 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of His Majesty's loyal opposition. Good morning, Speaker. This question is for the Premier. After five years of conservative rule, our schools and our students are struggling more than ever. Over-crowded classrooms, fewer in-school supports, and a school repair backlog that gets bigger and bigger every year. Now after three years of start and stop learning disruptions, this government has tabled a learning package that fails Ontario kids yet again. It won't stop pending layoffs and it won't give students the extra support they need to graduate as skilled and engaged citizens. Speaker, to the Premier, why should families believe this government's promises on education when they've continually shown just how out of touch they are? To respond, the Minister of Education. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Continuing to invest in publicly funded schools, $693 million for the coming school year. Mr Speaker, a 10% increase in funding to school boards over the last four years. The member opposite speaks about staffing, then she should ask the question to her caucus why they oppose every single hire 8,000 additional education workers and teachers in our publicly funded schools because our Premier and our government has invested in what matters most. An additional 1,000 educators to promote literacy and math. An additional 1,000 teachers to help with the D-Stream courses and the opposition have already asserted that they will vote against that investment. We also brought forth legislation to improve better schools and better outcomes. I will note the members opposite have yet to disclose one substantive concern with the legislation. The first overhaul of the Education Act in a generation. You think the members opposite would find an opportunity for the government to improve outcomes accountability. Thank you very much. The supplementary question. Speaker, this government likes to say it's going back to basics like math, but that's a little ironic because their math here just does not add up. The reality is when adjusted to inflation education funding has plummeted $1,200 per year since this government first took office. So again to the Premier when will this government stop short changing students restore funding and get kids the support they need to succeed. Minister of Education Let's hear from the Canadian Foundation for Economic Education what they had to say opposed to the rhetoric for the members opposite. We commend the province of Ontario for this initiative that will help to ensure young students can build successful careers. Alicia Smith from Dysartic Canada Dysartic Canada sees today's funding announcement as a positive and necessary step that will help Ontario's school board shift their practices. The head of the community literacy of Ontario said the changes the Ministry of Education is making to the current school system directly addresses literacy, aims to support children building their critical skills. The head of the Ontario Catholic Trustees Association say today's announcement of significant additional resources of improved student math and literacy skills are welcomed and very much appreciated. The head of the Ontario Federation of Home and Schools Association says these additional supports is the fundamental areas of math and literacy will get students back on track with the need to be. Mr. Speaker we are investing more and we are expecting more for Ontario's publicly funded school system. I ask members opposite to support this bill to expect better for Ontario children, lift standards lift the ambitions and the outcomes for kids in Ontario. The final supplementary. Speaker they are patting themselves on the back while they are letting kids and their families down. It has been five years, five years time to take some responsibility. Teachers, education workers parents, they do not have faith that this government will fix the crisis in our education system because they all know that there are four fewer high school teachers per thousand students now than there were five years ago even with your additions. I'd like to encourage this government to do the math. That is a net reduction in teacher-student ratio. Not to mention the planned upcoming layoffs of thousands, thousands of education workers. Speaker to the premier, is this the legacy you want to leave Ontario? Minister of Education. It's ironic and EP math. There are fewer students and more staff. 8,000 more in Ontario schools and yet somehow the opposition with a straight face could declare there's less going in the publicly funded school system. Mr. Speaker we increase staff by 8,000 more front-line workers. EAs, ECEs and teachers in the school system. We just announced an additional 2,000 front-line teachers focus on what matters most boosting reading, writing and math. We introduce legislation to get back to the focus. Mr. Speaker, I notice that some of the members from the Leader of the Opposition caucus, when they were trustees called for the very provisions in the bill today. The member from London West in the former chair of Thames Valley called for school boards to have established a minimum code of conduct for treason. She called the minister to do that. She called on the board of trustees to approve a multi- or strategic plan. She called on school boards to report annually to the public. She called on us to undertake more work. She called on us to review exactly what the bill does instead of your ideological opposition to progress and to change. Vote for this bill. Stop the clock. Government side come to order. Order. Restart the clock. The next question. The Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. This question is for the Premier. Yesterday the Minister for Infrastructure told Ontarians that it was, and I quote, much more expensive to repair the building than it would be to just tear it all down. Much more expensive than tearing it down, refurbishing the pods, building a whole new building, and then moving all of those jobs out of Flemington Park next to the Premier's new elite private spa. But when she was asked how much more expensive she couldn't or wouldn't say. So, Speaker, I would like to offer the Premier a chance. How much will it cost to remove the Ontario Science Centre from its property in Flemington Park? To reply, the Minister of Interestructure. Mr. Speaker, I was correct but what our government is doing is saving the Science Centre. That's right. It's a new home at Ontario Place which will be redeveloped so that families can enjoy. Now I