 It is now time for all questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Royal Opposition. Thank you so much, Speaker. Speaker, my first question this morning is to the Premier. Ontario families are continuing to deal with the crisis in our long-term care homes. 1,792 seniors have lost their lives. Six more homes are reporting outbreaks. Last week, the Premier told a reporter asking about long-term care, and I quote, we didn't fail. We've thrown every tool we've had at these long-term care homes. Speaker, does the Premier truly believe that his government made no mistakes and that his government truly did everything they could when it comes to protecting seniors in long-term care? Recognize the Premier to reply. Through you, Mr. Speaker, I can sit here and say, yes, truly we threw everything we possibly could at it. Absolutely everything. When we ended up getting calls about outbreaks, we sent hospitals in there. We did have inspections for over 3,000 over the prior year. We made sure the military came in to the really red homes. I'll give you an update from May the 28th, Mr. Speaker. We had 2,589 cases. That's a combination of residents and staff. June the 12th, now the total confirmed cases is 1,154. Still, that's a high number, Mr. Speaker. But what is good news, and we're getting there, and we still have a tremendous amount of work. We went from 123 outbreaks in long-term care homes with 172 long-term care homes resolved down to 63 long-term care outbreaks. And 238 long-term care homes resolved. We're putting every source we have at these long-term care homes and if the... Thank you. Thank you. It's a supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. I've sent many over and unfortunately they go unanswered. Having said that, there are almost 1,800 people who have lost their lives in long-term care to COVID-19. This morning, I spoke with Maureen McDermott, whose mother resides in the for-profit River Glenhaven long-term care facility in York-Simco, where 20 residents have died from COVID-19. She began raising the alarms about the state of care in that home back in April, filing formal complaints with the government after staff repeatedly hung up on her when she called to get updates on her mother, desperate for information. And for weeks, the government refused to take over that facility. Can the Premier honestly tell Maureen that his government did everything they possibly could have done to protect seniors in this home? Premier? Well, my heart breaks for Maureen and families like Maureen. No one wants to see deaths. It doesn't matter what political stripe you come from. No matter if it's, again, from the orange party, blue party, or red party, or green party, everyone is doing their best to make sure we resolve cases. We have enough PPEs within 24 hours. If a home is out of PPE, we end up sending it over immediately. Again, we send hospitals in there to take care of it, take care of the homes. Actually, we've brought in hospitals and we've taken a license off one home, and we've brought in hospitals in to run the entire home, numerous of them. Numerous homes when we see the cases escalate. But again, Mr. Speaker, we are doing everything possible in our power, sparing not a penny to make sure we resolve these issues that we're seeing in long-term care homes. And we're making a headway. The numbers show it. Thank you. The final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, families like Maureen's have been pleading with the Premier to take action for months. And instead, he kept control in the hands of for-profit operators. In April, while the Premier was telling families there was an iron ring around long-term care facilities, the administrator of that facility was telling local reporters, and I quote, we can only isolate to a certain degree because all the residents on the second floor are wanderers. There was no iron ring at Glenhaven, or River Glenhaven, Speaker, no iron ring. And the Premier either knew that or he wasn't doing his job. Will the Premier now admit that his government did fail and apologize to Maureen and thousands of families like hers? Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, my heart breaks for Maureen and so many other families that have gone through this tragedy. And it's not just here in Ontario. We've seen it around the world. We've seen it in our neighbours to the east of us in Quebec. And again, we're putting every single resource we have. And it's a terrible tragedy. But what has gone on for decades under the previous government, under the NDP propping up the previous government, they never did anything. Nothing at all. We are going to fix the problem that we inherited that had been around for decades. Absolutely decades. But this is coming to an end. We're going to fix the problem moving forward for good. It's very simple. All other governments talk a lot, Mr. Speaker, but they did absolutely nothing, including the opposition party stood by for decades and didn't do anything. We're doing something now. The next question, once again, the Leader of the Opposition. My next question is also for the Premier. And unfortunately, a broken heart isn't good enough for all of those seniors who have lost their lives in long-term care. In fact, other governments right here in Canada took early action to respond to COVID-19 in long-term care. The results show those actions were faster and better than Ontario's. British Columbia intervened in March to take control of for-profit long-term care homes that weren't coping with outbreaks. And in March took control of staffing to ensure that staff would work at one facility and have the proper equipment to protect themselves and residents. Back in March, Speaker, BC at this point has seen 168 seniors lost to COVID-19 in long-term care homes. Almost 1,800 have died in Ontario's long-term care homes. Why was Ontario unable to actually forge an iron ring around long-term care like BC, in fact, did? Well, through you, Mr. Speaker, I love how the Leader of the Opposition uses BC all the time. I have a great deal of respect for Premier Horgan. I consulted with him numerous times and continue to consult with him. What the Leader of the Opposition is missing? They're one-third our size. They were a month earlier than we were. Have we all learned a lot of lessons? Absolutely, we've learned a lot of lessons. And that's the first step is emitting where there's cracks in the ship. And we saw massive cracks in the ship. There's no denying it. I was the first one to come out and say there's massive cracks in the ship. And that's why we've asked for an independent commission. We need answers. We aren't shying away from problems in long-term care. We're tackling these problems. We're meeting them head-on. Unlike previous governments that have totally ignored them, swept them underneath the car. And I don't look at it as profit or non-profit. I look at all long-term care homes equally because they all have the most vulnerable people at the homes. And we're going to fix this problem, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. A supplementary question. Well, to fix the problem, you have to admit that you had one, Speaker. And I think this Premier still refuses to acknowledge that they should have moved more swiftly and more decisively when it came to our vulnerable seniors in long-term care. For months, the Premier ignored please. From frontline workers who were calling on the government to intervene and take control of failing for-profit homes. For months, those pleas were ignored, Speaker. And for months, the for-government insisted that it just wasn't necessary. That these for-profit homes were protected by an iron ring that really didn't exist. And that such takeovers would not even be possible under Ontario's system. That's what the Premier was saying, Speaker. The Premier says Ontario did not fail our seniors. Why did this government fail to take decisive action other provinces did and instead leave control of long-term care in the hands of operators who are now being investigated for potentially criminal levels of negligence? The minister of long-term care to respond to the government. