 It is now time for oral questions, and I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My question is Minister of Long-Term Care. The government is now going to move people from hospitals to nursing homes that they do not want to go to. If they refuse to go, will they be billed for their hospital bed? I really think the opposition would benefit from a reading of the bill, Mr Speaker, because if the leader of the opposition actually read the bill, he would see that on the very first page, it says that nobody will be removed from a hospital who is discharged from hospital into a long-term care without their consent. Now, just to reconfirm that in section 60, subsection 7, it also again reconfirms that nobody will be removed from a hospital-acute care setting to a long-term care home without their consent. Supplementary question. Doesn't seem to mention billing. There are cases of this government and the Liberals before attempting to bill seniors for their hospital beds. A 2010 report from the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly, written by lawyer Jane Metis, says seniors have been threatened with a daily hospital bill for, I quote, the non-OHIP daily rate, which ranges anywhere from $500 to $1,500 or more per day, end quote. Can the minister guarantee right now that if a senior refuses to go to a care home they don't want, they will never be billed for their hospital bed? Minister of Long-Term Care. I assume that the member must be talking about a regulation that was put in place in 1979 in this place, Mr. Speaker, that has been on the book since 1979. I can confirm absolutely 100% that nowhere in the bill that I have introduced does it suggest that seniors will be A, move from a long-term care, from a hospital without their consent, or B, will be charged. The final supplementary. Speaker again to the minister. The government's plan for healthcare seems to involve Ontarians opening their wallets. The minister has not ruled out fragile seniors and their families racking up thousands of dollars in a bill for a hospital stay. And the Ford government has a plan for more privatized surgeries and procedures which always, always result in extra charges. Why does this government believe it's okay for healthcare to come with a bill? The minister. Mr. Speaker, I'm not sure what the member is reading. So at some point in time when you get the answer to your question on the first question, you might want to modify your second and third question, Mr. Speaker. So I'll give it to the member opposite. Order. As I said yesterday, I can appreciate that they didn't read the bill when they had the opportunity Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, or even this morning. I appreciate that he wasn't here for the leadoff speeches where we identified what we're actually... Don't make reference to the absence of another member. Sir, I withdraw that. But he has the opportunity now, Mr. Speaker, to go to the table, get a copy of the bill where he will see in the bill that no senior is being moved into a long-term care home without their consent and there is nowhere, nowhere in this piece of legislation that suggests a senior will be billed for staying in acute care settings, Mr. Speaker. Member for Hamilton, West, and Caster, Dundas. To the Premier, this government's grand plan to fix our healthcare crisis is to throw open the door to privatize healthcare. But funneling patients to private healthcare will only bleed resources out of our public hospitals and will make the healthcare crisis even worse. And we know that healthcare privatization always ends up with patients getting the bill. If Ontarians won't need to use their credit cards for healthcare, please explain why there is currently no provincial oversight to protect patients against inappropriate charges for publicly funded surgeries. Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. I know this gives me an opportunity, of course, to highlight our exciting announcement that we made last week as a government five-point plan to provide the best care possible to patients and residents. And I only want to highlight one comment from Alan Odette from the Ontario Medical Association. The OMA supports the initiatives announced today by the government. The collaboration with government doctors and other healthcare stakeholders is critical to resolving the unprecedented pressures on Ontario's healthcare system. No one group can do this alone, Speaker. We must do this together. Our five-point plan does that. We are working with our partners to make sure that all capacity within our healthcare system is there when people need it, where they need it. Thank you. Supplementary question. That's from the Auditor General's December 2021 report, so let me quote further from that report. We found that some patients could be given misleading information as part of a sales practice to make a profit and further greater financial risk by allowing additional private organizations to provide publicly funded surgeries while also being allowed to charge patients directly for additional uninsured services to make a profit. In the case of cataract surgeries, these add-on charges cost patients anywhere from $450 to almost $5,000. So my question, do you believe it is your job to protect Ontarians and not the bottom line of for-profit providers? I ask the members to make their comments to the Chair to respond to the Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. You know, it does concern me that the member opposite and the party opposite does not believe that there can be innovative solutions to what are very long-standing problems. We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different results. Status quo is not an option. That is why our five-point plan includes additional capacity like expanding surgical units and the access to it. Like expanding how we are using in 40 communities across Ontario, the Community Paramedic Program. These are the innovations that Ontarians need and deserve. I don't know if you've heard from your constituents waiting for those surgeries, but I have and I want to make sure that where we have capacity within our health care system, whether it is in hospitals or in fact in independent health facilities, we use that to make sure that people get the surgeries when they need it as quickly as we can get them to. Thank you. And I'll remind members to please make their comments through the Chair, not directly across the floor of the House. Final supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. I'd like to let the Minister of Health know that my constituents are tired of being built extra for what should have been publicly funded surgeries. But the most disturbing finding in the Auditor General's report and I quote, the inconsistency in the way oversight of various