 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Davenport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And my question is to the Premier. Last week, Ontario parents and students saw schools across Ontario close in the first province-wide strike this province has seen in 22 years. As the Premier is well aware, his reckless education cuts caused the conflict we're seeing in classrooms. Teachers have made it clear they will cancel Wednesday's walkout. If this government backs away from their cuts. My question again to the Premier and I hope he will answer it personally because these really are his decisions to make. Will the Premier do the right thing, stand in his place and announce a reversal of these cuts today? The question is addressed to the Premier. Minister of Education. Referred to the Minister of Education. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, it is time for OSSTF to call off this new strike and to accept private mediation without precondition. Speaker, this demonstrates yet again that for OSSTF, if they don't get their demands, including a $1.5 billion increase in compensation, if they do not get their demands, they are prepared to walk out again. And I believe, Mr. Speaker, parents in this province, they see that as unacceptable and as government agrees. Mr. Speaker, the union leaders should agree to private mediation. They should stay at the table, and most importantly, Speaker, they should work with us in good faith to get a deal that keeps our kids in class. Mr. Speaker, our focus on fighting for new investments in our children, not for compensation. The supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, I'm going to turn back to the Premier again, because again, as I said, this is his decision to make. Parents, students, teachers and education workers are all saying the same thing. Larger classes, fewer courses will be bad for students. Mandatory, Alabama-style online learning will be bad for students. The Premier has a clear opportunity right now to de-escalate this conflict and maintain quality education. Will he admit these reckless cuts were poorly planned and reverse his plans for larger classes and mandatory online learning? Minister of Education. Thank you, Speaker. The focus of the government is to get a deal that keeps kids in class. It is interesting that the one admission from, omission rather, from the question that one of the top three priorities mentioned by OSSDA, there are top three demands, in fact, is for a $1.5 billion increase. It's interesting that one is mentioned in the question, but, Speaker, the focus of the government is to keep kids in class to be reasonable. At the table, we're offering a $750 million increase for teachers, the second highest paid in the nation. On average, OSSDA teachers make about $92,000 a year. Speaker, these are our friends and family, our neighbours, our caucus members. We value their contribution, but the taxpayer, the government is being reasonable, and it is unfair that they will strike again. Order. We do not get an additional $750 million. My request of all parties is to focus on our kids, not on compensation. The final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. The Minister of Education knows that is not what the issue is. He knows perfectly well. The Premier is creating chaos for students and parents and communities across this province solely because his stubborn and ideological commitment to classroom cuts and his need to pick a fight, thousands and thousands of parents told the Premier they don't want those cuts when they were asked in the government's own million-dollar survey. Thousands of students told the Premier they don't want those cuts when they marched out of class in the spring. The Premier's response was to blame teachers and call them thugs. Well, now he has the fight he wanted, and our kids are paying the price. How does the Premier justify that? Mr. Speaker, every Premier and every political party, including the new Democrats, have faced these escalation attempts. So that's the facts. This happens cyclically every three years. The fact is, what unites parents is that they oppose escalation. They want their kids in class on Wednesday. This government agrees. I'm calling on OSSTF to end this needless strike and to accept private mediation without precondition, just like Cupid did one month ago. Just to contextualize, since 2003-04, we have 12% more teachers in the system and less than 1% more students in the system. An 80% increase in the bill for wages and pay for our teachers has increased over that period of time. Our focus is to be reasonable. A $750 million increase in pay for the second highest remunerated educators in the nation is, I think, more than reasonable. The focus for our government is to invest in kids, invest in the classroom, not in compensation. Thank you. The next question, the member for Toronto, Dan Ford. Thank you, Speaker. My question is a premier. Last week, the auditor general revealed that the Ford government has no plan to deal with the climate crisis and will not even come close to meeting Ontario's greenhouse gas reduction goals. The environment minister hesitated to even use the word, quote, plan to describe what the government's been doing. But the premier, against all of this evidence, insisted Friday that all was well and the government was on track. It's important for the premier to provide an answer because it's his credibility that's on the line. Why would anyone believe him over the auditor general? The question is addressed to the premier. Host leader. Referred to the government host leader. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. We appreciate the questions. Of course, we appreciate the work that the auditor general did on this file, Mr. Speaker. What she did say is that we are progressing to reduce GHG emissions and we're very happy about that, Mr. Speaker. But at the same time, she highlighted a number of things that had to change as we continue to make sure that we meet those targets. Listen, the premier has been very clear to our caucus and to this cabinet that this is a very high priority for him. He intends that this government will meet those reduction targets, Mr. Speaker, and we will. A supplementary question. Well, thank you, Speaker. I thought the premier would speak for himself, but we'll see if he will on the second try. On Friday, the premier also stated, quote, we have a 10-year plan and I don't know how many people can criticize it until we get to 2030. Is the premier saying that the people of Ontario have to wait a decade before they're allowed to point out that this government has no plan to deal with the climate crisis? Questions in effect to the government? Mr. Speaker, obviously the government, one of the very first things that we did was set to work on meeting those targets. We brought forward a Made in Ontario environmental plan. I think it's a very aggressive plan in order to meet those targets. But as the auditor general said and as the minister