 It is now time for question period and I recognize the leader for Majesty's Loyal Opposition Thank You speaker Speaker my first question this morning is for the Premier yesterday another expert advisor from the government's COVID-19 public health table as expressed frustration with the government's ineffective and incoherent public health measures and expressed concern That he and other experts were forced to sign gag orders Preventing them from sharing their advice and concerns with the public Is there any other reason the Premier slapped a gag order on expert advisers? Or is it just as it appears that he doesn't want the public to know that he was actually ignoring their advice? Premier and Minister of Health to reply Fact there are no such gag orders. No one's forced to sign anything on the public health measures table. We've been very I Frank with the people of Ontario very transparent with the information that they've been provided We are there every day for press conferences. Dr. Williams appears twice a week We present the modeling table all of the information that we have the public has and all of you have as well So there's no question that the people who are at the public health measures table Come forward willingly they provide their advice and we're very grateful for that supplementary question I've moved for the minister and from the Premier speaker people know very well that this government is not being frank and Transparent and here's the problem that that that creates for families. The Premier has already been caught claiming the expert Advisors backed his plans when those experts actually thought it was reckless and indefensible the plan that the Premier put in place COVID-19 is impacting The lives of everyone in this province and they have a right to the same information that the Premier sees When it comes to their health their safety their family's health their family safety And they have a right to know when he in fact is ignoring that advice speaker So will the Premier end the gag order and make all advice provided to cabinet public today? Thank you very much speaker. In fact, we have been very transparent with the people of Ontario since this pandemic began The Premier has said on a number of occasions that what we know we want everyone else to know So people will understand why the decisions are being made that are being made I think it's also very important to note that the members of the public health measures table have not signed as The member calls them the gag orders or nondisclosure agreements But there is a code of compliance that when you have a group of people that are making decisions like this that they have one Representative that speaks for them that happens with many Public both public and private companies and in Addition to other communities and committees that report so it's not it's important that one person speaks for the entire group We hear the advice from the public response table. We hear that through dr. Williams That's the way that the system works, and that's the process that we've been following throughout The final supplement Transparency should have been the goal, but it's painfully obvious that it is not the goal of this government They are not being transparent the Premier insists that every decision made by the government is backed by his chief medical officer of health But every day it gets harder and harder to believe that assertion the Ford government's cutbacks and public health protections as a second wave was surging This setting of ridiculously high thresholds for the red zone Long-term care homes that were left vulnerable yet again and the refusal to cap classroom sizes So my question is did the Premier did rather did dr. Williams tell the Premier that he should be doing these things or in fact, did the Premier decide to do these things and order dr. Williams to justify them Minister of Health Thank You speaker Dr. Williams is an independent officer He has the ability to make his own decisions which he has done and we have relied on the science and the clinical evidence Throughout in every decision that we've made and not only have we relied on that with the decisions that we've made We've put the money behind it We've put billions of dollars into our COVID response $2.8 billion most recently we're putting over a billion dollars in testing tracing and isolating cases And we're continuing to put more money into it because as the Premier said the most important issue here is the health and well-being of the people of Ontario that is our number one priority always has been and always will be Next question once again the leader of the opposition Thank You speaker I think the my next question is also is also for the Premier But I think the the minister and this government have to realize that that certainly is not what it looks like to the families of the 11 people that died in long-term care yesterday the Ford government's failure to act is having a devastating impact on long-term care again After the pandemics first wave frontline staff and home operators Pleaded with this government to aggressively recruit staff to meet the demands of the second wave yet Well other provinces in fact aggressively recruited staff Engaged in really quite robust campaigns to get more people on staff the Ford government Says that their staffing plan won't even be ready this year Honestly speaker, it's tragic And it's tragic a tragedy that could have been avoided will the Premier make public today any advice from Dr Williams or any members of the health table that support the decision not to staff up in long-term care Mr. Long-term care Thank You speaker first of all my Concerns my condolences go out to everyone who's been impacted by this But your characterization of what has been going on in long-term care in terms of the staffing is is is Fabrication and I'm going to be absolutely clear Yeah, good to ask the member to withdraw the unparliamentary comment and ask the member to make her comments through the chair Thank you So we have been taking decisive action from the very beginning using every resource possible Putting our policies in place and putting dollars behind it initially the 243 million dollars to shore up our staffing our IPAC support for the homes that was done immediately Swift and decisively the process of staffing Planning was ongoing not only for the crises that was left behind by the previous government and supported by by you As well as the 4 540 million dollars that we announced in October to make sure our homes had had dollars for IPAC Staffing and the wardrooms that were completely neglected Under the previous government no read no significant development was ever done. We have been at this We will continue to do everything possible We are committed to the safety and well-being of residents and staff in long-term care, and we will continue Well speaker perhaps the minister is unaware But in today's Huffington Post staff at a for-profit facility in Scarborough ravaged by COVID-19 say that they are chronically short staffed and forced to go back and forth between the positive and COVID-positive and COVID negative floors because there are so few of these staff in the home in July the government's own expert panel own expert panel on staffing Urgently urgently recommended a minimum standard of four hours of daily hands-on care for