 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Essex. Thank you very much. Speaker, before I begin, I just want to send our condolences on behalf of the Ontario NDP. And I'm sure all of our colleagues in the House from every party, to the victims and the family and friends of a tragic house fire in Brampton over the weekend, where five people died through them children. So come to the house fire. Our hearts and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victims. Speaker, my question is to the Premier Speaker. The sunshine list shows that the high fliers of this government have made big raises while the frontline heroes of the pandemic have gotten gimmicks. Frontline healthcare workers are stuck with the Premier's low wage policies while his buddies have raked in huge raises. The top 10 earners on the list got a raise of combined raise of $1.9 million just this year, Speaker. Frontline workers in healthcare are neglected thanks to this Premier's Bill 124, but the Premier CEO of Ontario Health got a $186,000 raise just this year. Speaker, that's three times the average Ontario workers salary. Speaker, why does the Premier have a huge salary increase for the CEO of Ontario Health but have nothing but gimmicks for nurses, healthcare workers and frontline heroes who are getting us through this pandemic? Government House Leader. He is correct. The sunshine list was released last Friday, Mr. Speaker, that is every year. But let me just tell the member this. Look, we have provided significant amount of resources for frontline healthcare workers. I know in the Ministry of Long-Term Care we've been working for the addition of 27,000 PSWs. Of course, we've provided additional funding, a salary bump, Mr. Speaker, for our frontline workers. You know how important that was, Mr. Speaker. It is something that we knew that we had to do the moment that we came into office. We're making significant investments in long-term care because it's not just about adding staff as well, but we've heard from the people who are working in the frontlines that the facilities that they work in have to be top-notch facilities. They have to be facilities that they're proud to work in that give people the best quality of care. That's why we're resulting in brand new hospital in Brampton. That's why Peele is getting at the largest hospital in the country. That's why we're building schools, universities, and colleges, Mr. Speaker. A lot is happening in the province of Ontario and it's leading to the most economically prosperous jurisdiction in North America. The supplementary. As I guess, Speaker, the government host leader fails to justify those enormous raises in the midst of the pandemic. Speaker, the Premier promised to reduce hydro prices, but he's raised them every year. And those higher prices are paying for over $5 million for the top salaries at Ontario Power Generation. At OPG, the top four officials, get this, made $1.1 million on top of their already enormous salary. Speaker, while Ontarians watch their monthly bill skyrocket, the Premier's top OPG officials took in between $160,000 and $399,000 in one year raises alone. Speaker, why does this Premier refuse to rein in these outlander salaries at the top of OPG, leaving Ontarians to literally foot the bill with higher prices for their hydro rates? Government host leader. Again, thank you, Mr. Speaker. As you said, the Sunshine List was released last March. Of course, this was an initiative that was brought in by a conservative government back in the 90s, Mr. Speaker. And it does highlight, I think, very effectively for the people of the province of Ontario who is making what? Having said that, Mr. Speaker, when he talks about hydro prices, we knew that the only way we were going to bring back the economy in the province of Ontario is if we made hydro prices stable. And that's something the Premier said right from the beginning. We had to stabilize the hydro electricity system in the province. We've done that. The Premier also said we had to eliminate that 19% hydro increase that was planned by the previous Liberal government. We have done that, Mr. Speaker. That has led to investments in growth. The Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, of course, made the largest investment in the auto sector. He was able to close a deal, a $5 billion deal for which we see thousands of jobs brought to the province of Ontario, which will literally save the auto industry for generations to come, Mr. Speaker. And you get that because of a strong, stable, progressive, conservative government, Mr. Speaker. And we will continue to do that for a long time. The final supplement to you. Thank you very much, Speaker. That's strike two for the government house leader in justifying these enormous rates. We'll give him one more shot at bats here, Speaker, even as ridership and fares plummeted at Metrolinx due to the pandemic. The Premier rewarded the CEO with a raise of $96,000. His total salary is over 836,000 dollars. Is that a type, this is a typo. Is this a typo? 836,000 dollars? That's incredible, Speaker. To put that into perspective, just to pay for Metrolinx's CEO salary, the agency would have to collect fares from Ontarians for five full days. Speaker, that raise alone is more than one and a half times the annual salary of the average Ontarian worker. Speaker, why? When our transit agencies need to increase affordable and accessible transit across Ontario, has this Premier handed the Metrolinx CEO a $96,000 a year raise just this year alone? Is that one the house leader? Again, Mr. Speaker, what we've done is handed a mandate to our partners to deliver the largest increase, the largest build in transit history in the province of Ontario. Yesterday, the Minister of Transportation joined the Premier and a number of our colleagues to the official groundbreaking of the Ontario line, something that they said couldn't be done. We actually are doing it, Speaker. Now, the Ontario line will, of course, will lead, it's part of a $29 billion investment in transit in Toronto and in the GTA, which will see York Region. I know the member for Oak Regions, Aurora, has been working very hard as the member for Richmond Hill to get a train, a subway to York Region. We're getting that done. The people in Scarborough, Mr. Speaker, have been waiting for a very long time for a subway. I note that the member for Scarborough Rouge Park, member for Scarborough Agent Court, Scarborough Center, and the minister in Scarborough North have been fighting. They delivered a three-stop subway, as well as a medical school at the University of Toronto, Mr. Speaker, as well as launch and care, a lot of good things are happening across the province. The next question, once again, the member for Essex. Thank you very much, Speaker. The government house leader cannot, in any good conscience, justify the enormous wages and the raises to these people, so we'll move on. That's strike three. We'll move to the minister of tourism and sports. Speaker, tourism operators have had some of the most difficult years of their business thanks to the pandemic. That's exactly why the province should have had their backs with financial support to keep these businesses afloat, but that is not what happened. The Premier has abandoned tourism operators because the CBC reports this morning that not a cent, not one cent, of the $100 