service providers is conducted means that neither the Ministry of Health nor Ontario Health has a full picture of outpatient surgeries across the province. This is remarkable. We know that your government's failure to provide oversight in a for-profit long-term care homes resulted in thousands of seniors' deaths. So why then, for heaven's sake, are you rushing into privatization before you make sure Ontarians can get the care they need in public universal health care system in Ontario? One more time. I'll ask the members to make their comments through the Chair. Minister of Health to reply. Premier Ford, our government has been very clear that health care services provided in the province will continue to be provided and accessed through your OHIP card. We want people to get those services closer to home. We want all health providers to be able to practice at the highest level of their capacity because they want to be able to provide the service quickly to their patients. I point to a quote from Dr. Rosacarius, the President of the Ontario Medical Association. Physicians are resilient, compassionate, high-capacity people. We need to spend our health care dollars strategically to fill these existing gaps. We will do that, working with our partners. I implore the members opposite to work with us on it. The next question, the member for Niagara Centre. Speaker, through you to the Minister of Health. A Niagara boxing legend is fighting for his life. Doug DeBias is a prolific boxer and coach. Nearly a decade ago, Doug suffered a botched surgery on a hernia. Over the years it got so bad he lost nearly 100 pounds and was unable to eat or drink. His nutrient levels were so low doctors feared his heart would give out. Surgeons have installed a feeding tube, but it can't stay in place for long. If the surgery to correct the initial operation can't be done quickly, Doug will suffer lifelong consequences. But because of Ontario's massive surgical backlog, it will be many months before it can happen and by then that may be too late. Will this government invest the 1.3 billion earmarked by the FAO to address the surgical backlog so that Doug and people like him can have timely life-saving surgeries, yes or no? Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. The member opposite highlights exactly why our government proactively made sure that surgical backlogs that happened as a result of the pandemic are being dealt with quickly. It is why we are in a very good place in terms of diagnostic, basically back at pre-pandemic. Specifically on the surgical wait lists, as part of our province's surgical recovery strategy, we've invested over $880 million over the last three fiscal years. And, Speaker, I might remind the member that that's over the last three years because we understood that there were going to be backlogs and we needed to take these steps proactively to make sure that individuals like Doug got their surgery as quickly as we could. And we have funded Ontario hospitals to expand their surgical unit hours for exactly the reason the member opposite raises. Thank you. The supplementary question. Speaker, because of the massive wait list being ignored by this government, Doug's family had to create a GoFundMe page to pay for the surgery to be done in Buffalo in case it can't be done in time in Ontario. Is it acceptable to this government that people in Ontario have to crowdfund to pay for life-saving surgery in the U.S.? And will the minister stand up today abandon her plan to bankrupt and privatize our health care system and instead invest in our public system so that people like Doug don't have to pay with their credit card to save their lives? Minister of Health. Again, Speaker, I will remind and reinforce that in the province of Ontario, we get health care systems paid for through our OHIP tax-paid funded programs. The 400 additional physician residents that are now practicing in Northern and Merrill, Ontario are to expand and allow more opportunities for people to be able to access care closer to home as quickly as possible. We are making these investments. We are doing this because we understand we want people like Doug to make sure that the high-quality, amazing health care that we have in the province of Ontario, they are accessing closer to home. Thank you. Next question. Member for Scarborough, Rouge River. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Many of my constituents have seen commentary and concerns being raised by a group of former Toronto mayors regarding the strong mayors building housing legislation. According to them, the proposed legislation would eliminate any meaningful role of city councillors and therefore the voice of the local residents who elect them. Residents of Toronto and Ottawa deserve a peace of mind and that their elected officials are accountable to them and will act in their best interest. Mr. Speaker, will the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing please explain how this legislation will ensure that my constituents still have the power regarding the role of municipal mayors and councils and the democratic principles that shape governments are being upheld? Three questions. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. I want to thank the member for the question. Contrary to what the former mayors said, municipal councils and locally-elected councillors will play an important role in representing their constituents and ensuring delivery of local priorities. Council will not be left out of the process of local decision-making under our strong mayors' Building Homes Act. Checks and balances are built into the proposal. Council can override the mayor's veto of bylaws related to provincial priorities and budget amendments made by council with a two-thirds majority vote. It's important to keep in mind that these changes are put forward to help the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa cut red tape and get shovels in the ground faster. The mayor is obviously still a member of council, still would have one vote on matters brought before council in the very same way that they do presently. The supplementary question. Speaker, the residents of Toronto and Ottawa deserve respect and they deserve to have all of their concerns and questions addressed. Some of the additional concerns raised by the previous mayors of Toronto about this legislation includes claims that the mayors will have too much power to hire and fire senior staff impacting the separation between executive and legislative functions. Additionally, they have said that the system provides too much control for the mayor, provide them a veto on decision that intervene with provincial priorities. Speaker, can the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing provide certainty for the people of Toronto