has already said, this is a living, breathing document that changes, that will constantly change. As circumstances change, the plan has to be updated. At the same time, we're looking to all members of the House to contribute to this plan. We know that the NDP have yet to put forward any solutions whatsoever. We will work with the independent Greens and the Liberals in order to make this plan better. And I would encourage the opposition NDP to participate in this. Ontario has a great track record for many decades of being environmental leaders, Mr. Speaker, and this government will continue on that. The final supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Again, I'm surprised the premier is going to be here. I'll try him one more time. The government claims new renewable energy projects will help them reach their greenhouse gas reduction goals. But the auditor notes the premier is currently spending hundreds of millions of dollars to ensure those renewable energy projects are never built, the ones he's counting on in his plan. Did the premier not understand that those projects were supposed to help them reach the target? Or did he simply not care? Again, Mr. Speaker, we know that renewables are very important. They're an important mix in us meeting not only our energy goals, but in our environmental goals. At the same time, Mr. Speaker, it was the opposition, it was this member, in fact, who put forward a plan that has cost Ontario taxpayers $4 billion a year for high energy contracts that we cannot afford. Going forward, we're going to continue to work with all parties. We're going to continue to make sure that Ontario has the greenest electricity sector in North America. We do, and it's built on the backs of our nuclear workers, Mr. Speaker, those reactors, which have given us a constant stream of clean, reliable, cheap energy for many, many decades. We should all be very proud of that. I know that I am, Mr. Speaker, but I still wait for the member opposite and the leader of the opposition to stand in her place and help us, give us an idea of what it is they want to do to help us meet our GHG emissions by 2030. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The next question, once again, the member for Toronto, Dan Ford. Thank you, Speaker. Again, I try. Question to the Premier. We're coming up on the one year anniversary of the Premier's failing Maiden Ontario Environment Plan. That plan's centerpiece was a $400 million carbon trust. But there's no evidence in expenditure estimates that this plan, including the trust, is funded this year. Why didn't the government fund its own environment plan? Questions addressed to the Premier? House Leader. And referred again to the Government House Leader Order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We continue to focus on real results for the people of the province of Ontario and cleaning up the environment, Mr. Speaker. The Maiden Ontario Environment Plan focuses not only on GHG emissions. It focuses on litter, Mr. Speaker. I know the members opposite like to do just now. They like to make fun of the fact that this government can chew and walk and chew gum at the same time. We can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We can focus on lakes, rivers and streams and make sure that they're clean. We can build an energy sector that is clean. It is a model for the entire world. I'm very proud of that, Mr. Speaker. But what I'm even more proud of the fact is that for generations, Ontarians have been leaders on the energy file. It doesn't matter whether it's been a conservative, a liberal, a liberal NDP. We have always focused on creating a clean environment and have been world leaders on this, and we will continue to do so. Thank you very much. That's a supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. I thought I knew where the buck stopped, but maybe I was wrong. Again, to the Premier. The Premier spent his first year in office declaring war on the climate and our kid's future. He spent $231 million tearing up clean energy contracts and tearing down wind farms. He spent millions fighting pollution pricing in court and putting stickers that don't stick on every gas pump in Ontario. His energy minister's favorite periodical is a climate change denying conspiracy blog. And he appointed a man who says we should consider the benefits of climate change in charge of electricity planning. Now the Premier says we should trust him. Why would anyone believe a word the Premier says on climate change? Mr. Speaker, that I think that question sums up entirely what has happened to this NDP. They are just a party with zero policies. They have nothing to offer the people of the province of Ontario. In all of that, all he did was cast his versions on all of us. I tell you who the buck stops with. The buck stops with the people of the province of Ontario. It stops with all of us. It stops with all of the members in this House and this legislature as it has for decades, Mr. Speaker, as it did when Bill Davis invested in the nuclear in our nuclear capacity to give us a clean environment or a clean energy grid. As it did when Mike Harris and Ernie Eaves decided to phase us out of coal and invest back in the nuclear. As it did when the member for Don Valley West invested in green energy. Now I might not appreciate the way it was done. I might not appreciate the way it was done but it is part of our cleanest energy mix. And what did the NDP have to offer? What does this member have to offer? Nothing. Nothing. The buck stops with all of us. It is about time that you remembered that. It's the member for Sarnia Lampton. My questions to the premier this morning. When our government was first elected Ontario was facing a jobs and economic crisis like never before in its history. Business and individual confidence and the strength of our economy was diminishing due to increasing regulations like Bill 148, increasing taxes and some of the highest electricity in all of North America thanks to the Green Energy Act. I know all too well the negative personal impact that many of these policies were having on my constituents on their families and their jobs. Premier can you speak to the House today about the recent statistic Canada job numbers and what that means for the economic situation in Ontario? Thank you. The question is addressed to the premier. Well through you Mr. Speaker I want to remind everyone the MPP was elected four consecutive times. They love about the MPP just wanted to remind everyone we inherited scandal mismanagement waste back room deals done by the MPP and the Liberals over 15 years they've destroyed this province Mr. Speaker the highest debt sub national debt in the entire world 15 billion deficit but the good news to the people of Ontario is that since we've taken office we've created the environment for companies and people to thrive and prosper and grow in this province and the numbers don't lie stats came out with another gain of 15,400 jobs totaling 271,600 jobs thank you thank you