 Which means it's now time for oral questions I recognize Member for Timmons is a point of order is the premier going to be attending question period Because if he's going to be late, we'd like to make reference to the absence of any member again It is now time for oral questions unanimous consent to stand down my leads if the premier is not here and wait till the premier arrives Leader the opposition is seeking the unanimous consent of the house to stand down the lead questions for the opposition Agreed I heard a no once again It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition So much speaker. My question is for the premier since the COVID-19 pandemic began early Nearly rather 1800 seniors have lost their lives in Ontario long-term care homes 1800 seniors losing their lives in Long-term care homes in our province and countless more have suffered neglect have suffered abuse and even starvation Yesterday the premier repeated his claim that Ontario did not fail residents in long-term care homes The premier has refused to hold himself and his minister accountable Long-term care facilities are licensed by this province Can the premier tell us whether any will lose their licenses and if so, which ones? Long-term care Thank you speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question For 15 years the long-term care sector was neglected and ignored Our government created a ministry of long-term care in the summer of 2019 and in just a few months We had already begun the good work the necessary work to transform long-term care We understood the staffing crisis and we had an expert panel working on that. We understood the capacity issues We are at 99% capacity and and even increasing with unconventional spaces to meet demand demand that had grown to a waitlist of 30,000 Pete 30,000 37,000 people under the 15 years of the previous liberal government supported by the NDP our Government was actively working on solutions and then COVID hit and the good work that we are doing now will continue to Transition to a 21st century long-term care system. The lives lost must not be in vain The suffering the hardship that COVID-19 has caused We will continue to transition to create the necessary changes needed to support Residents in long-term care now and in the future Speaker when the government won't admit its own failure, I don't know how anybody can trust the commitments that this minister is stating today Today not a single home has lost a license despite levels of neglect So severe that the police have had to be notified Orchard Villa is a for-profit facility operated by extended care the same company that recently hired the Premier's campaign spokesperson to lobby on their behalf at Queens Park Canadian Armed Forces reported that that facility was infested with cockroaches Residents were being left in soiled diapers and one person literally choked to death while being fed lying down The Premier finally got dragged into taking control of that facility after workers and families spent weeks and weeks pleading for Intervention and 69 seniors died Will the for-profit corporations making money from Orchard Villa lose their license to operate that facility? Thank You speaker. Thank you to the member opposite for the question the issues surrounding licenses are complex and Largely involved the lack of capacity that was Really a responsibility of the previous liberal government supported by the NDP the capacity issues in our long-term care system We're being addressed in a fulsome way in an active way when COVID hit the solutions to long-term care require a modernization of Our system an integrated system that is being planned and worked on as we speak with Ontario health Ontario health teams the good work that is being done There is that the duty of care of our long-term care homes is non-negotiable They must keep our residents safe the global pandemic of COVID-19 has caused hardship Around the world. Our government is taking action and will continue to take action to fix this issue Issues of neglect leading to death are not complex They're pretty straightforward nearly 300 seniors have died in homes owned by Sienna Incorporated the for-profit long-term care Home that recently hired several conservative insiders and For the Ford government staff to lobby on their behalf Sienna ran Ultimate facility where the armed forces found residents Were denied meals and completely unprotected were left completely unprotected from COVID-19 when it came a knock-in and their senior Executives were the ones that mocked families that were expressing outrage and grief Sienna is licensed to operate 37 long-term care facilities in our province will they lose a single license will there be any consequences whatsoever? Speaker for these homes Thank You speaker and thank you again for the question Ontarians do have questions and that is what we are going to address with the the public commission Public input public hearings on a public report. There are processes in place to deal with that this Appropriate processes those processes must be followed We are looking at processes that will enable our homes to transition from old 1970s built homes with ward rooms and I can tell you that those ward rooms were part of the problem the redevelopment that languished for 15 years and since 2011 only 611 beds were built under the previous liberal government supported by the NDP our Government took long-term care seriously and was addressing the long-standing issues that had been neglected For so many years our government is the government that takes long-term care responsibly My next question is also for the premier, but I have to correct the minister because people are not just having questions Ontarians are horrified They are outraged and they are grieving the loved ones that they have lost in long-term care almost 1,800 deaths in this province Yesterday the premier indicated that he's considering literally he indicated that he is considering Proposals now by long-term care lobbyists to limit the legal liability for the spread of COVID-19 in their facilities Can you believe that he's going to actually help them get through this and not be held legally responsible? We know that several families have filed statements of claim detailing horrific levels of neglect and carelessness Against for-profit facilities including Sienna who referred to these claims as and I quote Bloodsucking lawsuits These are the folks that the premier is getting prepared to protect not the seniors that lost their lives in long-term care So can the premier tell us which for-profit lobbyists he his ministers and staff have met with? Thank you Mr. Speaker, I haven't met with any lobbyist So I don't know where the opposition is coming up with us But I want to compliment our minister of long-term care that has more experience than all the opposition folks combined combined It's easy to play the armchair quarterback, but we're actually getting something done as they sat there It's a leader of the opposition sat there for 10 years and did absolutely nothing to protect long-term care homes They built 611 beds in 10 years. You've got to be