million that this Premier has promised has gone out the door. Speaker, why has the Premier and his Minister of Tourism and Sport abandoned the tourism sector when they needed it the most? Mr. Speaker, tourism and culture industries. Well, as Minister of Sport, I always enjoy a good gutter ball over there by the NDP. And I can tell you that member opposite has not stood in this place and asked a tourism-related question for the hardest-hit sectors who are hit first, hardest, and would take the longest to recover in the past two years of this pandemic. Why? Because all they are focused on on the other side is complaining. All they are focused on on the other side is trying to draw out potential scandals that never really exist. Speaker, I have stood up for the tourism sector this entire time. I have held over three dozen webinars and roundtables with... Opposition, come to order. I have traveled the entire province. I have invested $400,000 in the tourism, Windsor, Essex, Paley Island in order to help restore the branding issues after the Ambassador Bridge. The member opposite says everything in his place, but when it comes time to vote, he has voted against a billion dollars worth of tourism support, Speaker. So, the Opposition will come to order. Speaker, it's been... Supplementary. This minister promised support to tourism operators. Six months. Six months since she promised the support for them and they filled in their paperwork months ago. They were well ahead of the game. Yet five months later, this government is still delaying while hundreds of businesses are waiting for support. Speaker, the CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario said, quote, every day that is lost is an opportunity lost for Ontarians to be hired and for businesses to get the revenue that they've simply not had for the last two years. Speaker, businesses like fishing lodges, bed and breakfasts need support. Speaker, not further delays. Why is this premier failing to help the tourism sector while with the support that they desperately need to stay open? Mr. Heritage. Speaker, the member opposite has limited, if not zero credibility on these issues. I'm glad that somebody wrote him a question, but I guess he could answer a few things for me. Why, when it came time to invest $270 million into an Ontario staycation tax credit, did he vote against it? Why, when it came time to invest $25 million to sustain iconic institutions across the province, including in Windsor, Essex, did he stand there and vote against it? Why, when this government brought forward $100 million in small business supports for tourism sectors, did he vote against it? And I'll ask another question, Speaker. Why when we doubled the ReConnect Festival and Event program, every dollar in yields 21 back in return, why did that member vote against events like the Windsor International Film Festival? I want to know, Speaker, why I have been the only person in this assembly standing up here for two years speaking about heritage, for tourism and culture industries because they have not. Response. Final supplementary. Question period. We get to ask the questions. They have to answer the questions. If spin and deflection were worth 10 cents, the tourism sector would be overflowing with cash from this minister, but unfortunately they are not, Speaker. One business told the CBC that they need, they need a lifeline to stay open. But when that operator tried to find out what's happening with the funding, he was met with radio silence. That's business, that business, an excursion company on Manitoulin Island said, quote, but what we do know is the tourism industry generally is hanging on by a thread these days. Speaker, these small businesses have cleaned out their savings. They've maxed out their credit cards just to keep the doors open. Why has this government and that minister failed to get the funds out the door for a tourism sector that is desperate to stay alive in Ontario? Mr. Terry. I believe I must have touched a nerve with the member opposite. He clearly doesn't really understand the file. He hasn't traveled tens of thousands of kilometers across this great province, meeting directly with tourism operators. As I did last week, when I was in Manitoulin investing $260,000 into indigenous tourism at Wakama Confers Nation, why does the member vote against those initiatives? An additional $105 million to the Ontario Trillium Foundation in order to support heritage sport tourism and culture industries. You know who voted for that? Progressive conservatives. You know who voted against it? New Democrats. That's all they do. They're the party of no, we're the party of yes. I am the minister responsible of a sector that has been hard-fired. It doesn't. Order. It deserves their attention. And I am the standard of the order. That it took them two years to figure out the hardest-hit sectors are the ones that they have always taken for granted. The next question, the member 50, Watanam. Miigwet speaker, Minigajibaya. It's a good morning. My question is to the minister of health. Red Lake Margaret Kushner Memorial Hospital, like many hospitals in Northwestern Ontario, has many challenges to ensure full-time emergency department physician coverage. Many physicians find it daunting to work in small hospitals where obtaining basic diagnostic services such as CT scans have to be done offsite. They also must practice with a very broad scope of expertise with minimal specialist support. This government must address the inequitable access to basic emergency medical care for no-owners in Red Lake and in all of Northwestern Ontario. How will this be done? Question. Miigwet. The minister of health. Thank you very much, speaker. And I thank the member opposite for the question. It is quite an important one. And I can advise that the municipality of Red Lake did declare an emergency on March 25th of this year. And the declaration was due to a service disruption in the emergency department at the Red Lake Margaret Kushner Memorial Hospital from 8 o'clock on March 26th through to 8 o'clock on March 27th as a result of a physician shortage that particular day. But the Provincial Emergency Operations Centre and the Ministry of Health coordinated patients to be redirected to Dryden. And air support was available for EMS transfers as required. Fortunately, no air transfers were required, but two ambulances did drive to Dryden with patients. However, the situation has been rectified for the present. And Ontario Health will continue its efforts to find coverage and build up resiliency through the province's locum program. And I'll speak to other efforts that we're making in the supplementary. Supplementary question. Back to the Minister of Health. Red Lake physicians regularly work 24-hour shifts every three days or even every two days. Over half of the physicians are locums who need extra time to travel to Red Lake, mainly from Southern Ontario. Scheduling is precarious, Mr. Speaker, and one missed flight or a sick day for physicians forces one small comp... forces a small complement of physicians to cover these shifts or risk closing the hospital's emergency department. On March 26th, our over-strained system cracked. Over 6,000 Ontarians were left without their emergency department in Red Lake. What is this government doing to ensure that it doesn't happen again? Mr. Krabs. Mr. Speaker, I think it's really important to look back in history to see and understand how the situation became this way. The physician shortage was the direct result of the previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, eliminating then capping medical school seats in Ontario. The Del Ducal Wind Liberals froze hospital spending for years and eliminated 50 medical residency positions from Ontario. However, our government is dealing with that. That's why we're adding 160 undergraduate seats and 295 postgraduate seats over the next five years, which is the largest expansion in medical schools in the last 10 years. And this expansion will support all six medical schools across Ontario. But I think especially important to your question is that the Northern Ontario School of Medicine will receive 41 undergraduate positions with medical school and 30 postgraduate positions. This will help eliminate the situation with... Thank you. Thank you very much. And next question, the member for Paris-Salmos-Cocca. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Labor, Training and Skills Development. In my writing of Paris-Salmos-Cocca, and from businesses across the province, we hear the same issues being raised everywhere. They are desperate to hire, but they cannot find the workers they need. There are hundreds of thousands of good-paying positions going unfilled across Ontario. Businesses in my writing from contractors and manufacturers to resorts and restaurants are all having trouble finding workers. Mr. Speaker, will the minister please tell us what actions the government has taken to address this historic labor shortage? That's a good question. Mr. Labor, Training and Skills Development. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank my colleague from Paris-Salmos-Cocca. And before I answer his question, I just want to say on behalf of all the people in his writing, on behalf of the province, thank you so much for your service to Ontario. Mr. Speaker, the member is absolutely right. Every paycheck uncollected means a family going another day without. That is why I was pleased to join Labor leaders, participants, apprentices, and tradespeople in London at the Masonry Training Centre to announce our government's investment of $28 million in pre-apprenticeships. Mr. Speaker, with our increased funding, there will be nearly 100 pre-app projects in every corner of Ontario to help people learn the skills they need to fill these in-demand jobs. From stone cutting and masonry work to hospitality and manufacturing, these programs are open to anyone who wants to learn. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to this supplementary question. Thank you, Minister. Thank you for your kind comments. It's comforting to know our government is tackling this generational labor shortage head-on. One of the many tools our government is using to accomplish this goal is the Ministry of Labor's pre-apprenticeship program. Pre-apprenticeships are excellent ways to open new doors for people. They offer and turns the opportunity to try a new trade that they might not have considered. Can the Minister please explain more about his recent London announcement and how our government is determined to help workers upskill and connect with better careers? Good question. Mr. Labour. Well, again, thank you to the member. Through you, Mr. Speaker, I'm a big advocate for pre-apprenticeships and encourage anyone interested in trying a trade to check them out. These programs are short, less than one year long at most, and provide a stepping stone to a better career. And most importantly, they provide an opportunity to learn while working and earning a paycheck. Through investments like these, the Premier and our government are saying yes to a stronger Ontario. We're bringing together business and labour leaders to make our future brighter for average people who are working hard to get ahead. Speaker, we're working for workers on this side of the house. We're getting it done. Next question, the member for Waterloo. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. The Ontario University athletics took the remarkable step of releasing an open letter condemning this government's choice of failing to address the gender imbalance in sport. The government has allocated 3 million to men only hockey scholarships. The OUA says, and I quote, the government of Ontario should be equally concerned about providing fair opportunities to all genders with public funds. We agree. Instead of acknowledging this unfairness, the Minister of Sport called the open letter, and I quote, quibbling and misleading. Women in sports, including hockey, deserve equality and the chance to reach their athletic potential. They do not deserve attacks. Why would the Minister downplay these legitimate concerns of Ontario's University athletics sports community? Mr. Heritage, what tourism and culture industry is? Obviously, as a former female athlete myself, a hockey mother and a coach, I have dedicated my career into making sure, even when I was Minister of Women's Issues, that women and girls have an opportunity to succeed, an equal opportunity to young men and, of course, male sports. What the member opposite is talking about is a letter after myself and the Minister of Finance announced that there will be an additional brand new money of $30 million that will go out to a number of different sport entities, including to the OHL for their scholarship program. That said, and what the member opposite is not talking about is the additional $300,000 that the Ontario University Athletics Association has received through my ministry, not through the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, whereby they can spend every single cent, if they like, on that to support female athletes. I'd also like to point out that 52% of our quest for gold funding, which is a $6 million fund, went to high-performance female athletes. We continue to work on a strategy within the ministry and we'll not apologize for the great work we're doing to support women in sport. Very good. Please stop when I'm at three. Thank you. Speaker, you will never address a problem if you don't acknowledge that it exists. And instead of acknowledging the inequity in scholarships, the Minister attacked the leadership of the Ontario University Athletics and rejected their concerns, as she just did right now. She accused the accusation last week of trying, and I quote, to confuse the argument. She said that they're quibbling about a scholarship program for a male-dominated sport. Speaker, leaders in Ontario University Athletics just want the simple principle of equity in scholarships. Funding choices speak volumes about values, but it is never too late to do the right thing and they put that in their letter. Equally allocating university athletic scholarships would help launch future sports careers and make huge contributions to their society. As a former varsity athletic water polo player, even I get that concept. Will the minister do the right thing, stand up for the women in sport, and invest in women athletes like the Ontario University Athletics Open Letter calls for. Thank you. Mr. Verity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My ministry and our government is committed to supporting community-based athletics and recreation across Ontario, which is why we invested $30 million into