very much the supplementary well thank you Speaker and back to the Premier Premier that's amazing news that our plan is working and that we are once again open for business Premier the important factors as well reported by Stats Canada is the return of employment confidence in this province with more people starting to look for and find work once again this is a great plan and seeing the results for themselves I know in my writing of Senator Lampton in my region individuals I speak with are saying the same thing opposition members see this positive results themselves Premier can you once more elaborate on the positive impact that our policies are having on the regions throughout this great province Premier Mr. Speaker I want to thank our great MPP once again I just want to repeat those numbers again 271,600 more families working putting food on the table paying a mortgage paying a rent compared under the MPP and the Liberal leadership 300,000 families lost their jobs because of your policies because of the ridiculous as they call it the green energy scam which was the biggest scam and made more people rich the political insiders than any other thing in the history of Ontario lining the pockets of their buddies finally finally we have a government that respects the taxpayers puts money back into their pockets I apologize to the Premier ask him to take a seat the official opposition has to come to order I have to be able to hear the response I apologize to the Premier please conclude your answer Thank you Mr. Speaker again we have this economy booming everywhere I'm going no matter if it was to visit the Washington this week and talking to people right around the world they all come up to me and say what are you doing Ontario the economy is booming we are an economic powerhouse anywhere in North America the Americans know it we know it and when the rest of Canada is losing 71,000 jobs who comes to the top again the cream comes to the top Ontario are the champions the House will come to order so we can resume question period please start the clock I recognize the member for Hamilton West and Caster Dundas Thank you very much my question this morning is for the Premier today the Financial Accountability Officer issued a stark warning for this government the cuts of this government is making will leave a massive five billion dollar funding gap between what the government plans to spend and what the people of Ontario actually need in order to close that gap the FAO suggests more painful cuts are coming either by further underfunding the already cash draft services that Ontarians rely on or by restricting access to those services forcing everyday families to go without Premier 15 years of chronic underfunding under the previous Liberal government left us hallway medicine and crisis and crumbling schools but this conservative government's reckless cuts have only made things worse so my question for the Premier will he come clean and tell Ontarians what more cuts that they have in store that's right questions addressed to the Premier Minister of Finance and referred to the Minister of Finance Mr. Speaker and I thank the member from Hamilton West and Caster Dundas for that question and I thank the FAO for his review it is a very very sobering but very important document that demonstrates the exact challenges that our government has talked about Mr. Speaker we have put forward a fall economic statement that balances three important priorities the priority of making sure we invest in critical services and we're doing that with $1.2 billion more into education $1.9 billion more into healthcare make sure that we also put more money into people's pockets and Mr. Speaker we've done that to the tune of $3 billion Mr. Speaker to people through our low income tax starts through getting rid of the carbon tax cap and trade system and Mr. Speaker making sure that we balance the budget in a prudent way in 2023 Mr. Speaker I recommend the FAO's report it is an excellent document and I'll have further to say on the follow up question the supplementary question Mr. Speaker back to the Premier 15 years of liberal government did leave our health and education system starved for resources resulting in a legacy of hallway medicine and crumbling or closed schools but a year and a half of this conservative government this government the situation has only gone from bad to worse our education system is in chaos and too many many people continue to be treated in hallway of hospitals today the financial accountability officer unveiled that the conservatives are secretly planning to plow ahead with 2.3 billion dollars worth of tax cuts that will disproportionately help wealthy Ontarians while leaving low income Ontarians behind can the Premier please tell us how much more he is planning to rip out of our hospitals and schools so he can hand out a 2.3 billion dollar tax cut to his wealthy friends the minister of finance to reply Mr. Speaker our priorities and our plan have been clear we are going to put more money back into people's pockets we are going to invest more in healthcare and we are going to make sure that we balance the budget in a responsible way but I asked the member if she's so concerned about hallway healthcare how could she vote against the 27 billion dollars that we talk about investing in healthcare how can the party how can the opposition not support the kind of critical investments that the minister of health under the leadership of this premier want to make in healthcare Mr. Speaker you can't suck him below we support putting money back in our pockets we want to make sure we balance the budget and we want to make sure that we're investing in critical services and as the minister withdraw withdraw Mr. Speaker next question the member for Don Valley East thank you Mr. Speaker my questions to the minister of transportation the premier promised that he would address highway three and said a quote not a year down the road but immediately well two years later nothing has happened the people of Windsor and Essex want an update and my question is this how long will they have to wait for the minister to get this project going to address to the minister of transportation thank you Mr. Speaker and I thank the member opposite for the question Mr. Speaker one of the first acts that I took as minister of transportation was to go down to southwestern Ontario to announce the widening of highway three improving highway three Mr. Speaker is a priority for the people of southwestern Ontario and therefore it's a priority for this government please to be joined by members of the opposition Mr. Speaker who were there and I'm sorry that the member opposite had not followed the news that day because it was a great celebration people in the area have been waiting for a long time for a government to take action on highway three and it was that's why it's a priority for us we've taken important steps we are moving quickly Mr. Speaker it shovels in the ground and we will be announcing more information