kidding me So it's pretty rich to hear the the opposition leader sit there and criticize us when we're actually getting things done We're fixing a problem that they destroyed for 10 years with their buddies and liberals That's the real problem. This didn't just pop up overnight. Mr. Speaker This has been ongoing for decades decades and they were part of the problem. We're going to fix the problem Minister of health is a minister of health It's on the record wanting to privatize more of our healthcare system So I have no confidence whatsoever that she's going to take to task these private operators of long-term care For many families launching a legal challenge was the only way that they could protect their loved ones in long-term care homes Because this government was dragging its feet in april While the premier was insisting that there was an iron ring around long-term care Which there was not family members of residents of homes like eatonville Altamont and forest villa were detailing the very dangerous conditions that their loved ones were enduring They went to court to fight for their loved ones while the government refused to act That is the fact and the premier cannot deny that that is the fact Why then is the premier offering offering legal protection to homes that didn't protect their residents? The premier i'll give you the the facts mr Mr. Speaker Because of the job that we have done and it's a tragedy what's happened because of the systemic problem That's happened over decades as they sat binded absolutely nothing We saved hundreds and hundreds of lives by going in there Testing the front line workers testing all the the patients making sure we we were after the the people of the asymptomatic Symptoms so we were able to catch them and even one of the long-term care homes the the front line folks I talked to you once and said you know something the best thing you did is actually test the people that were asymptomatic That saved lives We ended up getting hospitals in there to make sure the long-term care patients were protected We ended up asking the military to come in to support us But the good news is mr. Speaker. We're going to continue doing it until it's fixed We're going to sit on our hands for 10 years like the leader of the opposition did The final supplementary Speaker the premier's right in one thing they ended up finally getting dragged into doing something proactive to protect seniors in long-term care And it took them far too long It's clear that the four government would rather defend for-profit long-term care homes than the residents who live in them Yesterday the minister said and I quote that she took swift and decisive action in long-term care But when we joined the front line workers who called for the government to take control over these properties Properties that uh back in april these facilities the minister dismissed that request It's on the record and she said other provinces do things differently because other provinces were much quicker to respond It was six weeks before the government finally began taking over homes and during those six weeks 1370 residents died and now it looks like the government's moving to protect for-profit care once again Why is the government protecting for-profit long-term care facilities from legal liability rather than pulling licenses From the for-profit long-term care homes that have so brutally failed our seniors Thank you speaker and and thank you once again for the question Looking back at what has transpired over the last several months I can tell you with great clarity our government took early action beginning in february third Despite the narrative from the opposition to address the issues that we were confronted with and the reality was After many years of neglect our whole order were in tremendous pressure capacity wise and in a staffing crisis We took early measures Active screening essential visitors only and that was a hard decision to make but it was necessary Working with our hospitals integrating and that is really a key point understanding how we Transition from the past to the future To allow an aging population to get the care they need New thinking is required and that's exactly what our government is working on as we speak Transitioning our long-term care system to a modern long-term care system The next question once again the leader of the opposition. Thank you so much speaker. My next question is also to the premier Speaker last week the premier was forced to backtrack and told the assembly and I quote of course there's systemic racism in Ontario There's systemic racism across this country A lot of us have never walked a mile in someone's shoes. Who has faced racism is what the premier said Over the last week thousands upon thousands of black and indigenous people have spoken out about their experiences with racism Particularly when it comes with interactions with police Does the premier believe that systemic racism exists in policing in Ontario? And if so, what is he prepared to do about it? Premier for you mr. Speaker I think we all understand and recognize that policing and community safety has changed In the last number of years The issues we face today by police services and the communities they serve are increasingly complex As part of our government's 174 million dollar commitment to address mental health and addiction this year This ministry of solicitor general and the ministry of health announced 18.3 million dollars in new funding To support those affected by mental health and addiction challenges in the justice sector This includes 6.95 million dollars, mr. Speaker for new mobile crisis teams and with dedicated safe beds and transitional case managers I think we all understand that when almost 40 of the police calls are interacting with individuals Who have mental health or addiction issues? We need to do things differently and we're going to do things differently. Mr. Speaker Supplementary question Well, speaker last week the premier said he was prepared to listen to and understand from the experiences of others When it comes to systemic racism, here's what they're telling us They want investment in mental health supports not a 335 million dollar cut They want investments in youth outreach programs not cuts to community based outreach programs They want investment in anti-racism initiatives not a cut to the anti-racism directorate And a truncating of the work that they're doing and they want effective police oversight Which we don't have now in the province of ontario because instead the government has cut all of these programs and defiantly rolled back police oversight a public rather Oversight as one of the premier's first acts in office if the premier means what he says about systemic racism Will he undo any of these decisions? Mr. Children community and social services Well, thanks very much, mr. Speaker, and i'm pleased to take this question on behalf of our government and our premier has made Investments, particularly in the black youth action plan, mr. Speaker And we have taken steps to bring forward a new council that's been advising the premier and our