wonder what the member office that was doing for years when they let Ontario Place and the Science Centre deteriorate lack of investment. Mr. Speaker, we will invest in the Science Centre and we will invest in Ontario Place. Exactly. The supplementary question. Well, I guess we will find out the real cost in 2028, Speaker. The Minister also referred to a business case for this whole scheme. Well, considering that there has been exactly zero consultation with local communities, no transparency as to how this whole plan came together and with this government's very dubious track record when it comes to land deals, it comes on the Minister to show her work. So, Speaker, back to the Premier. When will you show Ontario the evidence that this scheme is actually in the public interest? Mr. Speaker, we did show our work just two days ago with the Premier and the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport where we presented the holistic vision for Ontario Place. Mr. Speaker, we are investing in site servicing in order to prep the site for our brand which will be Thurmay Live Nation and, of course, the Science Centre. But Mr. Speaker, those members over there have let Ontario Place deteriorate. It is flooded, it is eroding, it is not. It is this government that is investing in the Science Centre and investing in Ontario Place to make it a wonderful place for families to enjoy for generations to come. It's going to be great. Members of Ontario, please come to order. Supplementary. Speaker, companies controlled by the DeGasparis family, long-time Conservative Party insiders bought 60 acres of land next to the current Science Centre less than a month before this government announced there would be a subway stop there called Science... By the way, that subway stop it's called Science Centre Station. I guess they're going to have to find it, Speaker. These are the same developers connected to the Costley Highway 413 project who hosted the premier in an elite NHL suite in Florida, benefited from this government's green belt tear-up and own the historic foundry site, Bulldozed for a parking lot. Speaker, back to the premier, what role did Conservative connected developers have in this decision? Official opposition, come to order. To apply the government House seat. Let me just get this straight. The leader of the opposition's main concern is that we might have to change the name of the brand new subway station that we're building across the $30 billion infrastructure program to bring subways to the city of Toronto in an area that is being redeveloped that is saving the Science Centre, bringing tourists back to Ontario place that they allowed to destroy in cooperation with the NDP and the number one concern that the leader of the opposition has is we might have to change the name of that subway stop. That's it. Opposition of victory. We'll change the name of the subway stop. We can resume. The next question. The member of Parkdale High Park. Thank you speaker. My question is to the premier. Without any consultation, Premier Ford announced plans to tear down the current Ontario Science Centre building and build a smaller new building at Ontario place where large parts of the site are also being privatized with no consultation or transparency. The Ontario Science Centre is an important architectural landmark in the cities of Thorncliffe and Flemingdon Park. Tearing it down is a bad idea. The premier says that the plan is to build housing on the site. Has the public lands where Ontario Science Centre sits land that belongs to the city of Toronto already been promised to a developer? If so, who? Speaker, our government made a commitment to the great people of Ontario that we would bring the transit system up to Thorncliffe Park, which I know will truly benefit the community as it will others as well. We have a wonderful opportunity before us. We have a wonderful asset at the waterfront that is not being utilized, that is not enjoyed by the public. They close the doors in 2012. We will open the doors of the family. The minister of infrastructure had said multiple times that an environmental assessment is underway at Ontario Place, but failed to mention that the assessment doesn't include the site of the private Austrian spa because the government weakened the environmental assessment act. The project involves cutting down 850 trees and destroying habitat where beavers, minks, foxes and endangered birds live. It also plans to attract more than 10,000 guests per day and the assessment of how that will impact transit, traffic or infrastructure, why is your government side stepping its requirement for an environmental assessment for the majority of the redevelopment of Ontario Place? Minister of infrastructure. Thank you very much for the question. We are following all of the processes before us. We are following everything that is required of us by the minister who has been in the house. We are following the city process with the development application of Ontario Place. I love the fact that the members opposite are talking about transit. We are the government that led the way in transit expansion and we will be connecting Ontario Place with public transit with the subway line so that people can have greater access to the site because once again, we are bringing Ontario Place back to life so we can have a wonderful landmark at our waterfront. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Etobicoke Lakeshore. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is for the Premier. Over the coming decade, Ontario is expected to grow by more than 2 million people and many of those people want to call the beautiful riding of Etobicoke Lakeshore home. But as Ontario's population continues to grow, many of the people in Etobicoke have to pace. Now like much of Canada, Ontario is facing a housing crisis that is freezing individuals and families out of the dream of home ownership. With each year that passes, we know that thousands of newcomers to Canada will settle in Ontario who many of them are skilled workers looking to potentially buy or rent a home. Simply put, Ontario needs to build a new home construction. Speaker, can the Premier please explain how our government is taking action to increase the pace of new home construction? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the great member from the state of Etobicoke Lakeshore for that great question. Our government remains committed to delivering on our promise, Mr. Speaker, 1.5 million homes. Folks, you saw StatsCan the last couple of weeks ago. More than 45,000 people landed here in Ontario. That's the fastest-growing region anywhere in North America. We're going to make sure we have homes, we have rental homes. And as you saw, housing starts and the GTA rose by 7.7% last year, the highest level since 2012. And year over year, total housing starts in Ontario are at 4.5%, Mr. Speaker. Rental starts are double what we did last time last year. Because of Bill 23 and what the minister did an incredible job, we're cutting the red tape. We're making sure we get shovels on the ground. We're going to make sure it doesn't take five years for a municipality to issue a permit. We're getting homes built for the newcomers, people that have been here for years. We're going to make sure we have affordable, attainable. Thank you. The supplementary question. I want to thank Mr. Speaker for his response and for your leadership of building a stronger Ontario. More can be done and should be done when it comes to addressing our provinces, housing crisis and affordability crisis that is affecting all regions of Ontario. For too many Ontarians including young people, newcomers and seniors, finding the right home is still too challenging. It is essential that our government and for housing are considered when it comes to building housing to accommodate community and region specific needs. Speaker, can the Premier please explain how our government is promoting collaboration and partnerships in responding to diverse housing needs? The Premier. The question once again, Mr. Speaker, multi-unit construction in Ontario has increased 7.6% since February. We are seeing this continue to grow, the largest increase in the country over any area in the country. We saw 25% increase in condo permits, also the largest increase in the entire country. There is a reason everyone heard this stat and this goes back many years. We have created the conditions of the climate for companies to come here and build. We have more cranes than the LA, New York, Chicago, Washington, Boston combined. We have created the climate. We are cutting the red tape. We are getting shovels in the ground. We are making sure the municipalities are held accountable for the first time ever. Ever they are being held accountable, we are going to make sure we have condos and houses for people that may not be able to afford it. It is very simple that the NDP and Liberals have never understood for decades, it is called supply and demand. Thank you. Good morning, speaker. My question is to the premier. Ontario is allowing mining claims across treaty 9 territory that affect the rights and interests of first nations without their free prior and informed consent. In a recent letter to the ring of fire medals, the Skandiga stated no other government can rewrite history to take away our rights and our homelands. Why is Ontario undermining the Skandiga's rights and interests in their own territories? Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. To the contrary, we are working with the Skandiga First Nation as we are working with First Nations communities across Northern Ontario on various resource projects and on various pieces of legacy infrastructure which will enhance the social, health and economic opportunities that are available to their communities, Mr. Speaker. We take our section 35 responsibilities seriously with respect to the duty consultant, Mr. Speaker. We will continue to engage and work with communities, build consensus to provide an opportunity for a better life for people in indigenous communities across Northern Ontario. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, we are not talking about programs and services or funding. We are talking about rights. Last week, the Chiefs of Ontario made a strong statement against Bill 71, the Building More Minds Act. They named Ontario's lack of meaningful consultation and lack of recognition of crown responsibilities. The Skandiga and other affected nations have not given, again, their free, prior and informed consent to what this government is doing in Treaty 9 territory. Will this premiere cease and desist all exploration activity in the ring of fire until the free, prior informed consent of the Skandiga and other nations has been given? We will continue to talk about rights, Mr. Speaker. We will talk about the rights of young indigenous people to get a good job, to work in land use planning, to work on studies surrounding the ring of fire and across resource projects and legacy infrastructure in Northern Ontario. Mr. Speaker, he quotes F-Pick here. There has been a lot of discussion about it. Fair enough, Mr. Speaker. It is not the law of Ontario. However, we have built consensus with the far north, Mr. Speaker. We continue to work with indigenous communities. It just can't be that one community wants consent and the others want a project to proceed, Mr. Speaker. That begs us to build consensus. That begs us to work with the Skandiga, Webequay First Nations, Martin Falls, IABMATU, Mr. Speaker. Casabonica, name those communities and I will tell you about people who want opportunities, better way of life in their communities including legacy infrastructure, roads, electricity, Mr. Speaker. The next question, the member for Eglinton Lawrence. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. I understand that the minister recently returned from New York where he promoted Ontario's economic interest and showcased the best that Ontario's innovation ecosystem has to offer. As one of Ontario's strongest trading partners, New York is ripe for business opportunities and as one of the world's largest tech centres is also full of firms looking to invest internationally. Speaker, will the minister please share with this legislature an update on his trade mission to New York and what we can expect as a result? Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Speaker, as they say in New York, start spreading the news. Ontario is home to North America's fastest growing tech market. That was the message in New York as we met several companies in the FinTech and Life Sciences sectors with a two-way trade between Ontario and New York valued at $37 billion. There's no shortage of opportunity and with over 300 New York owned firms already operating here in Ontario, there are their natural choice to expand. Now that's why the two companies we met with Cockroach Labs and Globant recently announced new offices in Toronto. Globant alone is creating 200 jobs right here in Toronto and we know that that is only a start for them. Speaker, Ontario has everything that companies from around the world need to succeed because Ontario is open for business. The supplementary question. Thank you again speaker and thank you to the minister for spreading the news and for his answer. Ontario's technology sector is poised to continue leading the digital revolution with homegrown breakthroughs in the life sciences sector occurring daily. For Ontario to capitalize on these successes the world needs to know that Ontario is at the centre of the work that is propelling these fields. That's why trade missions like the minister's mission to New York are critical for this province. Speaker, will the minister please explain what the businesses that he met with had to say about Ontario and its competitive edge. Mr. economic development. Our long list of meetings included companies like Crowdbotics, Fever, ThoughtFocus, JustWorks, Synchron and City Bank. They all agree that Ontario is a global innovation hub. Speaker, we have 26,000 IT firms, over 400,000 IT workers and that's why Ontario leads the country in venture capital investments. Our record breaking $8.4 billion came into Ontario in 2021 alone. That's why our tech sector is growing 350% faster than Silicon Valley. With a highly skilled workforce, world renowned innovation, Ontario continues to be tech's favourite place to be. By reducing the cost of business by $8 billion every year, Ontario is THE jurisdiction for businesses to invest and grow. Thank you speaker, my questions for the Premier. Operating rooms at the Riverside campus of the Ottawa Hospital have been leased to a private for-profit corporation on Saturdays for the last while. The 26 surgeons running this for-profit corporation have been hiring nursing staff from the Ottawa hospital's public OR rooms. Nurses are being offered twice their normal salary. The surgical equipment for this clinic is shipped in from Toronto on the surface. It doesn't seem to make much sense. But it's also never been clear to me is how this for-profit clinic was approved in the first place. Can the Premier clarify if this clinic was given his government's formal approval to operate? Deputy Premier, nice to have you. Speaker, from the very beginning as we put forward an almost billion dollar three-year investment to expand surgical innovation and to deal with surgical backlog the Ottawa hospital under the leadership of CEO Kam Love have been doing exactly what we asked. And I'm going to quote directly from CEO Kam Love. Such concerns raised by the member opposite are unfounded and that the innovative model used by AOAO has resulted in more orthopedic surgeries being completed faster. Speaker, this is about people. This is about 40 people who needed and were waiting for hip and knee surgeries who got that surgery faster as a result of innovation that's happening at the Ottawa hospital. I'm incredibly proud of the partnership that they have been able to manage and work through with AOAO and as we see more of these innovations coming forward we will continue to fund them through a program that Thank you. And the supplementary question, the member for Nicolette. Back to the Premier. We all know, Speaker, that the privatization of orthopedic surgery, the poaching of staff from our public hospital is exactly what this government wants to do with Bill 60. But section 4 of the Ontario Public Hospital Act is very clear. Leasing any space in a public hospital requires the explicit written approval of the Ministry of Health. You can't even put a Tim Horton in a hospital without ministerial approval. The law in Ontario is clear. The Ottawa hospital cannot lease its operating room with written approval of the Minister of Health. I hope the Premier knows that. When will the Premier investigate the apparent breach of Ontario laws by the for-profit corporation leasing operating rooms at the Ottawa hospital? Minister of Health. Speaker, it tells me everything I need to know about the NDP. They worry about process, we're focused on people. We are too long for hip and knee. We need to have that opportunity to get it in their community closer to home and faster. There is no doubt that Ontario leases the Canadian jurisdictions in making sure people have fast access. But we can do better and we are doing better. We're doing that with Bill 60 and with your health because it means that those expansions can happen in non-urgent, regular scheduled surgeries that can happen in community. I'm incredibly proud of the work that we've been able to put through with Bill 60 and if the member opposite would focus on individuals in her writing who are desperate for that surgery to happen soon, she might have a better chance of getting more NDP members. The next question is a member for Ottawa Van Yates. Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health. Meals on Wheels is the largest meal delivering service of its kind in Ottawa. And people with disabilities in great need. This organization is vital in addressing the food security crisis in Ottawa. It should be noted that Meals on Wheels remained open through the entire pandemic, the terrible weather events in Ottawa and the truck convoy. Yet because of this 2% increase they are receiving from the province which is totally out of touch with inflation is certainly not the very substantial increase that the minister described. The price of meals of their clients is not double, triple but it's now four times more expensive. Speaker the minister said yesterday that organizations like Meals on Wheels have endorsed a government investment but surely that cannot mean that they consider it sufficient otherwise why are they writing to us? So my question is how can the government justify such a limited increase despite food cost increasing by over 10% in the recent budget? There was a substantial increase to the home and community care service sector. Why? Because as we understand that we build up hospitals we build up long term care facilities we also have to build up our home and community care sector which is why the investments have been made $560 million is going to make a difference to organizations such as Meals on Wheels because we understand that they are doing exceptional work so our individuals who are recovering from surgeries get that support in their home and are not then needing more complex care in hospitals or long term care. We'll make those investments and I hope when you look at that line item in the budget you say that this is important for the City of Ottawa and we will be supporting it. Thank you. A supplementary question? I don't see the impact of those investments but I want to turn about this