and Ottawa by addressing the outstanding questions regarding this legislation? The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Thanks. Those are fantastic questions. It's important for members of this house to remember that under our proposed changes mayors are still subject to the legislative accountability and transparency measures. This includes proposed new laws that would prevent the mayor from using the new powers when they would have a conflict. The legislation also explicitly prevents the mayor from being able to hire certain positions. The posts would include positions like the police chief, the chief building official, the medical officer of health. There are many, many others that are under legislative prescription. Speaker, we're giving mayors the tools that they need to get things done, to get shovels in the ground faster, and we're going to hold them accountable to the decisions that they make. We're counting on them to cut red tape, to get housing built faster so that families can realize attainable homeownership. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you for your questions to the Premier. Speaker, Rick Brown lives in London West and is exhausted from more than five years of caring for his wife Marion, who has an incurable brain disorder. His only break is during her weekly nine hours of home and community care. Before the pandemic Marion could stay up to a week at a long-term care home through the short stay respite program. That program was suspended in March 2020. The government restored the short stay respite program to give caregivers like Rick the break they so desperately need. Minister of long-term care. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I announced that on Thursday and of course the opposition have said that they are not supportive of that. Supplementary. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, Marion is on the wait list for long-term care but Rick could manage her care at home if only he had the right support. A week of respite every few months would make all the difference for Rick and for Marion. The ministry told us that the short stay respite program was suspended to free up long-term care beds. Speaker, why is this government more interested in forcing seniors from hospital into long-term care than in providing caregivers like Rick with the respite they deserve? Mr. Long-term care. Mr. Speaker, I honestly don't know where this member is coming from right now because that is exactly what we're talking about in the legislation, Mr. Speaker. I announced that with the Minister of Health last Thursday. I talked about it exclusively in my presentation this morning. I've talked about it entirely since we introduced this. It is so important that we bring back respite care to the province of Ontario. We're in a position to do that, Mr. Speaker. Many of us have heard how important this is during the campaign. We're in a position to do that because over 85% of long-term care residents have their fourth dose of vaccine, Mr. Speaker. So we can do that. Now, I implore the member. If you believe in what you have just asked, then surely you will be supporting this bill. Questions? Order? Order. The next question, the member for Ottawa. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. From once now, long-term care homes across Ontario have been pleading with this government for help. And Bill 124 has done more damage to them than any other piece of legislation I can remember. And now the government is proposing Bill 7. Bill 7 is going to violate patients' basic rights by changing the law to allow them, among other things, to be moved without their consent. That's cruel. Imagine this conversation. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Smith, we're going to have to move your mum. But you can't move her. We won't be able to see her. That's too far. I'm sorry, Mrs. Smith. That's the law. I have no choice. Bill 7 is not going to work for patients, their families, or the people who care for them. Speaker, will this government withdraw Bill 7? Mr. Long-term Care. Mr. Speaker, as I said yesterday, look, it's okay to be wrong, but it is not okay. I have to be careful, and truly I am angry at this, because what the opposition is doing is absolutely sad. And in many ways it is disgusting, because it says, and the member will know this, it says right on the first page of the bill, on the first page, the explanatory note, that it does not authorize the use of restraints in order to carry out the actions or the physical transfer of an ALC patient to a long-term care home with their consent. It goes further in section 60, subsection 7, to suggest that not only the ALC patient, but also the consent of the substitute decision maker in an instance where there's a substitute decision maker. So I hope the Honourable Generalman will do the Honourable thing, withdraw what he just said, stop getting people worried about what is happening, Mr. Speaker. This is a way of building healthcare in the province of Ontario, including in Ottawa, and he should be a part of helping us do that. Start the clock, supplementary question. Mr. Speaker does say in the bill explicitly that people can be moved without consent. And the conversation I just described will happen. And just because you're old doesn't mean you don't get the same rights as everyone else. Long-term care homes are experiencing even greater staffing pressures than our hospitals. Unlike our hospitals, they don't have a relief valve. To make things worse, for-profit agencies are poaching their staff. And in some cases, the same staff are coming back to work at two and three times the cost. And long-term care homes, they can't refuse an admission. Otherwise, they get penalized. So, Speaker, instead of creating greater pressure in our long-term care homes, this government should be withdrawing Bill 124, repealing Bill 124, and withdrawing Bill 7. Speaker, will this government commit to do that? Minister of Long-term Care. Mr. Speaker, the member can't reference the way I have in section 60, subsection 7, where in the bill it says that. Because it is very clear that not only will we respect a substitute decision maker and a patient in ALC, but we will also respect the patient's bill of rights, Mr. Speaker. That is what we said we do. The member will also know, you would think he would know, that as part of the Fixing Long-Term Care Act, which they voted against, nobody can be put into a long-term care home that does not have sufficient staffing and resources in order to care for the patient that's being transferred in. If he went further, Mr. Speaker, if he went further, he would know that the Act guarantees that, and it actually provides up to 60 million dollars on a go-forward basis to ensure that we have behavioral supports for patients, that