as we have details Mr. Speaker supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker and back to the minister thank you for that update but I have another question about delays on promised infrastructure the premier was up in Bradford this August with big fanfare about highway four hundred and four four link the minister as a local MPP said getting the Bradford bypass built was her number one priority so here's my question what progress has actually been made since August the good people of York Simcoe would like to know Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker I'm very happy to address the member opposite's question as he knows the previous Liberal government cancelled all progress on the Bradford bypass when they cancelled the EA in 2003 Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker the people of York Simcoe and the people of York Region and Simcoe County have been waiting for this important link to connect people and to connect goods between the four hundred and the four oh four Mr. Speaker our government announced plans to restart the EA and we're in the process of doing that work and as we move forward with the EA we'll have more to say in the future but as he knows Mr. Speaker it was his government that cancelled the EA on that project the next question the member for Durham thank you for the minister of energy northern development and mines recently our premier signed a memorandum of understanding with premier Higgs from New Brunswick and premier Moe from Saskatchewan this MOU is an important step in developing small modular reactors also known as SMRs right here in Canada we have a long history of developing nuclear technology here in Canada proven technology that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and replaces coal like can do technology developed here in Canada that we use at the Darlington nuclear plant in addition we know SMRs will generate clean low energy for both on grid and off grid communities will the minister please tell us how Ontario is so well positioned to be a leader in developing SMR technology and how this has the potential to not only create good jobs in Ontario but also lower our greenhouse gas emissions Minister of energy northern development and mines thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member for Durham for her leadership just last week we met with the women in nuclear it's really exciting to hear all of the enthusiasm about moving forward with SMRs Ontario is ready Mr. Speaker as world-class operators and safety Mr. Speaker our refurbishment decommissioning we're now ready to leverage that entire ecosystem to move forward and lead the world in SMR technology Mr. Speaker this is an exciting opportunity it's attracted the attention of several provinces across this country which culminated in the signing of the MOU led by our premier Mr. Speaker we appreciate that opportunity shortly thereafter I had conversations with other provinces who want to get on board Mr. Speaker because they understand that this is a world-class nuclear industry that we have here in Ontario more than 60% of clean Ontario's clean energy comes from it and we're ready Mr. Speaker thank you supplementary question thank you Speaker and I want to thank the minister for his answer it's apparent that Ontario can be a leader in the nuclear energy space as we have been doing nuclear power supports over 60,000 jobs in Ontario many of them in Durham where I live this important announcement ensures we will continue to build on Ontario's success in this industry and I must say this is great news for not only Ontario but this technology has the potential to help reduce greenhouse gases in other provinces to meet our international climate change targets as a country Ontario power generation will be working closely with sask power to build SMRs to replace coal and lower GHG emissions Speaker would the minister please tell us more about the potential benefits of SMR technology Minister of Energy once again thank you Mr. Speaker and work is well underway in 2019 global first power initiated an environmental assessment for a 5 megawatt demonstration reactor at Choct River there's an incredible amount of stakeholders in the nuclear sector Mr. Speaker to move forward on other options greenfield brownfield sites in Ontario Mr. Speaker to show the world this incredible technology I was involved in Saskatchewan's carbon capture storage Mr. Speaker an expensive way to move forward on coal generation Mr. Speaker Saskatchewan's turning its eyes now to small modular reactor technology they have a basic resource that some technology that like Ontario could potentially provide one of the greenest sources of energy Mr. Speaker known the world over the safest jurisdiction Mr. Speaker we appreciate Saskatchewan's relationship and we're going to work with them to lead the world in small modular reactor technology thank you Mr. Speaker thank you next question member for Brampton East this spring budget on this bill had a lot of legislation that this concert not to debate including changes to the Crown Liability and Proceedings Act that make it difficult or impossible to sue the government now Ontarians are seeing this government use this heavy handed tool to trample on citizens who are trying to fight for justice this law put hurdles in front of citizens who are trying to get rid of corruption my question is to the premier the forward government said that this law didn't change anything then why is this government using this law to suppress at least H class action lawsuits the question addressed to the premier for you Mr. Speaker his questions are very confusing I don't even know what his question was but I'll tell you I'll tell you what I'll tell you what there's a lot of reports happening right now Mr. Speaker I want to congratulate Minister Freeland for doing a great job because rumors have it which is absolutely spectacular we actually do trade of three hundred ninety billion dollars a year Mr. Speaker with the U.S. we're responsible for nine million jobs up there and they're responsible with many jobs up here that's incredible that's absolutely incredible news Mr. Speaker that we're number one customer to nineteen states we're number two to nine other states again Mr. Speaker congratulations to Minister Freeland for doing a great job the economy is booming we're an economic powerhouse in North America A supplementary question Back to the Premier I hope that you pay attention this time because we're talking about the Crown Liabilities and Proceedings Act this Conservator of Government has already shown a reckless attitude when it comes to the Democratic rates of Ontarians the Premier tried to make his family friend OPB Commissioner he overrode the Charter of Rights and now instead of making it easier easier to fix difficult cases this Government has made it near impossible for Ontarians to sue over negligent conduct of public officials the Canadian Civil Liberties Association says that the forward government's new