government's action directly contributing to the erosion of our food security and increasing costs for families struggling to make ends meet. Insufficient funding to help our community organization is one thing but adding to that the paving over valuable farmland is a recipe to have Ontarians to suffer through rising food prices. The reduced land available for agriculture can only result in less food production and a driver of poverty and inequality. This will have ripple effects across various sectors including health education and social welfare. It is time for this government to start prioritizing people over short term economic gains. My question is how is the government planning to grow more food to address the food security crisis? Mr. Vanke culture food and rural affairs. Thank you very much speaker. In Ontario our farmers are the very best and year after year their yield is increasing. We have an ample supply of amazing quality food but we need to accept facts for what they are and speaker that fact is the main contributor of rising food costs in the province of Ontario and across Canada is carbon tax. Here it is. From a chicken farmer from east of Toronto from March 2nd to April 1st his federal carbon charge was 26% of his entire energy bill. This is unacceptable. It is that ripple effect across the food value chain that is driving up the food price in Ontario. The House will come to order. Order. The government side will come to order. Order. Thank you. The next question for a topical lake short. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Today I'm excited. We heard the Minister of Economic Development talk about this is a jurisdiction to grow and invest in the premier saying we're going to build 1.5 million houses. My question is for the Minister of Transportation because we talked about the GTA to over 2 million people because this is the place to grow and raise a wonderful family but one thing I want to know is we have to make sure we can build the transit to meet that population needs. Unfortunately the reality that our transit networks are already strained. People are looking forward to greater transit routes that are accessible and convenient through the proposed Ontario line and that will deliver relief to the city's core and to the people in Etobicoke south. You know, reality is that unfortunately the Liberals they didn't do anything just like they neglected Ontario Place they have neglected our transit line. Thanks John. They have not put any meaningful investments in badly needed transit infrastructure. Now Speaker I'm wondering if the Minister of Transportation can explain and provide an update on the progress of the Ontario line. Great question. Remember for Ottawa south come to order the Minister of Transportation can reply. And thank you so much to the member from Etobicoke Lakeshore for the question. I'm very happy to provide the update she's requesting Mr. Speaker. Just recently our government has reached another significant milestone on the Ontario line. We've released two requests for proposals to design and build new stations the Pape Tunnel and the Elevated Guideway. So to break it down Mr. Speaker the Elevated Guideway contract will be three kilometre long Elevated Guideway with emergency exit buildings and five above ground stations for riders. What's more the Pape Tunnel contract will transition the Ontario line's tracks from above ground to underground will deliver three kilometre of twin tunnels with stations at Cosburn and Pape and will connect the all new Ontario line to the existing line too. Speaker while the NDP supported the Liberals who failed to build new transit line transit lines our government is delivering transit relief and we are getting it done. That's a supplementary question. Thank you Minister thank you through you Mr. Speaker I want to thank the Minister you know Ontario is such a wonderful place to grow and you know after 15 years of disastrous rule by the Liberals not investing in anything it is so important that we are getting shovels in the ground and at the same time we're building Ontario line that will not only benefit the riders of Etobicoke Lakeshore but will benefit all Ontarians. Ontario cannot afford to hold back our economy. Now it's time to build now it's time to move ahead with critical investments in our transit infrastructure needs. We need to continue building highways roads and transit infrastructure which is needed to keep Ontario moving. Speaker can the Minister please elaborate on our government's actions to ensure that this critical transit project is delivered. The Minister of Transportation Thank you Speaker and I thank the member for her question and it's true after 15 years of liberal neglect Ontarians have a hard time believing that we actually can build transit in this province but I am glad to let the member and Ontarians know that the Ontario line is going to be delivered. Construction is already underway at exhibition station and for the future cork town and Moss Park stations as well as in the joint rail corridor east of the Don River. Once complete the 15 and a half kilometer long Ontario line will enable nearly 400,000 trips each day bringing much needed rapid transit to more GTA communities. Speaker to the member's point this game changing project will benefit Ontario as a whole by supporting over 4,700 construction jobs each year during construction by cutting over fuel consumption by more than 7 million leaders a year and by generating an estimated 10 billion dollars to the local economy. Speaker under the previous liberal government the proposed up express was a relief line for them instead of building a true relief line. Thank you very very much. The next question the member for London Arts Centre. Speaker my question is to the Premier. A London area family recently received the horrifying assessment of sarcoma after an ultrasound showed a mass in their child's leg. But in order to properly diagnose the oncologist ordered an MRI. Children who need an MRI at London Health Sciences Centre have to wait. Children who should have that service within 28 days are waiting on average 299 days waiting for almost a year. To the Premier how is this acceptable? The Minister of Health. Well it's not acceptable which is exactly why our government has made additional investments in MRIs across Ontario including at London Regional Health Sciences. We are building a system that has frankly been ignored for far too long by previous governments who didn't make those investments whether it was in health human resources whether it was in capital. 