government when it comes to youth Opportunities the premier's council on a quality of opportunity was announced a couple of weeks ago with jameel javani Who is the province's advocate for community opportunities working with young people working with black led organizations as part of our black youth action plan Mr. Speaker which funds about 50 different black led organizations not all black led but many black led organizations in and around The gta and autowan right across the province, mr. Speaker We've also made an added investment in that program as a result of covet 19 Some of the challenges in those communities when it comes to creating opportunities One and a half million dollars was announced a couple of weeks ago To give these programs that are providing these services in our community the boost that they need so that we can help more people Get the equal opportunity that they deserve. Thank you very much Next question the member for aurora oak ridges richby hill Thank you very much speaker my question is to the premier premier ontario is home to a thriving agricultural sector From dairy to poultry to delicious fruits and vegetables good things really do grow in ontario Our agriculture sector continues to work around the clock to make sure we have access to high quality and safe food during the pandemic But as we all know the agriculture sector has been hit hard during the covet 19 outbreak Especially temporary foreign workers premier. Could you please share with the house? What supports we have put in place to help these vitally important workers? Premier Well, I want to thank the member from aurora oak ridges richby hill MPP parsa has done an incredible job up there. Mr. Speaker. He really has I hear from his constituents and And I I want to acknowledge on behalf of all ontarians I want to extend my deepest condolences to the families and friends of the two farmer Farm workers who who passed away from covet 19 Our government knows that agriculture workers play a vital role in ontario Since the start a covet outbreak. Mr. Speaker We've put a number of programs to help these vital workers including most recently a 15 million dollar investment to help farmers Better protect their employees. We've been in contact with these farmers on a constant basis I know our minister of agriculture has reached out to him I have personally reached out to him and talked to him Nothing is more important to us as a government as the people of ontario To protect the workers and protect the farmers because we rely on them to put food on our table, mr Speaker and with with the 15 million dollars, they're going to be able to buy extra PPEs They're going to make sure that they don't live in a congregate Living setting. Thank you, mr. Speaker The supplementary question Thank you very much speaker my questions once again to the premier Sweet premier. Thank you very much for the update. I agree that workers Are extremely important especially during the covet 19 pandemic Our government has been resolute and steadfast in ensuring that the health and safety of all workers in this province is never compromised Our announcement yesterday regarding the new general Workplace guidelines is about giving businesses and owners the tools and resources they need to adapt and succeed in this new reality This set of standards will help ensure that everyone feels safe in their place of employment Because at the end of the day nothing is more important than protecting ontarians premier Can you please explain to the to the house again the highlights of our announcement? Number once again and nothing is more important to our government The making sure we protect the front line workers all workers across this province And that is why yesterday we unveiled a new Ontario general workplace guidance document to help employers develop a robust Safety plans to protect workers and and patrons Mr. Speaker this toolkit builds on many supports We have already provided the businesses to help them prepare to reopen Including over 133 sector specific workplace safety guidelines and and documents, mr. Speaker again We are focused on making sure we protect the The workers and the customers be it a retail store or any other area that they interact with the public It's our number one priority and i'll tell you we're doing one heck of a job I heard out there and that's why we're leading north america with the lowest cases anywhere in north america. I know it hurts you Thank you The next question the member for to miss coming cocker. Thank you speaker. My question is to the premier Ontario's agriculture sector is now in the middle of one of the biggest workplace covet outbreaks in the province And despite what the premier just said other countries aren't sharing the confidence In ontario because mexico announced yesterday that was considering not allowing more workplace more workers to come to ontario because of the dangerous conditions they face And mexico did specify ontario because they're still allowing they didn't say they weren't going to disallow workers coming to bc because they have faith In what bc is doing to protect their citizens This is not only a tragedy for the workers in ontario But it could be a long-term disaster for the agriculture sector Because confidence is key and when other countries are losing confidence in how we protect Our workers which happen to be their citizens That's a disaster question. What is this government going to do to mitigate that so workers in this province who Deliver our food actually feel safe Minister of health Well, I thank the member very much for that question It is a very important one and one that we've been devoting a lot of time to in the ministry of health The migrant workers are essential for food production in ontario We depend on them and they have come into ontario They have self isolated for 14 days and they have gone into work and they have become ill We need to keep working on that. We need to do the testing I know there has been a testing facility that has been set up in lemington However, as of sunday, I'm informed that we were only four people that attended So clearly we need to Revise the work that we're going to do. We're going to start doing testing with mobile units We want to make sure that we can work with ontario health and with the omafra to make sure that we can Reach all of the migrant workers who have been affected by covet. I can tell you The assessment has already been done of the high risk cases and they are being treated But I will have more to say in the supplemental. Thank you Thank you the supplementary question Thank you for the response, but it bears repeating that the mexican government has faith in bc But not in ontario and in direct response Why migrant workers aren't coming to your testing because they have to get in a bus and go to lemington And the one thing that people don't realize about migrant workers is they are in control of their own destiny They are unlike everyone else in this room Not in control. They're sponsors can control We asked over a month ago for the government to make sure that those frontline workers had full access to