 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of His Majesty's Royal Opposition. Good morning, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Yesterday, we learned of the latest lawsuit brought by Crosslinks, the P3 partner for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT. It's another day, another lawsuit. In fact, since this government took office, Metrolinx has paid out more than half a billion dollars to settle lawsuits brought by Crosslinks. Liberals and Conservatives always say that the whole point of public-private partnerships is supposedly to avoid cost overruns and risks to the public. But the Eglinton Crosstown P3 has been a total fiasco for the public, for small businesses, for Ontario. How much more will the public be forced to pay before this government accepts that P3s are riskier, take longer and cost more than publicly procured projects? Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, let me say to the Leader of the Opposition, we share her frustration with the delays with the Eglinton Crosstown. And the litigation that was announced yesterday is another delay taxed by CTS, which is completely unacceptable. People who live along Eglinton businesses who are there have suffered greatly. But our government is focused on making sure that the Eglinton Crosstown opens as quickly as possible, but when it opens, that it is safe for transit riders. And let me be clear, Mr. Speaker, our government has been looking out for taxpayers since day one. That's why when we brought forward our plan for subways for the GTA, we introduced legislation, the Building Transit Faster Act, to make sure we can get shovels in the ground faster, which reduces delays and also helps control costs. But, Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition and her party voted against our plan. They voted against Building Transit Faster. We're going to get it done for the people of Ontario when we're going to stand up for transit riders and taxpayers. Supplementary question? Speaker, this government has been in power for five years. It's time they started taking responsibility. In her 2018 report, the Auditor General said Metrolinx should not have paid Crosslink's $237 million to settle its first lawsuit. But Metrolinx did pay. And Crosslink sued again. And Metrolinx paid again. And now Crosslink has sued again. And not only that, the P3 project has been delayed until 2024 at the earliest. So, back to the Premier, how many lawsuits and how many delays will it take before this government abandons its costly and risky obsession with P3s? Mr. Transportation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, in addition to the well-known ideological opposition, the NDP have towards building housing. They're also opposed to building transit. And they will find every excuse to not build transit. That's why they voted against our subway plan. Even though they get up in this house every day asking for more transit, they vote against it when they have the chance, Mr. Speaker. We put forward a plan to address the transit deficit that we inherited from the Liberals, Mr. Speaker, and they voted against it. They voted against building transit faster, Mr. Speaker, which is actually hard to believe given the challenges that we are facing with the Eglinton Crosstown. The legislation we brought forward is the purpose of that is to address the mistakes of the previous Liberal government. When they signed the contract in 2011 with Crosstown, this is a contract we have inherited. We take responsibility for making sure that we get this done. But when we do that, Mr. Speaker, we commit to the people of Ontario. We're going to get it done and it is going to be safe for transit riders when it does open. The final supplementary. We talk ideology because this is a government that continues down a terrible road purely based on ideology and it's not working. Yesterday, the Minister of Transportation said she had learned the lessons of P3 failures of the previous Liberal government, but the only lesson that she seems to have learned is how to funnel more public money to private P3 contractors. Her subway P3s now cost $1 billion per kilometer. Nearly three times what Toronto's publicly procured Spadina subway extension cost just six years ago. In 2018, the UK government abandoned P3s after years of costly fiascos. Why won't the Premier do the same instead of doubling down on Liberal P3 failures? Minister of Transportation. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Let me be clear. The previous Liberal government signed the contract with CTS and the Ontario taxpayer has paid billions of dollars for the Eglinton Crosstown and our government is committed to making sure that CTS delivers us a credible schedule which will then lead to an opening date which the people across Toronto have been waiting for for a very, very long time, Mr. Speaker. But we have learned the lessons that the Liberals should have learned when they were in power and we have taken those lessons and we put them in a piece of legislation. We put them as part of our subway project for the subway plan for the GTA. But Mr. Speaker, the members opposite voted against it. They would rather the people of the GTA sit on congested roads as opposed to building and riding on new subways and extended lines, Mr. Speaker. That is unacceptable for the people of Toronto. We're committed to getting it done. We're standing up for transit riders and we're standing up for tax cuts. Thank you very much. The next question. Once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is again to the Premier. Yesterday, an FAO report on women's participation in the labour market found no progress on addressing the gender wage gap over the past decade, with women earning just 87 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2022. Instead of efforts to close the wage gap, the government has chosen to widen it. They'd prefer to spend money taking nurses and midwives and teachers to court rather than pay them a fair wage. Will the Premier stop fighting to keep women's wages down and end his efforts to legislate a gendered wage gap in Ontario? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Women's social and economic opportunity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, the FAO report is actually saying we've done significant work and are seeing more women entering to the workforce because of the actions of this government, such as investing in millions and seeing women get skills in development training, education encouraging women, and investing in women entering into the trades where there is pay equity. We've seen significant investments in better jobs to cover expenses, including childcare, tuition, transportation for short-term training programs, micro-credentials. We've expanded the investing women's futures program, the women's economic security program, and millions are going into the budget that we hope the members opposite will support. In fact, the FAO actually says that in 2022, labour participation rates for Ontario core-aged mothers reach 81.7 percent. It's the highest on record since 1976. And that is increasing the wage gap. We are... Thank you. Thank you. This supplementary question. Minister's creative interpretation of the report notwithstanding. This government continues to show how just completely out of touch they are with the reality that women in our province are facing. We are in an affordability crisis and women are paying a much bigger price. When you have one income and you have kids at home, you cannot afford the skyrocketing cost of housing and groceries with 87 cents on the dollar. This government fumbled the implementation of affordable childcare in this province, stalling an estimated 96,600 women from entering the labour force. I want to go back to the Premier again who's sitting right there in front of me and could be answering this question to the women of this province. The FAO says we will be short 220,000 childcare spaces to meet the demand. Is he just going to keep kicking this can down the road? Women's social and economic opportunity. We have secured a significant investment in agreement with childcare, the largest across any other province. If we listened to the member's opposite, we would have only settled for 10 billion. We have $13.5 billion for the childcare agreement. We have increased 86,000 new childcare spaces by 2026. Everything the member's opposite keeps saying no to and actually hurting women from getting into the marketplace into working. I've gone across the province, Mr. Speaker. I've met with hundreds of women who are getting into the workforce, taking advantages of the programs and investments this government has made. I just wonder if the member's opposite are going to support the budget that's coming up plus the millions of dollars in investments, the mining agreement. There are women getting into these sectors in droves, Mr. Speaker, and we're going to work hard to make sure they stay here. Thank you, Speaker, and back to the Premier. And I would remind the member's opposite that early childhood educators in this province are leaving faster than we can hire them because let's get it straight. As long as we treat ECEs like their work isn't as important as everybody else's, we're not going to be filling those jobs and we won't be bringing more women back into the labor force. Speaker, almost a quarter of working women are in part-time jobs. That's nearly double the number of men. We are only a third of senior management and middle management roles and that wage gap is persisting in every single sector. For the Premier, 87 cents on the dollar would amount to about a $27,000 pay cut for him. Does he really think that that's fair and would he accept that? The Minister of Education. Mr. Speaker, we didn't sign any deal with the federal government. We signed a better deal for the people of this province. A billion additional dollars, an additional year of funding guarantee that no province had. It is this Premier that did what the NDP of Liberals couldn't do for 15 years, which is reduced childcare fees for generations to come. 50% reduction. Mr. Speaker, we are literally talking about $10,000 to $12,000 per child per year and we're going to go even further to $10 per year 2025. The Minister of Women's Economic and Social Opportunities is leading by example, ensuring that more women are working in our economy with the recognition we can do more. We're cutting taxes. We're ensuring women have the skilled trades. We're ensuring more young girls get at the STEM disciplines within our schools. If the members opposite want to stand up for labor market participation women, vote for our budget. Vote for opportunity. Vote for a plan that makes life affordable for moms and dads across Ontario. A member for Waterloo. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. With all my questions to the Premier, with over 600,000 people and 120 wells in Kitchener Waterloo, this is the largest community in Canada dependent on groundwater for a majority of its drinking water. We've known for decades that the aquifer providing this water is particularly vulnerable to contamination. The Grand River Conservation Authority has been key to protecting this vital resource while supporting growth and housing. Bill 23 drastically reduces the powers of conservation authorities to protect our water. Why does this government believe that it makes sense to increase the risk that the region of Waterloo's water sources become contaminated? Why are you gambling with source water protection in Ontario? My members make the comments through the chair to respond for the government, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Mr. Speaker, we were crystal clear with Bill 23 including ensuring that the environment is protected but at the same time, we're going to build much needed homes. We're in the middle of a housing crisis and new Democrats seem to not want to acknowledge that. They don't want to acknowledge that there are young people that are living in Waterloo Region today that can't realize the dream of home ownership. There are seniors who want to downsize but don't have a home that meets their needs and their budget at their disposal. This is the impetus for why we took this plan to the people last June. We got a significant mandate under the leadership of Premier Ford. We are going to build housing and we are going to provide hope and opportunity for newcomers to our province, for seniors and for young famers. Thank you. A couple of metric questions back to the member from Waterloo. Thank you. The Region of Waterloo passed amendments to build 121,000 additional homes before Bill 23 passed. So this government claims they had to strip away the powers of Conservation Authority to protect our water to get new homes built but this does not hold up to scrutiny. The Region of Waterloo was already leading. We know what happens when water isn't protected in Waterloo Region. Elmira's water sources are still too contaminated to drink and may never be restored after years of weak regulation. Concerns have come from many other regions in addition, Mr. Speaker. The 113 Ontario municipalities within the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence City's initiative have been examining the impact of Bill 23 and they are raising legitimate concerns. When will this government put people and the water that they rely on as a priority ahead of your personal private interests? Once again, I remind members to make their comments through the chair. Maybe they'll take their seats. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Mr. Speaker, you know whose interest I'm standing up with. It's the mayors of the communities in Waterloo Region that have signed on to our housing pledge and are our partners living forward to ensure that we have those 1.5 million homes built by 2031. Every single mayor in those fastest growing communities has signed on with us to move forward. So we're very, very happy with the mayors of Kitchener, Waterloo, the chair of Waterloo Region. They've all come out publicly to acknowledge that we're in a housing crisis and they are our partners. I want to celebrate and congratulate them, not talk down like the member from Waterloo Region. Member from Chatham, Kent, Leamington. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. With a growing wave of crime everywhere across Canada, communities are rightfully concerned. In Ontario, we're seeing a rising crime in cities of all sizes and in our rural communities. Every day, we see and hear new reports of serious crime throughout the province. These trends are disturbing and this is not acceptable. Everyone in Ontario deserves to be safe in their communities, including the police officers who respond to these calls to protect us. Our government must take urgent action now and explore all options to combat the surge in criminal activity. Speaker, can the Premier please explain what actions our government is taking to make Ontario's communities safer? I want to thank the great member from Chatham, Kent, Leamington. And I also want to thank them for being years of an OPP officer. We're so proud to have them down in the legislature. And as we tackle the crime that we've seen around the province, we're making sure we're giving the police services across Ontario the tools that they need to get the job done to make sure our communities are a lot safer. You're able to walk out at night. You're able to take transit here in Toronto without worrying about being abused or physically hurt. We're adding more recruits to the Ontario Police College every single year, Mr. Speaker. We're investing another 13 million dollars to fight guns and gangs that will stop illegal drugs from coming into our province. We're cracking down on auto thefts adding 51 million dollars in new measures to fine and dismantle crime networks across this province, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. To all police officers across Ontario, please know that this government and the people of Ontario appreciate your hard work and dedication each and every day. Thank you. When we call on our police officers to keep our communities safe, they're always there to respond and to serve. However, our frontline officers are regularly exposed to traumatic events or responding to calls that are increasingly complex and increasingly dangerous. All of this takes a toll on both their physical and mental health. In the past, most officers attempted to cope with trauma on their own and without professional help. All police officers deserve to have access to the care and supports when they need it, where they need it. Speaker, can the Premier please explain what actions our government is taking to support the health and wellness of all our frontline officers? Well, Mr. Speaker, I agree with a great member from Chatham Kent, Leamington about showing respect for our police officers. What is unacceptable, Mr. Speaker, is when school boards are disallowing police officers in uniform to go in there with one of their kids. That's what's disgusting, Mr. Speaker, and that that's being changed. And thank goodness for that. That's why in our budget, we announced an additional $9.6 million to support the Run and Meet Health Care Center to provide mental health supports and PTSD treatment. Taylor made for unique needs of our police officers and frontline workers. And we must always ensure that our dedicated first responders have the access to the highest quality of mental health and addictions care that meets its needs. We will always ensure the brave women and men that serve on our police forces are treated with dignity and respect. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Solicitor General. Speaker, this morning I was joined by Norton MPPs to discuss the need for 911 everywhere in Ontario. Every year, families living and visiting Northern Ontario discover in their times of needs that after they dial 911, they get a recording that says, this number is not in service. Please try your call again. In my writing, the police, the fire, the ambulance are available, but nobody knows the 1-800 numbers to reach them. When will Ontario do like every other province in Canada has done and make 911 available everywhere throughout our province? Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank the member for the question. Our government takes our public safety very seriously. We've never had a government in my generation that is more concerned with the welfare of all Ontarians. And that's exactly why we're moving forward with our plans for next generation 911. And as the member knows, we are committing over $200 million to work with our local municipal jurisdictions so that they can implement in their jurisdictions the new technology. And as the member knows, Mr. Speaker, the new technology will allow for unprecedented safety and security for all Ontarians. In the end of the day, Mr. Speaker, we believe everyone has an equal right to live safely in their own communities. Mr. Speaker, I'm still waiting for that technology to arrive in Kiwetnuk. Mr. Speaker, it's almost been five years since this government received the Chief Coroner's report following four deaths linked to a failure of 911 in Northern Ontario. But nothing has changed, Mr. Speaker. In Kiwetnuk, the services for ambulance, the services for fire, the services for police range from minimal to non-existent. You cannot call 911 for services that do not exist. When will this government take real action to ensure everyone in Ontario who calls 911 gets the help that they need? Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the member for the question what we are acting. That's exactly why we're providing the $208 million supports for municipalities and for regions in the North so that they can begin the transition for next generation 911. When the former government was in power for 15 years, they didn't move the needle. And I have to say, when that party was in power in the early 90s, they didn't realize they had the same issues then with the dialing sequence in some regions that didn't have it. We want every region in Ontario to benefit from the next generation 911. And this technology will allow an unprecedented level of safety. Mr. Speaker, we are not delaying. We are getting the job done. Look for Hastings, Lennox and Addington. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job, Creation and Trade. Over the last five years, Ontario was garnering a reputation for its world-class manufacturing sector. Employing almost 800,000 workers, we are continuously investing and innovating to stay competitive and produce critical goods that the whole world relies on. And that's why it's imperative for this government to take the right steps to attract investments that will grow the economy and create good jobs. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister please highlight how our government is promoting Ontario's manufacturing sector and keeping it ahead of the competitive global curve? Mr. Speaker, we have reduced the cost of doing business in Ontario by $8 billion every year. And according to the latest federal report, Ontario is now the number one investment destination in all of Canada. And with our regional development programs, we're ensuring that we remain that number one site. Just last week, all season fencing announced a $4 million investment into their Trenton manufacturing facility. Thank you, Minister Smith, for doing that. They manufacture a sustainable PVC vinyl fencing that's used only recycled plastic. Now they are creating 19 jobs and acquiring new equipment in Trenton with a $400,000 investment from the province. Mr. Speaker, this adds to the $1 billion in investments and over 1,800 jobs that companies like all season fencing have added to Ontario. The supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the Minister for the answer and for that information about one of my new regional employers. The regional development program has been a game changer for the manufacturing and job creation across the province, especially in our rural economies. In 2018, our government knew that it was long overdue that Ontario, once again, takes charge of its manufacturing sector after over a decade and a half of liberal inaction that spurned the manufacturing exodus from the province. This minister has mentioned a number of times that Ontario is now one of the most competitive places to invest and grow a business. Mr. Speaker, will the minister please explain what actions have led to Ontario holding this illustrious title? Mr. Speaker, what can I put to vote on? Mr. Speaker, since 2018, Ontario businesses have added 660,000 new jobs. This is despite the fact the Liberals and the NDP voted against every bit of help we offered to those businesses. They watched, though, as we moved swiftly to eliminate 16,000 different red tape items. They watched as we lowered electricity rates and we lowered taxes that were strangling our businesses. And again, they watched as we reshored thousands of jobs back to Ontario, the jobs that were sent running. Yet they voted against every single measure we put forward to create jobs and make it more affordable for families and for businesses. And they continued to vote against attracting billions in investment and making Ontario stronger. Mr. Speaker, we're going to keep Ontario competitive because we're open for business. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Over 100 residents in the town of Rossmoor are being threatened with a blatant renaviction by their new corporate landlord Bedford Properties. Resident Keith Mayby said this. It's not humane what they have done. You've got people who've been in these apartments right from the time they were built 37 years ago. Some people are in their 80s and their 90s. That's not right. Premier, what are you going to do to help these residents keep these homes? Mr. Mr. Affairs and Housing? You know, Speaker, part of our commitment to Ontarians under the leadership of Premier Ford is that we're going to have a housing supply action plan tabled in the legislature every year for the four years. We've got a bill before the House right now, Bill 97, the Helping Home Buyers Protecting Tenants Act, and we've been responsive to many of the tenant concerns and also the Human Rights Commission when it comes to air conditioning and units. Many of the recommendations that we've put forward on that bill respond directly to some of the concerns that tenants have expressed to our government about renovations and landlords' own use. You know, again, Speaker, the member keeps asking questions, but she never states on the record whether she's going to support our measures. I'd really love her to do that today. The supplemental question. Back to the Premier. If these tenants are forced to leave their homes, odds are they won't be able to return because Bill 97 does nothing to address the fact that Ontario's eviction laws are too weak to work. The reality is this. If a tenant is illegally evicted, they never get back into their home. The reality is also this. If a landlord illegally evicts a tenant, they almost never get a fine. For the sake of these residents, can you say yes to our amendments in Bill 97 to strengthen Ontario's eviction protection laws? Mr. Mr. Farrison-Hausen. You know, one of the best measures the government's done as part of our Bill 97 is the measures that the Attorney General have announced when it comes to the landlord's eviction. A historic six and a half million dollar commitment to double the amount of adjudicators to support with additional staff members, to make sure that the access to justice is swift and is fair. And I think this is one of the premises that the Attorney General has taken throughout the pandemic, whether it be to stand up against illegal evictions when we were at our most vulnerable as a province, but this latest commitment, this latest record-setting commitment by the government to invest six and a half million dollars in the landlord's tenant board will pay huge dividends to both landlords and tenants alike, Speaker. Question, the member for Gwell. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. There are 200,000 acres of green-filled land already approved for development in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. Planners have shown that there are 1.4 million homes currently approved in process or under construction and enough approved development land to build two million homes. So it's clear that the only green belt scam is the government scheme to pave over the farm land that feeds us and contributes 50 billion dollars to our food and farming economy and the wetlands that protect us from flooding and clean our drinking water. So instead of attacking the green belt, let's work together to remove the barriers to build homes in communities that people can afford close to where they work. Speaker, the Premier has a chance to support the farm economy and to make life affordable if he keeps his green belt promise. Will he keep that promise today? To reply, the Premier. Well, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member from Build Nothing Writing because that's what he believes in, Building Absolutely Nothing. To the point, Mr. Speaker, it's unheard of that the University of Guelph on their property tried to get housing. And guess what? He didn't support it. He didn't support the housing at the University of Guelph. He doesn't believe in building housing in Guelph. They have the lowest per capita housing starts in the entire province. I find it ironic that he's coming up and trying to tell us how to build housing. Well, let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, we have 445,000 people that arrived in Ontario last year and they need homes. We're going to make sure that we hit our target of 1.5 million homes and I just wish that the GDP from Guelph would get on board, support our housing plan because the people in this community are going to need homes. Speaker, with all due respect to the Premier, if he would do a simple Google search of housing starts this year and look at the communities with those housing starts, Guelph is not last. As a matter of fact, Guelph has more housing starts than Peterborough. Sorry, my friends from Peterborough, Guelph has more housing starts than Peterborough right now. If the Premier wants to work with me to build homes, let's actually pass my bills 44 and 45 that we get rid of exclusionary zoning so we can actually build homes that people afford in the communities they want to live. So Speaker, the government has an opportunity today to help people and municipalities save money to defend our farm economy and to build affordable homes that people want to live in, in affordable communities close to where they work. If the government agrees to stop their expensive sprawl agenda and protect the green belt, will the Premier keep his promise today to protect the green belt? Minister Misfold Farrison housing. I can't believe this member is quoting the report that he did because what he failed to tell the House is the fact that this report, the success of this report is because of the measures that our government is putting forward. Speaker, the report he quoted estimates that an additional 150,000 units are going to be created because of the as-of-right zoning changes that our government has put forward. You voted against those changes for 150,000 homes. The member is very select. This report shows that 5% of those homes are built because of Minister's zoning orders. Again, something that that member doesn't support. The member needs to get his back straight. The member needs to read the entire report to show that many of the success of these initiatives are directly because of the initiatives this government has done under the leadership of the chair and not directly across the floor of those. The next question, the member for Newmarket Aurora. My question is for the Minister of Labor Immigration Training and Skills Development. All workers in Ontario deserve a workplace that is safe. Strong workplace health safety practices help to make workplaces more productive and reduce the risk of injury. No worker anywhere in our great province should have to go to work worried about harm to their health or safety. One worker returning home at the end of the day not returning home at the end of the day is one too many. Improving safety for workers is a serious issue and this must remain as a top priority for this minister and our government. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is addressing safety for workers in Ontario? Labor Immigration Training and Skills Development. I want to thank the member from Newmarket Aurora for this question and for her advocacy and keeping workers and her riding across the province safe. Speaker, our government under Ontario is leaving no stone unturned on our mission to make our workplaces the safest in the entire world. Ontario is one of the strongest safety records in North America and that's thanks to everyone. Government, workers, labour leaders and businesses working together. But as long as workers are being injured on the job our work isn't done. That is why we announced today health and safety associations to improve training, expanding their resources and saving lives. Speaker, we'll continue to invest in education, prevention and enforcement to ensure that every worker returns home safely to their families at the end of the day. The member from Newmarket Aurora, Secretary. Thank you to the minister for that response and wonderful to hear about that funding. I am pleased that our government is continuing to lead the way in strengthening workplace health and safety measures. These valuable investments will help to ensure that our government and workplace partners are working together to eliminate injuries. However, the sad reality is that this last year 64 workers in Ontario lost their dear lives on the job. We owe it to them and to their loved ones to do better. Unfortunately, one of the leading causes of death on construction sites and in other workplaces is falls from heights. Now, these injuries are devastating and our government must do more to improve protection for workers. Speaker, can the minister please explain what actions our government is taking to increase safety measures for workers in Ontario? Mr. Labour. Thank you again to the member for this question. Speaker, I can tell you as minister of labour nothing is more important than the safety of workers and hearing about fatalities is the most devastating thing that one can hear of every day. Every one of these workers had hopes, dreams and families of their own. That is why today I announced we are updating our working at heights course for workers. Working with labour leaders, workers and businesses our new course will cover working safely on ladders, skylights and equipment as well as the use of PPE. And because safety is never the cost of doing business, our working for workers act 3 is proposing to increase our fines to the highest in the country. We are working hard every day under the leadership of this premier to make Ontario work for everyone. Thank you. Good morning. My question is to the premier. We can all agree that good jobs mean a strong future. The official opposition to that and help fast track legislation to make sure we got the VW deal done. It is entirely unclear who dropped the ball with the workers of this province deserve to see that honour. Ontario is on the brink of a manufacturing revolution and it could also cause this deal to fall apart. My question, will the premier meet with the prime minister immediately, find out what's gone sideways, use every tool in the toolbox and get the Stalantis deal over the finish line. Minister of economic development, job creation and trade. Speaker, in the last two and a half years this government