every resident in long-term care Yet the government refused to act for months and months and months while COVID returned to long-term care homes So will the Premier make public today any advice from Dr. Williams or any members of the health tables that supported that decision? To apply long-term care Thank you speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for the question the decisions that are being made in Long-term care to support our homes have been ongoing in an unprecedented Global situation to understand everything that can be done not only learning from the previous wave wave one But learning from other countries. It is continuous It is involving public health Ontario health our integration with our hospitals making sure that the evidence from our public health tables and our science tables are Current and accurate and as best as as anyone can bring to understand What's happening in long-term care and the measures we can take? We know that the previous neglect of many many years in terms of the staffing crises in terms of the ward rooms played a role Our government is committed and has been since the very beginning to make sure that we address the long-standing issues So badly neglected and every measure is being taken the dollars are behind those measures We will continue to support our our staff our residents in long-term care. They are the priority. We will continue Families are watching speaker as the second wave of this pandemic once again Exposes a broken long-term care system and this government has known for a couple of years now As did the previous government that that system was absolutely broken There are dozens and dozens and dozens of reports that talk about what needs to be done. They haven't done it They expose this virus expose the long-term care system that protects the private the profits of for Profit private companies. That's what it does, but it leaves residents vulnerable Alone and dying in long-term care for months The premier has promised an iron ring of protection around long-term care But it's clear that he's not only failed to protect seniors in long-term care He's ignored experts who warned for months that the second wave of this pandemic was going to be Devastating for long-term care So when will the government start being transparent with the people of Ontario and act with urgency that the crisis in long-term care demands? Well, thank you. Thank you, mr. Speaker and I sit back and listen the leader of the opposition and the Liberals criticize about long-term care When for 15 years, mr. Speaker, they ignored long-term care They had an opportunity to increase long-term care four hours a day of care for patients They totally totally ignored it They watched the long-term care system for 15 years crumble underneath their feet as we're gonna lead the way We're gonna blaze a new trail with four hours of care for long-term care residents on top of that Mr. Speaker, we're gonna order. We're gonna hire tens of thousands of psw's RPN's and our ends Opposition come order the leader of the opposition should have done it for 15 years and totally ignored the people We're investing $1.7 billion in rapid builds to update the long-term care system that again was ignored for 15 years under the Previous government and the leader of the opposition as as they ended up supporting the Liberals and we're also investing $540 million investment to protect Thank you very much The official opposition will come over The next order member for Timmins come door leader the opposition come door The next question member for Davenport. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Good morning. This question is for the premier for months now Students families and education workers have been on a roller coaster as the government introduced a piecemeal plan that ignored expert advice On class sizes schools have been forced to collapse smaller classes into bigger ones while this government is hoarding $9.3 billion in unspent COVID relief money that should have been used to keep them safe and keep those class sizes small And now just when families might be finally getting into some kind of routine the premier and the minister of education Are causing all this uncertainty once again, mr. Speaker musing in the press about an early closure or an extended break So will the premier please tell us and all the anxious families watching if he's ready to shut down schools instead of capping Class sizes at 15 Thank you very much mr. Speaker mr. Speaker according to the chief medical officer of health and leading medical experts across this country schools in This province are safe 99.9 per six six percent of students do not have COVID 99.8 six percent of students have never had COVID 99.7 percent of staff have never had COVID 86 percent of schools do not have a case at all Our plan in this province is keeping our kids safe And we should be proud of our public health efficient To ensure we lead the nation in virtually every way now mr. Speaker we are proud of that of that of our work We're proud of that plan, but yes We're working with the chief medical officer of health as was asked by the leader of the opposition days ago We are cognizant of community transmission rising We have a duty to work with the chief medical officer to scale up our plan to make sure it responds to the risk and to keep our Kids safe in 2020 beyond and that is exactly what we're doing Mr. Speaker it's like playing whack-a-mole trying to keep direct track of what direction this government is going in the minister wants to talk Percentages, but I'll tell you what parents are telling me. They're saying our kids are not data points parents are interested in the 100 new cases a day that are taking place in our schools Speaker like the families at Bagley public school in Windsor who are the latest to face an outbreak The local public health unit has closed the school and parents are now spending the day trying to get their kids tested as our staff They're praying they weren't exposed speaker families are stuck between a plan That doesn't do enough to keep their kids safe and the threat of a full closure or a delayed return And it's a false choice. It should never have come to this if the chief medical officer of health recommends that schools stay open As the minister has said why won't the government cap class sizes so we can keep them that way? Minister of Education respond mr. Speaker it is quite obvious according to a leading medical experts across this province That our schools remain safe places for kids the transmission is not happening within school But fundamentally entering from community into our schools and the data points. I think need to Inspire confidence in the population that order 99.96% of students do not have code with the fact that of 4,800 schools there are three closed the province it only underscores that something Special is happening this province by the leadership of our frontline staff and our public health and mr. Speaker let me add in Quebec when you compare our plan to the Provinces they have 21% of all cases in Quebec come from schools in Ontario 7% They have half they have a million fewer students We are doing something incredible in this program because of government because of our teachers because of our public health leaders And yes, we will continue as the premier has made clear build