ppe And we all know in these issues and we should have learned it from long-term care that time is of the essence The government knew this was going to happen. They were warned this was going to happen And there's still now you're now you're talking about question mobile testing sites in why didn't you realize where the Where the problem was and why didn't you a month ago a month and a half ago make sure that these migrant workers had access Thank you Mr. Health to apply. Thank you speaker We are working diligently as I said before with ontario health and with omafra to make sure that the Farm owners will open the farms to allow people to be tested We are looking at a hybrid model where we will have some mobile testing I've been advised that we were to do this just with mobile testing It would take 84 days of testing in order to make sure all of the local farms in the winds or Essex area For example, we're covered. It would take 10 days an assessment center So we need to work In collaboration with the owners of the farms to make sure that all of the migrant workers can be tested But in addition to that as the premier has indicated and has been indicated previously We are putting 15 million dollars into more personal protective equipment More into infection control and prevention and more into revising workplace standards So that people will be able to be separated apart in both the where they sleep as well as where they work So we are doing everything that we can right now to reassure Mexico and the rest of ontario that we are doing our best to make sure Thank you very much The next question The member for simcoe grant. Thank you speaker my questions for the minister of health Last Friday the cystic fibrosis community Was surprised and thrilled to learn That after years of fighting the pan-canadian pharmaceutical alliance finally agreed to begin negotiations with vertex pharmaceuticals On a purchasing price for kaleitico and or camby And congratulations to the minister and the government for that progress Access to these lifesaving drugs drugs will make a huge difference in the quality and length of life for thousands of Americans and indeed canadian children and young adults Negotiating with vertex is an important first step Can the minister put a timeline on these talks and will the minister provide assurances that When the drugs become available ontario will list both kaleitico and or camby The minister of health. Well, thank you very much to the member of the question I know this is of great importance to you as it is to me And we know that those people living with cystic fibrosis are very hopeful that these new drugs Will provide the relief that they're looking for and relieve some of the stress that they have to deal with each and every day And are going to provide Will be available soon We are very pleased to understand that the conversations are continuing between vertex and the pcpa I wish that I could give you a timeline But i'm not able to do so because there are many other parties at the table Not just ontario that are having these discussions But the fact that they are together at the table again is very hopeful It is something I can assure the member that we are following very diligently because we are also Very happy to move ahead should they be able to resolve some of the issues response discussions between them And the supplementary question Well, thank you again back to the minister. Thank you to the minister for that answer I guess I would just urge you as you know I've raised the case many many times over the last three years sasha and jamie lorak are the parents of young joshua and joshua Older brother is on our camby and does very very well his younger brother Is up at night coughing and Can't go out of the house can't have an application Obviously the parents and many parents across Ontario are very very worried during this time of covet 19, which is also a a disease or a virus that affects the It affects breathing Minister given that you're going to be the largest purchaser you in kebac and I'd be happy to talk to people in kebac I happen to know the minister and happen to know most of them. So if that helps y'all do that You're going to be the like the largest purchaser of our camby and trifecta and Colitico when when eventually they're they're on the market Can you do everything in your power to just speed up the can canadian pharmaceutical alliance? You're the number one customer question. They would listen to you if you if you gave them a real push Minister of Health Thank you Yes, I can certainly assure the member that we are doing everything that we can to move the conversations forward Both with respect to Colitico with or camby and with trifecta as well We know that different types of drugs work better for people with different types of cystic fibrosis It depends on the strain that they have but this is something that I know is very important to you It is very important to me. It's very important to many members here that have Constituents that have cystic fibrosis There's nothing more than any of us would like then to make sure that the family that you mentioned as well as many other Families across Ontario Have a happy summer with their family members being able to breathe easily And that is something that we are continuing to follow this file Very diligently and we will do everything that we can to move this process forward expeditiously. So, thank you Thank you very much The next question the member for peter burrow co-author Thank you, mr. Speaker My question is to the minister of heritage sport tourism and culture industries I'm a member of the standing committee of finance and economic affairs And our committee has heard directly from tourism Festival and event operators from across the province They're pivoting their operations and many of them are moving online this year We heard that digital was the way to go I know it's something our government has taken action on Ontario has a new virtual platform that allows ontarians to experience all that their province has to offer All from the comfort of their own living rooms Can the minister please tell this house how our government is supporting artists and operators looking to provide their customers And supporters with a digital experience Minister of heritage sport tourism and culture industries I thank you speaker I'd like to say thank you to the member from peter burrow co-author For his great question And I think it's important given the fact that the suite of sectors were responsible for Represents both 75 billion dollars in normal times in economic activity and has taken at least a 20 billion dollar hit through this pandemic We used to be called the world one province I still call it and we welcome the world to our province when it is safe to do so But right now we can only do it virtually So we decided in march at the ministry to invest in a virtual portal called ontario dot live so that we could bring Arts culture sport and hospitality to people's homes Across the province of ontario and let me tell you what you can experience there speaker the art gallery of Algoma the