments in infrastructure, with investments in public transit, with investments in highways, in hospitals. And I will add, as a member of the public accounts, which gives a snapshot of what was actually spent, not projections of what may be spent at some certain point in time from the FAO, you'll see that we've had the largest investments in the history of Ontario in healthcare and transportation infrastructure. So we'll continue on the same path. And the final supplementary. Speaker, it's hard to trust this government and their budgets when they deliberately underspent $6.4 billion and diverted millions away from healthcare education in last year's budget. Groceries, gas, and rent are through the roof, Speaker. The people of this province deserve better. They deserve a government they can trust to follow through with their actual funding commitments. So this time, my question is, Speaker, will this government actually invest the money that they budget for in 2023? Again, thanks to the member opposite. I think what the province needs is a more effective opposition because we are on track. We are on track to deliver the people of Ontario. We are on track to deliver the hospitals, the infrastructure, the jobs, economic growth we haven't seen in decades. We are bringing back manufacturing jobs. We had 300,000 jobs leave the province of Ontario in the decade and a half under the Liberal Administration. Putting those workers into great high paying jobs is going to pay the bills for our healthcare, our infrastructure, our education, and we're going to continue on that path. Thank you, Speaker. Good morning. My question is to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Last month, Chief Donnie Morris of Kachinamaeakusa Beninua wrote a letter to the Minister about the ongoing historical trauma of his people due to enforcement of provincial laws and policy on KI members. This includes the desecration of graves, the interference of our ways of life such as confiscation of fishnets and disturbing trap lines. Simple question. Has the Minister responded to his Chief's letter? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the honourable member's question. Of course, we're always in a position to work with communities. I know the Chief personally and I'm well aware of the positions that they take, particularly with respect to trap lines, Mr. Speaker, will ensure that we make appropriate follow-up with Chief Donnie Morris and try to understand better moving forward what kinds of opportunities he sees to make sure that his community and the quality of life of those members is realised. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The supplementary question. Back to the Minister. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry has no relationship with Kachinamaeakusa Beninua. One of the ways Ontario can build a real relationship is spend time in Kachinamaeakusa Beninua. Speaker, will the Minister visit Kachinamaeakusa Beninua to start addressing Ontario's historical harm to the people of KI? Minister of Indigenous Affairs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, I will be visiting Kachinamaeakusa Beninua. In fact, I think we're scheduled for mid-April. I look forward to that visit. It's a return home for me having lived there for quite some time as a nurse, and I'll be happy to sit down and talk with an old friend who I stay in regular contact with, Mr. Speaker, and we're going to talk about opportunities, Mr. Speaker, is what we're going to do. I realise that there are ongoing challenges and issues, but we're going up there to experience on behalf of another one of my ministerial counterparts, a historical opportunity for KI, and I look forward to talking about a host of other opportunities, staying positive and moving forward on opportunities for Indigenous communities in our far north. Thank you. The next question, the member for Elgin, Middlesex London. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job, Creation and Trade. When our government was elected in 2018, Ontario was in no position to build the cars of the future. Job, Speaker, we're fleeing the province to go south of the border. And then just a few short years, we've used all the tools in our toolbox to rebuild our auto sector and establish best-in-class auto and EV ecosystem. Last week's announcement of Volkswagen is historic, and I would add generational investment and my writing of Elgin, Middlesex London is one of the terms that our efforts have indeed paid off, which is why it's no surprise that this announcement has been celebrated far and wide. Speaker, will the Minister please share an overview of the reception and feedback our government has received over the last 10 days? Mr. Secretary of Economic Development, Job, Creation and Trade. Speaker, firstly, thank you to the member from Elgin, Middlesex London for the integral role he played in landing Volkswagen into his writing of St Thomas. And the member is correct, we landed an historic investment from Europe's largest automaker and it's making headlines around the world. Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Overseas the Financial Times, all positive stories about Ontario's skilled workforce, clean energy, our EV ecosystem, critical minerals, all the things we wrote in our driving prosperity plan when we began this monumental turnaround of our auto sector and our move to lead the EV revolution. Speaker, the auto world now knows what Volkswagen saw, that Ontario has everything a company needs to be part of the EV future. Well done. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for his answer. It has indeed been an exciting week in my writing with the news that Volkswagen is coming to Elgin County. We've heard from lots of constituents and this investment will have long lasting benefits for generations, I repeat, generations to come. With lots of new, good, paying, sustainable jobs to replace the hundreds of thousands of auto and manufacturing jobs that were chased out of this province by the previous government. Speaker, will the Minister please elaborate on how the turnaround of the auto sector occurred in Ontario? Yes. Speaker, in 2019, Reuters revealed that car companies planned to spend $300 billion globally, but none of that money was planned for Canada or Ontario. So we put our driving prosperity plan in place. It started with lowering the cost of doing business by $7 billion each and every year. We met worldwide with companies looking to be part of the EV revolution and told them about Ontario's skilled workforce, our clean energy, our EV ecosystem, our critical minerals. And within 24 months, Speaker, we attracted $17 billion in EV auto investments in Ontario. And, Speaker, that's before the Volkswagen announcement. This year, Bloomberg ranked Canada as second in their annual global battery supply chain, first in North America, ahead of the U.S. We went from zero investment, Speaker, to the global leader. Next question, a member from London West. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, we now know that this government's flawed paid sick days program will end on March 31st with nothing to replace it. Instead of fixing the flaws in the program, instead of increasing the days from 3 to 10, instead of making them annual and permanent and employer paid, instead of making them available for all illnesses, not just COVID, this government is abandoning sick workers. Why does this government believe that workers without paid sick days should be forced to give up their pay if they have to stay home when they are sick? Mr. Labour, immigration, training and skills development. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I'm proud that our government was the first in the country to bring in paid sick days during the pandemic. I'm also proud of the fact that we've been able to help 558,000 workers across the province. Many provinces, as a member opposite knows, didn't bring in paid sick days. But, Speaker, the other thing we should all be proud of is that we have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, and that's because of our paid sick day program during COVID that supported workers to go out, take time off work and to get vaccinated. Mr. Speaker, I'm now looking forward to being the first in all of North America under the leadership of Premier Ford to start working on our plan to bring in portable benefits, health and dental benefits for millions of workers that don't have those benefits today. Mr. Questioner. Speaker, this week the Financial Accountability Officer reported that a record number of Ontario workers over 400,000 did not go to work last year because they were sick. Many Ontario workers, however, don't have that choice. They drag themselves into work sick because staying home means not being able to pay the rent or buy the groceries. It could even mean losing their jobs. Forcing sick workers to go to work sick is not only bad for worker health and public health, it's bad for productivity and our economy. Speaker, BC understands this. 15 U.S. states with paid sick days understands this. Why doesn't this government? Well, the member opposite should tell all those small businesses who have struggled during the pandemic that if the NDP were in power and they legislated 10 paid sick days and made those businesses pay for those 10 paid sick days, you would force hundreds of thousands of businesses into bankruptcy. We're not going to do that. Mr. Speaker, we've taken a balanced approach to help 558,000 workers get through COVID to have those paid sick days in place. But, Mr. Speaker, we've increased the minimum wage. There's another increase coming soon. We're going to be the first place in all of North America to have portable benefits. For millions of workers that don't have them today, we'll continue every day working for the workers of this province, helping them get better jobs and bigger paychecks. So, thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Labor, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. For 15 years under the previous NDP supported Liberal government, Ontario's employment services failed people across our province. The Auditor General's report revealed that only 1% of people on social assistance were leaving for a job every month. While this is good enough for the Liberals and the NDP, it's proved that the status quo is letting down those who need our help the most. Most people's speaker who are unemployed are receiving social assistance want to work. What they need and want is practical help to secure a fulfilling career to support themselves and their families. Speaker, can the Minister please explain what changes our government is making to employment services to support Ontarians in securing gainful work? Mr. Labor, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Thank you very much, and I want to thank the member for that question and being a true champion of the skilled trades. I know for many, many years in this place he's been calling on government to do more to get people into these rewarding opportunities. Speaker, since day one our government has taken action to address the years of neglect by previous governments. Under the leadership of Premier Ford, we're on a mission to help people who are unemployed or on social assistance find long-term meaningful work in their own communities. Our new customer service approach is helping more people find the dignity of a purpose-driven career. With the changes we've made so far, we have helped 63,000 people find gainful employment including more than 23,000 people that were on social assistance. Speaker, my message is clear to anyone on social assistance. If we're able to work, we need you and we're here to help. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the minister for that response. It's encouraging to hear that under the leadership of Premier Ford and this minister, our government is implementing measures that demonstrate our government's support for workers. Clearly, these new approaches are already showing positive results for job seekers across our province. However, more can be done to ensure that employment services are accessible, convenient, and coordinated. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is expanding and improving employment services in Ontario? Mr. Labour. Well, thank you again and I want to thank the minister for the follow-up question. Speaker, earlier this month I was pleased to announce that our new One Window approach is coming to Durham region and by the end of 2023 we'll have this new framework province-wide. Our new employment services are opening doors. We're providing free training, support for rent and childcare while you learn. Basics like work boots, tools, uniforms, bus passes to help people get to their first shift in the interviews and resume writing. For anyone looking for work, I encourage them to visit Ontario.ca forward slash employment. Speaker, our government is supporting job seekers and how we will continue to help people find better jobs and earn bigger paychecks is through this new approach. Thank you. Next question. Member for Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. On Monday, March 26th Toronto Transit Services will have a transit service that will be extended across the city and transit riders will be left waiting longer for the bus, the streetcar and the subway. This is unsafe, will cause more crowding and will make trips on transit take even longer. It doesn't make sense to cut transit services at a time when more and more people are returning to the TTC. Cutting services will only drive people away from the TTC without proper TTC services. Will the Premier commit to play his part and fund the economic engine that moves our city? Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I thank the member opposite for her question. During the pandemic our government recognised how essential public transit is for Ontarians across the province and so we were there to support municipal transit agencies and the City of Toronto has been under-served by public transit for so long and our government put forward the largest transit expansion plan in Canadian history anywhere in North America. The member opposite thinks public transit is so essential what she should have done is voted by the City of Toronto and the City of Toronto and the City of Toronto and the City of Toronto what she should have done is voted in favour of our subway plan instead of voting against it as did her entire party. Thank you. Thank you. As my colleague from Toronto just said transit riders and transit workers are at their wits end in this province. In Ottawa too we are facing service cuts and the folks who are driving those buses and trains are exhausted because there's not enough support for them. So we just heard the minister talk about future transit plans but what I know about the Eglinton Cross to NLRT is that this is a plan right now that's a billion dollars over budget and two years past due. So I'm asking the minister plaintively the transit sector allies are telling us they need 500 million dollars in emergency funding for the operating system. Will the government come through on that today? Minister of Transportation Thank you Speaker and as I indicated in my previous answer this is provided over two billion dollars of support for public transit systems we have been there and we do it through the safe restart agreement but also through our gas tax funding which we continue to give every year to public transit system for operating budgets. Mr. Speaker with respect to the Crosstown LRT our government has been waiting for this system just as everyone has to open in a way that is safe and reliable that is what is essential. Mr. Speaker we're building more public transit to make sure that people can get where they need to go and we're doing it in a way that's more efficient. We brought forward the Building Transit Faster Act to make sure that the delays that occur because of permitting and municipal service networks can be coordinated with our work our construction work. Mr. Speaker the member opposite and his party voted against the Building Transit Faster Act they voted against our subway plan for the Greater Toronto area that we were this far go expansion Mr. Speaker they talk about supporting public transit but really Mr. Speaker their base. Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Finances Mr. Speaker the Franco-Fond Movement in Ontario is an essential community centre for Francophone and Francophones in Ontario it was created by MA看 it's a space where Francophones can gather and participate in activities including for children. For decades, thousands of residents, brave residents, made this center the biggest center for Francophone in Ontario. This was a success and leaders, commercial leaders talked about this. For many years, MIFO asked the Ontario government to invest in the construction of a new center so they can answer more needs. Does the minister invest, will the minister invest necessary funds so we can go further with the project? Answer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I would like to thank the member for his question. MIFO is an essential center in the members' community. I had the opportunity to meet the president of MIFO so I could understand the plan better. I was happy to understand the plan and to see what is done in the members' community. We will support all community organizations throughout the province. This is what we are supporting programs for Francophones in Ontario. This is a program aimed for Francophones throughout the province. We are investing dollars for community agencies in Orleans and in the rest of Ontario. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I would appreciate the minister's endorsement of the great work MIFO does and look forward to having the minister of finance provide funding in the budget later this afternoon. Mr. Speaker, as it relates to the budget, middle class families have been struggling with higher food prices, higher hydro rates, higher transit passes and higher property taxes. In virtually every aspect of life costs are up. Some might say costs are through the roof, Mr. Speaker. Even the Premier's $15 haircut cost him $26, Mr. Speaker. Rising costs are adding up. Summer is just around the corner. That means gas prices are about to go up. Families will soon be facing summer camp and sports registration, increased hydro bills. And their hydro bills will soon go up as they turn on their air conditioning, Mr. Speaker. The pressure on families is getting higher and higher. And support from this government for middle class families is harder and harder to see. So Mr. Speaker, why are so many middle class families falling further and further behind under this government? The Parliamentary Assistant Member for Oakville. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite. And it's interesting you bring up this question because the carbon tax actually is going up in a matter of days. And this is the largest, most penalizing tax in Canadian history on middle class consumers. It's driving the price of everything up. Everything from groceries, products, it's hurting businesses, it's hurting individuals. So we would encourage you to stand with us and stand up to the federal government and try to bring these costs to the people. That would be a great first step, Speaker. But what we are doing, we are supporting middle class families across the province. We brought about a gas tax of 5.7 cents per litre earlier this year. And if I recall, I don't believe the Opposition supported us on that. That was a case in point where they should have stood with us and in our partisan fashion and helped lower the cost for Canadian consumers. We've also helped support lower income individuals with ODSP increases. Thank you very much. Member for Thunder Bay, Atacocan. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks. I recently had the privilege of hosting the minister of my writing of Thunder Bay, Atacocan for an announcement that is important to Northern Ontario and the Indigenous communities. Across Canada and here in Northern Ontario, boreal caribou are an essential part of our forest ecosystems. This announcement is welcome news because of the urgent need to safeguard boreal caribou populations and support recovery efforts of this important species. Under the previous Liberal government, Northern Ontario was all but forgotten when it came to understanding the unique needs of Northern and Indigenous communities. In fact, a member of the previous government referred to Northern Ontario as No Man's Land. Their words were empty and they were not backed up with action when it came to protecting endangered and threatened species and their habitat. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is protecting boreal caribou? Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member for Thunder Bay, Atacocan for that question. You know, Speaker, it was actually just after that announcement having thin pancakes that I really realized what a strong voice we have in Thunder Bay than that member. I could barely get a mouthful in while the people came and engaged our member on the great work that he's doing there. And one of those key elements is about how we protect the North, both for people and the species that call the North home. As minister, I understand the importance of doing everything that we can do to protect the North. And that's why I was proud to announce with that member an investment of almost $30 million to protect boreal caribou habitat and the place they call home. This builds on the existing work that we've done to protect 11.2 million acres of caribou habitat that Ontario already protects with our parks and conservation reserves. Thank you. Thank you very much. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thanks to the minister for his response. I know that my constituents welcomed the announcement last week regarding caribou preservation. This announcement demonstrates our government is getting it done when it comes to responding to issues that are important to the people of Northern Ontario and Indigenous communities. Investments that support the maintenance and recovery of boreal caribou populations are evidence that our government is committed to environmental stewardship as well as preserving our natural and civic heritage. Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on the significance of this announcement in order to protect boreal caribou and their habitat? Thanks for the environment. Thank you, Speaker, and again thank you to the member. Mr. Speaker, this Premier and this government understand that it's not protecting the environment from people and species but protecting it for. And that's why I was proud to stand alongside Anishnabek Indigenous leaders like Mel Hardy, Unifor leaders, United Steelworker leaders, Northern Ontario Municipal Association, all of whom lauded this Premier, this government, for getting it right when it comes to caribou. Because Mr. Speaker, we all have a role to play when it comes to caribou. That means working with the forestry sector on the fecal DNA project. That means working with the mining sector so that we can decarbonize in the south with electric vehicles while protecting caribou in the north. This is a Team Ontario effort. We're leaving nobody behind, Speaker, and that includes the great caribou in Northern Ontario. Thank you. Thank you. The next question, the member for Niagara Centre. Speaker, through you to the Minister of Health. On April 12th, I put forward a motion to maintain full emergency department and acute care services at the Welland Hospital. All parties voted in favour, including the member from Niagara West, who said he was, quote, pleased to speak in support of this motion and reaffirm our government's commitment to the health of the people of Niagara and the Welland Hospital. Speaker, last month surgeries and on-call physician and ICU capacity were cut from the Welland Hospital permanently. Was this government and the member from Niagara West telling the truth yes or no? I'm going to caution the member on his use of that expression but allow the Minister of Health to reply. Speaker, you know, I'm struck by the fact that we have a member in Niagara who has been advocating for and working with Niagara Health and that of course is the member from Niagara West. When this member had the opportunity to vote for investments in health in the Niagara region, they chose to vote against it. When the member opposite had the opportunity through budgets, through fall economic statements to vote for investments in their region, they chose not to. And I again will contrast that with the member from Niagara West who from the beginning has advocated, worked with their community to make sure the Niagara region has world-class health facilities. And last week through investment in infrastructure Ontario, Niagara Health was able to announce a successful bidder to ensure that the Niagara region has an increased access to health care in the system. Will the member opposite vote? Speaker, now patients who present at the Welland Hospital and need emergency surgery due to a burst appendix or other emergency will have to roll the dice with an ambulance ride to another hospital if they can find one. The minister has not responded to my request or the request of local mayors for a meeting, didn't even respond. The member from Niagara West has suddenly developed amnesia. Why has this government broken its word and abandoned the citizens of South Niagara in Welland, Port Coburn, Thorald, Wayne Fleet and Pellum? A $3 billion investment in the Niagara region that will actually increase bedded capacity by over 159 additional hospital beds in Niagara. I will put the record of the member from Niagara West against any other Niagara region member because they have been consistent in their advocacy. You know, you need to work with your health care partners. You need to work with your communities. And the communities understand that they want a world-class facility in the Niagara region and under Premier Ford and our government, they're getting it. Thank you. The next question. The member for Stormont, Dundas, South Glengari. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. For generations, the agricultural industry has relied on the newest technology and the newest innovations to increase productivity, reduce reliance on manual labour and grow more food than ever before. Farmers across Ontario in my riding to Stormont, Dundas and South Glengari rely on this research to grow their operations and to ensure that here at home and around the world, people can enjoy the food grown in Ontario. It is essential that we continue to invest in the research to continue the march of progress and to support our $47 billion agri-food industry. Speaker, can the Minister explain what the government is doing to support research and innovation initiatives in the agri-food sector? The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the member from Stormont, Dundas and South Glengari. I appreciate your advocacy in rural Ontario. Thank you very much. The question matters because just last week I signed a $343 million renewed Ontario agri-food innovation alliance just near Allora, a dairy research centre. And it was very important because we signed that agreement with Dr. Charlotte Yates, the President of University of Guelph. And it represents research that is going to generate action and outcomes that matters for all of Ontario's agri-food sector. It was a great day. And reflecting on the previous alliance agreement that we had, we have generated outcomes that have seen high immune response technology that leads to healthier cattle herds. And we've also seen and celebrated the Guelph Millennium Asparagus. It was a brand new variety created at the University of Guelph that is incredibly popular not only in Ontario but jurisdictions around the world. Thank you. Thank you. A supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for that answer. It's projects like the ones done by doctors Todd Dufffield and Charlotte Winder that are providing resources to dairy farmers in my riding to help them with pain management practices for their calves. And it is welcome news that this renewed agreement will bring an additional $343 million to our agri-food industry new resource priorities that will enable Ontario farmers to be more productive, more efficient, and better equipped to meet consumer demand both domestically and internationally. Speaker, can the Minister explain what exactly this renewed agreement means for Ontario's agri-food industry? Minister of Agriculture. Mr. Speaker, as I said before, this is research that is leading to real results. For instance, the previous five-year agreement generated an increased Ontario's GDP by $1.4 billion and has supported more than 1,300 jobs. And I'm so thrilled with this renewed alliance agreement because we're going to see research stations and partner institutions across this province contribute to best practices, innovations, and new technologies that are going to make Ontario farmers excel and continue to increase their yield year over year. Speaker, we made a commitment in our government's Grow Ontario strategy to build and maintain world-class research infrastructure for our agri-food industry, and we're getting that job done and we're generating positive outcomes. Thank you very much. Thank you. Next question, the member from London North Centre. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. London is a leader having provided a bylaw solution to the growing onslaught of graphic images delivered without consent to doorsteps by anti-abortion groups, but we need the province to address this growing problem. Earlier this week, I tabled the Viewer Discretion Act to protect families, children, and those recovering from trauma from receiving these graphic images. Will the government do the right thing and pass this bill to protect Ontarians? To reply, Government Hostator. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Appreciate the question from the honourable member. The most private member's business, it is in fact up to the members of the House to decide whether they approve of a bill brought forward by a member and will allow the members to make that decision on their own. Thank you. Okay, supplementary question. The member for St. Cath. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Premier. PTSD is the mental health issue that affects our veterans and our frontline responders. This is exactly why the Viewer's Discretion Act has been retabled this week. This is the solution to a growing problem of graphic images at our doorsteps. It has re-traumatized Sean Bennett, a veteran with PTSD in my community. My question is to the Premier. Will this government support the bill that ensures consent about whether or not someone struggling with PTSD has to engage with graphic images and materials in their safe space? Government House Leader. Thank you, Speaker. Again, I do appreciate the question from the honourable member. I think, in part, it comes from the fact that this government has passed more private members' bills than any other government since that Confederation. I do appreciate the member's excitement about that. But at the same time, I think the member would appreciate that the government allowed private members' business to unfold the way it should. Private members will have the opportunity to debate the bill in this House and make a decision on their own whether they will be supporting that. I know on this side of the House private members' business is handled by the members themselves. There is not a WIP function for private members' bills. Each member makes their own individual decision on private members' business. I would suggest that that might be something that the opposition look at as well. We have found that on our side of the House, one of the reasons we get so many private members' bills passed is because the members are free to make a decision on each bill on its own merits. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Support. Last week, I attended an exciting hockey game with Minister at Iceland Arena in my riding of Mississauga Mallton. It was one of the 487 games played across five arenas in Mississauga Mallton over four days. Thank you to Nipsing First Nation for organizing and thank you for choosing to host the event in Mississauga Mallton. 184 teams played in first little native hockey league tournament to be held every three years. This tournament is more than just a series of hockey games. It is a special event that drew over 2,000 children and teams to Mississauga from communities. Can the Minister describe the impact of sporting events like this to Ontario and Mississauga Mallton? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank the member from Mississauga Mallton and for standing with me at the bench as a guest coach but making sure everyone understands the team won, it had nothing to do with you. Or me, frankly, and I look forward to hearing your blades at some point down the road. There are a few things I like more than getting into an environment when young people are doing something they love to do. And this tournament was a great example on so many levels of leadership, civility, pride, taking care of one another. It's one of the things that team sports does. And to be a guest coach with the little native hockey league tournament, the NHL from now became an inclusive opportunity for us to contribute to see how young people truly understand how the game is played. Coaches take care of the kids. There was no harassment of players. Parents love being there. It was an environment that will foster and 184 teams. Thank you. The supplementary question. Thank you Minister for that response and I'm looking forward to be again it's encouraging news to hear about the positive effects that supporting events have on tourism and the substantial impact on economic activity. However, when I speak with the tourism operators and employees in my community the race concerns about the future I hear them express worries about many jobs going unfilled of an uncertain labour market tourism operators are really concerned about potential lost revenue because of the challenges they are facing with the tourism industry. Tourism is a vital to the economic well-being of our province and the industry deserves support from our government. Speaker, through you can the minister please explain how our government is attracting prospective workers to consider employment and helping these operators. Thank you Mr Speaker. Again thank you for the question to touch on the tourism piece which you know I'm kind of fond of and involved in. This