law has set a dangerous precedent for harm's individual rights only a Government that planned to be sued would make it against the law to sue them why is this Premier placing himself above the law Questions to the Premier Ministers Solicitor General In regard to the Solicitor General Thank you Through you, Speaker the people of Ontario are spending tens of million dollars a year on lawsuits to fight over settled principles of law the principles of law that have frankly been emphasised over and over again by the Supreme Court of Canada the changes to be clear the member office that needs to hear this the changes do not grant immunity for the government from lawsuits for example disputes involving contracts constitutional issues human rights and judicial review of government decisions are not impacted by these changes at all and the government would remain liable for negligent acts for its employees if proven in court the bottom line the people in Ontario can always sue Ontario courts to receive the justice they deserve but the principles of law that we are codifying with the changes that we've made have been emphasised by the Supreme Court of Canada Thank you, Speaker Next question the member for Haldeman Norfolk Thank you, Speaker My question for the Solicitor General last week this legislature gave third reading to Bill 136 the Provincible Animal Welfare Services Act the PAWS Act for short passage of this bill responds to our government's commitment to having a long-term animal welfare system in place before 2020 the animal welfare system enacted through the PAWS legislation will ensure animals being protected through a robust transparent and accountable enforcement model additionally it creates the strongest finds in Canada for offenders Speaker can the sister general tell this House what penalties will be in place for animal abusers under this new enforcement system Questions to the Solicitor General Thank you and thank you for the interest from the member from Haldeman Norfolk I know that he and I have spoken often about the importance of protecting our animals, pets and also of course our agricultural side I'd like to remind the member that finds major offenses such as causing distress dog fighting and harming a service animal increases under our new model although not for cell phone infractions it is for a maximum of $60,000 for individuals a maximum of $130,000 for the first defense and $260,000 for subsequent offenses and for corporations increases to half a million for first offenses and a million for subsequent offenses the new system also ensures that equipment used to harm an animal such as dog fighting does not get returned to the offender a common sense improvement that I'm sure all of us can agree is long overdue the supplementary question speaker and through you thank you to the solicitor general for that response during times of the year with extreme temperatures we often hear reports in the media of pets being left in the vehicle I think for example of a family for their Christmas shopping they may leave their dog in the car while they're doing that shopping and all too often these stories can end in tragedy with the dog being injured or even dying from extreme cold and the summer extreme heat while in a car Candice solicitor general tell this house how the Paws legislation addresses tragic situations like that Mr. and Sir General thank you you know the members absolutely right this time of year while it is very exciting for young people and frankly a lot of us can get distracted with the many things that we need to do I want to start by reminding everyone especially during this time of year where the temperatures can drop quickly never to leave your pets inside a car unattended under the Paws Act provincial animal inspectors will have the power to enter cars in immediate distress due to extreme temperatures we will also be expanding the list of individuals with the power to enter cars through a regulatory development consultations on long-term regulations will seek advice from multidisciplinary table comprised of wide range of experts such as veterinarians animal advocates agricultural academics among others thank you speaker the next question the member for Essex thank you very much speaker through you to the premier speaker last fall the premier's chief of staff Dean French we remember him he left office attempting to award a $120,000 agents general position in New York City to a 26 year old whose main qualification was playing lacrosse with the chief of staff son speaker at the time the premier said that these were important roles that had to be filled speaker pretty simple question here for the premier I'm sure he can handle this one speaker has the premier filled that position yet questions addressed to the premier minister of economic development out order the questions referred to the minister economic development job creation and trade the house will come to order thank you for the question and thank you speaker you know Ontario operates an international network of trade and investment offices who are responsible for attracting investment and driving exports that lead to job creation in this province speaker that's exactly why we saw the province of Ontario create 15,400 jobs last month when the rest of Canada lost 75,000 these trade and investment offices serve to keep Ontario top of mind for decision makers in nine priority markets that offer the best opportunity for investment attraction and trade promotion they were very helpful speaker as we were in India we're in Japan and we were in South Korea recently bringing deals back home to the people of Ontario and helping to create 271,600 jobs since our election supplementary question speaker that's a lot of words from the economic development minister to just simply say no they haven't filled that position speaker it has now been nearly six months since these events occurred six months is a long time to leave a position that was so critical to the Ontario economy that it demanded a six figure salary complimentary housing abroad and untold perks speaker the premier still has his former PC party president taking home six figures a year to supposedly represent Ontario's interest in Dallas, Texas but the position in New York remains conspicuously empty speaker if the office of agent general in New York city can be left to gather dust for half a year it begs the question to the premier why was it created in the first place questions been referred to the minister of economic development job creation trade thank you very much speaker you know in fiscal year 2018-19 our Ontario trade offices generated 394 and a half million dollars in investment attraction that led to the creation speaker of 1640 jobs just from their work they facilitated access to 640 Ontario companies that reported close to 70 million dollars in sales I can tell you speaker that when we were in India just last month our office there had 150 business to business meetings set up for the 12 companies from Ontario that came