 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Kitchener Center. No? Yeah? Okay. My question is to the Minister of Education. If you're seeking unanimous consent of the House to turn to... You have to tell us. Mr. Speaker, we have already worked it out ahead of time, but I seek unanimous consent to stand down on the two leads. To stand down on the two leaders' questions from the official opposition. Agreed? Agreed. I'll now recognize the member for Kitchener Center. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Education. Today we are joined by students from the Toronto Youth Cabinet and the Ontario Student Trustee Association. They are here to highlight the failure of this government and the previous Liberal government before them to meaningfully address anti-Black racism and racial equity in our schools. This government's piecemeal approach to reviewing one school board, only when it makes the news, just won't work. It's time to stop with the Band-Aid solutions and take a coordinated action to address racism in our schools with a real province-wide strategy. Will the Minister of Education commit today to establishing, in consultation with members of the community, a provincial strategy to address racial inequities in our schools? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member for the question. I think all members of this legislature are resolved to combat all forms of racism, discrimination, xenophobia that exists within our schools, in our communities and within this country. Speaker, I appreciate the youth leaders of this province, including the Toronto Youth Cabinet and the Student Trustees, have raised this issue. It is not a challenge that manifests in one jurisdiction. It is a provincial, perhaps national and global challenge. To answer the question, I am very much committed to working with the member opposite in every legislator to combat a province-wide to take steps to ensure the resources and de-escalation training is in place so that we can root out the scourge of racism that exists in every school in this province. A supplementary question to the member for Davenport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And with all due respect, the Toronto Youth Cabinet and the Student Trustees of this province don't need a lecture from this Minister of Education about the extent to which racialization of students and inequity is a province-wide issue. We have heard from parents and students and teachers in Toronto and across the province about the urgent need to address systemic racism in the education system. You cannot do that by cutting programs meant to support racialized students, by removing teaching and support staff from classrooms or by ignoring these student voices. Will the Minister listen to those voices, commit today to reverse his cuts to education and invest in a province-wide strategy to address racial equity and anti-black racism in our schools? Minister? Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, there is a real challenge of anti-black racism taking place within our schools. I've heard this from principals, from teachers, from support staff and, of course, parents and students themselves. But in Peel and other regions of this province and the overwhelming consensus that there must be action and the government has resolved to combat it, to work with the members opposite. However, the question from the member from Davenport mentions the importance of having educators onside. And we believe diversity of candidates must be part of the ability of principals to select. If I could quote Nancy Brady, the President of the Ontario Principals Council, quote, this Regulation 274 leaves, quote, no ability to hire teachers who reflect the equity and authority of the student population. So the question for the member opposite, will you work with the government to ensure that we can help improve that regulation by giving more authority to principals to hire merit-based candidates of diversity in this province? Next question, the member for Durham. Solicitor General, it's so great to be back in the legislature, but I must say I really enjoyed my time back in the Durham community meeting individually with constituents and also working together with my fellow Durham Region colleagues. The member from Whitby, the President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Finance to really try to tackle region-wide issues. And one of the things we were pleased to announce as a group was a new funding for the Durham Region Police Service, a $9.5 million grant that's really focused on combating gun and gang violence, supporting community safety and assisting community members in crisis. Ms. Solicitor General, please share how this funding not only is supporting Durham Region but the whole province. Ms. Solicitor General. Thank you. Please too. You know, what is most exciting for these particular grants is they are community-driven community initiatives. So the police and the police services and the communities work together on what their priorities are. Whether that is community safety, guns and gangs, human trafficking. So they apply and those applications are then balanced and that's why it is so positive to see regions and municipal forces proactively working with their communities and focusing on what is most needed within those communities. Durham is of course just one example where we have invested across Ontario from Durham to Dryden and it's a pleasure to be part of those investments as an Ontario government. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the Solicitor General for highlighting the important work she's doing to keep our community safe. Now we all know there are some types of crimes that really span across the province between many communities and municipalities impacting law-abiding Ontarians across the province. We know that criminals often do not respect geographic or municipal boundaries. That's why it's important there's a coordinated response across the province and it really sometimes requires provincial leadership to ensure that communities and across the province have those resources to better coordinate. Can the Solicitor General please share how Ontario's new community safety and policing grants program provides police services like the Durham Region Police Service with tools and resources to tackle larger, complex and province-wide issues? Solicitor General? I know an answer. Thank you, Speaker. As I said, the community safety and policing grant program allows communities to focus in on what is most critically needed at that time and that's what the Durham Region has done but as the member rightly highlighted the community and need for police services to work collaboratively on investigations is something that I'm very excited to see and