up our plan Make sure it leads the nation it keeps every student and every staff safe and on turn The next question a member for a topical Lakeshore, thank you mr. Speaker and mr. Speaker over the years I have heard countless individuals Talking about businesses considering Ontario as a place to invest and create jobs Unfortunately for the longest time they would end up going somewhere else dear to the high commercial and industrial electricity prices The source of the problem was high cost of contracts from electricity from wind solar and bioenergy Entered into by the previous government for electricity Ontario doesn't need at a price employers could not afford back in 2017 Jocelyn Bamford of automatic coding limited said In Toronto, I'm paying 19 cents a kilowatt hour and with electricity being a third highest expense when you look at the bottom line It's very difficult to compete According to the Fraser Institute Ontario soaring electricity costs led to nearly 75,000 manufacturing jobs losses since the end of the 2008 recession While this was a major issue before questions It would be even more significant obstacle if the entire world focuses on recovering from the pandemic Premier what has the government done to help provide much needed private financial relief and stability for businesses regarding hydro costs? Thank you the Premier to respond The outstanding member from a topical Lakeshore doing an incredible job The member is a hundred percent correct. I heard the same message from businesses considering Ontario as A place to open up but under the previous government under the NDP prices increased from 2008 to 2019 118 percent. I know the leader of the opposition thinks it's funny that that we increase Prices of electricity order for businesses, but I'll tell you the businesses don't think it's funny We're fixing the mess that we inherited from the previous governments. Mr. Speaker We're removing the cost that will help industrial and commercial employers save about 14 to 16 percent Respectively on the average electricity bills Ontario will go from the least competitive electricity prices to prices that are more competitive Than the US average who were competing against day in and day out. We're finally finally after 15 years fixing the electricity rate Thank you very much Thank you, Speaker My supplemental question is back to the Premier and it's time to get those jobs back to Ontario and Premier along with members of This government we are proud of the measures that we have taken since coming to office to help address this crisis We repealed the Green Energy Act in order to stop the abuses We wound down unneeded energy contracts saving ratepayers of this province 790 million dollars Thanks to our new policy this will provide even more savings and supports for many of my constituents and constituents from across Ontario One of the examples of an automotive parts manufacturer in my riding could save $31,800 per month or nearly $382,000 annually that's a lot of money as a result of our Comprehensive plan Ontario will go from being one of the least competitive Jurisdictions for the cost of lection to the most competitive better than the US average and most great late states We compete with for manufacturing commercial jobs Speaker can the Premier please share with us the reaction What has the reaction been to our proposed hydro supports from businesses and thank you very much and Premier to Member I remember what the member from Essex had to say back in 2017 stating this is his quote Imagine if we thought about using hydro as a strategic investment to incentivize Economic development in our communities. Wouldn't that be great? our member from Oshawa or the or the member not our member it will be our member in 2022 Oshawa who warned in 2015 quote order manufacturing and auto sector jobs will disappear with a rising cost of Electricity well, haven't we turned that around we have all the auto manufacturers here just absolutely booming right now And I want to close by quoting from Flavio Volpe president of the Auto Parts Manufacturing Association Here's what he had to say quote this would save some of our members a half a million dollars a year But it's not just the savings for our members. It's about attracting new businesses here Thank you very much the next question Thank you speaker The phone goes off and we have to move on the member for Toronto Danforth Thank you speaker speaker my question to the Premier The report this morning from Ontario's auditor general on this government's lack of action on the environment is scathing The report shows this government and this Premier are failing to follow its own environmental laws. They're avoiding transparency They're missing their own targets to reduce emissions and they're failing to protect the environment clean water Clean air for Ontarians are at risk The auditor general doesn't mince any word speaker. She said quote. It's concerning for us to report on the environment and industries non-compliance Why does who does this government believe will benefit from the destruction of the environment? Well, thanks very much mr. Speaker and the member opposite for that question and you know I read the other generals report this morning. I thank you very much For her work and work for all Ontarians as she continues throughout her years of service here to produce these reports Maybe the member opposite was skimming through the pages or reading Some blogs, but if you actually read the report the auditor general does state that there were no Non-compliance issues with regards to the EBR. We met the timelines for posting on the EBR Mr. Speaker and With respect to the water Ontario's the highest water Regulations in the entire country mr. Speaker and of the half a million tests done Through residents throughout the entire province 99.9 percent of those tests met the standard set by the province Ontario We're proud of our action on water in this province response Continue or not to work through our agencies like aqua to ensure that miscellaneous are able to run Their water systems appropriately and I just want to thank aqua for getting up up into Not a songa excuse me for that Thank you very much Again to the premier No minister who's read that report can be proud of the work that they're doing non non Report says there simply aren't enough staff in the environment ministry to do the work necessary to protect the environment for Ontarians After the previous government took little to no action This government has cut so much that work simply isn't being done reports clear The government doesn't even know if it's protecting endangered species. They can't take care of park planning and Protected lands that are supposed to be in place to preserve our pristine natural beauty are being ripped apart for a quick buck It's no surprise that the government that waivers on climate change as to whether or not it's really happening Is not committed to the protection of the environment, but that's no excuse Why is the government failing Ontarians when it needs to be protecting our air our water and our climate? The environment reply well, thanks again for that question mr. Speaker. There's so much to unpack from that statement You know where to start mr. Speaker. We have Environment plan that we brought forward in 2018 to protect our land air and water. We have made