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member opposite for this important question. Looking across the globe, long-term care homes and our most vulnerable people in society have been tragically affected by COVID-19. There is no doubt. We must all acknowledge that. It is fact. Looking across Ontario, even at the peak of our COVID outbreak, 70% of our homes were not in outbreak. And most of the time, 80%. So my heart breaks for everyone who's been affected by this terrible virus and our most vulnerable people. Our government did act swiftly. And I know there is a narrative out there about inspections, about not taking action. We acted early. We acted early on some of the measures earlier than some of the other provinces. We have a geographic disc difference. We have a population difference. And every measure and every tool has been used and will be used, calling in hospital teams, infection prevention and control teams, additional staffing with portals, our hospital integration. We're looking at an integrated process forward to rejuvenate long-term care. We will fix this problem. Thank you. The final supplementary. Speaker, the Premier's words were, quote, we didn't fail. But nobody believes him, because he did. He failed. The Premier failed to listen to Maureen and others when they told him that their loved ones weren't safe at River Glenhaven. He failed to read the emails from women like Kathy Parks, who was sounding the alarm bell about abuse and neglect at Orchard Villa. Will the Premier now admit that his government, in fact, did fail and apologize to Maureen and thousands of other families like hers? Minister of Long-Term Care. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you again for the question. Looking at families across Ontario, we understand the hardship that they have faced during COVID-19. COVID-19 has been a challenge in many, many ways, and we acknowledge that. Our homes have been supported. We've taken measures left, right, and centre, and we will continue to take measures as we move forward. When we look at the funding that we've put forward very early to make sure our homes could have more cleanliness, more sanitization, we've had our inspectors in there on an ongoing basis as soon as they could go in safely. In fact, our homes have had in-person inspections on a regular basis, despite the narrative from other corners. The truth is, we have taken responsible actions, swift and decisive actions over and over again, and we will continue to do that. It is our number one priority to keep our Long-Term Care residents safe. Thank you. Next question, the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you kindly, Speaker. My next question is also to the Premier. Across the world, governments are fundamentally re-evaluating the state of policing in their communities. Hundreds of thousands of people have marched in the streets demanding systemic change and action to address anti-black and anti-indigenous racism. In less than two months, three black Ontarians have died during interactions with police. Regis Korczynski-Peket, D'Andre Campbell, and Caleb Tbilia, Tbilia and Joko all lived with mental health issues. They were loved, and they should be with us today. No one should die after calling 9-1-1 for help. What is the Premier's plan to address this urgent call from communities for fundamental change to policing in Ontario? Mr. Minister General, to reply for the government. Thank you very much. I think we all understand and recognize that policing and community safety has changed in the last number of years. The issues faced today by police services and our communities they serve are increasingly complex. As part of our government's $174 million commitment to address mental health and addiction in fiscal year 2019-20, the Ministry of Solicitor General and the Ministry of Health announced $18.3 million in new funding to support those affected by mental health and addiction challenges in the justice sector. This includes $6.95 million for new mobile crisis teams with dedicated safe beds and transitional case managers. You know, Speaker, I think we all understand that when almost 40% of police calls are interacting with individuals who have mental health or addiction issues, we need to do things differently, and that's why our government has made such a strong commitment to mental health and addiction. Thank you. Thank you. The supplementary question. For decades, governments ignored the crisis of communities, whether it's the Liberals' failure to act on recommendations from the roots of Youth Violence Report, which they commissioned, or the four governments' decision to roll blackback police oversight cut millions from anti-racism and education programs and adds 30, rather $335 million in mental health funding. Tackling systemic racism requires real action. The SIU must include public independent oversight. We need to truly end carding and we have to fix the imbalance between policing costs and armed crisis response versus meager investments in community supports and mental health rollbacks that this government has made. Will the Premier commit to take these long overdue first steps to address systemic racism in the province of Ontario? Again, Mr. Listener General, there are so many parts of that statement, it's not really a question that I could delve further into, but let's start with the anti-racism director. There has been zero change in the amount of budget that they have done. And frankly, they have done some incredible things already, including mediating partnerships between the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board and the Hamilton Center for Civic Conclusion to support black youth in Hamilton Wentworth District District School Board. I would have thought that the member opposite would have known about that since it was in Hamilton. We've supported the Toronto District School Board and the Children's Aid Society of Toronto to address anti-black racism in their respective organizations. The anti-racism director has supported Durham Region School Board with developing anti-black racism training for kindergarten teachers. And there are so many things that we are doing at the Ontario Police College and online police officers who are doing very challenging work during challenging times have the training and the skills needed and necessary to make sure that we serve all of Ontario. Thank you. Thank you. The next question, the member from Milton. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Premier last week, many Ontarians were relieved to hear that Ontario could reopen. Yesterday even more of Ontario was told that businesses both big and small could reopen. This news is encouraging for everyone in the legislature, my constituents and all Ontarians in those regions and across our great province. It would also be a relief for businesses who have been closed for a number of months and can finally reopen and support their local communities. Will the Premier please tell us more about what these announcements mean for the people and the businesses of our great province? Good question. The Premier. I want to thank the member from Milton as always, he's doing an incredible job out in Milton. When I stood in front of Ontario last week I announced our plan to reopen Ontario. We're going to reopen Ontario. We're going to reopen Ontario. We support you and we will get through this together. That's the reason we see the numbers come all the way down like this because of the people of Ontario. We announced that 24 regions were going to open up last week. Yesterday we announced another seven more regions that are opening up Mr. Speaker and hopefully we understand but we're always going to listen to the health and science for response. We've seen the numbers come down where confident numbers are going to continue coming down. We had over 24,000 tests again the numbers of COVID cases are down. Thank you very much. And the supplementary question. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the Premier for the answer and for his great leadership. It is always encouraging to hear that Ontarians are coming together and ensuring we can all get back to work sooner. I am proud to work and I want to also thank the dedication, the leadership that my constituents have shown during these difficult times Mr. Speaker. But I know that we need to keep public health in mind when we approach our reopen. Case numbers and testing are critical factors when it comes to assessing what stage we can move into. Can the Premier tell us more about what has been done to get us even closer to stage 2 a province wide reopening Mr. Speaker? Thank you. Thank you again to the member of Milton. I want to be clear the public health trends across the province are headed in the right direction. They're actually headed in such a great direction that we have the lowest cases against any region in North America, states, our size, province I guess most comparable would be Quebec but we have the lowest cases per 100,000 in all of North America. So the system is working Mr. Speaker. Our plan is working. The people are supporting the plan and it's amazing when everyone is pulling in the same direction Mr. Speaker it's amazing how much work you get done. Rather than playing politics and littering back and forth I have an idea. Why doesn't the opposition support us when some of these ideas come out and help us? Just like their federal counterparts the federal liberals are working like this together calls every single day working together. See how we can source more PPE how they can support each other that's what we need in this province we don't need the bickering it's just happened over the last five, six months. Thank you. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Brampton East. My question is to the Premier. Deandre Campbell was a 26 year old black man from Brampton. He was suffering from a mental health crisis so he decided to call the police. He didn't survive that phone call. He was tased twice and shot and killed by police in his own home. The officer who killed Deandre Campbell has not had to answer a single SIU question about what happened. And because this Premier has delayed legislation that it would have required officers to participate in investigations there's nothing the SIU can do to bring this officer to the table. This complete failure of accountability lies squarely at the feet of this government. Enough is enough, we need justice. The Premier act now to fix our broken SIU so that this officer and every officer involved in police killings is investigated so justice can be served. The Attorney General to apply for the government. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question. Public safety is a top priority for our government. We're committed to providing the frontline police officers with the tools and the resources they need but that's why the government passed the act that you referenced the Comprehensive Ontario Police Services Act the COPS Act. It'll work to help people of Ontario it'll help frontline policing it'll help policing partners. It also provides for some oversight the SIU is an independent body that does work to make sure that matters are investigated without political interference and as such Mr. Speaker I can't comment on any particular case the system is independent that it's structured with the tools that it needs and will continue to do its job. Thank you Mr. Speaker Supplementary question Member for Beaches East York. My question is also for the Premier Calls for reform to police oversight have echoed unanswered in this province for years from protests in the street to expert reports no one has been able to convince this government or the liberal government before it that black lives matter enough to change the law and make it stick while the Premier takes turns denying the problem exists or delaying solutions the families of D'Andre Campbell of Regis, Corchin's Peak, Paquette and a far too many other black Ontarians seek answers knowing they can't depend on the SIU to find the answers for them My question is simple will the Premier commit today to reform the SIU and police oversight in Ontario without delay Again the Attorney General Thank you Mr. Speaker and I thank the other member for the question and we have been adjusting the way that oversight works we have not adjusted the independence and we have not adjusted the arms length nature of it we have not adjusted the tools that they have and we will further strengthen the already independent and effective police oversight the COPS Act includes a new standalone community safety policing act it will when enforced rename the OIPRD as well the law enforcement complaints agency and set a new legal framework for that agency Mr. Speaker we are proactively again picking up the pieces left by the previous liberal government and we are making sure that the system works more effectively than it has in a very long time The next question member for Scarborough Guildwood My question is to the Premier systemic racism has always existed in Ontario but many are just beginning to understand and appreciate just how deep and how entrenched it is in our society and our institutions when our public school system was founded by Egerton Ryerson it included residential schools for indigenous children it