frankly we have already seen some very positive outcomes of those joint investigations that have led to a lot of very positive outcomes where we were able to actually track down criminals who do not respect municipal boundaries and when we start to see those joint investigations actually laying charges and getting people off the streets it ultimately makes our community safer and it's why this joint operation and this working together whether it is OPP or neighboring municipal forces working together is so critically important. Thank you very much. The next question the member for Kiwetanaw. Good morning Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier. Last week I dropped by Titanega Mohawk territory to visit the land defenders who were standing in solidarity with the Wetsuitan Nation but also they're bringing attention to the unacceptable conditions that indigenous people are living in. No access to clean drinking water no proper access to health or dental care no meaningful access to the job market in 150 years of disrespect for treaty rights. Mr. Speaker actions like this happen because the government has no real commitment to reconciliation. What actions is this government taking with indigenous people to truly achieve reconciliation? The Minister of Indigenous Affairs Thank you Mr. Speaker and with respect to the Titanega blockade we moved quickly to leverage support, facilitate indigenous leadership to bring a resolution to that blockade given the uncertainty of the federal government's presence and commitment to that particular blockade. Subsequently Mr. Speaker we have had an opportunity to speak with the federal minister and urged him to address with the Prime Minister serious and profound national questions Mr. Speaker we achieved the application of indigenous law in general and to resource projects that were underpinning this blockade and inspiring other more dangerous blockades that we had seen arise across this province and across the country. Mr. Speaker I can report that as recently as Sunday evening the Premier and I spoke to the Prime Minister and urged him to take a coordinated leadership role so we could bring these blockades to an end. Thank you Mr. Speaker. A supplementary question back to the Premier I hear you but Ontario's actions do not mean a lot to people with no drinking water to youth with suicidal thoughts to those who don't have the mental health supports they need in their communities to the youth that have already have died by suicide Mr. Speaker the natural resources that live in our treaty territories will not be developed until these issues are reconciled reconciliation with indigenous people and this government isn't working reconciliation in Ontario and Canada is dead so I ask again yes or no is Ontario ready for real reconciliation by sharing the lands the resources the power within indigenous peoples Minister to reply Thank you Mr. Speaker and the answer to that question is yes and it's on full display Mr. Speaker and I would urge the member to reach out and talk to a number of groups including Supercom Mr. Speaker an organization in northwestern Ontario who will be employing a couple of hundred people to work on the east west high I would encourage the member to speak to a couple of communities in his own riding who are on the precipice Mr. Speaker of moving forward with significant developments in the ring of fire I would encourage the member opposite Mr. Speaker to ensure that he's listening to his constituents who are asking for full participation and getting it from every ministry in this government including the Ministry of Natural Resources who's working with the leadership of Nishnabewski Nation Mr. Speaker that moving forward the Fire North Act is not going to be a piece of legislation that was previously shoved down the throats of those isolated remote communities but will reflect Mr. Speaker the best intentions of this those communities to ensure that development in the north Mr. Speaker is guided by and in part of the decision coming from indigenous communities in the Fire North I would urge that Mr. Speaker The next question the member for Guelph would like to welcome everyone back my question is for the Deputy Premier public health experts tell us that onerous sick leave policies increase the risk of spreading illness the province's own public health web page about the flu explicitly tells people to stay home if they feel ill and yet the government completely ignored best practices when it canceled paid sick leave days and gave employers the power to make sick notes mandatory to roll back a basic workplace protections increase the risk of spreading illnesses to others at a time when we are experiencing a hallway medicine crisis and overcrowding in our hospitals Speaker I ask the Deputy Premier why did the government go against the advice of public health experts by repealing workplace protections that prevent the spread of illness The question is to the Deputy Premier Thank you. I thank the member very much for the question of course in every situation where people are feeling unwell they should be staying home especially at a time where we have increased concerns and fears with respect to the coronavirus we want people to make sure that they self-isolate if they're not feeling well that is really important and thus far we have been seeing that happening in the province of Ontario people are being responsible they are taking the necessary measures to get well themselves but also to prevent the spread and transmission of whatever illness it is that they have with respect to the sick leave note issue that is something that is not mandatory that is something that employers can choose to bring forward many are not doing that so we anticipate that any issues with respect to that will be mitigated particularly under the circumstances that we're dealing with with the coronavirus by the government thank you the supplementary question Speaker I ask the deputy premier whether she is listening to healthcare workers 175 healthcare workers recently signed an open letter to the premier in which they stated and I quote in the context of recent concerns with the novel coronavirus in Ontario we consider the current health and safety laws to be a serious threat to the health and safety of Ontarians evidence backs this up a poll conducted by Ipsos for the Canadian Medical Association found that 8 in 10 Ontarians said they would likely come into work when ill if their employer required a sick note the medical professionals are clear people should stay home when they are sick I ask the deputy premier will you listen to healthcare experts and bring back paid sick leave days and put an end to sick notes from employers minister reply first I would reiterate the fact that the sick notes are