we can provide kidney dialysis for patients. Because for the first time, long-term care will be part of the solution as we build an integrated healthcare system in the province of Ontario. And despite what he is saying, we will continue to do that on that side, on this side of the House, despite the failings of 15 years of Liberal government. The next question, the member for Barry Ennisfield. After a year, the previous Liberal government was warned about the economic damage that road and infrastructure gridlock was going to have on our economy. In 2011, the President and CEO of the Toronto Border Trade warned that, quote, the longer we take, the more gridlock hurts our economy and quality of life. We have reached a tipping point, end quote. In 2013, the City Howe Institute set congestion in and around the DTHA has cost the economy around 11 billion per year. In 2017, the Fraser's Institute declared that, quote, traffic congestion isn't just a nuisance, a public health problem, or an environmental hazard. In addition to being all those things, there is also a significant economic harm, end quote. My constituents, Speaker, know these statements and they live the hard truths of them. They are tired of the inaction by the previous Liberal government. Speaker, can the Minister of Transportation tell us why it's critical that our government advance infrastructure like the Bradford Bypass and bring relief to the people of Ontario? The Minister of Transportation. Thank you to the member for Barry Ennisfield for the question. Speaker, for decades, previous Liberal governments ignored calls to build the Bradford Bypass. But under this Premier's leadership, we are finally getting it done. In the next 30 years, the population of the Greater Golden Horseshoe will grow to the size of what Ontario's population is today. 15 million people. With that in mind, the do-nothing approach of the opposition parties is no longer an option. Speaker, we need to get building. Farmers, families and businesses have been paralyzed by gridlock on our major highways long enough. Building the Bradford Bypass will change that. The new highways expected to save 35 minutes per trip. That's more than one hour per day or five hours per week that you won't have to spend behind the wheel. Speaker, we can't afford to let gridlock get any worse. The time to act is now and our government is getting on with the job of finally building the Bradford Bypass. And the supplementary question. Thank you Minister. The Bradford Bypass represents an opportunity for economic growth for all Ontarians. The people of Bradford, Berry, Innisfal and all of Simcoe County deserve to be respected. They deserve to have their quality of life recognised and congestion takes hours away for spending time with their families. And that is no longer acceptable. We saw how the previous Liberal Government didn't get it done. They were dimmered. And when it came to building transit infrastructure, the residents are just desperate because there was no infrastructure. So can our Minister explain how we are getting it done, how we are building key major infrastructure projects like the Bradford Bypass and how the progress of this project is currently being done. Minister of Transportation. Thank you. Our major highways are filling up and the Liberals could have addressed gridlock by building the Bradford Bypass but instead they quietly shelved it. Speaker, our Government is taking a different approach. In the Greater Golden Horseshoe alone we are addressing gridlock head-on by making historic investments and getting shovels in the ground on highways, roads, subways and go expansion. Building capacity in Simcoe County and in York region starts with getting the Bradford Bypass done. This year I was proud to announce the Early Works contract to construct a bridge crossing which will pave the way for shovels in the ground later this year. Speaker, it is our PC Government led by this Premier that is stepping up to the plate and delivering frontarians. Thank you, Speaker. A constituent of mine who wishes to remain anonymous so we would call her Sarah reached out to my office to share her and I quote her story. Sarah explained that after waiting for three hours at Jovinsky Hospital for a scheduled surgery to remove suspected ovarian cancer the surgery was cancelled at the last second because there was not a single bed available for her. Post procedure Sarah's surgeon had mentioned that numerous other patients experienced the same last minute cancellations just a week prior to the surgery. Premier, our emergency departments are at their breaking points with ongoing surgical delays. What is this government going to do to alleviate the increase ER visits that we are seeing from Ontarians with undiagnosed issues resulting from pandemic delays surgeries being pushed back and preventable illnesses progressing. Thank you, Speaker. This is why we have been working so aggressively as a government across ministries to make sure that we have capacity within our healthcare system. I point to the ability for internationally educated healthcare professionals to be able to quickly get their licenses so that we have that expanded capacity. I point to the 400 new physicians that are practicing in rural and northern Ontario. I point to the $1080 million over the last three fiscal years that was invested to reduce surgical wait times. I understand when scheduled surgeries have to be cancelled because a higher priority patient has come in and needs to be looked after first through triage, it is incredibly frustrating for that patient and that family. That's why we have made these investments and that's why we will continue to work with the healthcare partners to make sure they have the services and resources they need. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. To the Premier, it is clear your government is pushing for private surgical clinics, yet these clinics will suck resources from the public healthcare that is already short thousands of nurses and thousands of support workers. Women with ovarian cancer who need their surgery in a hospital will wait longer and live in fear for longer. Premier, is this an indication around bed availability this government cruel and shameful strategic move to convince Ontarians that private clinics are the end all and be all solution to our healthcare woes? Minister of Health. Thank you. I will continue to focus on the entire system. I will make sure through my colleagues that we have the capacity within the Ontario health system so that when you need regular scheduled or emergency surgery, there is capacity in Ontario and that capacity will be paid for from the patient with their Ontario health card. The concept of picking one issue and suggesting that that is the solution, we've heard very clearly from medical experts across Canada and indeed worldwide that we are experiencing shortages, which is why we're working with the college's nurses, we're working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to expedite those individuals who are living in the province of Ontario have that experience and we're educated in other jurisdictions to quickly be able to get their certification and licensing. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr Speaker. 170,000 jobs going unfilled across the province. We need to expand our workforce to meet the vital market needs to get workers building our roads, highways, schools and hospitals. Newcomers are crucial to growing our economy and building a stronger future for us all. As my good friend from Mississauga Malton had said, jobs need people and people need jobs. Ontario is a destination that has always been attractive for people looking for a bright economic future including my very own family when we immigrated 22 years ago. But we also know that we are facing a global race for talent as people all around the world are searching for a better place to build a life and raise a family. Speaker, can the minister of labour immigration training and skills development share what our government is doing to make more and more competitive jurisdiction to help bring people to our province and address the ongoing skill job shortages? Mr. Labour immigration training and skills development. Thank you very much and I want to thank the member for that question but most importantly I want to thank the member for her leadership and standing up for the people of Ukraine against Putin's illegal invasion. Thank you for everything you're doing. Mr. Speaker, the member is right. He is one of the largest labour shortage in a generation here in Ontario. To achieve our ambitious plan to build we need all hands on deck. That is why Mr. Speaker our government is making it easier for newcomers to start working in their trade or profession faster. We're eliminating Canadian work experience requirements and removing duplicative language tests. This makes it easier for engineers, auto mechanics, plumbers and others to move to Ontario for jobs and earn more for their families. Mr. Speaker, by working for workers, our government is making Ontario the destination of choice for more skilled workers. Thank you, Speaker and I think the Minister for his response. Ontario deserves to be a part of a fair system to have a bigger say in how we address the jobs and skills gap in our province. It is not right that Ontario only has to say in less than 5% of immigration applications while other provinces have nearly 50% oversight in application approvals. It is vital that we address this now and fix the growing backlog. Skilled individuals are in demand all over the world. Right now, when Canada is short countless people for jobs in the skilled trades, the federal skilled trades program has a processing time of 47 month per year, which is nearly 4 years, can you imagine? Can the Minister please explain more about the advocacy from Ontario and the other provinces regarding fixing the immigration approval system and ensuring that we can bring more skilled workers to meet our growing needs? Minister of Labor. Thank you again to the member for this very, very important question and she is correct that our current agreement with the federal government is that Ontario's needs. Mr Speaker, we continue to call on Ottawa to speed up timelines and let Ontario choose those with the skills that all of our communities need. Tackling Ontario's labor shortage is essential to keeping costs down for families and keeping businesses open and expanding in our province. Action in this file is long overdue and it has never been more important than now. We need these workers to fill out the needs of all of us. Mr Speaker, if the federal government answers our calls, this will further unleash Ontario's potential so we can start building together. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the premier, University Health Network in my riding has seen an increase in the use of temporary nurses. Their spending has gone up from $1.1 million to $1.7 million or the past three years. Other hospitals have been receiving the profession in droves. Why is it okay for the Ford government to pay private companies more than nurses that are essential to delivering health care for our communities? When will this government repeal bill 124? President, the Treasury board to respond. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. This government has an unprecedented and historic record of investing in health human resources across this province. In fact, Mr Speaker, just in April of last year, when we put forward a plan to help speed up the process to train and include foreign trained professionals into the province, we have added over 10,500 health care workers across this province. Every step of the way, the members opposite have opposed measures that we have put in place to support and increase health human resources across this province. The members opposite voted against that. In the fall economic statement when we made investments of over $300 million to train and support nurses, upskilled nurses, the members opposite voted against that. We will continue to support health care workers across this province and we will continue to make historic investments to support health care in Ontario. We are recognizing that some investments have been made but clearly there hasn't been enough and the nurses you speak about can't be found anywhere. Anything short of repealing bill 124 will not fix the nursing crisis and this is really the question and the heart of what we are discussing. We have nurses all over Ontario that are crying out for help and what they are saying and I will just share with one story. One story. I wish that that was not the case and certainly not in my lifetime. Bill 124 is actually driving this low wage economy for nursing. What is the government going to do? You call them heroes during the pandemic. Are they not heroes anymore to you? Thank you Mr. Speaker. We recognize how vital nurses are to the health care system and that's why this government has made changes to nursing by allowing colleges to offer standalone nursing programs. There's 14 colleges in Ontario that this fall will now be able to start offering this program. Colleges like Loyalist College in Belleville, George and college in my area. Do you know what that means to these communities? We will now have students have the option to train and practice in those communities where they may be underserved with nurses. We've made incredible investments in one of those, the Learn and Stay program for nurses in underserved and rural communities. This is an opportunity for nurses to have their