bay of quinty virtual activities the scandinavia spawn blue mountain the adami States in orangeville The royal interior museum a thousand islands helicopters and mr. Speaker something we like to call music together which we invested $150,000 in so that artists across this province could perform from the safety of their own home. Thank you very much Thank you the supplementary question Thank you speaker It's nice to know that ontario's artists have an avenue of support through these unprecedented times And that ontarians also have an avenue to enjoy a concert in the comfort of their own home Mr. Speaker the minister however Also noted ontario live is not only streaming music concerts But it's also growing a collection of other sites and attractions for ontarians to check out virtually Our government is committed to supporting some of our province's hardest hit sectors through this pandemic In fact cd howe institute has stated that four of the seven hardest hit industries Were aligned with this ministry Mr. Speaker can the minister please shed some light on the future Of ontario live and how it will continue to grow and support some of our hardest hit sectors and businesses Throughout our economy's reopening and our long-term recovery Mr. Perrigan Thank you, mr. Speaker. Obviously this site is still in its infancy However, it has garnered great success across the province and we have been able to attract 176 of our various heritage organizations And are over 360 public libraries that we support and 166 Community museums and we've asked them to provide their digital content online And I was pleased at visiting with my colleague from Leeds and Grenville the minister of municipal affairs and housing To go to the brothel community museum and see for myself that they are taking part in this in 2017 live Performances in ontario contributed to more than one billion dollars in ontario's economy and over 22,000 jobs Which is why our small investment of 150 thousand dollars has been important to leverage at music together dot ca Which is part of ontario live so that we can continue to support our ontario artists So that they can not only make it big here at home But make it big around the world and that's what we're committed to making sure That all of those in the heritage sport tourism and culture industry sectors are supported at this time Despite being hit first hardest and will take longest for a cover Thank you very much the next question the member for kinkston in the islands Thank you speaker and my question is to the acting premier Landlords and tenants alike are frustrated with this government's failure to provide direct rent supports And with the premier's rather short-lived view that tough talk was enough to pay commercial rent In kinkston business owners and landlords have dedicated weeks of staff time trying to navigate a poorly designed Broken program others have applied only to not receive their login keys And they cannot proceed with their applications until they get them All across the province businesses haven't been able to get the support they need and they are facing eviction The program is an abject failure, but now the premier wants to double down Why did this government refuse to listen to business owners and advocates? Why does he think tying an eviction ban to an already broken program is actually going to help any businesses in ontario Mr. Mistful fairies and housing I just can't understand what this official opposition stands for they ask question after question After question about doing an eviction ban for businesses in the province many other provinces have joined Our call we've indicated that we were going to be bringing in legislation that if passed would provide exactly what the premier said In his press conference on june the third and now the opposition it appears You know, I don't know they they issue a press release a couple of days ago and say one thing They say something else in the house today What pick a position, you know make a decision on whether you're going to stand with business like our government is Whether you're not pick a lane order Supplementary question speaker and back to the acting premier With all due respect, we have picked a lane and that's to be on the side of small businesses across ontario Your commercial the government's commercial eviction ban Is too late and covers far too short of a time frame It should be a blanket ban that goes back to the very beginning of this crisis Because landlords are simply back dating their eviction notices for the day before it's supposed to take effect It does not help small businesses Businesses in my riding continue to feel the impact of covid 19 and it's going to last through the summer They are losing a tourist season. The students are not coming back to queens They are not coming back to st. Lawrence and they are not coming back to rmc These businesses need ongoing supports And this eviction question will not be enough. It doesn't cover enough time Will the premier redesign the commercial rent support program and ensure that businesses have the protection that they need to help reboot our Economy permanently Again Speaker I cannot for the life of me understand the NDP Member after member after member have asked for a commercial eviction ban Just like the NDP government in British Columbia has has implemented, you know last week Saskatchewan Alberta at the same time that that our government announced it more and more More and more provincial and territorial governments are considering this, you know, again The NDP keep asking for this. We finally give it to them and now they're not satisfied Minister speaker. I just can't understand where the NDP stand on this issue Thank you very much. The next question member for early on Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of long-term care Madonna care community or leans has suffered repeated tragedies throughout covet 19 staff shortages and a lack of PPE Have led to a nightmare scenario for months family members called on the government to take concrete actions But helped into rye for the 47 residents and two staff who lost their lives to covet The owners of Madonna have fired a senior vice president and their ceo has resigned Mr. Speaker will the minister stand up and take her share of responsibility for the tragedy at Madonna and across Ontario Minister of long-term care. Thank you speaker and thank you for for raising that issue What is happening in in many of our homes? Uh, is really requiring an integrated approach and I want to say that our our homes are moving out of outbreak We have a few homes where there's one staff or one resident in in some of the homes There's actually no one in the home With covet it is a staff member who is self isolating at home And i'm very grateful to all the the teams that came to help Madonna The partners ontario health children's hospital of eastern ontario the royal Ottawa hospital the inspectors that have gone in And that outbreak is resolved So we are moving in the right direction. We are making progress Were was there a legacy of neglect from the previous liberal government and the uh, the