not mandatory that is something that can be brought forward by employers employers are showing great cooperation as we're dealing with a novel coronavirus we don't want it to spread anymore we have been very fortunate so far that we have had only three confirmed cases in Ontario we hope that continues but that's difficult to say what I can tell you is the system is working we are taking the necessary precautions we are listening to people on the front lines and we are listening to our public health units do we agree with all of the comments that were made in that letter some of which we do agree with because we know that we are taking the necessary precautions both for the safety of the people who may be affected by the coronavirus but also for our frontline healthcare workers we want them to be safe and be able to do their jobs that is what we're focusing on and we will continue to focus on that as we deal with the situation thank you the next question the member for naggle west thank you very much mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of infrastructure I know that our government understands the importance of investing in community infrastructure to help rural communities such as naggle west get ahead it's one of the best ways that we can drive rural economic development with more than 420 small rural and northern communities across Ontario facing unique challenges in their local infrastructure systems I want to hear more about what the minister has been doing to invest across Ontario mr. Speaker Ontario's economy is thriving 300,000 new jobs in the province and with this new era of economic prosperity we must ensure that every person in every region across the province shares in the opportunity could the minister tell the house a little bit more about how our government is supporting small rural and northern communities through investment significant investments I might add to build maintain and repair local roads bridges water and wastewater systems questions to the minister of infrastructure thank you mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank Mr. Speaker from naggle west for his question as minister of infrastructure I've heard from many municipalities that they need sustainable funding to support the building of roads bridges in their communities that is why last fall our government confirmed about 200 million dollars in total formula based funding for 2020 through the Ontario community infrastructure fund this funding allows communities to move forward with critical infrastructure projects while providing flexibility to address their local needs mr. Speaker I am proud to tell this house that we fulfilled our commitment to predictable and stable infrastructure funding for small and rural and northern municipalities and just last month Premier Ford and I joined the member from Perry Sound, Muskoka and announced the OSIF 2020 allocation for all 424 eligible communities with this funding we are working directly with our municipal partners to help them build much needed infrastructure that will build healthier and more vibrant thank you very much the supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for her response I was pleased to see that across naggle we received more than 9.6 million dollars in this incredible funding and also 2.5 million dollars came through this formula to the 5 municipalities in my riding among the communities in naggle west the town of Grimsby received more than 1.1 million dollars the town of Lincoln received more than 616,000 dollars the town of Pelham more than 480,000 dollars and west Lincoln and Waynefleet combined received more than 322,000 dollars I know that this injection of funding for the municipalities in my riding provides a great opportunity to build renew and expand the crumbling infrastructure in rural Ontario after 15 years of liberal neglect Mr. Speaker please explain why this funding is so important for riding such as naggle west and how this investment will improve the current condition of community infrastructure across Ontario Minister of infrastructure Thank you Mr. Speaker and I'm glad the member asked this important question and I can say with certainty that our government understands that predictability and stability and community infrastructure funding goes a long way for small rural communities. We have heard this sentiment time and time again when talking to our municipal partners Mr. Speaker you know that the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund was specifically designed to support the local priorities of small rural and northern communities who face unique challenges in getting infrastructure built. The Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund is an excellent example of how municipalities prioritize their infrastructures including the roads and bridges and critical water and wastewater and storm water systems. By providing municipalities their allocation in a timely manner we help support the long term planning and budgeting for our municipal partners. Mr. Speaker this year at Roma we received overwhelming support in engaging with our municipalities and helping them with their local priorities as well. Thank you very much. Now going to revert to the Leader's Questions from the Official Opposition. I recognize the Leader of the Majesty's Royal Opposition. Thank you Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Parents and students are looking at another week of chaos and cuts in the classroom and instead of listening the Premier keeps ignoring the overwhelming evidence that his school board said yesterday that funding has increased for schools in response to one of my questions so can you explain why the chair of the Halton District School Board said just yesterday that their board gained a thousand students new students and funding went down by 1.5 million dollars. Premier. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the Leader of the Opposition for the support. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Friends these strikes are impacting families. They're impacting the economy right across Ontario. When people can't go to work they cost them money and that's not fair to the families and it's not fair to the kids. We want a deal that keeps the kids in the classroom. I keep in mind that we're going to continue to invest more in the priorities of parents. Parents want to see Mr. Speaker that I talked to they want math they want STEM and they want mental health. Students deserve to be in the classroom Mr. Speaker. We're going to continue to negotiate in good faith with the union leaders and at the end of this time parents want is an end to the cuts they want an end to the cuts they don't want to see classroom sizes balloon they don't want to see mandatory online learning they don't want to see supports for kids at high risk to be removed. They want to see the quality of education in this province protected but look yesterday the Premier also claimed yet again that not a single country is going to be able to continue to invest in the friend. Questions address the Premier. Mr. Speaker. We've increased education by 1.2 billion dollars. I know math is not the NDP strength of the liberals but it's 1.2 billion dollars more than any government in the history of the country. We're going to maintain the smallest classroom sizes. We invest more in student success and math and special education than anyone else in the country. We listen to the parents and the students and we've been reasonable at the bargaining table. We reduce the classroom size from 28 to 25. We reduce mandatory education. Mr. Speaker. Online learning gets kids ready for the next generation. The next generation when they go into the work world, when they go into college and universities, they're going to be studying online and be very frank. I think everyone that have kids that are in university. Thank you. Thank you. Just to remind the Premier, I'm going to go across a photo via the page to show him a person who's literally standing in front of the Premier's constituency office with a sign, a sandwich board sign that says if not one single teacher will lose their job, then why am I here and not at school? Does the Premier have an answer for Mr. LeFrenc Speaker or is he ready to admit that he actually might have his facts wrong? Well, the leader of the opposition, Mr. Speaker, know that in this chamber, we don't hire the students. We give the funding, so the funding increased 1.2 billion until no teacher would lose their job, Mr. Speaker, but the leader of the opposition knows the boards are the ones that hire the teachers. Not us. But Mr. Speaker, we are investing 3.1 billion in special education funding. The highest levels this province has ever seen. We've announced a four-year, $200 million math strategy until our grade six students don't have the lowest scores in the country. We'll make sure they have the highest scores in the country, Mr. Speaker. We're creating a new math curriculum for grades one to eight, which will be ready for next year. Again, helping our students lead the country when it comes to math. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The next question, the leader of the opposition. Mr. Speaker, my next question is also to the Premier, but maybe a little bit of learning for the Premier when you cut school funding, when schools don't have the money, or when you increase class sizes, guess what happens? Teachers get fired. That's what happens. And that's what's happening right now here in the province of Ontario. But look, the Premier and his education minister also insist that Alabama-style mandatory online learning is backed by parents, teachers and students. So can the Premier tell us exactly how many parents surveyed by the Toronto District School Board actually agree with him in this assertion? Minister of Education. Thank you, Speaker. Let me just correct the member for the leader of the opposition. Halton District School Board funding actually went up $2.1 million, and I like to hope I like to hope that when she asked the question, she wouldn't want to mislead this House, Speaker, because the fact is... I'm going to ask the Minister of Education to withdraw the item and conclude his response. The point, Speaker, is investment is up in Halton, it is up in Hamilton, and it is up across this province, and we're doing that because we believe in public education. What we also expect is accountability for the taxpayer and the parent of this province. We want more for our kids. We are not the party of complacency and the status quo. We believe in embracing the market. We know where the puck is going when it comes to jobs. But most importantly, we're going to ensure we get a deal that keeps our kids in class. Let's have him answer the question. Well, Speaker, I guess the Minister of Education is not doing his homework, but I'm going to send him a tweet that was posted just the other day from... The government's side will come to orbit. Restart the clock. Leader of the opposition. From the board that says very clearly, the board gained 1,000 students and funding went down by $1.5 million. So we all know that the Minister of Education and the Premier like to spin a lot but the facts are the facts and you can have a look at what the facts are. Just so that the Premier is clear, 87% of students disagree with the government's e-learning initiative. 81% of parents disagree with those initiatives and 97% of secondary school teachers disagree with him as well. Sorry, Speaker, that was supposed to go to the Minister of Education. Look, it's not just Toronto. The chair of the York Regent School Board wrote to the Education Minister just last week begging the government to pause the scheme of e-learning. Is the Premier ready to admit that he may just have his facts wrong yet again? Minister of Education. 100% of parents want a deal that keeps their kids in class and every member of this caucus agrees. That's why in this negotiation we are fighting speak. We want to ensure that while we invest more, we expect more, we get more for taxpayers and students who deserve more. And, Mr. Speaker, I can't conceive why there are forces in this legislature who would not want to help nurture greater talent when it comes to technology and the fluency required in the marketplace but, Speaker, when it comes to what we're trying to do at the negotiating table, provide a deal that keeps kids in class, provide an incentive to improve the quality of our educators, ensuring that the hiring of teaching in this province on qualification, on merit and on equity, not on who's been in the line the longest. It's about ensuring that when we see nearly 80% of the dollar on compensation, that we get greater value. When 50% of our students are not meeting the provincial math standard, we know in this party that we can do more, we can do better and our kids deserve it. My final supplementary is back to the Premier. The Premier needs to stop defending these cuts and start thinking about Ontario's kids. The Premier is wrong on mandatory e-learning. He's wrong on the classroom cuts and he's wrong on the teacher layoffs. It's very, very obvious. What parents, students, teachers and education workers need is something better. Something better than what this minister keeps, you know, repeating over and over again. So what we need is a commitment from this Premier. Will he finally admit that we do need a new approach? Stop trying to defend these indefensible cuts and changes and bring in a new minister with a new mandate to actually get a deal that doesn't hurt