underfunded and segregated schools for black students higher education at the time was only reserved for boys racism is not inevitable it is designed it is learned addressing systemic anti-black racism early in our education system will remove barriers to success for black students will the Premier today instruct his Minister of Education to mandate the true history of black Canadians as a mandatory part of Ontario's education curriculum Government House Leader Thank you very much Mr Speaker as you know obviously this government takes anti-black racism very seriously as I know all members of this House do we have been as concerned as anybody has with the events that have occurred over the last number of weeks not only across North America I will take the members comments under advisement and make sure that they are forwarded to the Minister of Education at the same time the member will know that the Premier worked very quickly to prior to this in December and appointed Jamil Giovanni to advance opportunities in the community Mr Speaker I'm sure the member opposite will agree that he is a very passionate voice and somebody that I know members on this side of the House are anxious to work with Mr Speaker as I said I will take the members recommendations of the Minister of Education The supplementary question Thank you Speaker and back to the Premier Premier we heard in this House that this government will not tolerate any racism in its Government but Premier the urgency is here lives and futures are at stake we know that systemic racism cannot be rooted out until we understand how deep racism really goes in this province despite this knowledge this government is still underfunding and hindering the work of the anti-racism directorate you are ignoring the tools that are there to address this problem other provinces like Quebec have set up an action committee to combat racism yet Ontario has only provided the words without meaningful action and we must work together to change the outcomes for the people of colour in this province so my question to you Premier is will you support the creation of an all party committee to take action on the many dozens of reports that have been presented about the issue of anti-black racism in this province will you do that today Premier yes or no Mr Children Community and Social Services Well thanks very much Mr Speaker for the question what we have done here on this side is we've introduced a new council a couple of weeks ago Jamil Javani will be heading up that council and it's called the Premier's Council on Equality of Opportunity which is focused on making sure that there are mentors for individuals in the communities that the member are opposite reference but not only mentors there's a game plan Mr Speaker and Jamil is putting together put their name forward to be a member of this council which is actually going to make substantial difference in the lives of these individuals working with our partners that we already fund in this sector we have 50 different members in the black youth action plan Mr Speaker that our ministry and other ministries are funding black led groups for the most part Mr Speaker that will be expanded as a result of financial incentives that were announced a couple of weeks ago to the tune of about one and a half million dollars to ensure that we're getting better outcomes and creating better opportunities for members of these communities across the province thank you Mr Speaker very much the next question the member for Oakville Mr Speaker Mr Speaker my question is to the minister of heritage sports tourism and culture industries Mr Speaker while sitting on the standing committee of finance and economic affairs I had the opportunity to listen to tourism and attraction to the owner operators who are looking for support and investments to help with future planning and marketing initiatives following COVID-19 I know the minister has been speaking to stakeholders frequently to listen to their concerns and collect invaluable real-time data that has helped guide her ministry to provide investments and supports that will provide much needed relief to the 36 billion dollar tourism industry Mr Speaker we know that our government and this minister are listening to Ontario's tourism operators Ms Debbie Zimmerman CEO of the great growers of Ontario said quote I want to begin by thanking the government of Ontario for being accessible and responsive to our needs and for pivoting quickly in these unprecedented times Can the minister please update the house what our government is doing to directly support tourism operators to ensure they're getting the absolute best they'll be in the best position to welcome back visitors when it is safe to do so again thank you Mr. Heritage for tourism and culture industries I'd like to thank the member from Oakville for his question also his leadership he recently chaired a meeting for me with the regional tourism organization and Hamilton Halton and Brandt he's also been a leader on the standing committee of finance and economic affairs as we do a sector led initiative with respect to tourism and hospitality and I have to say as a member a longstanding member in this legislature for the past 14 years 140 different presenters appeared before that committee that is unprecedented we have held 6 telephone town halls with well over 1200 stakeholders in each one of them we have retooled the tourism development and recovery fund we've tripled that funding we have flowed 9 million dollars already for festivals that aren't able to continue but we want to see them back in 2021 in the members own riding we have flowed over 875 thousand dollars through the Ontario Trillium Foundation and as of today we will be flowing 350 thousand dollars in marketing funding because of the hard work of that member to his region supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker and minister great news I'm very happy to hear that I know these measures and supports are greatly appreciated local investments go a long way in promoting the wonderful destinations and attractions that our communities and regions have to offer Ontarians particularly as they may be considering a staycation with their friends and family this summer I would like to thank the committee that quote our tireless efforts are sincerely appreciated not only by our industry but the thousands of Ontario families who are out there actively and safely voting today minister can you please tell us how our government is continuing to support tourism operators throughout this summer season thank you to the to the member obviously in terms of the economy the hardest hit the first hit and the longest recover will be our tourism culture and sport industries right now facing a triple threat on our spectacular double bottom line I've often said in this house that we are responsible for the cultural fabric of the province of Ontario but also 75 billion dollars in economic activity and unfortunately we are now facing that triple threat first the public health crisis second the economic crisis and now third the social crisis and trying to make sure consumer behavior is not inhibited