important initiatives going forward. We've moved to Missions testing on heavy-duty vehicles. We have our EPS and mission performance standards approved by the federal government We moving forward so that Ontario has an Ontario plan to reduce the emissions in our industrial sector while remaining competitive mr. Speaker The budget that's proposed this legislation if the member opposite supports it 20 million dollars be going to work with Organizations like Nature Conservancy Canada to protect and preserve more land not not since the the days of Premier Mike Harris has land Been protected he's wrote this province that we will be protecting here mr. Speaker Prince Edward County We're in my position come to order that we're looking at a response Reservation reserve mr. Speaker the government previous supported by the NDP did nothing with regards protecting lands for this government We're doing that we're only two years in just watch us go All right the next question remember for or land Good morning, mr. Speaker, and thank you my questions for the Premier Premier on October 15th about a month ago after reports of flu vaccine shortages The minister stood up in this house and did a number of media interviews and said that there were no shortages in Pharmacies across Ontario this morning at 8 30 o'clock 8 30 this morning There is not a single shoppers drug mart in Orleans that has flu shot availability mr. Speaker Rexall's website reads and I quote Unfortunately flu appointments have been canceled due to the province-wide supply issues and this morning mr. Speaker There's at least a one-week's wait for a flu vaccination appointment with Ottawa Public Health We're now six or seven weeks into the flu campaign campaign. Can the speaker explain why? His flu campaign the centerpiece of the COVID-19 response plan had no prioritization for seniors and why people with serious heart disease heart disease and diabetes are still waiting to Get their flu shot The speaker can't explain but perhaps the Minister of Health can In fact this has been the largest flu campaign in Ontario's history It was one of the central tenets of our fall preparedness plan And I thank the people of Ontario for coming forward to protect their own health the health of their families and their co-workers friends This is really important that we've spent over 70 million dollars. We ordered over five million flu doses Generally speaking at this time of the year there have been over about 500,000 flu shots administered through pharmacies this year over 1.4 million doses so we are continuing to roll out this plan We have had conversations with both the federal minister minister. Hi, do I've spoken with her about obtaining more vaccines from the federal reserve as well as with private manufacturers and I could advise that as of yesterday We have received a shipment of another a hundred twenty two thousand doses from synovia And the supplementary question Thank You mr. Speaker. I appreciate that but the question was about prioritizing people with heart conditions and diabetes There hasn't been much good news coming out of the provincial government lately, mr. Speaker But there is finally good news about a COVID-19 vaccine Thankfully the federal liberal government has taken a leadership role in procuring millions and millions of doses Of vaccine for Canadians more or more than we'll ever need More than we'll ever stop the clock Okay, remember for early and has the floor he has every right to ask his question Without interruption the house will come door Restart the clock remember for early on I apologize for the interruption mr. Speaker throughout the process the federal liberal government has been transparent about its strategy to procure the COVID-19 Vaccine on the other hand mr. Speaker here in Ontario the people of Ontario and this legislature still don't know How the province is going to distribute the flu of the COVID-19 vaccine to Ontarians and what the priority is going to be So mr. Speaker can the Premier or the Minister of Health confirm how many doses of COVID-19? We expect here in Ontario and what the plan will be and what the prioritization will be to get those into the arms of Ontarians Minister of Health In fact just first of all with respect to the flu vaccine We did prioritize people in long-term care homes people in hospitals People living in congregate settings because we know that they are most vulnerable and they need to be protected similarly we will do the same with respect to the COVID vaccine when it becomes available We are expecting that we will receive shipments from both Pfizer and Moderna We they are significant issues with respect to the Pfizer vaccine in particular It needs to be stored at minus 75 degrees celsius and Moderna minus 20 the doses for Canada We expect to receive four million doses between january and march of the Pfizer vaccine two million for Moderna Of which we anticipate that we will receive 1,600,000 of Pfizer and 800,000 of Moderna people do have to be received to vote two doses 21 days apart This is a major logistical challenge But we have an entire group within the ministry of health right now that are planning for that So as soon as we receive those shipments from the federal government Thank you very much The next question the member for haulderman norfolk Thank you speaker my questions for the minister of natural resources and forestry As we know last week's budget announced billions of dollars for various industries and businesses In the early days of cova 19 the province identified Essential workplaces that need to remain open Among those were the mills the processing facilities of ontario's forestry industry While we stayed home Ontario's forestry industry and the men and women that work in that industry kept on working to make sure We had the materials we need like Personal protective equipment for example to keep us safe With that being said speaker Many businesses experienced added costs that came with keeping their facilities open Through you to the minister speaker What is the government doing to ensure that our forestry sector is getting the support it needs to keep workplaces Safe throughout this pandemic. Thank you, minister of natural resources and forestry to respond. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member from haulderman norfolk for his great question as well And this government sees the forest industry as a priority industry In fact, we were the first to declare an essential Industry when the pandemic hit So we were helping companies with some with some of the added costs Associated with keeping their places clean and safe We've worked with the federal government to secure 5.3 million dollars through the forest sector safety measures fund announced in last week's budget This fund will ensure funding will go to eligible participants That operate small to medium-sized forestry companies in Ontario that have incurred at least $1,000 in eligible costs like PPE Additional cleaning and other related costs between April 1st 2020 and february 1st 2021 speaker the health and well-being of ontarians Is the number one priority of this government and that's why we're giving support to address these added costs While keeping our forestry workers safe while they remain on the job to provide much needed products for everyone in ontario And the supplementary question