MP who supported that government? Yes We have taken every measure in every tool and we will continue to transition to a modern long-term care system Supplementary question Mr. Speaker my question my supplementary is also for the minister of long-term care The premier promised an iron ring around long-term care facilities and we know that that never happened We called on the government to step in and take over Madonna community care in Orleans and that never happened Mr. Speaker, I asked the minister for the scar scorecards for long-term care facilities So we could provide assistance as she requested in solving the long-term care problem and mr. Speaker That never happened ontarians are asking for a plan for long-term care to address a second wave Which we believe will happen Mr. Speaker will the minister commit to releasing her plan for a second wave of covet 19 and long-term care Or will that be another yet another thing that simply doesn't happen? minister of long-term care Thank you speaker and and and thank you for that forward-looking question I think it is it behooves us all to be prepared to anticipate to be adaptable and vigilant That's what we're doing through our our testing strategy This is what we're doing through the stabilization plans for our long-term care homes And the staffing strategies that will be informed by the the expert panel These are all measures that will help our homes We've heard around the world that this is a global A global situation in long-term care homes and that there is concern about a second wave We take we take that seriously and to heart and measures are being taken To address this issue and I thank you for raising that it's a very important point and we will continue our work on this Thank you Thank you the next question the member for dawn valley north Thank you, mr. Speaker. My question is to the minister of municipal effort and housing Speaker I know our government has been working with our municipal partner to ensure that we can keep Ontario's home this population safe As all members of this house know The need of the need for physical Distention has changed the ways Our shelters provide services Mr. Speaker, can the minister explain how our government has supported shelters provider provided throughout this pandemic. Thank you Thanks, uh, speaker and I want to take this opportunity to thank the member for dawn valley north for his incredible advocacy and his work In his riding. He does a tremendous job for his constituents every day In response to the covet 19 outbreak my ministry invested $148 million into our communities through the social service relief fund The funding is allowing our municipal service managers and our indigenous program administrator to expand their services and their supports This means securing hotels Increasing the pay of shelter workers Increasing funding that's available for rent banks and more in fact speaker in in the members Home City of Toronto. They're able to increase their rent bank by some two million dollars But we have other supports as well speaker including the community homelessness prevention initiative The program is funded 100 by the province of Ontario We're spending 338 million this year an increase from last year to help people who are experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness Thank you for the question The supplementary question Thank you, mr. Speaker and thank you to the honorable minister for that response speaker It is reassuring to know that this government is continuing to support our most vulnerable through significant financial assistance But we also know That it is taking more than money to have vulnerable ontarians through these challenging times Mr. Speaker could the minister please further explain how This government is working to keep our homeless populations safe. Thank you minister Speaker our government implemented a risk assessment survey for all homeless shelters And we created the ontario shelter system response table with local officials This let let us look at additional interventions as needed based on the individual shelter needs We're already we've already used the survey to ship emergency Ppe to six of our service managers and we'll continue to keep everyone safe And we'll continue to keep working with the shelters Our government is also continuing to prioritize Covid testing for people in congregate living settings like homeless shelters Circumstances speaker are changing every day and we need to continue to work to keep our most vulnerable safe. Thank you for the question The next question member for hamilton mountain. Thank you very much, mr. Speaker My question is to the deputy premier Not only are the conservatives failing seniors in long-term care But their choice to protect profits over big corporations over the well-being of our seniors is truly hurting families In hamilton families are shocked with the news that continues to come out of the roslin retirement home Rat feces black mold were found in the kitchen Police were called to investigate after staff accidentally left a senior alone there overnight After an investigation or evacuation This week we wrote to the hamilton police asking them to consider expanding their investigation Into this horrific retirement home. Will your government support this call? Well, I thank the member very much for the question This is a serious concern and there's no excuse for what happened at that home But I can assure you that the retirement home's regulatory authority registrar has issued an order to revoke the license of the roslin retirement residence in hamilton And after careful review and consideration of the information collected through inspections complaints and reports from the staff and the public The registrar did make this serious decision And I'm sure that there's more work that is going to be done because we need to protect our most vulnerable citizens And clearly this did not happen And supplement your question Thank you, speaker The horrendous conditions at this home shows just how bad things were allowed to get First under the liberals and now under the conservatives Families have been raising concerns at this home and others for months now And the government should have revoked the license of this home weeks ago instead of just standing by and letting things get worse Speaker seniors built our province and they deserve to retire and spend their final years in dignity Not spend it fighting for their lives in substandard care homes Will the deputy premier commit today to taking profit out of seniors care and commit to ensure this sort of thing never happens again Well, I can certainly agree with the member that the health and well-being of our seniors is of utmost priority to us They did build the province and they deserve To be live their years in comfort and dignity and with at least the basic services that they need allowed for them And and more than that But I can assure the member that we are working with the regulatory homes retirement authority the ontario retirement communities association and other key stakeholders to make sure that With respect to our seniors