has landed $25 billion worth of electric vehicle and happened because we lowered the cost of business by $8 billion a year. Now, Ontario has done a deal with Stalantis identical to the deal we did with Volkswagen and I mean identical in every way and we are honouring our commitment. We know the feds have made a commitment to the fact in writing five times they have committed to matching the production incentives of the United States. Five times the feds have committed. We are urging the federal government to honour their commitment. Thank you, Speaker. That's a very disappointing answer. Losing this Stalantis investment would mean losing thousands of good paying unionized jobs in Windsor that feed families support our local economy and charities. We are now seeing a game of jurisdictional football. Premier says it's all up to the federal government. The federal government says the province needs to step up too. My community needs and deserves governments at all levels to do everything in their power to not only protect current jobs but secure new ones. We need the Premier to take leadership and not just wait for someone else to say the day. Speaker, will the Premier tell my community what specifically he'll do to support Windsor workers and ensure the Stalantis investment isn't lost? Will he step up? It's pretty rich from the member of Windsor to say what she just said when for 15 years you could shoot a cannon down the country. Now Windsor is thriving. Not only Windsor, she voted against it she voted against every economic development opportunity down in Windsor she voted against Stalantis we're the ones who created the deal we're going to make sure that deal happens on top of the 25 billion dollars of other deals no matter if it's a battery manufacturer or an auto manufacturer the member voted against it development, anti-housing anti-building highways they're anti-building hospitals voted against the hospital in Windsor that we're building this is about no no no I think the cheese has slipped off the cracker with that number there are no points of order considered during question period order order not enhanced in any way shape or form consults start the clock the next question, the member for Scarborough Center thank you Mr. Speaker my question is the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports since the beginning of May the Writers Guild of America has been on strike this strike by the screen writer is having an impact on film and television shows in the United States it is a concern that strike in America will have a negative impact on film and television industry in Ontario with many production that are a film in Toronto we know that these projects help to support our economy Speaker can the Minister please tell us if the strike in America will affect the film and television industry in Ontario to apply Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sports Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the member from Scarborough Center for the question and recognizing that might be an issue but last year our domestic film and television productions were very strong contributing over 1.2 billion to Ontario's economy an increase of 25% over the previous year our homegrown creativity and talent and self-reliance gives us a measure of insulation from external factors like the US writer strike but I have a little story Speaker and I won't make it long about two weeks ago I was at one of Ontario's outstanding world class destination for tourism the ROM at a reception and on my way walking back later in the evening there was quite a quite a bit going on in the park outside so I wandered over what was going on and there were lights and so many people it was production TV production Mr. Speaker outside workers working talent running around watching it happen is pretty thank you I'd like to thank the minister for his answer it's good news to know that our local film and television industry is strong at this time however it is important to look to the future as well it is great to hear that this industry helped with job creation and helped to grow Ontario's economy but we need to make sure that this industry will continue to grow in the future Speaker can the minister please tell us how our government is supporting more film and television production made in Ontario Mr. Tourism Culture and Sport I'd like to thank the member for the question first hand lots of meetings have gone on in the last five or six months about talking about production and talking about what's going on in our province and it's an industry that's thriving Mr. Speaker we are supporting the film and television thanks to the leadership of our premier and the minister of finance with more than 814 million budgeted towards three film and television tax credits for 2023 this draws people to our province to do their productions from the United States this drives business drives jobs not talking about the talent but the jobs the careers Mr. Speaker it's not just getting someone in for working for a day it's long term careers thanks to many of the people within our ministry I'm sorry what do we call this thing our party our party drives jobs Mr. Speaker and the film industry the film industry is the beneficiary of it as is television my question is to the premier the W Sherwood Fox school council along with more than 30 students and parents send a package of letters to the Thames Valley district school board pleading for help daily violent incidents and code yellow lockdowns more frequent than ever before have left students feeling scared and anxious about going to school parents feel desperate and they worry every morning when they drop off their kids every students learning is being disrupted and the entire school community is being traumatized what specific actions will this government take now to deal with the alarming rise in violence at W Sherwood Fox public school in London and schools across this province Minister of Education well we certainly share the concern of the rise of crime and violence taking place across communities across the country and we're seeing impacts in our school communities affecting staff and of course our kids it's why speaker from 2018 where I think many members opposite will speak to root causes when it comes to mental health supports pre-pandemic and post the premier and the government increase funding from 18 million to 114 million in student mental health in support to help that school and every school afflicted by the rise of violence behavioural issues and other concerns impacting kids we've increased the amount of adults caring adults in the room there's nearly 8,000 more staff notwithstanding there's been a flat number of children students within our schools we've also enhanced the mental health