our students and doesn't erode the quality of education in the province of Ontario. Minister What is categorically indefensible is the maintenance of a hiring practice that provides seniority in a union over qualifications. That is unacceptable to the people of this province. And do not take it from me, Speaker. Let us heed the advice of Nancy Brady, the President of the Ontario Principles Council. Who said new teacher college graduates cannot be considered for permanent teaching positions when they are the best candidate to meet schools needs? We support transparent and visible hiring practices for teaching positions. However, seniority should not be the deciding factor. We agree, Mr. Speaker. The next question. The member for Oshawa. Thank you, Speaker. As the NDP critic for transportation highways, I asked this government yesterday to address the safety issue of the shiny, new, blue problematic license plates. And Speaker, Ontarians have seen this government purposefully tried to distract from issues like education, clean drinking water, healthcare and housing. But this issue of highly reflective, sometimes invisible license plates doesn't seem to be a story that they created on purpose. I don't know what the process was, but they had been rolled out before they had been road tested. Now we are hearing from an operations expert in Toronto that Toronto photo radar is having trouble picking up the small lettering on the plates. It cannot read the word Ontario. Yesterday, the Minister of Government and Consumer Services bragged about these plates, claimed that this government had been exhaustive with their testing. So Speaker, my question is, what does exhaustive testing mean ? The Minister of Government and Consumer Services Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I want to ensure that I know everyone in this house will agree the previous license plate had significant durability issues that resulted in peeling and flaking. Everyone has to agree with that. So to address this issue, our government rolled out a redesigned plate that uses high definition material that is much stronger. The new Ontario license plates were designed in partnership with 3M. They're responsible for quality control and manufacturing the plates. We have been made aware of the concerns. We are listening and we're continuing to work with the manufacturer, stakeholders and the public through this process. You know, 3M has used high definition laminate in plates and 3M also uses plates in other North American jurisdictions including Quebec with regards to special veterans plates, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and 13 other jurisdictions. Again, I want to be perfectly clear. We have heard the concern. Thank you very much. Thank you, Speaker. Safety has to come first on our roadways. Sergeant Coopman from Kingston Police posted plate photos and said they are virtually unreadable at night. Joe Couto of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police said it shows very clearly that especially at night there may be some visibility issues. Brian Patterson of the Ontario Safety League worries you have to be fairly close to read them with precision. If you're calling in an impaired driver you want to make sure you give the license plate correctly. Safety experts are sounding the alarm while this minister is desperately telling people these plates and people like them and she maintains that there's nothing to see here, folks. Well, she's partially right. Speaker, at night there isn't anything to see. So how minister, are you going to fix these plates and keep us safe? Minister Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Again, I would like to share with the House that we have heard the concerns. We are listening and we're continuing to work with the government to manufacture our stakeholders and the public to get this right. Thank you very much. The next question Order Order Order Next question, the member for Ottawa South Thank you, Mr. Speaker and my question is the premier but it might be a good time to remind everybody that it's kindness week in Ontario. Just saying, folks. Speaker there are many families in my mind who are living with a child an adult child with a developmental disability as I am sure they are in the premier's writing. Their lives are a daily struggle just to get what their children's needs their children need and to survive as a family. Like I said their lives are a daily struggle their needs are simple program for their son or daughter maybe some respite and a safe place for their child when they can't take care of their child anymore So the 2019 budget showed a cut of $1 billion from the ministry of children, community and social services Last year we learned that the government was going to pay a consultant up to a million dollars to find savings in the developmental services sector and I'm hoping that the premier or the minister can share that with this house Question Speaker through you, can the premier commit today to not cutting funds for families with children with developmental disabilities minister of children, community and social services to respond Thanks very much for the question this morning from the member opposite Mr. Speaker as I mentioned yesterday and a question from the official opposition on this topic we know that the demand is growing for developmental services in Ontario and that includes supportive housing as well and that's why our government over the last number of months and we will continue over the coming months to consult with our partners in that sector so we can do something that the previous government didn't do and that was to help solve the waiting list when it comes to the need for this type of housing Mr. Speaker and these type of supports for individuals with developmental disabilities we know that individuals with developmental disabilities are turning 18 every day and becoming adults and we know that those individuals are living longer Mr. Speaker and that's putting an added strain on those wait lists for supportive housing that's why we brought in a consultant to help us look at jurisdictions that are leading the way in this area so that we can start to tackle the problem that the previous government didn't and that's build housing for these individuals and help get them the supports that they need A supplementary question I thank the minister for his answer but what I was really looking for was a simple yes or no are you going to cut it or not and I didn't get that answer so perhaps the minister through you speaker can give that answer there are investments that were made in the 2018 budget that were not followed through by this government we're not followed through in passport and money to agencies and the minister knows that so I'm going to ask