Thank you speaker and uh, thank you minister for that response and I think it's fantastic To see this government supporting ontario's forestry sector with these critical funds Our forestry sector is a key part of ontario's economy It is essential and it's keeping our province functioning during this global pandemic I see it firsthand in southern ontario across My riding in haulderman norfolk. I think of towns and lumber Arnold Hansen and suns a porter lumber have operated for years Just down the road from my farm And companies like this contribute to our economy They provide good playing jobs certainly people in my riding and communities right across right across the province Speaker can the minister tell this house just how important the sector is To the livelihoods of people in ontario and to our economy Mr. Natural resources and forestry Thank you very much and thanks to the member for that supplemental question And it's it's always a pleasure to speak in this house about the importance of the forestry sector here in the province of Ontario It was one of the foundational bedrock industries in the opening of this province The vital role that forestry sector plays has been especially evident during the covet 19 pandemic The industry has a huge role to play in providing essential forest products for hygiene medical supplies food packing shipping materials This sector is critical to the provincial economy, especially in indigenous northern and rural communities I come from one of those communities. So I understand absolutely just how important it is It generates over 18 billion dollars in revenue supports approximately 147,000 direct and indirect jobs across the province from Toronto to Timmins Speaker this sector is critical to getting through this pandemic They haven't stopped working throughout this pandemic. Our government won't stop working to make sure that they have the supports that they need Next we have the member for Niagara Falls. Thank you, mr. Speaker my questions to the premier Last week using his power under section 22 of the health protection and promotion act the nagger chief medical officer Implemented a regulation that restricted restaurants to only allowing six guests from the same household to a table The following monday this conservative government implemented a regulation further reducing that to a maximum of four people The premier knows that nagger is a tourist destination. We depend on our restaurants and bar industry In fact 13 percent of all jobs in nagger are tied directly to the sector Which doesn't include thousands of spin-off jobs These businesses cannot survive without financial help. The premier holds the power in his hands Will the premier stand up today tell the restaurant and bar owners of nagger that he hears their cries for help And immediately announce emergency funding to ensure they can weather the storm of these mandatory public health restrictions The minister of heritage tourism and culture industries As much I appreciate the member opposite's question obviously on terrorist number one. Canada's number one tourism destination is nagger falls That's why this government has invested so much money into the nagger parks commission 25 million dollar loan early in the pandemic I visited his riding. We were able to open up early a metro links a round trip And we've just announced this government is is allowing 300 million dollars to businesses in hot zones like nagger falls And like my own city of ottawa. I'm pleased that the member opposite is actually raising an issue on tourism He had 30 minutes yesterday in estimates not one peep Did he mention to me about any concerns that he had with respect to nagger falls? In fact, I had to actually call the mayor of nagger falls last night to let him know that this government this party This premier stands for the people of nagger falls The supplementary question My question was to the premier Not the minister, but i'm sure she'll hear some questions today Mr. Speaker again to the premier restaurants and bars are reaching out to elected officials for their help And i'm echoing their voice in this house to the premier directly directly When we hear about the regulations from the region myself my fellow NDP MPPs and nagger immediately wrote to the premier asking for emergency financial help for these businesses They don't want to close But they want to be open serving their guests and our tourists But if they're going to close then the premier has an obligation to make sure they don't close permanently and drown in debt And I want the minister to hear this or she'll hear about it me today We're waiting five days for a response. Mr. Speaker from the premier Five days too many Speaker will the premier answer that letter right now And look into the camera and tell the restaurant and bars of nagger that help is on the way Tell them that he'll be using his powers today to help them survive Thank you. Thank you Thank you minister replied Speaker yesterday the members opposite had an opportunity for 30 minutes to talk about tourism They refused to order the word tourism member for nagger falls come door From the number one tourism destination in the entire country and has the first time since this pandemic hit has now just raised an Minister of nagger falls will come to order. I apologize to minister A couple of extra seconds Minister of heritage to reply. Thanks very much speaker now that he's been appointed minister Maybe I could ask him a couple of questions. Why did it take you so long to finally start raising these issues after eight months On to the floor of this house. This government is absolutely committed to working with restaurants canada the ontario restaurant hotel management association To make sure that we are able to proceed after of covet 19 with many of these Institutions within our province We will be continuing to engage in hyper local marketing Through the destination ontario agency Is responsible to me to support these these critical infrastructure across the province including restaurants and again I want to reiterate the minister of finance recently announced 300 million dollars to support businesses just like this Thank you speaker for the opportunity The next question remember for glenn gary prescott russell Thank you, mr. Speaker my question goes to the premier He says he's bearing no expenses. He said he'd build an iron ring around long-term care homes He says he'll follow medical advice. My question is very simple. Why hasn't he? Minister of health to reply He has The premier has indicated since the very beginning of ontario have been and will be our most important priority And he has been listening to the science and the clinical evidence He's been following the advice that's been given by dr Williams by the public health measures table by public health ontario And all of the people in behind that because there are dozens of physicians That are supplying advice and recommendations through those bodies That is what we are making our decisions based on and that is what we will continue to decide upon because those are the most important issues And those are the people that are on the ground that know that's what's actually happening out there We always said we would listen to them and we always will do that In the supplementary question Thank you, mr. Speaker the minister of health tweets