 It is now time for oral questions and I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you so much speaker. My first question is to the Premier. Across Ontario parents are nervously watching Covid case numbers increase and in fact as I was coming into the house this morning I was informed that those numbers are now over 300 at 313 and so parents are of course very nervous as they prepare to send their kids back to school. Thousands of those students, Speaker, learned just over this past week that their school bus was cancelled most often because school bus drivers actually fear for their own safety and the safety of the kids. Earlier this summer the Premier of this province said that he was sparing nothing when it comes to the safe return to school. When will he live up to that speaker? When will he live up to that and provide the money necessary to keep our kids safe? Your plan on behalf of the Government, the Minister of Education. Well thank you very much Mr Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question. Mr Speaker I know for as uncles and aunts, moms and dads and grandparents of province we are all committed to the safety of our kids and speaker our plan that has been unveiled has been fully supported by the Chief Medical Officer of Health. It is fully funded as evidence informed speaker. What I can say is as we face an unprecedented challenge in this province, I am proud of our people who have responded with a strong resolve to work together to flatten this curve and allow our kids to remain learning in schools. And speaker our plan, 1.3 billion dollars of investment flowing to our school boards has enabled smaller classroom sizes, robust testing in our schools, a screening apparatus before they enter the school. Speaker it also is supported by the hiring of more support staff, more custodians, more cleaning and speaker improvements to ventilation. We know what's at stake. We will do everything possible including more resources and more investments to keep all students and all staff safe from the province of Ontario. The supplementary question. Well Speaker experts at the hospital for sick children, even the government's own experts have said that students should maintain a two meter distance from each other. Given that, can the premier tell us how many students he feels should be seated on a school bus with 24 seats? Well thank you speaker. Our government unveiled net investments for student transportation because we know how important it is for moms and dads to have their children get to school safely every single day. And that's the basis speaker for why we have invested an additional 40 million dollars for the driver retention program. This helps to incent more bus drivers in our in our schools. It also ensures speaker by providing PPE to help bus drivers we're keeping them safe. We've added 25 million dollars on route protection, an additional 30 million speaker to ensure that they're safe and that they're cleaned. We've done everything possible to ensure sign seating on our buses, to ensure a lower quantum on them, and more importantly speaking that they are constantly cleaned throughout the day. We will continue to support our drivers, our schools and our parents as we get through this unprecedented challenge. Final supplementary. Well speaker, last week a woman named Angela, a driver from Durham, reached out to our office with the same concerns that parents have been expressing and a copy of her route she provided to us which showed 68 children on a single bus at once. 68 children speaker on one 24 seat bus. That is three kids per seat on a standard school bus speaker. So how can Ontario's children and the school bus drivers expect to stay safe in these cramped conditions? It doesn't make any sense. Perhaps the Premier can tell us exactly how those folks are going to stay safe. Thank you, Mr Speaker. How our buses are going to remain safe is by ensuring that they are constantly cleaned, which is why, Speaker, we've invested an additional 40 million dollars so that our operators, our consortias and our school boards have the financial latitude to ensure they are constantly cleaned. Those high contact places are cleaned often. More importantly, PP and masking is required like in schools on our buses. A full suite of PP is provided to our workers, to our bus drivers and likewise training for them. Speaker, we put in more funding for route protection because in this province, like in all provinces, for well over a decade we have faced a driver shortage that I know all members in this house are cognizant of. It precedes our election but nonetheless it is our priority to ensure that we retain that talent. We have committed workers that are going to get our kids to school every single day. The next question, again the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you so much, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier, but I have to say I'm pretty shocked because if there was a driver shortage before, it is getting worse now because this government has not invested properly in the hiring of more bus drivers and the provision of more buses for school boards to be able to safely distance our kids and keep those drivers safe. In fact, we did hear from another driver and his name is William from Hamilton who drove a bus for students with special needs. William was forced out of his job due to health concerns for himself and his family. Across the province, drivers like William are making similar choices. Over the last three days, thousands of students learned that their school bus routes have literally been cancelled. Now how can the Premier tell the parents of this province that he spared no expense when bus drivers across Ontario are walking away from the job because they are afraid of the lack of protections for themselves and the kids? Because the Premier won't spend the money to keep them or their passengers safe. How can he tell parents that he spared no expense? In the context of our investment to ensure our schools, our playgrounds and our buses are safe, we've invested over $70 million partially to restore or to renew the driver retention program. What that does is it ensures some incremental dollars flow to our workers, often who are older, who work very hard and who are fully committed to our kids. By doing that, we help retain them. We recognise that this pandemic may have exacerbated an issue that has been governments in this province have faced and this country have faced for well over a decade. That is a reality in the labour market, but what we can do in our levels, in our authorities, is ensure the driver retention program remains. We can ensure that enhanced cleaning is provided in our buses. We can ensure that assigned seating and masking to protect the students and very much so protecting our staff members that drive them. We are committed to ensuring funding continues to flow. In fact, just weeks ago we announced another $25 million on route protection. We will do everything we can working with our school boards to ensure kids could safely get to school each and every day. Supplementary question? Well, Speaker, with all due respect, if the government knew this was a problem for a decade, they should have been prepared and fixed it so kids could get to school safely and bus drivers could work safely. So the Premier knows, is what I just heard, that parents, what parents and school boards and school bus drivers have been sounding the alarm bells on for some time now. For weeks they have been sounding the alarm bell that this was going to be a problem, but apparently the government