literacy, mandatory learning more people, more literacy curriculum and of course more mental health supports to keep students safe in their schools speaker W. Sherwood Fox desperately needs more EAs it needs a funded sensory room it needs regular ongoing support from social workers, psychologists OT school support counsellors child and youth workers and others but this school is not unique this government's chronic underfunding of public education it's failing Ontario students especially students with special needs the Thames Valley District School Board is spending $5 million more on spec yet than it is receiving while violence in school escalates and staff injuries increase will this government commit today to providing the funding our schools need so they are safe for students, staff and parents we've increased staff by 8,000 more we've started 2,000 additional teachers are being drawn to schools this September specifically to boost literacy and math scores because we believe as progressive conservatives we've got to get back to the basics to strengthen fluency in what actually matters in the classroom reading, writing, math and STEM education and more pathways to the skilled trades Mr. Speaker we've increased funding and mental health the overall funding envelope in education is up for the coming September by $690 million the overall education budget when you compare to the peak of spending under former Premier Wynne is 27% higher now I recognise fully that we're going to continue to do more in every single budget we'll increase funding, we'll continue to hire more people and we'll continue to make the case as a former school board trustee that the school boards involved everyone involved in public education should be doing better which is why I urge the member's ops if they want a better school and better for children in this province next question member for Chatham Kent Leamington thank you speaker my question is to the Minister of Colleges and Universities all Ontarians deserve to have access to the health care they need when they need it no matter where they live am I right with Chatham Kent Leamington my constituents are looking for connected care and services that are close to home in Wheatley and Leamington Bledham Ridge Town and beyond unfortunately because of the destructive policies of the past liberal government many parts of our province are in desperate need of more health care professionals to provide that care our government must take decisive steps now to educate and retain more health care workers across the province to make immediate impacts in our local hospitals long term care homes and other health care facilities can the minister please explain what our government is doing to expand opportunities to educate more health care professionals Minister of Colleges and Universities thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for the great question yesterday alongside the Minister of Health we announced that applications are now open for the much anticipated Ontario Learn and Stay Grant speaker application led up to what was a very successful launch of the program with over 700 students applying to the Learn and Stay website within the first 24 hours this is a win-win for both post-secondary students and underserved communities across the province not only does it offer a sizable financial contribution for students it also has the power to make a significant impact in the local communities that need it most speaker it's clear that students are eager to begin their careers in nursing and I'm confident our government's approach of offering financial support will make all the difference between someone considering a career in health care and those who actually pursues it and this grant clearly demonstrates that unlike previous governments this government is taking concrete action thank you speaker it's so encouraging to hear the grant application process is now open this is welcome news to my constituents and for communities across Ontario the financial supports available through this grant program are a positive step in building up this precious workforce however there are some regions in our province still in need of health care professionals and that's more urgent it's up to our government to implement solutions to respond to local health care needs speaker can the minister please explain how the investments made by our government into the Learn and Stay grant will benefit communities that are currently underserved Mr. Colches and the University thank you Mr. Speaker and I'm happy to say that starting this September students from the members' riding of Chatham Kent-Leemington will be eligible to apply for the grant this grant will touch every corner of the province and that includes ridings held by members of the opposition with 49 eligible programs at institutions in those ridings currently include the program where specifically do you ask Ottawa West Nippian Michigawa James Bay Tamiskimine Cochran Thunder Bay Superior North Agoma Manitoulin Ottawa Vanier Kingston The Islands London North Centre and Sudbury with a constituency week coming up I hope that each of the members representing the ridings I just mentioned as well as the other members will continue to talk about this grant in their ridings because Premier Ford and the PC government are delivering for their communities Thunder Bay Superior North Mr. Speaker Minister of Community and Social Services The Gral Braiths have been waiting for an assisted living space for their son since 2014 Imagine day after day year after year writing letters, emails, making phone calls and hearing nothing but crickets Can the minister tell this family when they will be offered an assisted living space for their son Thanks for children, community and social services Thank you Mr. Speaker and I thank the member Mr. Speaker what we have done in the ministry or just across government we have made sure that the services and the funds that the service providers need are there for them Mr. Speaker, one of the first things we did is when we formed governments we looked at some of the challenges that service providers were facing were the same ones they had facing 10, 15 years prior to us performing government that wasn't good enough for us we made sure that the services that children, youth and families are in need of is not only there but it's there for families faster and in a way where they need it and in a way where it's expedited and processed faster we've been working directly with service providers to make sure that happens we make sure that the funds are there for the service providers and we'll make sure that the services and the support the families rely on in the future I learned today that adults with developmental disabilities have brought a class action suit