tuition and all educational expenses covered in exchange for two years in underserved community. We are doing many measures to increase the number of nurses in Ontario and give students the opportunity to enter this fabulous profession. Thank you. The next question, the member for the minister of labour . Minister, just a few weeks ago Jamaican migrant farm workers in Niagara region wrote to the minister of labour in Jamaica, raising concerns of their working conditions here in Ontario. Sadly, days later on August 14, Garvin Yap of St James, Jamaica was killed in an accident with a tobacco harvester in Norfolk. The migrant worker deserves a safe working environment and the basic expectation that when they come to work that they will return home to their family safely just as they came, wherever that may be. Migrant workers come to this province in good faith and expect a safe working environment as they fulfill the jobs in our agricultural sector that are vital part not only to the agricultural sector but also to our economy overall. Minister, what are you doing to keep these migrant workers safe? Please make your comments to the chair. Minister of labour. Thank you very much and I thank the member for this very important question. First I want to begin by expressing my condolences to the family impacted by the loss of life. I can tell you, Mr. Speaker, like the member opposite said, every migrant worker deserves to come home safe after a hard day's work. We know the importance of agriculture workers in this province. They truly are heroes putting food on all of our tables supporting families right across this province. Mr. Speaker, I did reach out to Minister Fraser, the federal minister, as the member opposite knows, the temporary foreign workers program is a responsibility of the federal government. Basically on the incident that she is referring to we are investigating as we speak. I'm committing to getting answers for these families as quickly as possible. I'll talk about more actions that we're doing to keep all workers safe in Ontario. The supplementary question. Back to the minister. The agricultural industry is the cornerstone of Ontario's economy and the farmers within that system are unmatched anywhere in the world. We're known. The safety of migrant workers depends on a collective partnership between all governments, employers and workers. So this responsibility cannot be passed on. The responsibility for inspection and for ensuring their safety remains with this government. And so, minister you've just tabled a budget. If you can tell this house what you're doing to keep these migrant workers safe. We're preparing for another COVID season. We know that we do not have a very good start with these workers when COVID began. They are looking for more from us. And they're appealing for that support. So if you can describe what you're doing currently with your responsibility to keep them safe. Minister of Labour. Well, Mr Speaker, as I said every single worker in this province deserves to come home safely after hard days work. I also want to be crystal clear that Ontario labour laws apply to every single worker in this province regardless of their passport status. We have now hired more than 100 additional health and safety inspectors to bring the total largest inspectorate in Ontario's history. We've doubled the health and safety action phone lines to ensure that any worker including migrant workers if they're concerned for his or her safety in a workplace or on the job site can call the Ministry of Labour and have an inspector go out and ensure that workplace conditions are safe. Mr Speaker in our working for workers legislation we have introduced a licensing system to crack down temporary health agencies who are breaking the law. We have introduced the largest fines for companies who aren't abiding by the health and safety laws in this province but Mr Speaker will continue working for workers every single day protecting the health and safety of all workers in this province. Thank you. The next question the member for Thorne Hill. Thank you Mr Speaker as this is the first time I rise in this chamber of working people of Thorne Hill for bringing me here. Mr Speaker as the cost of living rises the effects can be felt by young families in my riding. My constituents are seeking support from our government to ensure they are getting fair rates and much needed financial support when it comes to childcare but they are worried. They are worried that the daycare operation will miss out on the opt-in deadline of the $10 a day program which will result in them missing out on the $10 a day program that will provide them with the financial relief during these times of global economic uncertainty and high inflation. Mr Speaker will the Minister of Education please inform the House on how our government is supporting families in my riding and make sure that they aren't left behind on this deal. Minister of Education. Thank you very much Mr Speaker I want to thank the member from Thorne Hill for her exceptional leadership and speaking. I celebrate with her what this childcare deal means for working people in this province. We average this year $4,000 in savings as we hit 25% on average in a reduction and 50% still on track to achieve that by December 31 of this year. Roughly $12,000 in the bank because our Premier had the fortitude to stand up for non-profit and for-profit childcare operators and the children and the families who depend on them. The member from Thorne Hill is right. Operators were looking for more certainty from the various municipal service providers in the province and so we have done that following the best advice of for-profit and non-profit childcare to deliver on the priority of this government which is money in the bank savings for working people and that's why Speaker we extended the deadline to November 1. It's why we've streamlined the guidelines for operators it's why we've reduced the red tape all to build confidence as we continue our effort to reduce fees that are more affordable for the parents of this province. The supplementary question. Thank you Minister for that excellent response. Speaker I've heard that some childcare operators advocated for greater streamlining of the funding rules laid out in the document they received from the Ministry in April of this year. Different interpretations in different regions impacted operators some of whom are waiting to decide to opt into this program and this could result in families in my riding having to pay additional costs for childcare when they wouldn't have to. Speaker we know that operators ultimately must enroll in order for parents to save many parents in my riding are overwhelmed by the extra work hours they need to put in to now earn more money to help provide for their