wasn't listening. Debbie Montgomery is a school bus driver who's been speaking out for weeks about the government's failure to protect students on school buses. And she says, and I'm quoting, action is urgently needed to protect students and school bus drivers across the province. She says drivers are ready to work with school boards and health experts to develop standardized health and safety pandemic protocols on passenger limits, social distancing, masquerade tight requirements, bus sanitization procedures, and personal protective equipment use. Question. Will the Premier listen to Debbie? Will this government step up to the plate and protect our kids and the school bus drivers? Thank you, Speaker. I was very pleased to meet with school bus drivers last week, as well as the head of the school bus drivers Association of Ontario, where she had affirmed her gratitude to the province for our investment, knowing that it's going to make a difference. An unprecedented investment in transportation because we realize, Speaker, that a challenge that extends beyond our provincial border has long been a challenge for government. That's why, Speaker, we put at monies in place immediately through this pandemic to backstop and to ensure we retain those bus drivers. The extension of the driver retention program will help incentivize workers to stay. We are providing full PPE, full training for them, and likewise, mandating, like in our schools, the same program and same requirement of masking of our kids. Assigned seating to strengthen the contact management protocols whenever a challenge arises. Speaker, we recognize there's a challenge. We are all working together. Our school boards, consortias, and parents working and understanding that in this pandemic, we will face challenge. How we get response is by working together, ensuring those guards fall to our front lines. And Mr. Speaker, this premium, this government will continue to do just that. And the final supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. You know, between the lack of adequate physical distancing and the lack of streamlined protocols to sanitation, it is abundantly clear, abundantly clear that the premier school bus plan for students and drivers was in fact no plan at all. Will the premier now then, since we're in this crisis at this moment, provide for the funding and the directive to cap all school buses at 50% capacity? And the minister of education. Mr. Speaker, what the government has done is provided unprecedented amount of funding to our school boards, to our school bus drivers and consortias, to ensure that we can do three things. One, we can ensure that they're cleaned more often, more regularized, and more intensively than ever before. Two, that we can reduce the amount of children on those buses. And three, that we could ensure that a masking protocol is comprehensive, the most comprehensive in this country, Speaker. We have done all of that following the chief medical officer's vote. In fact, Dr. Kahn from SickHits, who was mentioned in an earlier question, the president CEO of SickHits has said it's critical to understand that not one single measure is going to help mitigate the risk. We need to put in a lot of these measures into place in order to mitigate the risk as much as possible. We have a comprehensive plan with masking, with cleaning, with screening, Speaker, as well as the hiring of more than 625 public health nurses. In each and every area, in this country, we lead. In fact, when you compare provincial investment in British Columbia, the Democratic government, we are spending twice the rate. Response? Of the NDP and BC. We are fully committed to our students, and we are going to continue to demonstrate to parents of this province and we'll do whatever it takes to keep them safe, Speaker. The next question, the member for Davenport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and good morning. This question is also for the Premier. Speaker, for a lot of parents, this has been a very anxious weekend, with COVID-19 cases on the rise again and serious concerns across Ontario about the government's school readiness plan. Last week, we saw hundreds of students in Ottawa kept home, and according to the government's own data reporting site, today we have 15 new cases in schools. I'm hearing from parents in all corners of this province who are alarmed that their children will be in classes as large as 30. So, Speaker, through you to the Premier, why has the government refused to fund the smaller, safer classrooms needed to keep our students safely distanced? Minister of Education. I will thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for the question. Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, this province and government has invested $1.3 billion in monies to flow to respond to this challenge, and to ensure that our kids and our staff remain safe. Speaker, in the context of classroom sizes, in Toronto District School Board with the Member Hills, for context, in the more intensively staffed schools and those communities with higher risk for context in kindergarten, they are capped, Speaker, to grade 3 at 15 students. From grades 4 to 8, they are capped at 20 students. In every region of this province, we are seeing net reductions in classroom sizes. We are seeing more distancing. We are seeing over 2,000 teachers being hired according to estimates by the ministry. And, Mr. Speaker, we are seeing more custodians being hired, more public health nurses. We had 460 public health nurses in this province dedicated to schools. Under this government's leadership, more than 517 were hired as of today, and we are on track to hire 625 more than doubling capacity of those medical practitioners in our school. In every realm we lead, we will continue to be responsive to the risk and take further action to ensure all students are safe in this province. Supplementary question. Again, the Member for Davenport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll point out to the minister that the TDSB dug into their own reserves to bring some of those schools to 15. Why won't you give the same thing to the rest of the students in this province? Speaker, the minister says that more funding for school preparedness is going to be available on an as-needed basis. But with families in Peel region and elsewhere pulling their children out of class by the thousands this weekend, it's more clear than ever that funding is needed now. Not weeks or months from now. Speaker, parents, employers, communities don't want to wait and see who gets sick and hope for the best. They want the government to do everything possible right now to prevent the spread of COVID-19 before it's too late. Will the government finally treat this with the seriousness it deserves and flow the money needed to ensure smaller classes across this province, safer buses and more student supports? And I ask all the members to make their remarks through the chair. Minister of Education to reply. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member opposite for the question. Let me affirm to this House what we are doing. 