again very simply yes or no are you going to cut from developmental services inside your ministry yes or no thank you speaker minister Speaker I can tell you that what's been clear in the conversations that I've had with our partners in this sector is that many of these families that they serve are facing the same challenges that they were facing 15 years ago Mr. Speaker because the government that was in charge of this file did absolutely nothing to get them the supports that they need it's hard to imagine Mr. Speaker that a government could run up $15 billion deficit that means they're spending a lot more money than they're bringing in Mr. Speaker but they're not helping these vulnerable individuals in our community what do we have to show for a multi-billion dollar deficit year after year after year from the previous liberal government and no action on this file that's why we're committed to this file Mr. Speaker to work with our partners to look at leading jurisdictions in this area to get these individuals the supports that they need restart the clock a member from Mississauga Center Thank you Speaker, good morning my question is to the Premier Premier, our government was elected to address gridlock and congestion that has made life harder for my constituents in Mississauga and other residents across the GTHA the quality of life of my constituents continue to suffer as they lose precious hours their days waiting for overcrowded transit or on roads with way too many cars their time could be better spent with their families and their loved ones or contributing to our economy instead of being stuck in gridlock in 2019 Metrolinx saw an increase in ridership of 5.5% up to 77 million riders this represents a 50% overall increase for ridership in the past decade I would like to share with this house what our government is doing to address congestion build transit faster and get Ontario moving Premier Through you Mr. Speaker I want to thank our all-star member from Mississauga Center and all the members from Mississauga we're doing a great job out there Mr. Speaker our government is a government that are getting people moving across the nation not only through the city but through the province we're finally building new tracks we're increasing subway lines by 50% almost doubling that Mr. Speaker to comparison the Spadina line and the Eglinton line took 10 to 11 years and they're still working on it over runs of over a billion dollars under the liberal government we're going to be doing the exact same but putting double the amount of tracks in the same time frame but the only difference is we're going to be on time and we're going to be on budget Mr. Speaker moving millions and millions of more passengers getting people out of their cars to make sure they get from point A to point B in the most rapid fashion we can Thank you Premier that is indeed great news and speaks to why action is needed right away imagine how much better life would be in Toronto in Mississauga and across the GTA had previous governments accelerated transit investments for decades Toronto councillors opposed long-term transit plans and building of relief lines stating it doesn't make sense because the trains would be packed from day one in response to those concerns Liberal Premier David Peterson decided not to move ahead with that plan Premier can you share with this house how our government our government's proposed legislation will help transit development I want to thank the member from Mississauga Centre Mr. Speaker I want to acknowledge the great work from our Minister and our Associate Minister and what a great announcement yesterday so congratulations Mr. Speaker in the last year and a half then we saw 15 years under the Liberals and the NDP again we're getting the people going moving congestion Mr. Speaker costs GTA alone $11 billion that's $11 billion Mr. Speaker congestion also adds about $400 million an additional cost of goods while having them stand in traffic you see those trucks just lined up Mr. Speaker we're putting an end to that we have a great transportation plan through the leadership of our Minister of Transportation Associate Minister we're going to continue moving forward Mr. Speaker and get the city and GTA moving once and for all the next question the member for University Rosedale my question is to the Premier last year the Premier halted work on the relief line a project that was supposed to begin construction this year instead the Premier announced a new idea the Ontario line ripping up years of planning work and replacing them with lines and dots on a map the Toronto Star recently reported the Ontario line concept was first pitched only a few months earlier by a private consultant who had previously condemned the very idea of a relief line subway how can the Premier claim he's speeding up transit when he's willing to rip up established plans and start all over again based on the whims of private consultants recognize the Minister of Transportation thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker we have reached a pivotal moment in history where all of government agree on our subway plan a single unified subway plan for the city of Toronto Mr. Speaker Toronto City Council did not just endorse our subway plan with an overwhelming majority but they also directed the city manager to work with us and I quote to identify all opportunities to accelerate the delivery of our expansion projects Mr. Speaker we've introduced legislation to that end we agree with the member opposite who said yesterday that we have a congestion crisis in the GTA Mr. Speaker she said we have an overcrowding on public transit problem Mr. Speaker she admitted that there is an economic cost to this problem Mr. Speaker what she does not have is a plan to actually reduce congestion in the city of Toronto thank you very much so my question is back to the Premier the Premier wants to give himself the power to start transit construction work before an environmental assessment is even finished he also wants the power to shut down streets and bridges without the consent of the city of Toronto businesses and residents along Eglinton avenue are hurting because of disruption and delays by the P3 contractor and now we hear that the project another year even though Metrolinx paid the P3 contractor an extra $237 million to keep this project on schedule why does the Premier want to give P3 contractors the power to impose even more construction disruption on local communities Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker obviously we heard yesterday from Metrolinx that the Eglinton crosstown project will be delayed and this is devastating to residents and to businesses along Eglinton and our government shares the frustration of those residents and those