particularly as it pertains to our tourism and our cultural sectors 13 million dollars in marketing fund 350,000 of that will go to this members riding but we have continued to flow that money across the province 1 million dollars to Ottawa on Friday 1 million dollars to Brockville and Leeds Grenville area on Saturday over 350,000 dollars in muscoca on Sunday and of course speaker I'll be in blue mountain today and a Niagara Falls on Friday as we continue to support our tourism operators and those local communities thank you speaker thank you the next question member for Scarborough southwest thank you speaker my question is to the premier speaker since this government announced the childcare reopening in this province without ever talking to any operators any parents a C's people who actually operate in on the ground people who actually need childcare spaces without consulting with any of these people they decided suddenly with the three days notice to open childcare centers since then we have heard from parents who are worried sick they're worried about the future of their children we've heard from parents who have been told that that fees are going up we have been told that these parents who are already paying more than mortgage more than their rent we're now experiencing the highest childcare cost in this province speaker and now these childcare costs will go up we've also heard from essential workers people who this premier calls our heroes essential workers who are afraid of losing their spaces we're we're hearing from frontline workers who are losing their emergency childcare spaces and have no alternative my question is mr. Speaker will this government admit to the lack of a plan that's hurting families and step up with the funding need that childcare needs and make the recovery easier and safer for everyone thank you speaker there were squats to thank you very much mr. Speaker mr. Speaker as you know the minister very closely with the chief medical officer of health to put in place a plan that would support our childcare operators as they began to reopen up the member will know that while childcare centers are allowed to reopen they're not mandated to reopen they can only do so and should only do so when their workers are safe and when the people that they're taking care of are safe as well mr. Speaker to suggest that we didn't work with them is just simply wrong as you know this is a very important sector to us it's important to the economy as we start to reopen we understand how important childcare is for individuals who are returning to work funding has been put in place to ensure that childcare centers do not increase the costs to parents mr. Speaker we will continue to work very closely with the sector to make sure that our children are safe and equally importantly the people who provide the care are safe and equally important to the economy as we start to reopen up the community. Thank you. The member for university rose. Thank you. Thank you. Back to the premier. The government's lack of a childcare plan is hurting families and childcare operators. Jeff supervisor at friends daycare in my writing said the conservatives are going to reopen. Premier how can you expect childcare centers to provide childcare to parents so they can return to work if these childcare centers can't even afford to pay their own staff. Again again mr. Speaker I just said we worked very closely with the sector well in advance of the announcement that the sector could begin to open as you know that there was an emergency order put in place that would allow for essential workers to have the provision of childcare. We've advanced some of those sectoral guidance the minister working closely with the chief medical officer of health working with the minister of labor we put funding in place to ensure that the centers when they do decide to open can do so safely. We've expressed that it's important that all childcare workers are tested there's funding in place for PPE there's funding in place for healthcare. We've also expressed that we're working very closely with the sector mr. Speaker because as you know as we begin to open up the economy as the premier announced earlier today this is a very important sector and we want to make sure that the people providing services and the kids that they're taking care of are safe. Thank you mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. Next question the member for Ottawa venue. I'm a senior director of Canada in a very important historical role in the francophone across the country have the right to the same quality of teaching that the English students this is to deal with inequality of government services that is offered in both official languages. This inequality exists elsewhere as well. It exists in the capacity of our Francophone parents to have access to legal aid in French the bill 161 gives the possibility to correct this inequality. Are you going to take this opportunity in order to guarantee that francophones and anglophones have access to legal aid of quality equivalent quality in the actual language of their choice wherever they live in the province. Thank you. Thank you mr. President. I want to thank the and happy birthday to improve access to justice in French and Ontario mr. Speaker this bill contains proposals bill 161 to improve the way the justice system operates every day to provide people faster more affordable access to justice and I'm very pleased that for the first time ever the proposed legislation would mandate legal aid Ontario to consider the needs of francophone individuals and communities when it is providing access to justice. Our government is proposing this legislative change in recognition of the importance of ensuring francontarians can access legal services in French in addition to the legislative proposals related to the legal aid services act the smarter and stronger justice act proposes amendments to the class proceedings act to improve notice to class members by directing that the notices be published in both English and French mr. Speaker hardly something that we should have to do in this day and age mr. Speaker this change will help ensure that francontarians receive proper notice of class proceedings in which they may be eligible to participate I'll have more to say on my supplementary supplementary question thank you mr. Speaker so I'm glad to hear what the minister has to say about the importance of francophone services and I'm calling of course on the government to support my proposed amendment to schedule 16 of bill 61 which will protect equal rights for both francophones in Ontario to access legal aid services in the official language of their choice it's very important that these rights are recognized in equality so will your government support this amendment during the clause by clause review of bill 161 tomorrow and I would take that as a really great birthday gift thank you very much the attorney general thank you mr. Speaker and I thank the member opposite for the question and the amendments deadline was last night so I have not had a chance to see them yet certainly we will review all of the proposed amendments from the