37 million pieces of PPE have been delivered to schools for the month of September. Thanks to the leadership of Minister Thompson for ensuring that we have a supply chain that continues to flow the products that we need to keep them safe. 517 more public health nurses have been hired as of today. More than doubling capacity of public health nurses within our school. Over 1,300 custodians expected to be hired through this process and more over the coming weeks. Over 2,500 educators are expected to be hired as a consequence of our aim to reduce classroom size and maximize distancing, Speaker. And we are the only province and proudly to have an asymptomatic testing regime that will focus on those higher risk communities. Mr. Speaker, we have unveiled $1.3 billion in funding available to correct the member opposite. It's not just in Toronto District Catholic and public school boards that have reduced classroom sizes. In every single school board, they have taken action provided by funding by the province, supported by the reserve funding, response, federal funding. We are all doing our part to ensure that classroom sizes could be reduced and ultimately our schools could be safe. Next question. The member for Mississauga East Cooksville. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Education. Speaker, over the summer I heard from parents, students and teachers how important it was to them to return to school in September. Students miss their friends and getting the education they deserve. Of course, safety is top of mind for them and safety is top of mind for our government too. Mr. Speaker, my three eldest kids were excited to be back in class with their teachers and friends. I'm proud that our government released a nation-leading plan with the investments to back it up to ensure our reopening of schools is done in a safe and fully funded way. Can the Minister of Education please tell this legislature how our government is ensuring a safe reopening of schools? Thank you. Minister of Education. Well, thank you, Speaker. And I want to thank the member for his question, for his advocacy, not just as a parent, but as an effective member from Peel working so hard to ensure that their voices are heard. And Speaker, the voices of parents, of students, of educators, of everyone within our system is being acted upon to ensure that our schools are safe. It is the reason, Speaker, why the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the foremost medical authority of this province, who has ably, ably advised our cabinet and our province on how to get through this pandemic. He has given his stamp of approval. And Speaker, the reason why he has done so is because we've introduced layers of protection which uniquely differentiate our province in this country. The fact that we have public health nurses being doubling, the fact that we are hiring more custodians and cleaning staff, the fact, Speaker, that we have an asymptomatic testing program, Speaker, the fact that in this province we are ensuring that all school boards have additional funding, $1.3 billion in additional funding for a one-year investment, a one-time investment to do everything we can to keep our kids safe. That's our commitment. That's what we'll continue to do, Speaker. The supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank the Minister for his answer and just say again how happy I am to hear our government has such a strong plan in place to keep our children safe as they return to school. I'm sure all of us are aware how eager students were to get back to school and see their classmates. Mr. Speaker, it's no secret that the Minister of Health has been working tirelessly over the last six months to ensure our province can safely reopen. As our children return to schools and their parents return to work, I know our government is committed to taking every precaution necessary to protect their health and well-being. Can the Minister of Health please tell this House how our government's plan to continue to protect Ontarians as we move forward with this next stage? Thank you. Thank you very much, Speaker. And thank you to the member from Mississauga East Cooksville for his question and his advocacy. The progress that we've made so far has only been possible because Ontarians have demonstrated incredible resolve. But we can't stop there, especially as our students are returning to school and to post-secondary institutions. That's why we've taken a pause of four weeks or two incubation periods before considering any further loosening of public health measures or any further openings of businesses to make sure that we can help avoid returning to broad-scale shutdowns and returning back to stage two. No one wants to have to do that. But, Speaker, it remains critical that everyone continues to act on the public health measures that we've been emphasizing for many months. This includes everyday measures like proper hand hygiene, social distancing, and, of course, wearing a mask in situations where that's not possible. These actions will help to keep everyone safe so that we can, after this four-week period is over, hopefully be able to start loosening our restrictions once again. Thank you. The next question, the member for Waterloo. Thank you very much. My question to the Premier. Speaker, we all know that businesses are struggling. In Waterloo, 15 businesses have closed, 11 directly due to the effects of COVID-19. Our main streets are hurting in Ontario. The Finance Committee heard from businesses all summer. Businesses facing eviction and increased rents, but they still came to the committee. They took the time to bring solutions to us. The problem is, Mr Speaker, is that this government is not listening. They heard that businesses need a functioning rent relief program, yet they've done nothing. They've heard that the provincial tax deferrals need to turn into grants, yet they've done nothing. The province cannot afford to see its main streets hollowed out. Will the Premier listen to what these struggling businesses are saying and come to the table with meaningful, financial, direct support for businesses in the province of Ontario? Mr. Finance. Mr. Speaker, thank the member for the question. And I'd like to thank as well the committee over 80 hours of testimony, over 200 witnesses, a great deal of work done by members across the aisle. Mr. Speaker, back in March, our government announced our action plan, $17 billion of support, Mr. Speaker. Since that, in August with the update that was provided in the quarterly update, that amount of support has gone to $30 billion. Of course, an important element of that support is directed exactly at the businesses that the member references. $57 million in partnership with the federal government, with regards to the digital main street program, Mr. Speaker. $175 million for support in terms of electricity rates. Mr. Speaker, this government will continue to listen, just as it has through the committee, and will continue to make a difference for businesses on Main Street in Ontario. Mr. Speaker, money spent saving businesses now will pay off in the long term. This government should consider these as investments in our economic recovery, especially if we face a second wave. The Ontario BIA Association came to the finance committee with practical recommendations to support their 110,000 member businesses. They need the insurance sector to honour their business interruption insurance and not raise rates. They need direct rent relief to commercial tenants. They need caps on commercial rent. They need an extension on the eviction protection. They need clear and consistent communication moving forward. These 110,000 members expect a partner in the recovery in this province, and it's clear that lessons can be learned from the first wave, but the work needs to be done now. For many small businesses, it's too late. Is this government actually going to step up and fight for our local businesses and offer real support for these important factors in our economy? Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what this government has been doing, fighting for small business, just like it was fighting for small business, frankly, before the pandemic. It's great to see our colleague across the aisle now taking an interest in business. We talked about rent programs. Mr. Speaker, 47,000 tenants, representing almost 500,000 employees, have taken advantage of the rent support program. Mr. Speaker, the program to suspend evictions has been extended. Again, Mr. Speaker, the Scopia Committee did a historic level of consultation. They listened, and this was, I must say, an action taken on both sides of the House, and we very much respect that feedback. Mr. Speaker, a $30 billion program has put in place to Ontarians, including Ontario businesses. Mr. Speaker, we will continue to support those businesses. We'll continue to make sure that that backbone of the Canadian economy and the Ontario economy stays in place. Thank you. The next question, the member for Ottawa, so. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. To say it's been a chaotic and uncertain start to the school year be an understatement. All schools aren't open yet, and we're already seeing hundreds of students and their educators being isolated in places like Ottawa, my hometown. Classes are being collapsed, and are getting larger instead of smaller. There are empty classrooms all across this province, and every day the case counts are rising. Speaker, it didn't have to be this way. The Premier refuses to acknowledge that the single most important thing we can do to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in our schools and in our communities is classes that are smaller and safer. So, Speaker, through you, why is it that the Premier will not commit to making every child's classroom smaller and safer? The Minister of Education will apply. Well, thank you, Speaker. Mr. Speaker, this government has delivered over $200 million to school boards to reduce classrooms, the classroom sizes, province wide in every school board, English and French, public and Catholic. Every single school board has taken action to reduce the risk and to maximize distancing. Speaker, in Ottawa-Carlton, for example, that board is now enabled with an additional $33 million more to respond to COVID-19. In that community, they have hired 45 more public health nurses dedicated squarely to our students. And yes, indeed, in Ottawa-Catholic and public, they have reduced classroom sizes. We are fully committed to the full level layers of protection, ensuring that, yes, we maximize distancing, but we also ensure that we have masking in our place, additional cleaning of our schools, testing of our students, screening before the entering, cohorting of the kids to make sure that we maintain and limit the amount of spread within our schools. In every single realm, we lead in this country. Response. But as the risk evolves, we'll be there for our kids and for our schools. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. And actually, the number that counts, and I'm hearing numbers all morning, is actually how many children can you put in a classroom and effectively reduce the spread of COVID-19? That's the number. That's the number you should be driving towards. For months, parents, teachers, educators, principals, trustees, public health experts have all been asking you to make class sizes smaller. What is so hard about that? Why can't that happen? You know, in the last month, the federal government has given three quarters of a billion dollars. Three quarters of a billion dollars to help Ontario schools. And you're not using that money. In fact, you're holding some of that money back. What's with that? How do you explain that to parents? It's hard for them to understand that. I don't understand that. Maybe you do. So, Speaker, through you. That's it. Yes. Why does a Premier refuse to make every child's class smaller and safer? And again, I'll ask the members to make their comments through the chair at all times. Minister of Education to reply. Thank you, Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have ensured that funding from the province supported by reserve funding by the boards and now federal funding, all of which is supporting the safety of our schools, the single largest fiscal investment in school safety in this nation by any standard, 1.3 billion dollars, more to ensure every single school is safe. Speaker, just so we're clear, the member opposite asked why we're holding back, we are holding back $380 million of federal funding. Mr. Speaker, I'll alert the member who is from Ottawa that the federal government has a proportion of $380 million of effective September 1 and holding the next $380 million until January 1. I'd ask the member opposite to stand with us. Order. I'd ask the member opposite. Order. I'd ask the member opposite to join us, constructively, and I mean that, to urge the federal government to deliver more flexibility for those dollars and to expedite them given the need in our school and in our community. Mr. Speaker, we'll continue to ensure all these layers of prevention are in place, that we return to classroom sizes, that we ensure ventilation is improved, and that ultimately... Order. And I'd say to the members, even if you're wearing a mask, I can still recognize your voices. The next question, the member for Haldeman Norfolk. A beautiful and varied natural environment here in Ontario, lakes and rivers, dot the landscape from lowlands in the south to boreal forest and the Canadian shield in the north. Our province is home to many fish and wildlife species that make our ecosystems unique, provide plenty of recreational opportunities for families and support business and tourism across the province. Of course, we want to ensure that our fish and wildlife remain healthy and abundant. A difficult task that requires vigilant oversight as circumstances on the ground are always changing. One of the more challenging species to track and monitor is the Canadian moose. Can the minister shed some light on what his ministry is doing to ensure that moose populations are well managed and protected? The Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. Thank you very much, Stephen. I want to thank the member for the question. Above all, my ministry is concerned with the well-being of our wildlife and the support of our outdoor recreation activities such as hunting and fishing that form a part of our heritage. The moose, the iconic moose, is a majestic animal in a staple of Ontario's landscape. Moose hunting contributes over $205 million a year to Ontario's economy and forms a key part of the livelihoods and cultures of our northern communities and First Nations. We are improving how moose are managed to ensure sustainable populations while making tag allocations fairer and more consistent. The task of wildlife management is not a simple one. No region is perfectly alike and is important for us to listen to the concerns of all parties in all regions of this province as we improve the moose hunting system in this Ontario. Thank you, Speaker. Supplementary question. Hello, Speaker. I'm glad that after so many years of liberal inattention, we have a minister who understands the importance of fish and wildlife in our province, within our culture, and within our economy. This iconic animal in particular is so important to the health of our ecosystems and to our rich hunting tradition in the province of Ontario. Minister, I know you've already done so much to improve the state of hunting and fishing for people in Ontario. Last year, you convened the Big Game Management Committee. It's an independent