businesses which is why Associate Minister of Transportation Sirma and I directed Metrolinx this morning to work closely with the city and to work closely with the city and to find ways to accelerate the delivery of the Eglinton crosstown Mr. Speaker our government is committed to doing things differently and Mr. Speaker unlike the opposition we have a plan to transit faster Mr. Speaker and if the member opposite is so concerned about getting people off the streets and getting people in different ways then she will support the building the question is for the Minister of Transportation yesterday the minister introduced an important piece of legislation that is central to our goal of building better, faster public transit for the GTA these measures if passed we have in place to expedite the delivery of our four priority projects the young north extension the three stop Scarborough extension the Eglinton west extension and the Ontario line can the minister tell us how the building transit faster act will allow us to meet these ambitious timelines Mr. Speaker the member from Eglinton Lawrence for the question yesterday the member for university the question crisis in the city of Toronto and that is something that we can agree on speaker the building transit faster act if passed will cut through the red tape and the redundant steps that hold up major transit projects we simply cannot afford any more delays Mr. Speaker our plan is responsible and it is reasonable our government's proposals are about streamlining processes not about changing outcomes we need more transit to cope with today's gridlock and with tomorrow's growth the building transit faster act if passed would be a means to that end the supplementary question thank you to the minister for that answer I feel the urgency to get subways built in my writing of Eglinton Lawrence my constituents will directly benefit from the Ontario line and they are eager to see the shovels in the ground streamlining processes where we can without compromising on outcomes just makes sense the building transit faster act outlines the tools we need to build transit responsibly and efficiently speaker could the minister please advise the house about how crucial this legislation is thank you again to the member for the question we have a historic subway plan that finally all three levels of government agree on our government has the political will Mr. Speaker to build on the progress that we've made with our municipal and with our federal partners to build a world-class transportation network that the GTA so desperately needs this bill will keep us on track to unlocking gridlock it will ensure that Ontario is best position to attract new business and it will pave a new and brighter future for generations to come our plan is the right plan Mr. Speaker and I invite all the members opposite to get on board and support this legislation the next question the member for Toronto St. Paul's good morning Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier it's not just communes who are hurting thanks to liberal and conservative transportation failures businesses in my riding of St. Paul's are paying the brunt of continued delays in downtown Crosstown another year of delays means that businesses that were already barely hanging on Mr. Speaker are being faced with deeper debt and distress Mr. Speaker my constituents know how important it is to expand transport transit but everyday families and business owners shouldn't have to pay the price for government incompetence my question to the premier oh business owners are getting desperate they've been asking for help for years now will the government finally commit to ensuring that businesses and families have the support they need to survive another necessary delay Mr. Premier I recognize the minister of transportation thank you Mr. Speaker the Eglinton Crosstown is a prime example of an important project that's faced years of delay due to time spent on the permits, licenses and approvals unfortunately Metrolinx indicated that the Eglinton Crosstown is the opening of Eglinton Crosstown can no longer be possible in the fall of 2021 that that is no longer achievable but Mr. Speaker our government is proposing a new way forward the building transit faster act Mr. Speaker will find a way to get rid of the political gridlock that has caused delays that has impacted residents and businesses members opposite's riding and in other ridings across this city in such a negative way we don't believe that's right Mr. Speaker and that's why we have a plan to resolve this issue but I hope the member opposite will do what's right for the members of the people in her riding and vote for the building transit faster her news flash minister of transportation the plan's not working in St. Paul's and the same tired old talking points are going to help the businesses in my riding we need action and we needed it years ago business owners are having to go to the food bank Mr. Speaker to make ends meet people are behind on their rent and all they get from the government is silence and indifference silence and indifference they're not getting business compensation they're not getting money to pay for their rent again to the premier this government pretends that Ontario open for business but thanks to continue conservative and liberal transportation failures along the Eglinton line the only thing we're seeing in St. Paul's are closed signs my question is simple why don't businesses in St. Paul's such as Young and Eglinton Dufford and Eglinton, Little Jamaica why don't they matter as much as the businesses owned by thank you Minister of Transportation Order Order Order I recognize the Minister of Transportation to reply what the residents of the riding of St. Paul's have Mr. Speaker is a representative who is on the wrong side of this issue opposition come to order opposition come to order we have directed member for Toronto St. Paul's come to order support businesses we have directed Metro to find ways to accelerate the delivery I apologize Minister of Transportation the official opposition members who are shouting across the floor will come to order stop the clock I'm going to say something there were gestures on the part of both members who participated in this exchange they don't enhance decorum when we're pointing at each other happened on both sides it happened on both sides restart the clock Minister of Transportation can conclude her response Mr. Speaker our government has a plan to alleviate congestion in the GTA we've introduced our ambitious plan yesterday I introduced legislation that will find a way to accelerate the delivery of that plan we're working with Metrolinx to address the Eglinton Crosstown issue Mr. Speaker we have a plan what does the NDP have Mr. Speaker