new money to support all of our provincial sport organizations, multi-sport organizations, and actually have, for the first time ever, opened up to female-dominated sports, skip rope, cheer, and dance, which has never been done before, but we've got a line of sighting about during the pandemic. I also wanted to point out that through the Ontario Trillium Foundation, we've invested $105 million, as I've mentioned to her colleague, in order to support community-based sport. But let me read something that the Ontario University Athletics Association sent me after we made the announcement. Just a quick thank you for the additional MHSTCI funding to OUA. Much appreciated and helpful. I would encourage the University Athletics Association to use the existing funds and the new money that I'm receiving as a result of this in order to distribute it to female athletes if they so choose. Thank you. Order. The next question, a member for Ottawa South. My question is for the Minister of Health. This weekend, we learned from CTV and W5 about the extent of political pressure. This Premier and this government are putting on our hospitals and healthcare system. Specifically, Premier Ford's inappropriate political interference by calling Dr. Naveed Muhammad, the CEO of William Osler, to complain about the social media of Dr. Brooks Follis. The sequence of events was clear. A tweet, a phone call, a firing. So, Speaker, we know the Premier called Dr. Muhammad and we know that Dr. Muhammad felt that his hospital's funding was being threatened and put at risk. So, can the Minister tell us what threats were made and whether anyone in her office or ministry participated in these intimidation tactics? Minister of Health. None at all. In fact, there were no intimidation tactics. In fact, with respect to Dr. Brooks Follis, we've never heard of this individual and the allegations that he is making are categorically false. We have listened to a variety of people, including our Chief Medical Officer of Health, to make decisions, to make decisions that, with respect to COVID, were based on clinical evidence and science. So, we will continue to listen to Dr. the Chief Medical Officer of Health and to make sure that the decisions that we make continue to be based in fact. But as I said before, we have never heard of Dr. Follis and any allegations he's making are false. Well, we'll send you the clip so you can watch it, Minister. But look, we all know if you stand up and criticize this Premier, he can be vindictive or he will be vindictive. And, you know, that's why the seats behind me, they keep filling up. So, I'm not surprised the minister does not... I'm not surprised... I'm not surprised that... Stop the clock, stop the clock. Government side will come to order. Start the clock. Member for Ottawa South Pacific. Nothing, but they were your friends and colleagues at one point. Remember that. So, I'm not surprised the minister denied this and denied the interference and intimidation by the Premier. But Ontarians deserve real answers. That is why we're asking the government to call the Standing Committee on Social Policy to be convened to investigate exactly what happened, including calling Dr. Naveed Muhammad and the Premier and anyone else to speak about this matter under oath. We can't have a healthcare system that's on the whim of the Premier's vindictiveness. So, Speaker, will the minister agree to convene the Standing Committee on Social Policy so we can get to the bottom of this and get to the real truth about what happened? Minister of Health. The short answer is no, because I can advise that the Premier has always made decisions based on the recommendations of Dr. Moore and his advisers. He has always made his decisions based on the clinical evidence and science. That is what Ontarians have known from the beginning and so there's no need to refer it anywhere else. That's from the Member for Mississauga, Erin Mills. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturism. Speaker, as we all know, small businesses are the backbone of Ontario economy and I have seen the support for small businesses firsthand in my writing of Erin Mills during this pandemic. While our government has taken strong, unbridled actions to support them, we know there is more we need to do, especially among businesses owned by Black, Indigenous, and other racialized interbinors. Now that Ontario is on the road to economic recovery, we need every small business and every community across the province to succeed. Can the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturism please inform the House what our government is doing to ensure that no one is left behind? To reply, the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank my colleague from Mississauga, Erin Mills, for the question and also the tremendous work he does on behalf of his constituents, not just here at Queen's Park, but also in his writing. Mr. Speaker, as the Member pointed out, of course we know during the pandemic all small businesses were hit hard and faced lots of challenges and those owned by Indigenous, Black, and racialized communities were the hardest hit, Mr. Speaker. That's why our government is proud to announce $5 million announcement, Mr. Speaker, and investment that we're providing to support businesses owned by Indigenous, Black, and racialized entrepreneurs. Eligible recipients, Mr. Speaker, can qualify for up to $10,000 in funding to grow their business, Mr. Speaker, create innovation as well as provide culturally relevant training and business coaching. As a former business owner, small business owner myself, Mr. Speaker, I understand some of those challenges firsthand and I know this investment will be really, really well-received by every single business out there. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary question. Thanks for the minister for this answer. I know small business owners in my community from Mississauga and Mills will be very happy to hear about the grant and the billions of dollars in business support from our governments. Small businesses need to know that their government is creating the right environment for their businesses to grow and flourish. That has never been more important than now. Now more than ever, we need targeted support to help deliver culturally related programming and remove disparities in all communities while building new pathways to economic success. Speaker, through you, can the minister tell us how the race grant will help create more opportunities for everyone across Ontario? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank my colleague for that important question again, Mr. Speaker. Our government is ensuring that racial equity is included within our COVID-19 recovery plan for a long-term economic growth of our province. With this race grant, we are saying yes to supporting new opportunities for economic success. That's because encouraging equal opportunities for everyone is the right thing to do, Mr. Speaker. It's good for jobs. It's good for businesses. By improving access to economic opportunities, we're supporting local communities and we're building stronger, more inclusive Ontario for everyone. On this side of the house, Mr. Speaker, we remain committed to turning possibilities into prosperity, Mr. Speaker, across our great province. Thank you. Next question, member for York Southwestern. Morning, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. In my writing of York Southwestern, hardworking people are facing an affordability crisis. Housing, renting and purchasing continues to be unaffordable and people are being forced to leave the community they were raised in. The Toronto Star recently did a story that highlighted 33 King Street building in my writing and shared the struggles tenants are facing and almost 20 years ago, Charlene Henry moved into 33 King Street building and would be a bigger and would like a bigger space but feels stuck as ransom have shot sword. Charlene is stated, we have outgrown our space but the market has outgrown us. The reality is that the people have to hold unto units even when it does not make sense for the household room to live there. What is this government doing to address the housing crisis we are in and reasonable above guideline rent increases and holding tenants a hostage because they cannot afford to move. Can you respond on behalf of the government? Member for Aurora or Bridges Richmond Hill? Well, thank you very much, Speaker and I thank my honourable colleague for the question and he's absolutely right. Life had become incredibly unaffordable because of the decisions made by the previous government and of course often supported by the NDP, Mr Speaker, which is why we wanted to turn things around. We want to make sure that life is more affordable for Ontarians, Mr Speaker. Part of that includes making sure that Ontarians, the jobs that were lost because of the previous government, Mr Speaker, 300,000 manufacturing jobs were lost because of the decision from the previous government. As you heard last week, the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade announced a $5 billion investment that's bringing more jobs, good paying jobs back in this province again, Mr Speaker. In that, what we're going to do, we're going to make sure that the housing supply that was neglected by the previous government, we are increasing housing in all areas, Mr Speaker. Last year, more housing starts built in here in Ontario. We're going to make sure housing is built for everyone across Ontario, affordable for every Ontario. Thank you. Please supplement your question. Back to the Premier, 33 King Street building in York Southwestern serves as good example of what is wrong with this government's approach to housing. When tenants who had lived in the same apartment for more than a decade, their average rent increase was 28%. If the apartment change harms, that average rise to an astounding 73%. Above guideline rent increases for work done in improvements is another tool to make tenants vacate and raise rent substantially. I will end with, Mr Speaker, with the word of 33 King Street tenant, Sandy Bathe, who fills an I-Cote, I cannot afford to move and I cannot afford to stay. Will this government ban and eliminate above guideline rent increases and support real rent control today, Mr Speaker? Thank you. And to respond to that, come to the floor. Thank you very much, Speaker. And again, I thank the member for raising an important issue here, which is affordability in the province of Ontario. And he's absolutely right, which is why the Minister of Housing, Mr Speaker, took the initiative on the deletion of our premium afford to make sure that we work to ensure that housing supply is increased in this province, Mr Speaker, for anyone that's looking to have, whether it's affordable housing, whether it's that dream of owning a home in this province, Mr Speaker. And as I mentioned earlier, housing starts in this province increased for the first time since the 90s, Mr Speaker. That's not by accident. That's because our policies of this government are on the deletion of this premium. I encourage the opposition to work with us so that we can build more houses for all Ontarians, whether they want to look to rent, whether they want to buy again. We need to make sure these homes are affordable for all Ontarians. We'll make sure we'll deliver for them. I hope the opposition supports us along the way, Mr Speaker. Next question, the member for Chatham Kent-Lemington. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question through you is to the Minister of Health. The objectives of Directive 6 were to set out a provincially consistent approach to COVID-19 immunization policies in covered organizations. Directive 6 was issued by Dr. Moore under the Health Protection and Promotion Act 2004, section 77.7 on August 17th of last year. And it was implemented 21 days later on September 6th. Now, the first stated objective of Directive 6 is to optimize COVID-19 immunization rates. Emerging evidence now demonstrates natural immunity to be superior and longer lasting to vaccine-induced immunity. It is a breach of medical ethics to ignore natural immunity and to force employees to undergo vaccination unnecessarily that could expose them to an adverse reaction. Compelling employees to submit to a medical procedure that has little or no benefit may put many at potential risks. My question to the Minister of Health is, why was natural immunity to COVID-19 disregarded? Minister of Health. Thank you very much. Natural immunity was never disregarded. It was regarded by the experts, but wasn't considered to be sufficient enough to prevent a person from contracting COVID. What is important is to be vaccinated, not once but twice and three times actually. We have actually exceeded over 32 million vaccinations in Ontario right now. This is the best protection for people. Natural immunity helps, but isn't going to be the salvation for someone if they contract AIDS. Even with the third inoculation, people can still get COVID, but are unlikely to be hospitalized because they have that natural protection. It's more likely to appear as a case of flu or for the cold, but that isn't because of natural immunity. That's because of vaccination. Supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Minister of Health through you, Speaker. Directive 6 allowed for unvaccinated employees to continue to work and undergo antigen testing at intervals to be determined by the covered organization. It was immoral that employers decided on their own and were allowed to further jeopardize patients and staff when they implemented an unnecessary policy of vaccinate or terminate. Forcing employees to be vaccinated with a non-sterilizing vaccine, still in clinical trials with no long-term safety data was unethical. The vaccine did not shield patients or staff from transmission. It was the employers who took away the right to inform consent, not Directive 6. Sadly, other government levels stood idly by as employers explicitly violated some of the most valued ethical principles of medicine. Your government allowed employers to move far beyond Directive 6 into a heavy-handed authoritarian approach of vaccinate or terminate. So, Minister, why didn't you step in and stop these non-medical employers from forcing an invasive medical procedure on employees? It was coercive and illegal. I'm going to caution the member on the use of some of the language that he used in his question. Minister of Health to reply. Thank you, Speaker. And, frankly, Speaker, it's hard to know where to start with an answer here. But, ultimately, the best protection against COVID is vaccination. That has been demonstrated by experts across the world. Millions and millions of people have been vaccinated without ill effects. In fact, it's saved hundreds of thousands of lives. I won't apologize for that because that is what the science is. That is what the clinical evidence says. And employers were allowed to develop their own vaccine policies, most required vaccines, particularly where there are vulnerable people in our long-term care homes and other places. But the way that we're getting out of this pandemic right now and able to start opening up our economy is because so many Ontarians went out and were vaccinated. And I thank them very much for that. That's giving Ontario back its future. Thank you. The next question, the member for Flamborough, Glenbrook. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. After 15 years of liberal mismanagement, generations of workers were forgotten, 300,000 manufacturing jobs left Ontario, and there was absolutely no plan for economic growth. The lack of investment had our auto and manufacturing sectors running scared. But recently, we have seen billions, that's billions with a B of dollars' worth of investment back into this province. Could the minister outline what historic investments have been announced recently and how they will support our auto and manufacturing sectors? Great question. The Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Speaker, since day one, our government has worked to reduce the cost of doing business by $7 billion a year, giving business the confidence to invest here in Ontario over the past 18 months. We've seen an historic $13 billion invested in our steel EV and EV battery. Ford, $1.8 billion. Stalantis, $1.5 billion. General Motors, $2.3 billion. Honda, $1.4 billion. DeFasco, $1.8 billion. And of course, last week, the single biggest auto investment in the history of the country, LG and Stalantis, $5 billion in winter. But, Speaker, we're just getting started. Stay tuned, as auto companies announce more and more and more investments as we unleash Ontario's economy. Yeah. Supplementary question. Speaker, we know that Ontarians are so relieved and so happy that Ontario is back and is reversing the damage that the previous Liberal government supported time and time and time again by the NDP did to our economy. It's clear our government has been focused on restoring this critical sector in Ontario's economy. But reviving Ontario's auto sector was no easy task. One that took many years. Can the minister please outline how our government's automotive plan has helped drive automotive investment back into Ontario? Mr. Economic Development. From Flamborough, Glenbrook is absolutely correct. Under the previous government, Ontario saw 300,000 jobs flee the province. The Liberal government simply gave up on manufacturing jobs. Here's a direct quote from the Liberal's final economic report, quote, the structure of the Ontario economy will continue to shift from goods producing to service producing sectors. How sad. But we knew it did not have to be that way. And we immediately put in steps to stop that loss of jobs. Driving prosperity speaker was the name of our plan that restored Ontario's auto sector. And the $13 billion of investment shows that that plan is working. Ontario has gained 500,000 jobs since we took office as we unleashed Ontario's economic potential to secure a future speaker for generations to come. Please remember for London North Centre. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. Affordability is a huge concern for most people today. Housing costs ballooned under the last government and have only accelerated under this one. Constituents at one Richmond row reach out to tell me they're facing rent increases of seven to 10% simply because they're in a building built after 2018. This government canceled rent control in new buildings forcing these tenants to pay hundreds more dollars in additional rent. Seniors living on fixed incomes and young families trying to start their lives are afraid they're gonna end up on the street. Marnie told me, I'm very frustrated as to why it will be such a large increase in rent control, it should be 1.2% like other renters. As a new renter, I had no idea this would happen to me. It has been very stressful for several of us as our rent is at top dollar already. It's a simple question. Will this government do the right thing, return rent control to buildings built after 2018 and stand up for Ontario's renters? Yes or no? Excellent. And to reply, member for Stormont Dundas, South Glen Gary, I'm sorry. Thank you speaker for that question. Thanks to the member opposite. You know, since taking government, we have taken all the measures possible to make sure that housing was affordable to people of Ontario. And this province was in terrible shape. We had the lowest number of housing units per capita in this country. And in this country was the worst than the G7. And that's after decades of the previous government stifling and red tape and we took measures. So when we came to power, says our government immediately put in measures to get rid of the red tape and allow builders to build, developers to develop. And it was a key factor in keeping rental units as low as possible. We've had the highest number of rental units, the highest number of housing units built since the 1990s of this province. And that goes to the measures we put in place. And the NDP and the Liberal said no to requiring landlords efforts to negotiate repayment for agreements. So we've done things to make rental issues affordable, especially during COVID. We stopped evictions during the COVID timeframe to give the people that were having trouble with employment a time to make repayments and a time to get their payments in order. We stop. What about your question? My question's back to the Premier. You know, scrapping rent control makes things unaffordable. I'd like this government to get that through its head. The worst part about this is that people like Marnie thought the Ontario government was on their side and that there were rules to protect renters. Speaker, the member's answer shows that this is not the case. This government voted against my bill, 23, which would protect renters. With a stroke of a pen, this government could stand up for renters, bring back rent control, but instead they'd rather help wealthy developers. For decades, conservative and liberal governments have made the housing crisis worse and worse. They've allowed the greediest developers and corporate landlords to gouge tenants and throw people out of their homes to make a buck. My constituent Chris said, this is an outrageous attempt to essentially evict tenants because they feel they can get more money. It is simply unaffordable. The cost of moving and the horrible burden of finding a new home will be very imposing on the residents in my building. What does this government have to say to Marnie, Chris, and the other families living at one Richmond row who might get evicted because they can't afford the massive unfair jump in rent that this government has rubber-stained? There we are. Remember, I want to talk with Bridges Richmond Hill. Thank you very much, Speaker. And I thank my honorable colleague for their question. And my message to all Ontarians and those who are looking for an answer from government is this, we've had your back and will continue to have your back, Mr. Speaker, through policies that we have always put in place, Mr. Speaker. But let me just point out the fact that members opposite never want to bring up. And that is the question of supply, Mr. Speaker. Because of bad decisions by the previous government, and remember who supported them along the way whenever they needed them, we did not, Ontario lacked the supply that we need for house Ontarians of all, Mr. Speaker, which is why the policies and the decisions that were made by the minister alluded to by the parliamentary assistant helped to make sure that we have more units available so that it does help with the prices for Ontarians. It's a simple supply and demand. I understand sometimes it's difficult for others to fathom that, but it is a fact, Mr. Speaker, which is why when you reduce rate tape, when you increase inventory through proper decisions, it will make housing more affordable for Ontarians, but we'll make sure that the every single decision that we make reflects the best for the big hall of Ontario. Mr. Speaker. The next question, member for Orleans. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Mr. Speaker, the highest-ranking public servant in the city of Ottawa has told Ottawa Council that the illegal occupation is going to cost taxpayers $36 million. Now, $36 million is a lot of money, and it's going to translate into hundreds of dollars of additional property taxes for the residents of Ottawa. That's on top of hydro rates that are going up and gas prices that are out of control, Mr. Speaker. For months, Ontario Liberals have been calling on the government to support residents of Ottawa and ensured that they're made whole as a result of this occupation that was spurred on by conservative politicians across the country, Mr. Speaker. Now, the government's offered $10 million, which is half of what the federal government's offered to support businesses, but they've still not offered any support to Ottawa taxpayers who are going to be faced with the bill for this occupation. So, Mr. Speaker, will the Premier commit to ensuring that Ottawa taxpayers are made whole and that he doesn't force a property tax increase upon them? Mr. Speaker, I think we addressed this last week, but I know again that the Minister of Tourism has been working alongside Ottawa officials to ensure that Ottawa continues to get the support that it has been getting. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, we're also looking also beyond what happened at the events of February. We're looking towards building a better, stronger Ottawa, Mr. Speaker, one that is, again, continues to be the center of culture for the province of Ontario. Look, Ottawa is the second largest city in the province of Ontario. It is the center of our national government. It is also a hub for tourism. It is also a hub for culture, and we know how important Ottawa is to the economic growth of the province of Ontario. That is why we are making so many important investments in the city of Ottawa, Speaker. And look, the people of Ottawa know that a strong state progressive conservative majority of government will continue to deliver for them, not only over the next number of months, but well in the future. Supplementary? Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. The residents of Ottawa, in particular the downtown, were traumatized by the occupation. Small businesses were forced to close right as they were supposed to start reopening because of COVID. Employees were losing shifts, shifts that they couldn't afford to lose, Mr. Speaker. Now, the occupation's been over for almost a month. The government still hasn't announced any funding to support Ottawa taxpayers, and the Premier still hasn't come to Ottawa to speak to residents who are affected, to speak to small business owners who are affected. He had time to go to Washington, D.C., Mr. Speaker, to lobby the Americans, but he hasn't had time to come to Ottawa and speak to residents who are affected by the occupation. Residents of Ottawa are starting to think that this Premier doesn't care about them because their issues are continually ignored. He's failed to show leadership once again, and the residents of Ottawa have noticed. Will the government, will the Premier, commit to making the city of Ottawa whole and ensure that Ottawa property taxpayers don't get a tax increase because of this occupation that was spurred on by conservative politicians? Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. I really reject this mandatory nature of that question. The member opposite knows that I spent a great deal of time, including with one of his colleagues from Ottawa, Vanie, working with business owners, working with Ottawa Police, working with transportation and transit officials, working with small businesses. I also reject the premise myself and the minister responsible for children, community and social services and minister of transportation. We're actually with the Premier. In Ottawa, in downtown Ottawa, on Elgin Street, on Friday, right after we announced $29 million for the second largest hospital project in Ontario's history. You know, the member opposite talks about Orleans Health Hub. They talked about a Barnsdale exit on the 416. They talked a lot about the expansion of the Ottawa hospital, but you know what, for 15 years in office, they delivered zip zero zilch to the people of Ottawa. But guess what, Doug Ford, he's getting it done. We start the clock. The next question, the member for Parkdale High Park. Figure my questions to the Premier. Tenants at 12 Lansdowne Avenue in my riding are being renovicted by a landlord who was famously fined $135,000 for dishonest renovictions at 795 College Street back in 2019. Repeat offenders like this landlord note that $100,000 is a drop in the ocean because renovictions allow bad landlords to sidestep Ontario's rent control laws and rake in enormous profits. Successive governments, both Liberal and Conservatives, have done nothing in two decades to fix it. We know that allowing landlords to hike rent in between tenants incentivizes landlords to throw tenants out and leads to skyrocketing rents. Speaker, I proposed legislation to fix this, the Rent Stabilization Act, and the Ford government voted it down. So I ask, does the Premier have a plan to protect tenants from rent evictions? And if so, what is the Premier's plan? That's so clean, Gary. Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the member, I'll say she was half right. The Liberal government did nothing for 10 years. When coming into power, our Protecting and Tenants and Strengthening and Community Housing Act protected tenants from rent evictions as they call them. They put in fines. We put in, no tenant in this province can be evicted without an order from the Landlord Tenant Board. And this is, the Landlord Tenant Board must also have the ability to review all other previous cases where landlords have been involved with renovations. Something that was not there before. And we see now the Landlord Tenant Board has now got the teeth it needs to protect the tenants. As we've increased the housing, the rental units in this province, something that, by getting rid of red tape, we protected the tenants. Last year, we had a zero increase in rent in this province, something that has not been seen in 30 years. We have the backs of tenants and we will continue to protect them. Thank you. The supplementary. Thank you. My question is back to the Premier. Speaker, in my writing, two buildings, 103 and 105 West Lodge, now have over 200 vacant units combined. While shelters are overcrowded and encampments are bulldozed, landlords are evicting tenants and then sitting on hundreds of empty units. Corporate landlords are sitting on hundreds of empty units in the midst of a housing crisis. Does the Conservative government think this is acceptable? And if not, why won't the government do something to fix it? And with the score, I'm going to ask the Premier. Thank you, Speaker. And thank the member opposite for that question. As I said, our government has put in place the rules that the Landlord Tenant Board now has the ability to review all cases. And actually they must review all cases. They must go through it before a tenant is asked to leave. There is a requirement for an eviction order from the tribunal. As far as the renovations go, they have the ability to review the cases and decide whether they should be phased. Landlords must pay up to three months rent for any tenant that is requested to move out because of renovations. And also the tenant has the first rate of refusal to move back in at the same rent. So these are protections we put in this government. And you look back at this other party opposite, voted against these changes. These were changes that were needed to protect the renters in this province because there was a shortage of rental units. And that goes back to the previous coalition of the NDP and the Liberal government who did nothing for 10 years to look at and address the supply. Thank you. The next question, the member for Don Valley West. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Since 1996, People for Education has been advocating for a strong publicly funded education system in Ontario. Led by Annie Kitter and her team, People for Education has surveyed schools across the province each year to determine the issues, gaps in progress in our schools in terms of funding, staffing and program adequacy. People for Education formed in response to the neglect and underfunding of a previous Conservative government in Ontario. The COVID crisis has made this annual sounding even more critical than it has been in the past. What the report found this year, Mr. Speaker, and I quote, in last year's survey, principles pointed to the lack of communication between the Ministry of Education and Schools as an ongoing challenge. One year later, no progress appears to have been made on this front. Can the Premier explain why this government has consistently ignored repeated recommendations to include the people on the front line of our education system in decision-making? Mr. Speaker, to reply, the Member for Niagara West and the Parliament appreciate it. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Member Opposite and of course recognize the Member Opposite's importance in raising these issues. And I want to also acknowledge that the Member Opposite had the opportunity for many years to serve in this legislature also as the Minister of Education. Now, unfortunately, Speaker, what we saw over the course of those years of education when the Member Opposite was both Premier and the Minister of Education was a failure to invest in some of the crucial areas that we've heard from our stakeholders. We've heard from partners in the education sector that we need to invest in. And so in response to that, under the leadership of Premier Ford and Minister Lecce, we're responding to the concerns that have been raised over the past years due to the lack of investment from the former liberal Wendell-Duke government and we're ensuring that we're building up our education system. What that means in practice, Speaker, is that we're investing $304 million in time limited support to the COVID-19 learning recovery fund for temporary additional staff and supports to address learning recovery, the implementation of a fully de-streamed grade nine support and moral speak about the supplementary. Supplementary question. Well, Mr. Speaker, the reality is that there has been funding removed from schools. Per-pupil funding has gone down. There were fewer staff in schools. There are, for example, fewer sections of courses being offered to high school students because of cuts that were made by this government before the pandemic hit, Mr. Speaker, but my question was about conversations with people in the education system, Mr. Speaker. I've spoken to school trustees, teachers, support staff, parents, that this lack of inclusion in decision-making is how this government has functioned throughout the pandemic. The most recent example of this lack of respect and outright dismissal of the expertise of the very people who have responsibility for the two million Ontario children in our publicly funded schools is the refusal of this government to allow school boards to have the option to continue to enforce a mask mandate in their schools if they choose to. There has been no consultation. There has been no respect for the frontline, Mr. Speaker. Every MPP in this house should know this already from their conversations and their constituencies. What is being put in place right now as the government presumably prepares to release the grants for student needs that will allow school boards and their schools to provide the staffing, mental health and curriculum support necessary to allow schools to support students. What is the plan? Parliamentary Assistant. That's it, but I have to push back on that assertion, which is factually inaccurate, Speaker. We have raised funding for the sector of education, historically, since this government came to office. What we've seen as a result of those investments is this year alone, $683 million increase in our publicly funded education system to ensure that we're reaching $26.6 billion for the grant for student needs. This is an increase by over $3.25 billion, Speaker, that we've seen since the increase through the GSN over the past years. A 9% increase since our government came to office in 2018. That's a substantial investment to ensure that our students are receiving all the skills that they need to thrive and to succeed going forward after many years of neglect under the former liberal government. But it's not just more spending, Speaker. It's also about investing in the areas like math, STEM, ensuring that our technological trades are being provided, that we're providing pre-printureship opportunities and that we're creating opportunities for our youth to thrive today and tomorrow. And those are things that we didn't see under the former liberal government, but under the leadership of Doug Ford and Stephen Leche, we're getting it done. That concludes question period this morning. I beg to inform the House that pursuant to Standing Order 101C, changes have been made to the order of precedence on the ballot list for private members' public business, such that Mr. Rebekean assumes ballot item 42 and Mr. Crawford assumes ballot item number 43. Pursuant to Standing Order 36A, member for Chatham Kent Leamington has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the Minister of Health concerning Directive 6. This matter will be debated Tuesday following private members' public business. Being no further business at this time, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.