families after costs rose by over 400% under the Liberals. Speaker all levels of government must do better. Speaker can the minister outline how the government plans to streamline the application process so that we can encourage more participation. Minister of Education Thank you very much I want to thank the member from Thornhill for this important and timely question. Speaker the first thing we did part of our response to childcare operators to incentivize participation and thus reduce fees to reduce the amount of days operators can take to get the savings to parents it was 60 days it now will be 20 part of our mission to reduce costs and moves quickly to make life a bit more affordable Speaker what we didn't do though is leave 2.9 billion dollars on the table we didn't leave an extra year funding certainty on the table we didn't leave for profit parents and their kids behind as the Liberals and New Democrats would have recommended for a better deal that creates opportunities for all families and part of this mission is to reduce fees significant reduction of 12,000 dollars next year down to 10 dollars a day by your 2025 Mr. Speaker in the words of the private operators group POG is grateful for the Ontario government for listening to us all the way through and making the appropriate changes hard work pays off end quote Mr. Speaker we're going to continue our efforts to reduce fees increase and reduce costs thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier you may remember the case of Mr Vibart Britain who I spoke about in December at the time Vibart was suffering from large bed sores and his sister Pamela fought to have him taken to the hospital for life saving treatment now several months later matters have gone from bad to worse and he has been in and out of the hospital his sister tells me he is suffering from care home not following hospital orders sadly the situation is all too common seniors are spending their hard earned savings on inadequate care in private LTC homes which lands them in and out of hospitals this burns our emergency rooms and is adding to the health care crisis this has to stop when will this government ensure adequate standards of staffing and care in private long term care homes Vibart and so many others don't have the ability to do that the member of course will remember that in the last parliament that we passed the fixing long term care act which extended the highest standards frankly in North America not just on the for profit but on municipal and not for profit because it really shouldn't matter where you are the standards should be the same now as part of that speaker and remember they voted against it but as part of that we increased staffing to a record billions of dollars in support to get to that for hours of care we have doubled inspections Mr. Speaker this is all part of the fixing long term care act of course the members voted against it we have also brought in 58,000 new and upgraded beds to add to the system speaker in the members own riding and riding across the province of Ontario so we are well on our way to having the best long term care system in North America we are proud of the fact that we can play a part in building an integrated healthcare system in Ontario member for Niagara Falls yesterday the part time long term care minister said 100% of the residents have accessed AC but of course that doesn't mean their bedrooms when they are quarantined or asleep in fact he was proud that one in 10 long term residents don't have AC in their bedrooms through this summer heat where they have to stay for 24 hours a day when there is a COVID outbreak he also said COVID sent 7 consent is required to move patients from hospitals to long term care homes that they don't want to and he has asked me to read the bill so I thought I would the new provisions authorize certain actions to be carried out without the consent of their patients the actions includes having placement coordinates determine the patients eligibility for long term care homes and authorize the admission to the home it also says because I've read language before it also says section 60.1 number four of his own bill says action can be be formed without consent if supposed reasonable efforts have been made so given he made two inaccurate statements twice in one morning will the minister explain why he thinks misleading residents is a better strategy stop the clock first first of all I think I better point out that all of us have multiple responsibilities and probably doesn't help to call him to refer to another members efforts as being part time secondly secondly I'm going to ask the member to withdraw his unparliamentary comment at the conclusion of this question we can resume the clock now minister long term care can reply Mr. Speaker the member hasn't obviously read the bill he should maybe sit down with somebody who can explain the bill to him Mr. Speaker but this member is no stranger to getting things wrong Mr. Speaker in fact last week he asked a question of the premier with respect to a citizen in his riding and ambulance care now of course the headline in the papers MPP Wayne gets recent attack on agri-MS unfounded according to the region now what's wrong with it well it appears that the quote from the article appears that the member for Niagara Falls had some of his facts mixed up first paramedic services are the responsibility of the region second the Ford Erie resident didn't call 911 third and most importantly according to the incident report when paramedics were dispatched service was done the person was assessed all within 35 minutes and did not need to go to the hospital to have that care Mr. Speaker the article goes on to say how did Gates get it all wrong well they shouldn't be surprised because it's a daily I realize the government house leader Mr. Long term care was reading from an article but it would still be better if we could try to refer to each other by our riding name or ministerial title as applicable on both sides of that start the clock next question a member for storm on Dundas actually the member from Grand Gary Prescott Russell another last government we saw how ridings from liberal and francophone areas have been ignored though money was given to them the last member for my writing tried to portray the same tradition right people are still facing the same problems while we are getting out of a pandemic many small businesses have been impacted by the pandemic I want all liberal and francophone ridings to be known I want all the voices to be heard here in the house Mr. Speaker the minister of francophone can explain how our government recognizes francophonie as an economic asset Mr. Speaker our government thinks that francophonie is a very important economic aspect of our province it gives opportunity to workers