thank you very much my question is to the Minister of Infrastructure Speaker last year I had the pleasure of being joined by Premier Ford to announce important infrastructure investments to improve the condition of local roads in my riding of Niagara West we visited the town of Pelham where we announced 1.6 million dollars to reconstruct Pelham Street including new sidewalks, cycling lanes and street lighting I know that this investment will have a significant impact on the economic development in the town of Pelham and will enhance the safety and reliability of this roadway I'm proud that our government is working with our municipal partners to get projects like this built and I know my local mayors are very happy to see the Premier in Niagara West through you to the Minister could the Minister tell this House a little bit more about Ontarians living in the Niagara Region and if they can look forward to the transit infrastructure investments in the future Questions addressed to the Minister of Infrastructure Niagara West first question as I've already indicated to the House Ontario has nominated over 140 road, bridge, air and marine infrastructure projects for a total provincial investment of more than 115 million dollars through the rural and northern stream of the ISIP Bilateral Infrastructure Investment Agreement if all the rural and northern projects nominated to date are improved by the federal government the total investment by all levels of government could reach up to 592 million dollars for Ontario communities our government is and will continue to work with our municipal partners, families and businesses to make smart investments in our infrastructure and keep it reliable for the people of Ontario we are also investing in hundreds of transit infrastructure projects in 150 communities located outside the GTAJ including transit projects that will serve municipalities in the Niagara Region and the city of Niagara Falls Mr. Speaker and I look forward to giving more information in the supplementary questions Thank you very much it's a privilege to hear about the investments that the Minister and our government are making in infrastructure across Ontario I know the Minister also mentioned transit infrastructure which is something important in the Niagara Region as we move towards our first regional transit system I know that some of the investments the Minister has announced over the past year include funding for the purchase of two conventional expansion buses that will enhance regional transit service and I know that other investments in the region include technology upgrades that improve operations and safety in a fare box system that will also help integrate transit in the Niagara Region transit riders in the city of St. Catharines the purchase of 10 new buses and four specialized transit vehicles that will improve accessibility and reliability while reducing maintenance costs so could the Minister speak a little bit more about what other investments our government continues to make to transit infrastructure in the Niagara Region Minister? I would like to thank the member for his question and the member is correct once approved by the federal government our government is investing almost $23.9 million in the region of Niagara for transit infrastructure projects in Welland Ontario is investing $5 million for the construction of an operations facility to store 40 conventional and specialized buses and will allow for bus maintenance and training space in neighbouring St. Catharines the province is investing over $3.3 million for the expansion of a maintenance and bus storage facility to accommodate increased demands we will also see an investment of $1.5 million for the construction of a multi modal hub which will support interconnectivity of transit, pedestrian and parking with connections to the future go terminal in Niagara Falls Mr. Speaker I remain optimistic that the federal minister will approve these projects as soon as possible so that we can get the shovels in the ground to build these projects The next question Thank you my question is to the premier visiting us today are youth who are seeking mental health services and I want to tell you one story Victoria was in high school when she started struggling with severe anxiety and signs of mental illness when she sought help at the hospital treatment wasn't available and she was put on a wake list while on the wake list she had to access the emergency room several times each time she was sent home and told to wait her mom had to quit her job to stay home and care for her she waited 8 months before being able to access the intense treatments and the inpatient care she needed in the middle of her treatment she turned 18 and was discharged from the hospital involuntarily due to aging out of the system Speaker Victoria is not alone 28,000 children and youth in this province are currently waiting for mental health care doubling the already long wait list for services left by the liberals can the premier please explain to Victoria why this government cut 69 million dollars from children's mental health funding Minister to reply Minister of Health and Victoria had this experience but it is something that frankly we inherited from the previous government that didn't do anything to deal with this we have made mental health and addictions a priority as you know we have committed to spending 3.8 billion dollars over the next 10 years money equally matched by the province and the federal government we have already spent 174 million dollars this year than what was spent the previous year we are making connections for young people for children and youth and young adults we know that simply spending the money though isn't the simple answer to it but it is something that we need to do with the consent of this entire house for which I am grateful we were able to pass the legislation that allowed for the center of the mental health addiction center of excellence this is going to build the data it is going to introduce best practices and it is going to make sure that there is a core basket of services in every part of Ontario thank you very much thank you I conclude our question period for this morning I beg to inform the house that pursuant to standing order 101C a change has been made to the order of precedence on the ballot list for private members public business such that on the ballot list draw of November 4th 2019 Mr. Miller Hamilton East Stoney Creek assumes ballot item number 7 and Ms. Fife assumes ballot item number 9 the member for Peterborough, has informed me he has a point of order thank you Mr. Speaker I would like to invite all the MPPs to room 248 as soon as possible for a meet and greet reception with the challenger baseball team this house stands in recess until 3pm