third-party committee comprised of hunters and experts. They use data from wildlife population surveys for the purpose of gathering recommendations, all for the purpose to ensure a fair and sustainable management of our big game species. How is the Ontario government addressing hunters' concerns about accessibility, their concerns about fairness of the draw system, and how are you working to modernize the process? Thank you, Speaker. I again thank the member for his question, and I'd be happy to outline some of the things we've done so far. In order to protect the population of the species, we are proposing stricter calf tie quotas, new bow hunting seasons, and quotas for moose. As it stands now, some hunters have been applying year after year for the tag draw, but have never received one. Beginning in 2021, we are introducing common sense and fairness to the process by making it easier for those who've been consistently unsuccessful on the draw to receive a tag. Changes like that are what we all about in this government, listening to the concerns of the people of Ontario, and making common sense changes that bring fairness and accountability to the government and the management of our resources and environment. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. The next question, the member for Ottawa Centre. Thank you, Speaker. My question's for the Premier. Speaker, as many kids in Ottawa head back to class this week, I'm thinking in particular of students with disabilities and their families. Like Megan Leslie, proud mom of a deaf son in elementary school who is beside herself right now, because she cannot find access to American Sign Language interpretation. For Megan's son and 340,000 other special education students in Ontario this pandemic has been particularly challenging. But instead of giving students with disabilities the resources they need to thrive, this government has allocated a paltry 70 dollars per student for its COVID response in our schools. Speaker, can the minister explain to Megan why he believes 70 dollars per student is enough to support her son's learning means? Minister of Education. Well, thank you, Speaker. I know that for all students with exceptionality and disability in our province that we have an obligation to ensure that they're supported. It is why, Speaker, we have successively throughout this pandemic increased investment in both mental health and in special education. Speaker, we are seeing net hiring of more EAs supported by an additional 12.5 million dollars for spec-ed and 30 million more dollars in a one-time one-year investment to hire more psychologists, psychotherapists and support and social workers of the province of Ontario. In addition, Speaker, 50 million dollars for equity for technology to make sure that we sort of equalize access particularly for those kids. We're ensuring IEPs are being followed. We've asked every student to have five days provision of in-class supports creating dependency and sustained and rather consistency in their lives which so many of their parents have asked for. We're fully committed to working with those children to give them opportunity to learn and to be safe in school, Speaker. And the supplementary question. Speaker, for months, grassroots disability leaders have insisted that this government do more. And now we have a situation where a deaf child in Ottawa may not even be able to understand what's going on in his class. That's how bad it's gotten. Being included in school means being able to participate in the classroom. That means ASL interpretation and educational assistance to help autistic students, dyslexic students, down syndrome students or students with pronounced social anxiety. We need strong provincial funding, not $70 per student minister. Strong provincial funding to accommodate these students at this remarkable time. But so far, candidly, through Youspaker, this government has failed them. Can the minister tell us when kids with disabilities in particular will be treated seriously by this government and get the support and funding they deserve? Minister of Education. Well, thank you Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question. I do want to note for that child in Ottawa, the director of the Ottawa Catholic School Board, Tom D'Amico said that this year, class sizes will be smaller than ever before because the board has a plentitude of teachers. They are hiring in real time. Speaker, that is not a unique experience. We are seeing hiring province-wide in public and Catholic education. Moreover, we're seeing an additional $12.5 million being dedicated for special education plus those mental health investments. Speaker, we recognize that on those parents, it has been most especially challenging. It's why we insist for every school board that those children irrespective of those challenges that they're there every single that they have access to five days of consistent learning in schools. We are hiring more EAs. We're providing more technology and more PPE to their staff members to keep them safe. We are fully committed to ensuring every child sees themselves reflecting their schools and that they could be supported as they go through the journey of learning. Speaker. The next question, the member for Guelph. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. But first, I want to just thank everyone who's worked so hard for Ontarians during this pandemic. I'd like to welcome back all MPPs, journalists and staff. During the last seven months, we've heard the Premier say that PSWs are the real heroes of this crisis, that they are champions. But Speaker, these heroes need more than empty words. They need a living wage so they don't have to run from one low-paying job to the next. These heroes are overwhelmingly women and people of color who work incredibly long and hard hours to care for our loved ones. So Speaker, I have one simple question. Will the Premier raise wages for PSWs so these frontline heroes are treated like the working heroes they really are? To respond on behalf of the Government, the Deputy Premier and Minister of the Interior. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you very much for the question. This is a really important issue. Of course, we're very, very grateful for the work that's been done by all of our frontline workers, doctors, nurses, personal support workers, staff, volunteers, everyone. But you're right, personal support workers are in a particular situation. We are graduating thousands of personal support workers every year, but they're dropping out for various reasons, pay being one of them, but there's other reasons as well. So we are working steadily towards a solution for this, which I'll address more in my supplementary. And the supplementary question. Speaker, I believe the Minister needs to understand the critical staffing shortages our long-term care facilities face. The recent LTC staffing study over the summer found that half of PSWs working in long-term care leave after five years, and I quote, due to burnout of working short staffed. These frontline heroes are tired. They're overworked. They're underpaid. They did not stop being heroes on August 13th when pandemic pay ended. We could be on the brink of a second wave in our long-term care homes. The issue is dire and it's urgent. So Speaker, will the government commit today to immediately addressing the staffing shortages in our long-term care homes and extending pandemic pay for all frontline healthcare heroes? Minister of Health. Thank you. Well, I certainly can agree with you that there is an urgent need for personal support workers in our long-term care homes, but also in home and community care. You're absolutely right that we need to make sure that we have the health, human resources necessary in order to fight a potential second wave of COVID-19. We have a fall preparedness plan that is virtually ready to go and that is one of the important issues that it does address. The lack of personal support workers in particular, but there are also shortages of nurses as well. So we know that we need to do that in order to be able to successfully fight a second wave of COVID-19. And we are addressing that both with respect to the pay issue, but also with respect to the scheduling of hours, the work locations, the ability to ladder to be able to help personal support workers to move from that level further into the healthcare response, perhaps to become registered practical nurses or registered nurses. They need to see a future in healthcare and we are looking at all of those aspects with our health, human resources plan which we will be discussing with everyone in the legislature very shortly. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Mississauga Streetsville. Good morning, Speaker and to everyone in the house today. My question is for the Solicitor General. Last week, I was pleased to join the Solicitor General and Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Karik to open a new OPP Highway Safety Division Detachment in my writing of Mississauga Streetsville. I know that constituents in my community have been concerned about safety on our roads and highways, especially during COVID-19 pandemic. In May, for example, the OPP charged an individual for going 207 kilometres per hour on Highway 403 in Mississauga. This reflects a widespread increase in street racing and other driving offenses on our roads and highways in the midst of COVID. Can the Solicitor General explain how this new OPP Detachment will help support community safety in Mississauga, particularly on our highways? Thank you. Solicitor General. Thank you very much. And thanks to the member for our Mississauga Streetsville for her question. I know how important road safety is to her and her constituents. And I was pleased to join her and many other PLMPPs as well as Commissioner Karik in Mississauga last week. Now, I think it's really important that we understand as we continue to respond to the unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19, our government will continue to put safety first. Every day, hundreds of thousands of commuter vehicles and transport trucks use the 400 series highways in the region, which is why it's critical that police have the tools, resources and equipment needed to keep people safe. This $200 million dollar state-of-the-art facility will be policing in the region to the 21st century, ensuring that frontline OPP officers who are working to keep the 400 series highways safe in Peel region and across the GTA can continue to do it with updated resources. Thank you. And the supplementary question. Speaker, through you, thank you to the Solicitor General for her response. We know that while police services are reporting that some crime statistics have dropped during the course of this crisis, not all criminals are staying home. In August, Peel Regional Police seized 41 illegal drugs, sorry, illegal guns off our streets. I'm sure we can all agree that in the midst of this crisis, the last thing people need is fear of crime in their community. Can the Solicitor General explain how the opening of this new OPP detachment in Mississauga fits our government's commitment to keeping our communities safe? And the Solicitor General. Thank you, Speaker. The member is absolutely correct and Terrians should never have to live in fear of crime, least of all during the pandemic. The opening of the Mississauga Detachment is part of our government's OPP modernization phase two project. This is a hundred and eighty two million dollar initiative to replace nine aging police detachments across Ontario and bring them into the 21st century. Many of these projects are coming to fruition, including Little Current, Harry Sound, Clinton, with more in the coming weeks, and of course, the one in the members writing in Mississauga. This builds on a landmark 20 million dollar investment our government has made in Peel Region with their police service earlier this year. Whether it's addressing road users safety on our highways or tackling the pressing issue of gun and gang violence, our government is committed to ensuring that those in the front line have the resources to keep their communities protected. Thank you, Speaker. The next question, the member for Scarborough Southwest. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the acting Premier. This government continues to download the cost of child care on to parents who are struggling during COVID-19. Parents continue to be charged or risk losing their child spot if they are not able to make the difficult decision to send their child within 14 days. On the other hand, many child care centers have been forced to close because of low enrollment, increasing deficits and uncertainty of how this government will support them. Mr. Speaker, will this government finally step up and support the child care sector that is hurting due to the lack of support from this government? Minister of Education to reply. Well, thank you, Speaker. Mr. Speaker, our government has provided unprecedented access of investment in PPE to our child care operators because we recognize for moms and dads this province, they need to have reliable access and affordable access to child care. Now, Speaker, when we came to power two years ago, we inherited the most expensive child care as a consequence of the former liberal government. But, Mr. Speaker, we recognize for parents we have to do more. It's why we are investing on an annual basis, $2 billion to support our operations, a billion dollars to build to construct 30,000 new child care spaces, 10,000 of which will be within our schools. We have a care tax credit, the children's child care tax credit that is supporting parents up to 75% of eligible expenses. And just a week ago, I stood with my federal counterpart, Minister Ahmed Hussein, to announce an additional $234.6 million in a safe restart to our child care sector to backstop them and to support them as they go through this unprecedented challenge. Speaker, we have provided them with more funding, with PPE, with training and clear protocol, and we'll continue to be there for our parents, for our operators and of course for our kids in this province. Thank you. Supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we continue to hear press conferences after press conferences where the minister reannounces the same inadequate funding that came from the federal government. Child care centers, workers, parents have continued to express their concern that they're being kept in the dark and how this government, about how this government will support the child care sector that takes care of our children. Will this government commit to being transparent with the parents of this province, the child care workers and the operators about what kind of support they will be receiving and when. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, Minister of Education, you're welcome. Well, Speaker, I'm proud to report that child care operators are not waiting for investment. They have received investment every step of the way through this pandemic. Mr. Speaker, at the very beginning at the very beginning of this challenge, we ensure that operators had additional supports, stabilization funding, essentially to backstop them, given the reduced amount of students or kids within our child care centers and the increased cost born on our operators. We gave them that support. We expanded PPP financing and funding for them. And of course, Speaker, we provided clear guidance that developed by the medical community and endorsed by the Chief Medical Officer of Health every step of the way we've been there for our child care operators and we want parents to know in this province, we will continue to do everything we can to ensure labor market access to ensure women most notably can participate in the economy and to make sure that their children remain safe along the way. Next question, the member for Durham. Thank you, Speaker. My questions for the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Over the past several months, the impacts of COVID-19 have meant people have been staying at home. There's been widespread physical distancing and people are inundated if they turn on the radio, the television, their online news source with information about the virus. And that's been challenging for many people, for many families across Ontario. Constituents in my writing of Durham have expressed concerns about their own mental health, family members and neighbours' mental health, such as, as the member for Willowdale mentioned, they've been experiencing loneliness or some depression at elevated levels that they hadn't experienced before. Our governments continue to address mental health of all Ontarians since the start of the outbreak and I wondered if the Minister could update the legislature on some of the things he's been working on to address the mental health and wellbeing of Ontarians during COVID-19. The Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the member from Durham for that great question. Mr. Speaker, since the start of the outbreak, we've seen thousands of Ontarians reach out for help and it's been our mission to ensure that the Ontarians, people in the province of all the ages who need the extra help are able to access the supports they need when and where they need them. That's why I was proud just recently to stand alongside Premier Ford to announce an increase to our $12 million commitment to mental health and addictions during COVID-19 by another $14.75 million. These investments, Mr. Speaker, will reach every corner of the province from the GTA to rural and to remote communities including indigenous communities across the province. Mr. Speaker, our government will always stand up for Ontarians living with mental health and addictions and will ensure the people get the help they need response and where they need them. Thank you. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. And I want to thank the Minister for his work to stand up for Ontarians who have been struggling during these unprecedented times. And it's so good to hear this is helping people in every corner of the province whether Canora, Sault Ste. Marie, Hamilton or in my writing of Durham. Our government's made a clear commitment to mental health and addictions treatment during COVID-19 which has touched the lives of all Ontarians of all ages. I wonder if the Minister could update us on some of the specific types of services and supports our investments will help deliver. The Associate Minister. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our investments include additional funding to expand virtual and online services being used by thousands of Ontarians such as Internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy for those experiencing stress, anxiety and depression and will also provide targeted virtual addiction supports to those in need. This investment also includes funding to specifically support culturally safe services for Indigenous people in Ontario including a focus on children and youth. Mr. Speaker, we're also proud to be investing over $2.9 million to fund eight research projects that will help support Ontario's response to COVID-19. Our government recognizes the long road to recovery that lies ahead and much more needs to be done. That's why we'll continue working with our partners to enhance existing supports while exploring new and innovative services to ensure Ontarians receive the high quality care they deserve. Thank you. Thank you very much. The next question the member for Oshawa. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Families are anxious about back to school during this pandemic. Gail Young is concerned about classroom overcrowding. She says, my grandchildren could bring home the virus. Gary Kubit believes the primary students and teachers are really at risk. They need smaller classes, masks and separation. Tina Walker points out that special needs kids have not been addressed at all. The plan is unsafe, callous and risky. Amy Colgate says, I'm a parent of a vulnerable child and my own parents are seniors. I worry about the government prioritizing the economy over lives. When I say this, I don't mean it abstractly. The life of my child is at risk. Amy Cody says, please put children and families at the center of the discussion. You have treated them like an afterthought. Emily Walters asks for more staffing, smaller class sizes and even more custodians. Mike Moudemer says, we only have one chance to do this properly. It can't be rushed and it can't be done just to satisfy reopening the economy. We need to make sure we're doing this right. So Speaker, will the Premier abandon his shortcut plan and instead do this right, make smaller classes and make children's well-being the priority this September? Minister of Education replied, well thank you Speaker and thank you very much the member opposite for the question. Speaker, in the context of the broader risk we face, we have seen rising numbers of COVID-19 in the past days in this province and we have an obligation as a people to do everything humanly possible to reduce the risk. We have made incredible gains as the Deputy Premier has made clear. We have all sacrificed every single one of us and we must maintain that momentum in order to ensure these kids could continue to learn. That is our commitment. It's what we're doing in government but we need all people to do their part. In the area of Durham for example, we have seen the net hiring of 32 public health nurses. I was pleased to meet with the Chief Medical Officer of Durham just a few weeks ago with Minister Scott and Minister Bethan Thalvey where we were able to discuss with him the additional actions being taken to reduce the risk in that community. We have an additional three million dollars for teacher staffing provided in the context of COVID to that school board alone to hire more educators to ensure more distancing and ultimately to ensure all there's of prevention in place to keep our students safe. Response and supplementary question. Thank you and again to the Premier Speaker parents have been sharing their concerns about back to school during COVID-19 Heidi Whaling writes quote my five-year-old should be entering his second year in kindergarten for the past two months my stress levels trying to decide what we're going to do have been very high it has only gotten worse these past couple of weeks I do not feel he is safe physically, mentally or emotionally returning to his cause of 29 kids and being told he must stay distance from them all how will this even be possible he's very energetic and will not be successful sitting at a table all day at the same time spending hours a day watching a teacher online is also not in his best interest I cry myself to sleep often