out the new and rising number of covet 19 Cases in ontario yet never included in those communications is the number of deaths Related to covet 19 Instead it is left up to reporters to ensure that information is shared on that important platform My question is again very simple. Why is the minister not communicating this vital information in her daily reports? minister of health This information is provided on the daily information available on our covet website The all of the information that people want to know about the number of cases the incidence rate Sadly the number of deaths that is not something that I believe is Tweetable. I have respect for the people who have passed away respect for their families That is information that people can obtain, but I don't think it's a matter that we should be tweeting about The next question the member for mississauga malton Thank you, mr. Speaker My question is to the president of treasury board in my writing of mississauga malton the covet 19 pandemic has revealed that ontarius programs And frontline services need to be more convenient reliable and accessible Recently the province announced a bold plan ontario onwards ontarius covet 19 action plan for a people focused government to make government work More effectively for the people of ontario Mr. Speaker, this is a welcome news a simpler better and faster service are always important more so during this pandemic I'm very excited to be part of a team that make government services more digital Digitally accessible reduce rat tape and simplify policies for all ontarians Through you mr. Speaker could the minister please tell the house and all ontarians About these exciting and critical advancements in our public services. Thank you mr. Speaker The treasury board for blood Well, thank you mr. Speaker, and I'd like to thank the member for mississauga malton for the excellent question With more and more people accessing digital services Mr. Speaker, we can't afford to be an offline government in an online world The government is listening to ontarians and exploring how programs and services can be improved We've worked hard to create a better experience for the people of ontario Now while this work proceeded the pandemic Covid 19 meant we had to accelerate and innovate our approach to moving ontario onwards Mr. Speaker in ontario's 2020 budget our government launched the 500 million dollar ontario acceleration fund The fund will reinvest in public services and will accelerate transformation across government. Mr. Speaker We are modernizing the entire government mr. Speaker. We are moving ontario onwards. Thank you very much the supplementary question Thank you, minister. It is great to hear how the government of ontario is improving the way stakeholders interact with the government I know the people and the business in my writing will be thrilled to hear that government is prioritizing programs and services That will impact their day-to-day life Mr. Speaker I'm sure the acceleration fund will encourage an x-ray transformation across government by supporting innovating ideas and providing Opportunities to pilot these new technologies to the thinkers to the innovators from mr. Saga Malton I'm here to say we are looking forward to your calls. We are excited to help and we're excited to serve Through you mr. Speaker can the president of treasury board Tell the house about the people of How the people of ontario will get help from this acceleration fund. Thank you mr. Speaker President the treasury board Thank you mr. Speaker and again, I'd like to thank the member for this important question The world has changed mr. Speaker and the government must change with it The new ontario onwards acceleration fund will help the implementation of projects That will make a difference in how people and businesses experience services in ontario One of the plans signature project is a digital identity wallet This will allow people to safely and securely keep digital versions of physical ideas on their devices A small business owner mr. Speaker can register for licenses and permits and open accounts online Ontario farmers could choose to renew a farm vehicle online Mr. Speaker we are expanding the range of programs and services available online Simplifying the government's role in people's lives and their businesses And putting the bonds mr. Speaker at the center of everything we do. Thank you Mr. Speaker and my question is for the premier my private members bill bill 83 a day of remembrance and action on islamophobia past second reading unanimously in april 2019 Many government MPPs including the now minister of education and the government whip spoke wholeheartedly in favor of that bill But now the premier is planning to give a notorious islamophobe The right to grant university degrees and write And write islamophobic curriculum that will warp the world view of every student exposed to it The massacres of muslims in mosques in both kubeck city and christ church new zealand were influenced by islamophobic mischaracterization of islam and muslims Scheduled to of bill 20 2013 amounts to an attack on muslim communities across ontario Will the premier delete it from the bill? Thank you Thank you, uh, mr. Speaker and you know further to the premier's comments yesterday Let me add this there's absolutely no place for islamophobia or homophobia for that matter in this province But where there is an absolute place in this province, then there always will be in this country Is upholding the rule of law upholding the charter of human rights and freedoms that require equality That it require all forms of equality to be maintained under the principles of fundamental justice procedural fairness Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure what the members opposite don't understand. Mr. Speaker through you It seems to me either a they just want to play politics. They want to mislead the public or Can ask the ministry to withdraws on parliamentary comment I'm happy to withdraw. Mr. Speaker But I must say I really don't know what it is that thereafter At the end of the day, they understand clearly that there is a quality They must appreciate that fairness is important. Mr. Speaker. I trust they do actually appreciate supplementary question Thank you speaker And no, it's not about procedural fairness The bill actually seeks to subvert the usual arms length process and procedural fairness If the premier cares about procedural fairness, he will remove schedule two from the bill Charles McVidi is also notoriously homophobic and transphobic the baseless Vitriol he has spewed towards queer people is likely to appear in the curriculum He will develop for these university degrees. He wants to give Speaker, I am the proud mother of a gloriously wonderful trans daughter I couldn't be prouder of her I am also terrified of the consequences of transphobic attitudes and the pain and violence To which they sometimes lead and I know that other parents friends and families of trans ontarians feel the same way This is trans awareness week on this week of all weeks How can the premier tell trans ontarians their families and loved ones that he is legislating more Transphobia into the province. Will the premier delete schedule? Members, I'd please take your seat Mr. Colleges and universities to respond Thank you, mr. Speaker and there it was right