tournament itself because of the numbers of 184 teams you talked about 12 players kids don't drive themselves there because they're 15 years old, at least not that I saw the impact in the economy is just about 7 million dollars. So when you talk about local tournaments coming in and creating an impact from a tourism perspective, driving revenue and culturally it's a wonderful thing and we got to keep doing more of that and the other side of it is this tournament not only was it unique in many ways but it had an offshoot where young people could go and look at tourism to see if in fact this was an opportunity not for a job but for a career. It's not about jobs it's about finding a career and they did such a wonderful job at this tournament exposing these young people to opportunity on and off the ice. That's their job, that's one of our jobs Mr Speaker. Next question for Toronto State College. Thank you Speaker. My question is to the premier of the first culture and heritage since taken office in 2018. Its impacts continue today on the lives of artists like near middle age Eli, a part time shift and gig contract worker who's forced to live with family due to financial strains struggling to make ends meet while working below a livable wage with no pension or benefits. Artists are workers too Speaker. They have physical and mental health needs they cannot afford to address and I would love if the minister could take our request for a meeting. My question is back to the premier will today's budget 2023 sustain or increase with inflation the 65 million dollar Ontario Arts Council budget reinstate the indigenous culture fund bolster CMOG for our museums bolster libraries and help ensure that all Ontario artists and cultural workers can actually stay in Ontario. Thank you Speaker. Thank you. Thank you for the question and wow a lot to unpack there. The Ontario Arts Council's funding is being maintained during the upcoming year so be clear on that. Since 2018 we have invested 1.1 billion in arts and culture through the ministry programs and agencies this includes nearly 340 million for the OAC we are proud to support it and about meetings I'm glad you brought that up because we've had a number of meetings with the stakeholders and we've sat down and talked with them and it's interesting in our conversations they don't talk about what they don't have they talk about what they do have and what they do have is opportunity and budgets to work with and we're proud of the way they work and how creative they become not only in their art but what they're doing so I guess the member has something else Yeah the supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is to the premier inflation the minister mentions that they've maintained funding but inflation has eaten 14% of Ontario's arts budget over the last four years and this afternoon this government may be cutting 5 million dollars in grants Arts contribute 1 million dollars to Ontario's economy and cultural life Quebec has raised their arts funding by 60% because they recognize how essential the arts are in this afternoon's budget will this government invest in the cultural life and economy by raising funding for the arts Thank you Mr. Speaker again thank you for the member opposite for the question I know that you care about the industry as you both do as we do and when we talk about what they are doing in our funding I will go back to the meetings that I had with them and it wasn't about what they don't have it was about what they do have and what they were going to do with that coming out of COVID-19 and again the creativity behind the way they looked at their industry and their businesses and how they continue to develop throughout the very difficult times coming out the other side Mr. Speaker and this is a classic example in this sector so I'm proud of what they are doing we will continue to meet with them and yet again I will tell you when we sat at the table when typically we are used to having somebody say where is the money they didn't ask for the money they said how can you help us because we're going to get better because that's the way they think that's the way we think Mr. Speaker Thank you Speaker the issue of animal protection and welfare is important to them and is often personal they are concerned about the conditions in which animals are kept and are counting on our government to make sure that measures are in place to provide accountability for individuals and organizations that are responsible for the care of the animals abuse, neglect and cruelty to animals in any form is unacceptable with local SPCA organizations no longer having the role of enforcing animal cruelty laws our government must step up to ensure that the protection of animals across our province remains a priority Speaker can the Solicitor General please explain what actions our government is taking to address this ongoing issue the Solicitor General well Mr. Speaker and I really want to thank the great member from Burlington for her question and just like we believe that people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect we think that animals should be treated with dignity and respect too all animals Mr. Speaker deserve to be kept in safe conditions and live without distress and abuse animal welfare is of crucial importance to our government and that's why Mr. Speaker in 2019 the Ontario Government passed the Provincial Animal Welfare Service Paws Act to develop a robust parent and accountable system to protect animals this was the first of its kind in Canada and the Paws Act helps ensure that animals are protected and treated in a humane manner I want to assure this legislature and the people of Ontario that the Paws Act is enforced by provincial very dedicated inspectors Mr. Speaker it is a honour to assure