50 different hospital projects are being created built or expanded in the province of Ontario. Under this Premier's leadership we are making those investments to ensure that families need those services can get them in the appropriate timelines. And as I said the MRI in London is in the works because our government approved it. Thank you. It's clear that this government's claimed investments are not reaching patients. My question is back to the Premier. I can't imagine the level of stress and anxiety while patients await this important step in their child's health care. It's necessary for diagnosis potential treatment and kids can't wait. This new Conservative Government normal is not okay. While the government ignores health care responsibilities the family have even resorted to calling a hospital in Michigan who go back to them right away with a price tag of $2,200 cash. If you don't want to go back to Ontario cash for health care access is okay. The member opposite is making the case for bill 60 and our plan as we have articulated under your high position. Making sure that we have access to whether it is surgical clinical units, whether it is diagnostic in community means that families will not have to wait. As we see these investments pay off we've had thousands that happen. And the member opposite who served for 15 years in a government that did nothing for health care is suggesting that we're not moving fast. I am suggesting respectfully show me the 50 capital hospital projects that happened under your order. Show me the thousands of health human resource new staff that are working in our communities. Show me the 49 new MRIs that are operating in the province of Ontario because we come to order. The next question the member for Windsor to come. My question today is for the minister of environment conservation parks. Ontario's great lakes help make our province a great place to live. I've had such a privilege to live steps from Lake St. Clair growing up and even today. The resources of the great lakes are the most important opportunities. So we continue to protect, conserve and restore the health of the great lakes and support the well being of communities that rely on them now and for generations to come. Our government understands that for Ontario's indigenous communities the great lakes hold deep spiritual and traditional significance. Respecting and recognizing traditional knowledge will only help in strengthening our shared resources. Thank you, Speaker. Can the minister please explain how our government is collaborating with indigenous leaders to help protect and restore our great lakes? Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member for Windsor to come see for that question. I know he like I very much value our great lakes enjoy the tourism economic opportunity. And I was proud to just last week Mr. Speaker co-chair the Great Lakes Guardians Council with a man I have great respect for Deputy Grand Council chief I should say, Reg Niganobi. He has been such a strong leader for Anishinaabic Nation and he and I had the opportunity to chair it. We heard powerful stories from indigenous youth from Ducks Unlimited a group we funded at great length Mr. Speaker to support our great lakes and it was prior to that event Mr. Speaker that I announced on behalf of the government of Ontario under Premier Ford's leadership over a million dollars to support indigenous led projects to conserve and protect our great lakes. I can't wait to get out to the Thames River to meet with indigenous youth to see firsthand the work they're doing thanks to this funding from the government of Ontario. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the minister for that response. It truly is welcome news to hear that from the government of Ontario and with indigenous partners to protect and conserve the great lakes. I've seen this firsthand so thank you minister in his response Mr. spoke about a fish safety project in the Lake Speer Basin which is just one real world example of what this funding means to indigenous communities. Our government must remain focused on making investments that will help build Ontario and preserve our natural heritage for generations to come. Speaker can the minister will help First Nations communities across Ontario. Minister of the environment. You know we're protecting our great lakes for our next generation like the many great students that are here today so that they can have cleaner cleaner cleaner bodies of water to enjoy for generations to come. I took some notes which I'd like to share you know while at this announcement I met with Brandon Dockstader he's a councillor from Oneida Nation coordinator. He told us a speaker that this funding the impact of this funding is going to go towards funding 13 Moons land based learning camp a weekly four day camp for Oneida youth to learn wilderness skills and cultural language and practice. Speaker part of our role in this legislature you know one of the I love this job is I get to learn every day and I can't wait to go out and meet with Oneida youth to learn about the important work that they're doing thanks to investments that this premier is doing to build a more prosperous Ontario homes for everyone critical infrastructure including water and wastewater infrastructure we need working in partnership with indigenous communities I can't wait to join Brandon and Oneida Nation speaker this summer thank you very much the next question Thank you speaker my question to the minister of the environment this week Superior Court Judge Marie Andre Vermette issued a decision on a legal challenge filed against one of the young Ontarians for the weakness of its climate targets she found that Ontario's targets falls severely short of what the scientific consensus requires and that this increases the risk to Ontarians life and health why won't the minister act to protect the life and health of Ontarians Thank you Thank you speaker speaker we welcome certainly the ruling that said what we know speaker that the will of this legislature to ensure that you know we move beyond the regressive green energy practices a carbon tax that was punishing our next generation and what is this government responding and doing speaker this government's working with industry to electrify the arc furnace you know taking two million cars off the road we're building electric vehicles empowering men like my grandfather who came here to work in the steel industry now that industry has ensured we're building the cleanest steel for generations to come we're building