at the beginning of the of the I guess it was an answer That that was it. That's the critical point the opposition both the liberals and the NDP continually ask us to interfere with the rules They continually ask us to interfere with procedural fairness. They continually ask us to somehow restrict the rules There is no basis to interfere with the process, mr. Speaker The process is set for a reason because opposition come toward I heard the leader Of the opposition say in her first question of the day. She commented on transparency She talked about what why we why why we wouldn't want transparency. This is the most transparent thing that could exist This is the most procedurally fair process that can't exist. Mr. Speaker This school applies order directly to an independent opposition order response with no ministerial involvement whatsoever And we've put it in legislation so that it could be openly debated in a transparent and accountable way There is no clearer way. Mr. Speaker Order the next question the member for Cambridge very much, mr. Speaker My question is for the attorney general Two days ago elections. Canada sent a communication stating that they do not use Dominion voting systems for federal general elections Adding they use paper ballots counts by hand in front of scrutineers But the 2018 Ontario election saw dominion voting machines used in 50 percent of polling locations Prior to the 2018 election the ontario pc party wrote to elections Ontario with concerns Regarding whether the machines were protected from hacking and about the certification process Canada minister tell us whether these concerns have been alleviated And if he knows whether elections Ontario plans to replace counting ballots by hand with dominion machines in all polling locations for the 2022 election The parliamentary assistant and member for Durham to reply. Thank you speaker We're proud of the robust election system Independent election system we have in the province of ontario And and we would not interfere with that process as the government in power I encourage the the member opposite to continue to draw any Concerns she has to elections ontario an independent body So that they can properly address them Supplementary question Mr. Speaker machines and elections not just from dominion have been reported in the canadian media as having issues with quote-unquote glitches The 2014 election in New Brunswick saw results stop for 90 minutes due to a computer program Melfunctioning in 2018 online voting system used in 51 of the 194 ontario municipalities Experienced problems that delayed voting in 2020 the conservative party of canada for their leadership used machines That ended up chewing up thousands of ballots that had to be recreated in order to be fed into the dominion voting machines My question if voting machines that replace people to count and scrutinize Sometimes experience glitches that make voters uncomfortable. Do the benefits in using machines really outweigh the costs? The member for Durham to reply. Thank you speaker any allegations of Fraud in an elections process We take very seriously and I know elections ontario takes very seriously. They are an independent body It's appropriate that any concerns you have be drawn to elections ontario. That's the proper process. Thank you speaker Thank you speaker my questions for the premier I'm going to keep it brief in the interest of getting my friend from hamilton east doni creek also on the agenda today As the province's seniors critic I'm very well aware speaker that seniors need flu vaccines in this moment and as of november 12th There are no flu vaccines in our city. We currently do not have supply to meet even half of ontario's seniors We would lick we would like an explanation from this government about why it's so massively underordered during a pandemic High dose flu vaccines for seniors Mr. Health to apply Well, I thank the member very much for the question And in fact, we did order over a million doses more this year than last year We have had a very very successful flu campaign as I indicated earlier I'm very happy that the people of ontario are taking this seriously to do whatever they can To take care of their own health health of their children and their families and and friends We did prioritize our flu vaccines when they first came in to our seniors in long-term care homes in Retirement homes other places of congregate living people in hospitals and so on We ordered more of the high dose flu vaccines again this year than last year But we because it's been so successful. We are ordering more and as I indicated earlier We are just receiving another 142,000 doses through synovia We're looking at other global manufacturers and we have requested further flu vaccines from the federal government from their From their available That's your question Thanks speaker There are 4.6 million seniors in ontario. We normally want a utilization rate of 70 Half that dose minister does not does not get us there Practitioner in our writing dr. Elikan abdulla speaker has a thousand seniors in his practice Guess how many high dose vaccines he has for them speaker 30 What is dr. Abdullah supposed to do hold a raffle for the 30 high dose vaccines those 1000 seniors need minister You need to do much better. We need to double quintuple sex tuple the amount of orders you people need these vaccines What can you tell seniors today about getting these flu vaccines now Mr. Caller, thank you Well, what I can tell you is that these flu vaccines have to be ordered almost a year before they're required We anticipated an increase in dosages this year from last year long before kovat 19 ever came along So we ordered over 5 million doses. We've received 5 million doses We know that people want to receive more and we are working around the clock to find more Both through the federal government's vaccine pandemic warehouse, but also we've received the 142 000 doses From synophy and we are working with other manufacturers to get more doses in as soon as possible because we know That more people want to receive them. So we are doing our best to receive them We are searching literally around the world to get them and we will get them in as we've seen with the recent Delivery by synophy The next question the member for arwa venue Thank you, mr. Speaker. My question is to the minister of environment conservation and parks The conservation authorities act gives municipal councils the power to appoint all members of the conservation authority for the watershed In which they are located in bill 229 However, the government requires members appointed by municipal councils to be elected representatives In other words city councillors will be forced to nominate themselves to the conservation authority If councillors wanted to appoint themselves to conservation authorities They could have done so already and they probably have good reasons not to do so So why does this government believe it is necessary to once again Interfere in the affairs of municipalities and force Municipal councillors to appoint themselves to conservation authorities something they obviously have no desire to do First pond the minister of the environment Thanks very much, uh, mr. Speaker and for that question from the member opposite You know last year we began a consultation process with regards to conservation