the protection of animals in our province Mr. Speaker this is a personal issue for me thank you Speaker and thank you to the Solicitor General for that response unfortunately there are situations where distress, neglect and abuse to animals continue to occur throughout the province as a few examples dogs can become victim of puppy males where they are kept in inhumane conditions and animals that are kept outdoors can be exposed to unsafe conditions such as lack of water or water another situation that illustrates the urgency of this problem is the detrimental effect on pets that are left in cars in extreme weather conditions Speaker can the Solicitor General please elaborate on how the Paws Act protects the welfare, health and safety of animals Mr. Speaker once again I want to thank my colleague for that very important question the people of Ontario care about the welfare of animals and so does our government we are committed to developing a strong system to protect animals and we have delivered on that promise Ontario has the strongest penalties in Canada for people who violate animal welfare laws just last year regulations under the Animal Welfare Act were passed to increase standards of care for dogs kept outdoors our government takes animal welfare and safety very seriously but everyone has a responsibility to protect animals if you suspect that neglect or abuse of an animal is taking place please report it the number you can call is 1-833-9-ANIMAL and is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week next question the member for Oshawa thank you very much Speaker Premier April 1st is fast approaching and parents of children with autism are worried after meeting with local trustees in Oshawa it is clear that parents of children with autism who will be transitioning from the ending legacy autism program and into schools don't have answers about what will happen after April 1st once that legacy program is over parents who are going in to register their children for school with surprise principles and no plans for support at a time when special education needs are already terribly underfunded my question is what is this government doing to support students with autism to ensure a successful, smooth and supported transition from the legacy program into the classroom thank you thank you Speaker what we've been doing is reaching out to thousands of children's families through emails letters and phone calls to make sure that they understand this process we have ensured that the children are aware and their families are aware that they need to be registered for the OAP which is a new comprehensive needs based program and we've been working across multiple ministries including with the Ministry of Education to make sure that those transitions are what they need to be because that's what we've heard from families the transition points whether it's entry to school whether it's movement from childhood to adulthood that those transition pieces are hard for families they're hard for children and that's exactly why we've doubled the funding for autism that's why we have five times as many children receiving support tens of thousands of families and children are receiving this more support than ever before under this program something that the previous government have built the capacity for a supplementary question thank you Speaker I don't think the minister heard the question of what was being asked and again has gone back to the OAP talking points and their funding this is not what we're talking about we're talking about a program the legacy program that is ending March 31st children will be transitioned into schools across all of our communities April 1st without programs in place we don't have enough teachers in the classroom we don't have enough EAs in the classroom we have no extra supports happening April 1st nobody knows what's happening we need answers from this government and we obviously need them soon since April 1st is around the corner can the minister possibly of education tell us what is going to be happening April 1st to ensure that there are supports in the classroom to support all of these children who have never been in school and need services thank you Speaker I will take absolutely no lessons from the member across who voted no to the highest amount of funding for special needs children in this province's history who voted against the funding for the children's treatment centre that voted against all our measures to create better care and more programs and more support this government has done more than any group any government in the history of this province and while the member opposite wants to share dramatics I'm hard at work creating the programs that needed to support the children of this province the member for Perth Wellington thank you Speaker I would like to ask a question to our great minister of health to share with this house what we are doing for the great people of Niagara and the historic investments we are making Niagara thank you Speaker able to rise in this house and share details about the investments in healthcare that are being made in Niagara under the leadership of this premier and this minister of health we are seeing a new west Lincoln Memorial hospital for the first time we are seeing a new healthcare coming on board we have seen a doubling of the nursing program at Brock University going from 300 to 600 new nursing students each year increasing free tuition and expanded personal support care worker supports at Niagara college bringing many new PSW's on board palliative care expansions adding over 24 new beds to the region going from 16 to 40 palliative care breaks we have seen a new mobile health mental clinic going into the south Niagara region as well $8 million for a new community paramedic program