opposition parties with this in mind with our commitment that every person in Ontario should have access to the justice system in the official language of their choice so I will look at the amendments the committee will look at the amendments our government will look at the amendments with that in mind I want to thank you for working with us through the justice committee thank you Mr. Speaker thank you Mr. Speaker thank you the next question the member for Willowdale thank you very much mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of children community and social services young people are the future in this province but for decades youth from disadvantaged communities have faced significant barriers to succeeding in our society and in our economy we know these barriers aren't new mr. Speaker that in many cases COVID-19 has made these issues far worse at a time when Ontario is facing some of the most significant challenges in our history we must do everything we can to equip the next generation of leaders in communities across this province with the skills necessary to overcome the social and economic barriers that they face minister could you tell the house more about the recent announcement of the premier's council on equality and the positive impacts this will have for youth in Ontario Mr. Children Willowdale for the great question this morning our government is looking for a group of diverse leaders who will form our new premier's council on equality of opportunity the council will include young people between the ages of 18 and 29 also adults with expertise in areas such as community organizations not for profits and business and education the council is going to be chaired by Jamil Javani he's the province's advocate for community opportunities who the province was introduced to just a couple of weeks ago by the premier and we'll work with the government to ensure that young workers especially disadvantaged youth have the opportunity to succeed in Ontario's rapidly changing economy it'll engage directly with young people in communities across the province to identify strategies such as addressing many young people today such as completing an education or accessing stable employment we're going to work with our community partners and there are many that we're working with in the black youth action plan women's multicultural resources counselling centre of Durham and the writing of the minister of finance Goldilocks productions Thank you and the supplementary question Thank you speaker and thank you minister this collaboration between young people is crucially important with approximately 1 in 10 youth in Ontario between the ages of 15 and 24 not in work and not in education it is more important than ever to challenge the status quo and connect our young people to employment and the right training and supports to help them succeed that's why the work of this council is going to be crucially important and it's going to be important that they move quickly and decisively through you, are you able to tell us more about what our government and the premier's council on equality of opportunity will do to start addressing the barriers that prevent young people from succeeding in their full potential here in Ontario Minister Thanks again to the member from Willowdale for the question and thank you speaker our government recognizes the impact that COVID-19 and the outbreak in our province is having and the need to move quickly to address concerns and to take action speaker and that's why we announced one and a half million dollars in funding to organizations like some of the ones that I mentioned earlier that will provide urgent COVID-19 supports and address the immediate needs of black children youth and families in the province moving forward the council's first priority will be to work collaboratively with government with communities and young people to identify additional strategies to support vulnerable and marginalized youth to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak I'd like to take this opportunity again to encourage all youth who are interested in being a voice for their community to apply before the June 18th deadline that's Thursday and have the opportunity to advocate and provide insight to government as one of the council's youth advocates Thank you speaker The next question the member for Windsor to come see The next question is to the government house leader good morning sir Speaker as you know good things grow in Ontario but what people don't know or pay little attention to is that those who help ensure that good things grow aren't getting the basic supports and protection they need to keep themselves safe Hundreds of migrant farm workers in southwestern Ontario are ill The government refuses to ensure these essential workers have the pandemic pay they deserve Speaker when will this government step up and help Ontario's agricultural community with a real plan for migrant workers fighting COVID-19 Government house leaders Thank you very much Mr Speaker as you know we worked very closely let me just say I agree with the member this is obviously a very important sector my home town of Markham Stoval is home to many workers and they do a very very valuable work for the people of Ontario but as you know we've been working very closely with the agri-food sector to ensure that resources have been put in place that there is additional funding to ensure both the provision of PPE to increase and improve hygiene and sanitation standards on sites I know at the same time the minister of labour had mentioned previously that over 60 site visits had been excuse me over 200 site visits with over 60 orders Mr Speaker the member is correct it is a very important sector that's why we're treating it as importantly as we are we have put in place funding to help those farms that may need additional supports when it comes to housing and we will continue to do that work Mr Speaker thank you and the supplementary question the member for Sudbury my question is also the premier not only is this government failing those who grow our food but also found the workers helped ensure that throughout this crisis we had food on our table the pandemic made clear that the vital work done by Ontario's frontline retail workers but while some companies did step up with pandemic pay that's now also being cut in the middle of the pandemic and now workers are being told to make ends meet with a low minimum wage that this government also rolled back this week these workers still face threats every day they are still heroes and after putting their lives on the line for months these workers deserve a paycheck that reflects their hard work and their sacrifice we're now in a new normal workplaces have changed the risks workers face every day have changed their jobs and responsibilities have changed going back to normal is not enough Ontario needs real change to help recover from this crisis why won't this government step up for low wage workers and the families they support and increase our minimum wage the government also Mr. Speaker this government has been working right from the beginning to ensure that the people