across speaker in South Korea we did a $20 million deal with daily partners location of VVD technologies creating 200 plus engineering jobs in Kitchener Waterloo that is the work that our value thank you very much order the next question the member for Kitchener Conestoga thank you speaker my question is also to the minister of economic development job creation and trade minister last Friday stats Canada released their monthly labour force survey this survey provides Canada with facts and figures labour force trends and province specific employment metrics many other provinces experience stagnant or negative growth and overall the country lost 71,000 jobs however the story in Ontario looked much different can the minister provide this house with an update on the November's jobs report and how Ontario has shown such strong growth questions to the minister of economic development job creation and trade thank you very much the member for Kitchener Conestoga mentioned Canada lost nearly 71,000 jobs in November however speaker as you've heard we are pleased to report that here in Ontario our business has created 15,400 new jobs speaker our plan our plan to attract investment encourage innovation and grow small business is working speaker and every day our government will continue our work to create the right environment for job creators and make Ontario the economic engine of Canada we are seeing growth and prosperity and continue to lead the nation in job creation and we're very pleased to say that since taking office in 2018 businesses have responded to our government's new policies and have created 271,600 jobs for the people and families of Ontario the supplementary question thank you minister it's great to hear that thousands of women and men have been provided an opportunity to go to work every day because of our government's swift action on making Ontario open for business and open for jobs more people working means more opportunity and more prosperity I'm happy to see that we have a government and a minister committed to restoring Ontario's competitiveness and creating good jobs for the people of Ontario I know the minister has been hard at work reducing the cost of doing business and facilitating the right environment for businesses to thrive could the minister please provide more detail about what specific actions have been taken to make Ontario open for business and open for jobs minister to reply thank you speaker since taking office our government has lowered the cost of doing business by over five billion dollars and we have saved the business community hundreds of millions more through our efforts to reduce red tape we have shown leadership in prioritizing the province's role in trade and investment given we live in a globally competitive world speaker it's these actions and much more that are the reason why the businesses have such a renewed confidence in Ontario in fact since taking office in 2018 we're proud to say that our government helped create 85,000 self-employed positions in the province of Ontario that's the confidence that the business community has in the work that our government is doing we will continue our efforts to create the right conditions for growth send the message to job creators that Ontario is open for business and open for jobs thank you the next question the member for Kingston and the islands thank you speaker and through you to the premier Mr. Speaker our healthcare system is in desperate need and people are falling through the cracks rural and small town Ontario are some of the hardest hit by these gaps in care there are nearly 100 elderly patients in Trenton who need dialysis treatment currently they have to drive long distances to towns like Belleville or my writing of Kingston to take care for the care they need because the government will not fund a local dialysis unit in Trenton Memorial Hospital even worse patients drive safely end up skipping treatment because of the difficulties associated with making that trip speaker why does the premier think it's acceptable for these patients to drive long distances to receive the care that they so desperately need the question is addressed to the premier minister of long term care and referred to the minister of long term care thank you thank you speaker and thank you for that important question I want to commend the minister of health for her excellent work she is working hard every single day to make sure that we can transform our health care system to be patient centered we know that there are certain hospitals that need additional support during the year and that's why our government is investing $384 million in our hospital sector and $68 million to support small and medium sized hospitals we have developed a comprehensive four pillar plan to address hallway health care issues such as dialysis are also being addressed we want to keep Ontarians healthy and out of hospitals through health promotional initiatives and we know that hospitals aren't always the best place for patients to receive care in my ministry of long term care we are working hard every day to make sure we expand capacity and improve access thank you very much speaker supplementary question thank you speaker and through you again to the premier if dialysis was being addressed I would not be standing here having to ask this question right now Trenton's healthcare advocates have had to fight for the care they deserve under this government just like they did under the last Liberal government it's been over a year since the minister of health promised to help Trenton Memorial Hospital get a dialysis unit so elderly patients don't have to make the difficult trip to another city to receive treatment but no help has come speaker the health minister loves to talk about patient-centered care we heard it again from the deputy minister but I'd like to remind her that patient-centered care programs means not forcing those very patients to go to other parts of Ontario to receive their treatment will the premier instruct the minister of health to follow through on her promises and fully fund a dialysis unit in Trenton questions been referred to the minister of long term care thank you again speaker let me acknowledge the importance of dialysis for patients this is a critical service and I know our minister of health is working very hard to accomplish and create capacity within the system we have a tremendous plan for transformation we know how important it is to our Ontarians all Ontarians everywhere for every specific need that they need we are working on that as we speak and the minister of health is doing a long-term care system that is resident centred that provides care for people when they need it and where they need it and as a minister of long-term care I understand the importance of the integration of all the different levels of our care system we are putting residents at the centre we are putting long-term care residents at the centre patients at the centre we are making a transformational difference in