in retirement homes in other congregate living spaces To make sure that they are able to be provided with the comfort and care that they absolutely deserve Thank you very much. The next question remember for chadum kent leaning to thank you very much, mr My question is for the solicitor general correctional officers in ontario perform a challenging but critically important job working with a population that has complex needs including at the southwest detention center near my riding Staff and correctional facilities can never fully predict what any given day will bring Which is why it is important to ensure that they have the tools and resources They need to ensure our correctional facilities remain safe I was pleased to see that earlier this year the solicitor general announced an updated correctional foundational training program to better support incoming correctional officers Can the solicitor general share with this house how her ministry is building off that announcement through further investments in frontline staff The solicitor general Thank you speaker And thank you to the member from chadum kent leanington for the question You know the the years that you served in opposition working with the corrections institutions and our staff Has really driven part of our desire to make sure that we do a better job And as solicitor general I along with my parliamentary assistant the mpp for Cambridge has heard from our frontline correctional staff about the challenges they face each and every day As a result of these important conversations I'm pleased to announce that our government is investing more than 500 million dollars over five years To deliver real change in correctional facilities across Ontario This major investment will support the hiring of more than 500 new staff to address ongoing challenges within the correction system These new resources will also be used to modernize outdated infrastructure to support programming Our institutions by investing in people and infrastructure. We will create a better and safer environment. Thank you A supplementary question. Thank you. Mr. Speaker And again, thank you solicitor general for your response You know this significant new financial investment is clearly an absolutely critical step in supporting Ontario's Frontline correctional staff now back to the minister over the last few months The government has been working to address the challenges presented by Covid 19 and I know corrections is no exception So can the solicitor general share an update with this house about how her ministry has responded to the Covid 19 health emergency And whether those efforts are showing results Again the solicitor general It would be my pleasure speaker Since Covid 19 arrived in Ontario We've taken swift action across Ontario's 25 adult correctional facilities and we continue to take further action to keep our staff and those in our custody safe Just some of the measures implemented include proactive testing of all inmates as well as all newly Inmitted inmates in conjunction with the local medical health units Temperature checks for all staff and visitors Working with our justice sector partners to proactively reduce the inmate population As well as implement virtual courts with near universal uptake Correctional facilities like so many other congregate based sectors in Ontario have not been immune to covid However, thanks to the proactive and ongoing work of the dedicated staff in each of Ontario's correctional facilities We continue to see results in limiting the potential spread of this virus This includes the Ontario correctional institute where i'm pleased to report as early as this month all active cases have been resolved Thank you The next question member for london north centre My question is for the acting premier Speaker throughout this pandemic the government has strengthened Not weakened its ties with private long-term care corporations These private care corporations hired former government staffers to lobby the government on the behalf This raises serious doubts as to whether this government is serious about fixing our long-term care crisis That's why constituents like mary from london north centre support the opposition's plan for an impartial Find and fix inquiry She wrote to me saying it is unbelievable that our most vulnerable citizens have been experiencing these conditions for decades And nothing has been done I want a full public inquiry Anything less is an insult to seniors Anything less than a find and fix inquiry ought to be criminal My question is simple Will the minister listen to ontarians like mary and commit to a public find and fix inquiry Or will they continue to take advice from political insiders and lobbyists? Ministered long-term care. Thank you speaker and and thank you for for your question if we Look at the public inquiry act It includes public commissions and that's what we are committed to doing making sure that we have transparency public hearings public A public report We are making sure that this is public And we are in the process of of getting this together for july And I want to touch on on some of the issues surrounding the redevelopment if we look at really the past decade Since 2011 only 611 beds were built That is a shame and that is one of the reasons why our ward beds and our long-term care homes in areas with High density of population like the toronto area were so badly hit Because of the density and the capacity in in wardrooms. We know that that's part of the response and the staffing crisis So these are areas that need to be addressed. We need to have a An independent non-partisan public commission. That is what we need The supplementary question back to the acting premier with all due respect a commission is not impartial and it is not non-partisan Speaker the mount hope family council wrote urgent letters to this government Describing funding cuts eroding resources in management and staff doing their best, but failing to meet needs these letters were sent in november December march and april from this minister silence Not only is this government failing families in long-term care the refusal to hire more full-time staff or pay psw A proper wage is making things worse for workers as well Thelma a registered nurse wrote to be saying that long-term care homes should have to provide permanent work for psw Consistency and staffing builds a better home and better relationships between residents and staff sherry Works in an Alzheimer's unit in long-term care and told me the staff to resident ratio is a joke Ontario doesn't want to see long-term or healthcare heroes like psw is treated fairly When is this government going to listen to frontline workers and increase the number of full-time? Thank you Thank you Mr long-term care to apply Thank you speaker and i'm i'm glad that the member opposite asks this question Because that's exactly what our government was in the process of doing We were addressing the staffing crisis that existed in long-term care after many years of neglect many many years of neglect An expert panel to provide information so we could develop a staffing strategy