who provide services in small, medium and large enterprises are well supported that's why we've reduced taxes across the sector we've improved the standards we play standards for our employees Mr. Speaker specifically to the question of migrant workers we understand how important they are to the agri-food sector in the province of Ontario frankly we could not accomplish all that we do in this sector without them that's why the minister of labor working in consultation with the minister of agriculture moved very quickly to ensure that there were sectoral guidance in the sector we provided additional funding to make sure that the health and safety of these very valuable workers could be improved there's been over 200 site visits over 60 orders Mr. Speaker is there more to do absolutely this new normal probably for a long period of time that's why the ministers will continue to work very closely with their partners to make sure that we enhance safety and security of the people who come here and do valuable work for the people of the province of Ontario thank you very much the next question the member for Carlton Mr. Speaker before I begin I just want to give a very special shout out to my summer intern Catherine Colbert who I know is watching live Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of municipal affairs and housing COVID-19 and the need to shelter in place has shown our province how important it is that every Ontario has a place to call home and I'm proud that this minister is working to make that a reality the various programs administered through his ministry are making a positive impact not just for the people in my riding of Carlton but for people across Ottawa and Ontario could the honorable minister please explain how this government has increased funding to our various housing initiatives and how they're making an impact through these unprecedented times thank you questions to the minister of municipal affairs and housing thanks speaker and I want to thank the member for Carlton for the question and for her tremendous advocacy both in her riding and in the Ottawa area great job our government has made it a priority speaker to invest new money in our communities and to partner with the federal government on new projects our ministry invested $148 million to help our most vulnerable in response to COVID-19 through the social service relief fund in 2020-2021 we are also investing an additional $55.7 million into programs like the national housing strategy and the community homelessness prevention initiative in fact this year our government will invest close to $1 billion through our community housing renewal strategy to help build, contain and grow our community housing system in our province and to help people experiencing homelessness thank you speaker and the supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the honorable member for that response you know it's a team effort Mr. Speaker and the reason I can advocate for the people in the areas because I'm supported and surrounded by such fantastic ministers like Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Minister of Health and Long-Term Care and also Minister of Heritage Tourism, Culture and Sport Mr. Speaker through you we know that the federal government has renewed its interest in the housing space and made funds available through the national housing strategy could the minister explain how our government has partnered with the federal government to leverage these funds and continue to help Ontarians find homes great question Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing another great question from a great member last December speaker federal minister Hussein and I announced the signing of the $1.4 billion Canada Ontario housing benefit and I'm proud that our government was the first in Canada to sign this bilateral agreement under the national housing strategy the Canada Ontario housing benefit is a portable benefit and it will help Ontarians find homes in their communities that meet their needs and their budget as of June 1st 1600 families have already received direct assistance through this program and by the end of the year that number could grow to as many as 50 to 100 families over the nine years of the program speaker more and more Ontarians will be helped each year ensuring that we can continue to help low-income Ontarians stay close to their supports member for thank you mr. Speaker my question is for the premier speaker it's been a rocky few months of emergency distance remote learning and we know that a return to in-class instruction this fall is not going to be easy students are going to need new supports they're going to need mental health workers they're going to need extra time with educational assistance and they are going to need much smaller or safer distancing schools are going to need PPE and more staff to do the extra cleaning yet despite all of those looming challenges we are months overdue for school board funding and frontline teachers and other education ministers are telling us they haven't even been consulted on any of the plans for reopening mr. Speaker with the mess that this government has made in child care reopening how can we trust them to deliver a safe and orderly return to the classes for Ontario's two million students have the government notes leader well thank you very much mr. Speaker I guess I'm a little bit more optimistic than the member opposite I think that our partners in education have done a wonderful job dealing with the emergency that evolved in COVID I know that my kids have well not ideally mr. Speaker but have been online with their teachers quite often doing their lessons and doing some great work mr. Speaker so I guess I'm a little bit more optimistic I'm a little bit more grateful for the hard work that our partners in education have done dealing with the COVID crisis mr. Speaker and I know that we will continue to work very closely with them the minister in particular has been working with with our partners in the education system to ensure that when kids do return to school that it's done safely that parents have the confidence that the schools that they return to will be safe we have resources in place should parents decide not to to send their kids back to school I know the minister of infrastructure has been working to increase broadband across the province we will be ready because we have been ready and we will not fail our students to never have and we never will member for the ski walk james bay the supplementary question so speaking my question is their premier the minister of education likes to talk about using virtual resources to keep students engaged but in northern Ontario they don't have access to technology that makes that happen speaker over 120,000 northern Ontario lacked access to reliable broadband of which 70% resides in north eastern Ontario and while the minister of education speaks of equitable access to educations to students in the remote james bay coast have to carefully use the limited band with withshare with health care public service and households speaker to showcase virtual resource with thousands of students in