and it helps to build Ontario this is why we have put in place our economic development of Ontario which is based on three pillars the economic innovation promotion of Ontario francophonie as an economic aspect we have created several initiatives for in order to help our entrepreneurs and our francophone businesses thanks to this global strategy we have 38 programs which allow us to help better Ontario businesses Mr. Speaker in order to have more workers in our province we need to be able to help them and one of the challenges that I have found for many businesses in my country is that very often companies could not get the contracts just because they did not have enough workers to do the work they needed to do so I know that for the last four years things have changed and I could work with the member and with the minister so Mr. Speaker can the minister say which measures have been applied by the government to help the businesses of my riding in order to help them attain their potential the minister thank you Mr. Speaker and I would like to thank the member for Prescott Russell for his question as a minister for francophone affairs I work very much together with my colleagues we work on recruitment and training for bilingual personnel and we try to offer language services in order to maximize the help we can provide to these businesses we actually also support initiatives in order to help francophone businesses in Ontario and we try to help them to take advantage of all opportunities of other opportunities that come for them we have tried to make very targeted investments we have invested many millions for three years in order to support francophone businesses in Ontario thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the premier Sarah is a mother of a nine year old boy who has been on a wait list for autism services since July 24th 2017 she tells me about the lack of trust that families have for this government out of 8,000 children that have been promised to be enrolled and are signing on many would rather wait to be forced into the program in the spring of 2023 than to accept the invitation and risk changes to the current services that their children are currently in this leaves families like Sarah on a stalled wait list when will this minister and the government be forthcoming and transparent and ensure that children receive the services and supports that they need when they need them Mr. Children Community and Social Services thank you speaker indeed that is exactly what we're doing we've been working continuously to make sure that children and youth receive the supports that they need this has not stopped we've doubled the funding for this we've got approximately 40,000 children receiving services as many children enrolled in this program in a comprehensive needs based program that serves the needs of many many people we're continuing to work on that we have approximately 6,239 invitations issued we're creating the capacity for providers through the workforce capacity grants to make sure that the providers are there this has not stopped and I would encourage parents to register their child when the invitation comes we will continue to push out invitations to make sure that the wait list is reduced and that children can get the services that they need the supplementary question thank you speaker out of the 6,000 letters that were sent out 30 children have been enrolled that should be a red flag to the minister that something is going wrong out of the doubling the funding that they talk about they only spent half of that in the last year so families were still waiting the only thing that this government has doubled is the wait list the government has touted their gold standard program but it has failed before it has even launched families are enduring high levels of stress years of neglect abuse of power and withholding of promised funding they are tired and they need their government's help can the minister explain to families like Sarah who are sitting on stalled wait list for more than 5 years when they can expect to move on the list to receive the letter for the access to OAP program thank you speaker I appreciate the opportunity to correct the record we have created a program created by the community for the community to make sure that children who are not receiving the services under the previous government supported by you get the services that they need for childhood funding 8,685 families have received the support families who accessed foundational family services 24,305 caregiver mediated early years programs as of June 30th, 2022 5,590 I mean I could go on but the reality is that we have created a world leading program never been done before from the ground up where there was no capacity because the previous government did not make the proper investments we are doing it we're the government looking after these children and they'll continue to do it the member for Hamilton Mountain must come to order the member for Hamilton Mountain is warned the member for Kitchener Conestoga will come to order start the clock member for Don Valley North thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for Associate Minister of Housing Speaker housing affordability in Ontario has eroded the significant rate making it challenging from first time buyers to become home owners in fast growing high density area in Toronto housing affordability continue to be an elevated level of crisis almost half of all householders rent their home limiting their spending on other life necessities a report from the Ontario Housing Affordability Task Force says that average house price in Ontario has climbed 180% while average income has grown roughly only 38% Speaker can the Associate Minister of Housing tell us how our government will address the housing affordability crisis and ensure that we have young family for fear their dream of home ownership thank you Associate Minister of Housing Thank you very much Speaker and I thank my unbelievable hard worker from Don Valley North for the great question Mr. Speaker simply put Ontario is in a housing crisis that requires strong leadership Mr. Speaker and bold solution Speaker and as I said yesterday here in this house we have an ambitious plan Mr. Speaker to build 1.5 million new homes in the next 10 years Speaker and our plan Mr. Speaker is working for over 100,000 housing starts in our province Mr. Speaker that's the highest in over 30 years Mr. Speaker 13,000 of which were rental units Mr. Speaker Ontarians have seen the home ownership the dream of home ownership start to slip under the leadership of and governance of the previous Liberal Government always backed by the NDP Mr. Speaker that is going to change under the leadership of this Premier and this Government Mr. Speaker Question period for this morning