authorities I met personally with almost every conservation authority in in ontario here in toronto If if I wasn't there my pa was there or some of my staff Following that we crossed the province having broad consultations with so many different stakeholders Mr. Speaker we had tables where landowners were sitting beside conservation authority beside municipal councillors We had three four of them across the province over 500 people Approximately attended almost every event and we took in a lot of online submissions for conservation Mr. Authority and and one of the The main issues that came forward was accountability In transparency with regards to conservation authorities and one of these moves we're doing forward to ensure that those Elected members of council will sit on the conservation authority To ensure there's fiscal responsibility, but also responsibility for the environment within excuse me Their municipalities mr. Speaker public members can still participate in conservation authorities. We hope they set up a public Thank you very much Thank you, mr. Speaker bill 229 also modifies the conservation authorities act to give the minister greater power to overrule permit decisions made by conservation Conservation authorities in ontario diminishing their power to protect ontario's watershed and wetlands again I recognize the importance of working with municipalities and developers to help move development development forwards However, the environment cannot take a backseat to the economy. The two must go hand in hand conservation authorities were created with the explicit task of conserving restoring developing and managing the natural resources In ontario's watershed and they've been doing that very effectively in this house However, yesterday to a question asked by the member for guelph the government said that the proposed changes to the conservation authorities Act would protect the environment question by centralizing power in the ends of the government Can the minister please explain how by passing and overriding those tasks could managing our water shed in a sustainable manner Could possibly help them achieve their purpose The government house leader will withdraw his unparliamentary mark Up and clearly state I withdraw Mr. The environment For that question, and I'll just correct the member mr. Speaker What was missing in the conservation authorities was any amount of appeal in the process their word and that was the end of the road They could go to the land tribunal, but that took time. So we're instituting an appeal mechanism With regards to alpat mr. Speaker so that it can get a second View because consistency was what was missing throughout the province of ontario Some conservation authorities were going beyond what was the rules and regulations of the promises instituting their own rules Which mr. Speaker wasn't correct So what we've allowed also and the minister of natural resources and forestry on Provincially significant land can in fact issue a permit But he has to follow the same rules of section 28 that conservation authorities have to follow and our scientists here at the legislature We'll be looking at that Mr. Speaker for member opposite is asking if we will remove the protections that were in place to ensure that their leader Got a free pass to build a pool to avoid the rules the conservation authority. We're not going to let that happen, mr. Speaker We're going to end those. Thank you. Thank you The house will come to order The next question Thank you, speaker My question is for the minister of heritage sports tourism culture as a critic for the official opposition in sports and tourism It's my job to hold the government to account If I can't receive a proper response from the minister then the government is doing a disservice to the people of ontario Since february prior to the march lockdown I've been working with various provincial sports organizations who are looking for answers Over the past nine months. I've sent many official letters to the minister addressing the concerns of the sports community and have not received One single response. I've brought some of these letters along with me today lots of them And I have a copy a detailed copy report, which I submitted to the minister In april haven't heard a word A large member can't work use props. Please your question I asked the minister and her office refused to respond to any of my inquiries Has she been asked not to respond and uh, the host leader stands up every day in this house and says we want to cooperate with you I don't think so minister of heritage sport tourism and culture industry Speaker i'm going to be brief so the minister the member opposite can have his supplemental He doesn't get a lot of chances over there and I really respect the member opposite So I'll respond to his answers today. We'll chat after question period. I'll ask my correspondence unit That why why there's been a delay? We've been working extremely hard in sport to make sure that we can get children back Into play. We've been flowing lots of money over 28 million dollars to high performance and amateur athletes And i'm looking forward to estimates today where I do hope the the word sports is actually uttered by the official opposition supplementary question Well interesting answer not Stakeholders in the tourism industry has also asked for my assistance on getting a response from the minister Most recently michael wood From ottawa special events Spoke with me along with more than 25 other political representatives at all levels of government about the serious problems facing the tourism industry If federal leaders like minister catherine mackenna minister mona forte are able to set aside time to speak with people like michael Why has the minister in charge of his industry not been able to offer the same level of support and open communication in her own city This portfolio represents billions in revenues and hundreds of thousands of Ontario jobs Should there not be some accountability and how it is being managed at this point? It feels like i'm just rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic Minister to reply The member opposite if he's been following the portfolio would recognize that I had not one not two not three But 12 telephone town halls across the province spent 11 weeks on tour across Ontario safely traveling and exploring Experiencing places just like his hometown of Hamilton where I was there to announce money for the Hamilton art gallery Speaker I've also appeared before the standing committee on finance and economic affairs not once but twice And yesterday I spent an hour in estimates and I'll spend some more time Where the the members opposite were not able to utter the words tourism or sport Which was very member for Hamilton East Tony creek Come on more than accessible. I've had a telephone town hall with the premier with my sectors with the finance minister I've had the minister of associate minister of small business actually attend a consultation with me in my own community I don't think that there's been a member of this assembly who's consulted more widely and broadly across this province during this pandemic than my Thank you Member for Hamilton East Tony creek will withdraw on the parliamentary remarks Okay, I withdraw the baloney part Stand in his place and withdraw without call draw speaker