electric vehicles clean vehicles for tomorrow it's backed by a critical mineral strategy that's bringing prosperity to the north working in partnership with indigenous community speaker all of this has been valid to show that Ontario's greenhouse gas reduction is leading the nation we're on track to meet our 2030 goal speaker and we'll continue doing that supplementary question speaker Ontario's goals are completely inadequate and that was noted by the judge she listed the dangers the people of Ontario face from more heat waves and diseases to more frequent and powerful floods to more forest fires she said that in order to actually comply with the global scientific consensus international goals and to provide further protection for the health and lives of the people of Ontario the targeted reduction of greenhouse gases should be 52% by 2030 not the target of 30% the target that is set will not protect life and health what will it take for this government to actually protect the health and lives of the people of this province Mr. Dean Barrow new speaker I like that member respect him but let's look at he hasn't offered a single contribution to what we could actually do when we issued over 7 million green bonds the record for 7 billion for this province he voted against it when we made a historic investment in public transit to better connect people to places taking millions of cars off the road he voted against it when we said we're going to build modern updated wastewater and storm water to ensure water for generations to come he voted against it speaker when we said we're going to invest in clean steel empowering men like my grandfather and the thousands of immigrants who choose Ontario for a better future he voted against it speaker he offers nothing but misery a carbon tax on farmers a carbon tax on single families a carbon tax on men and women of this province we'll say no every time stop the call the house will come to order so that we can continue our question period order order start the clock the next question the member for Whitney thank you speaker the my question is for the associate minister of housing recently our government introduced a new housing action plan bill 97 to helping home buyers protecting tenants act speaker introducing this legislation means we fulfill the promise we made to Ontarians bringing forward a housing action plan every year to help address the housing crisis Ontario is currently facing now while this is positive news constituents of my riding have raised questions and concerns regarding what actions our government can take to protect them as tenants they've heard reports about questionable evictions due to renovations demolitions and conversions that happen in housing units and apartments speaker can the associate minister please explain what additional protections will take effect to support tenants if our latest housing bill is passed thank you the associate minister of housing thank you good morning speaker I really want to thank the great member from Whitby speaker I think that everybody should be forced to move out of their home Ontarians work hard to pay their bills to keep a roof over their heads so it is our job to ensure nobody is treated unfairly which is why our latest bill if passed will give tenants and landlords the opportunity to resolve cases at the landlord and tenant board up to six months after a renovation has been completed to prevent unlawful evictions and to work together to prevent the agreement when a tenant falls behind on their rent speaker we're also proposing to double the maximum fines to 100,000 for individuals and 500,000 for corporations to help prevent and deter bad faith evictions we will continue to listen to and protect tenants and landlords to ensure everyone who is looking for a place to live can find one that meets their needs and their budget thank you speaker thank you speaker and thank you to the associate minister for that response it's great to hear that our government is listening to both tenants and landlords and looking at ways to strengthen measures to prevent unlawful evictions renters and landlords want a stop to antiquated and yes, confusing regulations our government must ensure that rules surrounding rental housing are fair, reasonable and enforced in a timely manner as we enter the summer months and with rising temperatures individuals and families who live as tenants have raised questions about what rights they have to install air conditioning units speaker, can the associate minister please explain how the proposed housing bill will address tenants' rights to install air conditioning units thank you thank you speaker and thank you once again to the great member for his question and yes, my colleague is right on days when temperatures go above 30 degrees, having an air conditioning unit can be essential especially for those who have underlying medical conditions relating to warm weather our proposed legislation if passed will provide a clear roadmap for tenants who wish to install an air conditioner in their apartments for example they must give written notice to the landlord and can be charged a seasonal fee based on the electricity usage speaker, our proposed changes reinforced existing laws and will provide tenants with additional supports that they can assure they have a safe and comfortable place to live we're fixing the landlord and tenant border need we hear about so often from both landlords and tenants alike so speaker, I call on the opposition to start standing up to the status quo start standing up for Ontarians and vote with us on bill 97 next question the member for Hamilton center my question is to the premier over 1300 university students in Hamilton have signed a petition to demand that elected provincial and municipal politicians repeal the unwanted urban boundary expansion in Hamilton and protect Greenbelt lands this government broke the Greenbelt promise and also overrode the municipal decision in Hamilton to save not pave farmland students who wrote this petition would really like to know when will you repeal this unwanted boundary expansion and return our Greenbelt lands the associate minister well thank you speaker I really want to thank the member for the question speaker, Ontario is expected to grow by more than 2 million people by 2031 with approximately a million and a half living in the greater Golden Horseshoe region including Hamilton the federal government has also announced that Canada will increase immigration to about a half a million newcomers by 2025 Ontario takes the brunt and most of