I feel like if I send him I'm putting his life in the lives of our family members at risk most of my friends are very angry about the position we have been put in end quote Speaker will the Premier change his mind and start capping class sizes and commit to parents like Heidi that their children will be able to learn safely while supported in smaller classes Minister of Education Well thank you Speaker in every school born this province including Durham public and catholic we are seeing net reduction in classroom size and the enhancement of distancing Speaker I was in Durham just a few weeks ago with my with the Premier and with colleagues with a member from Oshawa and from Whitby and I was proud Speaker to fund a 29 million dollar investment the new pulled wire that will be that is in Oshawa that's going to make a big difference for hundreds of students in that community we are renewing schools half a billion dollars to give them the safest environments to learn Speaker on an annual basis we'll continue to lead and invest to listen to the science and take every action to keep our students safe and the next question the member for Willowdale thank you very much Mr Speaker my question this morning is the Minister of Children Community and Social Services Speaker young people are our future and I think all members of this House will agree that it is crucial to protect and support that future today I'd I'd like to ask the Minister about a disability that affects one in 33 children born in this country I'm talking about fetal alcohol spectrum disorder or FASD a lifelong disability that has no cure and affects all communities in Ontario and all ethnic social economic cultural backgrounds our government knows that we need to support families impacted by FASD and to help them in ways to improve their day to day lives Speaker through you Minister can you tell us what our government is doing to support youth and families affected by FASD the Minister of Children Community and Social Services sir thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thanks very much to the member from Willowdale for the great question this morning less than a month before COVID-19 hit the province I had the opportunity to meet and interact with some of the remarkable children and families that are part of the rural FASD or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder network here at Queen's Park and it was one of the most memorable moments that I've had in this role as Minister in this portfolio those young people they have hobbies they have dreams they have goals that they want to achieve and we would like to give them the opportunity along with to achieving those goals ensuring the right supports are available from the provincial government and that's why last week during a visit in Kitchener Waterloo I announced that our government will be investing an additional three million dollars every year to expand and support services for families that are dealing with FASD we want them to be able to access supports build on their child strengths and have them feel more confident in addressing any challenges that may arise and we've heard loud and clear that these support speaker are making a difference and that's why we're ensuring that they are available to families dealing with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder Member for Willowdale supplementary Thank you Speaker and the Minister is correct it's crucial that we support the the youth living with FASD but Minister what about those who go unsupported we know that these these youth can face incredible challenges in their lives from increased mental health issues to to run-ins with the youth justice system and struggles with substance abuse we also know that there are two key components to addressing the harmful effects of FASD in Ontario supporting those who are affected by it and raising awareness of the causes and effects of FASD Through you Speaker Minister can you share with the House how that annual three million dollar investment is going to help those to object this Minister Thanks Speaker and thanks again to the member from Willowdale over the next two years our investment will be funding 26 more FASD support workers who will provide information develop care plans help families access resources and connect parents to support networks and diagnostic services we're also introducing new family capacity building workshops and service provider training as well as continuing to support local family caregiver support groups these groups will not only provide a support network for families going through similar challenges it will allow families to share information and provide access to trained professionals to help them learn real life tools and hands-on strategies that will support their children with FASD we've also introduced a new public awareness campaign which is really important it's already underway and running through the month of October as well it will build public awareness of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy response and address the misconception that this is only an issue for women rather than one that affects all of us we all have a role to play in helping expectant parents have an alcohol-free pregnancy thank you next question the member for Niagara Falls thank you my question is to the premier I recently held a digital town hall across Niagara to hear from parents educators school staff and students to discuss the four governments back to school plan I had a teacher tell me and I quote it feels like we're going down a runway but we're still trying to attach the wings to the plane most powerful we heard from an 11-year-old student who started a petition asking for smaller class sizes so he could turn to school safely and see his friends Hailey a parent at my town hall said and I quote we don't see any direction she tried to find the government's child care plan on the website and couldn't actually find a plan anywhere speaker keeping our kids safe is a premier's responsibility I'll repeat that it's a premier's responsibility he could use some of that 6.7 billion he was supposed to spend come back in COVID-19 but hasn't parents are expecting and demanding responsible leadership question for the premier act today to make class sizes smaller fix air filtration systems and ensure our kids can safely distance to the virus doesn't spread in our community and jeopardize minister of education to apply well thank you very much Mr. Speaker last week I was very proud to join my parliamentary assistant to visit schools both Catholic and public we visited 20 valley public school which is an amazing school in Lincoln and we met the principal met educators we met these chair of the board and I'm proud to note that in that school as in all schools we are seeing a process of province efforts have been made to reduce the classroom size to maximize distancing to ensure safety we spoke to the chairs to chair Barrett as well as chair Farrah both of whom are working very hard to ensure that all classrooms in our province have improved safety measures and layers of prevention in place in that community we're seeing more outdoor experiential learning we're seeing an aggressive act to ensure cohorting is in place and we're seeing cooperation by educators administrators public health and the ministry of education we are all working together with a singular mission which is to keep all students and all staff safe in this province speaker thank you that concludes our question period for this morning there being no further business this morning this house stands in recess until 1 pm