against the government the complaint is about the negligent operation of a social assistance system that has approved the delivery of much needed support and services but then fails to follow up can the government tell us really when people can expect to have the services delivered 8 years is far too long for a family to be waiting to receive supports Mr. Chairman, community and social services Mr. Speaker I agree with the member it wasn't right, it wasn't enough which is why we're improving the system which is why we increased funding which is why we're working across government to make sure that the services that the families rely on is there if you look at the programs that we have we are making sure that the services that people rely on are there for them when they need them Mr. Speaker by making sure that the funding that's required is there in place for them that's just the way that we've been working since we formed government we had to look at a redesigning system that was left neglected by the previous government and unfortunately throughout their time your party supported them you didn't do anything about it it was this government that had to step in and fix the mistakes of the previous government and we're doing that, how we're doing it in collaboration with service bonds by listening to families and by listening to those who need the services and we will not let them down in the process Mr. Speaker, remind members to make quick comments through the chair the next question, the member for Brampton North Mr. Speaker my question is for Ontario's Minister of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity now women entrepreneurs are an integral part of Ontario's economy accounting for nearly 20% of all small and medium-sized businesses in Ontario I'm very proud to consider that my mother Leslie is one of that 20% now 20% is a big number but I think all members of the House could agree that that number could be quite a bit higher and the reality is that women continue to encounter social and economic barriers when it comes to starting and growing their businesses while recent numbers show that there is an increase in overall employment for women, more must be done to increase opportunities for women entrepreneurs Speaker could the minister please explain what actions our government is taking to unlock even more economic opportunities for women Associate Minister of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity thank you to the great member of Brampton North and I look forward to being with the member next week and we'll have the opportunity to visit one of the recently announced expansion locations for the investing in women's futures program this amazing program is expanding to 10 new locations across the province and Brampton is receiving one of them Mr. Speaker we heard firsthand accounts from women of some of the unique proportionate economic barriers women face when starting growing or scaling up their businesses and that's why our government is taking a multi-prong approach to unlock more opportunities for women in the post-pandemic economy we are supporting women as they enter and re-enter the workforce with programs like the investing women's futures program and the women's economic security program and we're opening opportunities for women to pursue entrepreneurship as a flexible career path with the regional innovation centers and the small business enterprise networks because of this women are breaking down barriers growing their businesses and getting it done for themselves, their families and Ontario thank you speaker supplementary question for the minister and this is Brampton to Brampton so we need a straight answer there are over 370,000 jobs that are going unfilled in the skilled trades today with 1 in 3 journey persons who over the age of 55 and many of them are heading towards retirement over the next decade Ontario will need 100,000 workers in the construction sector alone to meet this growing demand the unfortunate reality is that women currently account only account for 5% of the skilled trades workforce and our government must act now to ensure that we address the labour shortage and help more women to pursue these rewarding and well-paying careers building a stronger Ontario means that we need more workers to help grow our businesses our communities and our economy speaker could the minister please explain how our government is expanding opportunities for women to pursue careers in the skilled trades the member from Brampton North is absolutely right and I'm telling you I'm on a mission to get more women into the trades because when you've got a trade you've got a trade for life according to the premier and he's right too our government is investing in a historic $1.5 billion over 4 years into the skilled trades strategy and many initiatives will support women and girls in exploring the skilled trades like the Ontario youth apprenticeship program the pre-apprenticeship training program and the achievement incentive program thank you to our minister of the long acronym these investments enhance opportunities for girls and women to tour college trades programs, participate in workshops and be mentored by female apprenticeships and journey persons and that's why I will continue to work alongside the minister of immigration trade skill development with our partners in labour unions and businesses to change the skilled trade culture to ensure that women who enter the trades stay in the trades because when women succeeds Ontario the government should be very gathered as a point of order I just like to take a moment to wish the minister of red tape reduction a very happy birthday Mr. Speaker I wish to remind everybody about the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs reception that's happening in room 228 and 230 just following these proceedings. Thank you Member for Carlson has a point of order Thank you Mr. Speaker I just wanted to introduce a very special person here, a veteran of the Ottawa Police Service Deputy Police Chief Steve Bell has joined us here in the Ontario Legislature Point of order, the Minister of Energy Thank you Speaker, I would like to welcome Lauren Brooker, host of the Lauren Brooker show on the 100th CJBQ and his very capable assistant Jim Gibbs and thank all of the members of the legislature who joined us for his broadcast this morning in the government house leaders office and thank you to the government house leader for letting us use your order this morning Pursuant to standing order 36A the Member for Guelph has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the Premier concerning protecting Greenbelt, this matter will be debated today following private matters public cases. Further business this morning this house stands in recess until 3pm