the immigrants because Ontario is a great place to live to work to raise a family and to open a business Ontario's population has reached a historic 50 million last year and it's our expectation that construction on all of our lands because we desperately need housing we desperately need people to come here to work and we're getting it done we're building the infrastructure we're building the hospitals we're getting healthcare in the communities that are needing we will build a housing for all of Ontario thank you speaker again to the premier speaker Abiola is a grade 4 student from my riding she wrote to me with some important questions about this government's plans she asked does the government know that they will ruin that piece of protected land why is the government harming the natural resources of the province when there is plenty of available land outside the green belt why do they choose to build houses on a more important piece of land speaker why does a grade 4 student understand the environmental harm of this government's green belt carb up but this premier does not the associate minister of housing thank you speaker and I do want to thank the member opposite for the question speaker we've heard it time and time again Ontario is the greatest place to live to work and to raise your family this is why so many people wish to come here which is also why many of our children and our future generations will need a place to live but you know what's great to hear right now is that we are reaching all time highs in history for purpose built rental something that's never happened before why because the liberals when they were in government for 15 years chose to ignore the sector we did not have enough housing for people who needed to rent we did not have enough housing for people that moved here but you know what speaker this government will get it done under this premier this municipal housing minister thank you the next question the member for Burlington thank you speaker my question is for the minister of seniors and accessibility seniors and people with disabilities often face additional barriers in most aspects of their daily lives this includes using public transit finding employment and accessing buildings under the leadership of the premier and this minister Ontario needs to remain committed to helping seniors and people with disabilities stay active and socially connected our government must continue to lead in providing a more accessible environment for living working and learning speaker can the minister please explain how our government is taking further action to make Ontario more inclusive for everyone great pleasure to reply the minister seniors and accessibility thank you to my good friend and people pulling for that question she is a tireless advocate for strong representative working so hard in our community through our inclusive community grants we are making communities across Ontario more accessible since 2018 this government has funded over 60 community based project this includes accessible benches in London accessible benches in Canada refresher driving courses for seniors in Chatham camp and in crystal water drawn in the calling world these grants are an excellent way for local communities big and small to become more accessible we are building a more accessible Ontario together thank you thank you to the minister for that response through investments made by our government seniors and people with disabilities are encouraged to participate in all aspects of community life last month I had the pleasure of joining the minister in my riding for the inclusive community grant announcement these much needed funds will bring portable beach mats to Burlington and showcase our riding as an inclusive and accessible community speaker can the minister please elaborate on this initiative and how it will bring greater accessibility to riding to Burlington seniors and accessible Mr. Speaker project by project community by community we are advancing accessibility I was proud towards $30,000 towards the inclusive community grant project in the city of Burlington through this project Burlington will be able to purchase and install portable beach mats to provide a barrier free path of travel to the HIV Ontario beach aid path this will help all the adults and the people with disabilities enjoy Lake Ontario Lake Ontario project like this strength local communities to promote healthy active lifestyle for people of all ages and abilities this is just one of the ways this government is working for all Ontarians Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of agriculture proposed changes in bill 1997 and the PPS allow for increased residential lots on agriculture land Ontario also has specific minimum distance separation standards that determine setback distances between residential lots and livestock barns, manure storages and anaerobic digesters and for good reason planners are raising concerns that there is a conflict developing particularly Wayne Caldwell professor of rural planning and development University of Guelph on a typical concession block to propose new PPS will allow at least 30 residential lots with minimum distance separation there will be virtually no space left for growth in the livestock sector indeed we should ask the question is this the beginning of the end for animal agriculture in Ontario and that question needs to be asked when someone decides they're going to build a new dairy barn, hog barn and there's a residential lots that improve within the minimum separation distance what's going to happen Mr. Speaker I'm pleased to share through you to the member opposite that we have taken very thoughtful approaches to how we look to increase housing opportunities not only in intensifying in urban areas but also along our rural roadways you know last earlier this winter the Premier and I met with dairy farmers from Elgin County and we talked specifically about the importance of minimum distance separation we also very much appreciate and respect the egg impact as well and that's why I'm pleased that our ministry worked so incredibly well not only with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs but with the Premier's office as well to make sure when we look to increase housing opportunities primarily to address farmer's requests in terms of having an extra lot for their son or daughter or an employee excuse me to live close to the farm we're taking that into consideration and we're going to be okay because again we're thoughtful and we're respecting the MDS as well as egg impact