Ontario's health care system that will last for generations to come thank you speaker for Don Valley North thank you Mr Speaker my question is for the associate minister of mental health and health distance speakers constituents in my writing of Don Valley North continue to raise concerns with me about the ongoing struggles that so many Ontarians are facing as a result of mental health and health distance I know the minister has been incredibly passionate about BR 116 and how this important piece of legislation would pass relieve the many problems that Ontarians face when navigating the provinces mental health and health distance system Minister could you please explain how BR 116 will assist Ontarians in locating the mental health and health distance services they need thank you questions been addressed associate minister for mental health and addiction thank you Mr Speaker and I want to thank the member from Don Valley North for that great question as I've stated many times in the house Mr Speaker Ontarians and their families have waited far too long to receive the services and supports they require to successfully overcome their mental health and addiction challenges I want to thank every member here today including unanimously during the second reading of Bill 116 this important piece of legislation lays the foundation that will ensure our historic investment of 3.8 billion dollars is invested in a way that meets the needs of Ontarians across the province Mr Speaker I've seen firsthand how our current system is not meeting the needs of Ontarians we need to take action on the lack of standardized data and widespread fragmentation that currently exists Bill 116 is an important step toward doing this Thank you The supplementary question Thank you Mr Speaker I want to thank the minister for his respond to many people and to many families continue to be impacted by mental health and addiction challenges it's an every day across the province I am proud to stand here knowing that our government will continue standing up for the people of Ontario and continue working hard to ensure that all Ontarians can access mental health and addiction services and support where and when they need them Minister could you please explain how a mental health and addiction center of excellence will support our work in improving the Ontarians mental health and addiction system Thank you Minister to reply Thank you Mr Speaker and I want to thank the member again for that great question Mr Speaker if Bill 116 should pass then it would deliver on a key recommendation of the all party select committee on mental health and addictions in 2010 Mr Speaker Bill 116 would address one of the committee's most significant recommendations which called the creation of a new umbrella organization to ensure that a single body is responsible for designing managing and coordinating the mental health and addiction system that is why Mr Speaker Bill 116 proposes the establishment of the mental health and addiction center of excellence within Ontario Health this center would put into operation our 3.8 billion dollar mental health and addiction strategy and allow us to develop quality and service standards for mental health and addictions and monitor the performance of our system Mr Speaker Ontarians have waited long enough to receive the mental health supports they require and we're going to do something about that thank you the next question the member for London Fanshawe Speaker my question is to the Premier earlier today Uniform and the Ontario Health Coalition released caring in crisis yet another report detailing the shortage of personal support workers we have in the province the widespread PSW shortage has been recognized by the Ontario long-term care association Advantage Ontario the Auditor General Health sector employers and unions representing healthcare workers but this government still doesn't seem to grasp the urgency of this issue Speaker when there are not enough PSWs the consequences are felt throughout the healthcare system and it is our loved ones that feel the impacts when they miss a bath or when they're waiting hours to be toileted will the Premier finally recognize that there is a critical shortage of caring PSWs in our healthcare system Speaker Government House Leader Northline Speaker the minister long-term care Speaker Thank you to the member opposite for that very important long-term care homes and I feel this personally as a family member who's lived this with my own parent I know how critical this is we want to make sure that the residents in long-term care homes can get the care that they need and we've been working with our sector to understand the challenges that they've had in recruitment and retention of personal support workers we know that a robust workforce for our long-term care system is absolutely essential and sustainable long-term care is our goal we know that we can create an efficient and effective use of Ontario's long-term care workforce and improve working conditions to promote better retention and create a better recruitment for personal support workers thank you very much for that question it's very important Thank you supplementary question Speaker the personal support workers that are here with us today will share stories about the overwhelmed how overwhelmed they are due to staffing shortages first created under the Liberals but maintained by this government three years ago the NDP introduced the Time to Care Act which passed second reading with unanimous support prior to the election the act would have established a minimum standard of four hours of care for long-term care home residents I reintroduced to this bill again in July with the crisis of long-term care homes sector will this government support my bill and end the staffing shortage in our long-term care homes and properly fund the care that our seniors deserve Thanks again Minister of Long-term Care Thank you again Speaker and thank you once more we want to ensure that we are providing important supports for staff in the long-term care sector and that's why our government has been clear that we need to address issues surrounding staffing in the long-term care sector and that's why we announced that we'll be working on a comprehensive staffing strategy as we go forward we're working hard every day not only looking forward at the capacity but dealing with the issues now our government currently provides funding for a number of staffing initiatives $4.1 million through the personal support worker education fund to deliver more training opportunities for frontline staff in long-term care to improve their staff skills and retain a very valued workforce we also have $19.4 million for staff in all long-term care homes and additional staffing support for small home operators we want to build on these existing supports to help bring the long-term care sector into the 21st century we value the personal support workers who work every day thank you thank you very much the next question the member for