northern Ontario lack the technology to use them is contradictory at best can the premier explain to students in northern Ontario that do not have access to reliable internet at home what equitable access to education means and the government mostly the member is correct we want to make sure students across the province of Ontario have access to the highest quality education system available that is something we have been working on since we came to government I know we have talked constantly about disparity between urban and rural it is something we have been focused on that is why the minister of infrastructure has been working so hard to bring forward a plan that would increase broadband access across the province of Ontario the minister of energy for instance has made sure we have brought down a hydro rate so people can afford during this covid crisis we understand this covid crisis happened and we are dealing with it and the minister is working very closely with his partners in northern Ontario with the boards in northern Ontario to make sure students there whether it is through busing whether it is return to school those kids have the best quality education system there should be no difference between urban and rural and that is what this government is focused on making sure that all kids have the best quality education the next question the member for sarnie lampton thank you speaker my questions to the minister of natural resources and forestry I am proud that our government has been actively monitoring the impact of covid 19 Ontario's economy and taking action to support our job creators and workers in the economy and many northern and rural communities generating over 18 billion dollars in revenue and supporting approximately 155,000 direct and indirect jobs this vital role this industry plays is especially evident during the covid 19 outbreak providing essential forest products for hygiene food and medical supplies as well as packaging and shipping products can the minister update the house on how our government is supporting this sector and the heart of the forestry thank you speaker and I want to thank the great member sarnie lampton for that question as we safely and gradually reopen the province our government is doing everything possible to support businesses and protect jobs we recognize the importance of the forestry sector and the critical economic role that it plays particularly in northern and rural communities that's why my ministry moved quickly to ensure that the forestry sector was identified as an essential service I recently committed completed virtual consultations with leaders from the sector we discuss their issues and concerns as Ontario reopens the economy during the covid 19 outbreak within guidelines from the chief medical officer of health we're working with our partners to understand what's needed to protect and support people and our economy as we move forward I will have more to say in supplementary thank you well thank you minister and it's great to hear that our forestry sector with your leadership is stepping up to the plate helping Ontario get through this outbreak I was not just surprised to learn the forestry companies have donated N95 masks to local hospitals and emergency service teams and they have even hired new employees to assist in their efforts during the covid 19 outbreak something I know the people of Ontario and our government are committed to is protecting our environment we want to be responsible stewards we want to preserve our beautiful natural environment for generations to come wood products are renewable resource and the industry works hard to ensure that forests are sustainably managed for the well being of the ecosystem our economy and our own enjoyment minister how are we helping the industry maintain its emphasis on sustainability during this difficult time minister well thank you again speaker and thank you again to the great member from Ontario's forestry and our government is stepping up to the plate as well they step to the plate up to the plate ensuring the sustainability of our forestry reforestation which is a key principle of Ontario's forest management system our government has made 3.5 million dollars available to help put protective measures in place for workers who plant trees this season this will help the industry expand existing facilities and modify these measures to ensure that those helping to renew Ontario forests can work in a safe environment during the COVID-19 outbreak with these measures we're also securing the planting of 70 million trees this year in Ontario forests during these unprecedented times our government is committed to supporting the forest industry and the communities that depend on it by protecting forestry workers and forestry forestry. Thank you and I hope the opposition will join us in supporting the next question the member for St. Catharines thank you speaker my questions to the Premier there's nothing more important than a family knowing their loved ones are safe while Niagara reopens for the second phase this week in St. Catharines Jennifer's mother is receiving home care she is concerned that the local care provider she has are hearing to weak PPE guidelines and only providing one mask per day for her mom's PSW the same PSW can visit up to 10 homes each day that's the same amount of masks Mr. Speaker that McDonald's offers to their employees for one shift through you Mr. Speaker to the Premier was your family member receiving home care from a PSW would you feel comfortable knowing that their PPE was being reused and the same mask throughout the day while the PSW was visiting multiple residents and different homes would you feel comfortable Minister of Health Thank you very much Speaker and thank you to the member for the question as part of our comprehensive plan for the communities and to end hallway health care we are modernizing our system of home and community care to bring it into the 21st century that's being said we know that people who are doing these visitations be there whether they're nurses personal support workers or whomever they are need to have the appropriate personal protective equipment in order to be able to do that for their own safety and for the safety of the people that they're caring for we've been dealing with throughout COVID-19 is ensuring a safe and steady supply of PPE but we've had Ontario companies that have stepped up to the plate to assist us and they are doing things like manufacturing gowns, hand sanitizers, face masks and everything else in between we are supplying amounts to the home and community care suppliers that they need if they need further supplies they can contact us and we will send it to them within a day there should be no necessity for anybody having to re-wear a mask to many, many community people that they see in the community that is something that we said from the beginning was to prepare and protect the health and safety of all Ontarians and we're continuing to do so especially with respect to the provision of PPE for pandemic purposes we have it in our warehouse thank you very much that concludes our question period for this morning