We introduced additional pay for our personal support workers in long-term care Who are truly truly heroes? There is no doubt about that the good work that our government had begun Through the ministry of long-term care a new ministry that had only been in existence for a few short months Before COVID-19 hit us and i'm glad that you raised that question The staffing issues was long neglected the capacity issue response long neglected And now our government is taking action on those and we will continue to transition to a modern 21st century long-term care system. Thank you And the next question the member for thornhill Thank you very much, mr. Speaker and i have a question for the minister of economic development job creation and trade As we all know our airline and the aerospace Sector that services them have been hit especially hard by the effects of COVID-19 And it's had a terrible devastating effect on the entire sector Ontario's home is lucky to be home to a 7.1 billion dollar aerospace sector that supports over 44,000 good paying quality jobs our aerospace aerospace sector generates six billion dollars in annual sales And parts made in Ontario are in virtually every passenger plane in the world We need this sector to stay strong Mr. Speaker can the minister update the house on how our government is supporting Ontario's aerospace sector for economic development job creation and trade Thank you speaker and to the member from thornhill for the question our government strongly believes in supporting strategic business sectors And their workers. We will always stand up for the manufacturing sector in Ontario Including aerospace and help manage the immediate impacts of COVID-19 We're working closely with the ontario aerospace council Downs view aerospace innovation and research And the federal government to promote the industry at home and abroad This includes important skills training and development and ontario's world leading aerospace education institutions With over 40 degree and diploma programs in the field And of course the unprecedented 17 billion dollar relief plan that helped people and businesses during this challenge Our government understands the challenges faced by the aerospace sector and many others And we will continue to work with our partners to protect and to strengthen aerospace jobs and investment Thank you very much minister It's very very positive to see that we have a government that is relentless in its support for advanced manufacturing And for our thousands of aeroplane sector workers our government's commitment to the aeroplane sector will be crucial in maintaining confidence Protecting jobs and welcoming investments in the future again to the minister Mr. Speaker can he update the house on steps ontario is taking to support our aeroplane space sector in these unprecedented times Thank you speaker our government will always take a pro jobs and pro investment economic development approach Actions taken by our government in over the last 18 months have saved ontario businesses over two billion dollars in 2019 Or i'm sorry over five billion dollars in 2019 and five point four billion dollars in 2020 Things like reducing wsib premiums by over two billion dollars Putting an investment allowance in place saving business almost a billion dollars Through our recovery plan we are working closely with the aerospace and advanced manufacturing sectors To ensure ontario emerges stronger than ever as premier ford has said ontario will continue to be the manufacturing and innovation engine of canada We look forward to continue working with our partners to build an even stronger aerospace sector here in ontario for generations to come Thank you very much Member for brampton north Thank you, mr. Speaker. My question is for the deputy premier Today people from all over brampton and the peal region are gathering to march against continued anti-black racism at the peal district school board and i'll be joining them as well Students family and faculty alike have been raising their concerns for years now public school board meetings have ended in harassment of parents and advocates and black students continue To be hurt by racist incidents lowered expectations and cruel punishments Last week the minister of education said he would wait another two weeks after his investigator found that the board was not complying with his directives Mr. Speaker This isn't good enough. We need concrete action. When will the minister finally step up to the plate? Well, minister, uh, mr. Speaker the minister has stepped up to the plate immediately and I know that there is agreement on all sides of the house that what we've seen and heard from the peal district school board Is completely unacceptable. I know all members are on agreement on that and I congratulate the minister who's going to be Or the member across who will be Showing that today in his hometown. It's very very important. The legislation in fact forces the minister to wait two weeks It's not something that The minister can unilaterally do as the member knows there is a two-week waiting period after the report has been Issued the minister is is doing that Following the the legislation but let me assure the member and as he heads out to his community today That this government is horrified by what it's seen and we will make sure that that board stops and that we all Can be proud of the peal district school board going forward. Thank you Thank you, mr. Speaker. My question once again is for the deputy premier It's clear we have a problem when teachers can get away with making racist and anti-black comments In the classroom and get nothing more than a slap on the wrist The government's own investigators suggested that they had no confidence In the peal district school board's willingness to tackle systemic racism Parents city counselors and organizations like the national council of canadian muslims Agree and are all calling for the resignation of the peal director of education and still the minister waits Mr. Speaker Why won't this government listen to the community and join with us in our fight to make our schools safer? And more welcoming for all We have been seized with this right from the beginning, mr. Speaker not just in the peal In the peal board, but since we're talking directly about the peal board I know the member is going out later today as he as he mentioned the minister of education Has taken direct action on this as the member suggested in his in his question We sent in an investigator. We have received a report by the terms of legislation Passed by the members of this house. The government has a responsibility to wait Two weeks to allow the board to respond. We are not going to break the law We are going to follow the rules Follow the law, but let me assure this member that this minister this government And I know all members of this house will not stand for what we what we've heard what we've seen in that report We will fix the peal district school board We will make it a board that we can be proud of whether they want it or not Thank you very much. That concludes our question period for this morning