will thank you very much Mr. Speaker in the spring of this year our government announced for 15 years the Liberals mismanaged Ontario's finances while piling on time-consuming administrative burdens and excessive red tape this created a culture of inefficiency and waste which benefits no one our government was elected on the mandate to find efficiencies to do things differently to do things better Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing could the Minister of Municipal Affairs build on our government's commitment to find efficiencies and ensure that every taxpayer dollar is wisely spent questions to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the member for Willowdale for that question when we were elected we knew that the status quo just wasn't working there's only one taxpayer and the job is to provide the most beneficial in Ontario Mr. Speaker we knew more had to be done to ensure that our partners had the tools they needed to efficiently and effectively deliver services to the people across Ontario in response the member is correct our government created the audit and accountability fund we provided $7.35 million of eligible municipalities took us up on that offer Mr. Speaker we made it very clear that together with our municipal partners we are building Ontario together this supplementary question thank you Speaker and through you thank you to the Minister for that response it's not only important it's encouraging to hear that our government is treating every taxpayer with respect Speaker I understand that our services have been completed through you could the Minister please share with the House any examples of savings found through the first round of our government funded audit and accountability fund for municipalities thank you the supplementary question again thank you for that supplemental question Mr. Speaker I want to I want to take this opportunity to highlight some of the savings that our municipal partners have found thanks to the audit and accountability fund Mr. Speaker last week their Ernst & Young audit that they found and I quote tens of millions in savings but Mr. Speaker that's not all the city of Berry identified over $600,000 in annual savings the city of London found $167,000 in savings the city of Richmond Hill has identified savings up to a whopping $3.77 million but Speaker I'm still not done Thunder Bay has found cost savings of at least $8 million and Speaker that's why I was so proud to announce a few weeks ago that we are extending the audit and accountability fund for another three years because we're committed to respecting taxpayers' dollars keeping taxes low and making life more thank you the next question the member for Tim my question is to the minister of transportation minister highway conditions in northern Ontario with winter road maintenance is getting worse every day just a couple of weeks ago actually last week sometime Gord and Nancy Hopcraft were going from Timmitsa Sudbury on highway 144 imagine their surprise which is no longer a surprise they get past the watershed and there's a 10 km section that has not even been plowed and they were held up on the highway for a couple of hours trying to get through this particularly bad stretch of highway minister what are you going to make sure that somebody like Gord and Nancy don't end up stranded in the middle of highway 144 or anywhere else across northern Ontario which such circumstances minister of transportation thank you Mr. Speaker and I'm very sorry to hear that Gord and Nancy experience difficulties during our winter months obviously across Ontario but especially in the north winter conditions are difficult the minister of transportation is always working as quickly as possible for the safe passage of motorists but also for goods which is so critical to our economy Mr. Speaker you know Mr. Speaker our government is working very hard to invest in winter road maintenance we've invested millions of dollars more over the last few years and we are beating records to get to bear pavement but Mr. Speaker what I think Gord and Nancy should ask is why the NDP continually vote against measures that were investing $125 million in northern road maintenance response they're not doing it they voted against it Mr. Speaker we are going to continue to do what we need to do Mr. Speaker and to find ways to improve our records but Mr. Speaker people in the north should ask why the NDP thank you thank you Mr. Speaker again to the minister of transportation what people want to know is why your government are not plowing roads now let me give you this story you say in this house time and time again that you have an eight hour circuit time when it comes to taking the snow off the roads Gordon and Nancy got stuck the one day in the afternoon they went to do what they had to do in Sudbury guess what happened when they drove back to the same stretch of highway it hadn't been plowed it had been over 24 hours so my question is a very simple one why are you as a government not doing what needs to be done to make sure that our highways are safe and people are safe when it comes to traveling across Northern Ontario Minister of transportation Mr. Speaker we are continuing to find ways to improve our records in the north we are doing a good job Mr. Speaker but we know that we can continue to do better to clear our roads more quickly we need to make sure Mr. Speaker we are investing in our northern roads and that is what our government is doing while Mr. Speaker we are moving road conditions in the north Mr. Speaker things like construction of highway 11 from highway 65 north of highway 569 in the riding of Tamiskouin Cochrane Mr. Speaker they voted against that Mr. Speaker they voted against rehabilitation of the Montreal River Bridges along highway 65 and 566 west and east of Matatchewan Mr. Speaker they voted against that they voted against rehabilitation of the Indian Point Bridge Matatchewan Matatchewan Matatchewan Island Bridge Mr. Speaker I could go on and on Mr. Speaker it is clear that when we put forward measures help improve road conditions in the Thank you very much Thank you That concludes Question Period for today For so understanding Order 38A the member for Brampton East has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the Premier concerning the Crown Liabilities and Proceedings Act this matter will be debated tomorrow at 6pm order For so understanding Order 38A the member for Kingston and the Islands has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the Minister of Long-Term Care concerning Dialysis Treatment in Trenton, Ontario this matter will be debated tomorrow at 6pm For so understanding Order 38A the member for London Fanshawe has given notice of her dissatisfaction with the answer to her question given by Brampton East has given notice of her dissatisfaction with the answer to her question given by the Minister of Long-Term Care concerning the PSW shortage this matter will be debated Wednesday at 6pm this house stands in recess until 1pm