 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My question to the Minister of Health. Bowmanville, Kingston, Ottawa, Toronto, Alexandria, Brampton, Clinton, London, Listowell, Wingham, Perth, Kitchener, Waterloo, Chelsea, Red Lake, Canora. Speaker, does the Minister of Health not believe closed ERs and critical bed warnings in these communities constitute a crisis? Through you, Mr. Speaker. First of all, I want to welcome everyone back. It's going to be an exciting session over the next little while. Also, again, I want to acknowledge the former Premier, what a great Premier Harris was as well. Mr. Speaker, I'll tell you what we're doing to fix the situation we're facing in healthcare. We're fast-tracking more healthcare workers by directing the College of Physicians and Surgeons along with the College of Nurses to quickly approve the credentials of internationally-trained healthcare workers. This builds on the 760 internationally-trained nurses already deployed, Mr. Speaker. In four years, in four years, as the Liberals were firing nurses to be exact, 1600 nurses, we're actually hiring and we've hired 14,579 net new nurses. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on top of that we've hired over 10,500 healthcare workers through the COVID emergency staffing programs of also... Thank you. The supplementary question. Again to the Premier. Families in each of these communities saw their ERs and urgent care centres closed because they didn't have enough nurses, PSWs or healthcare workers to treat patients. It's clear to me in most Ontarians that we are in a crisis. But just a few days ago, the Minister of Health said, it's not a crisis. How bad does it have to be before the Minister and the Premier take action on the solutions that nurses and healthcare workers are proposing, take action to make sure that we can deal with a crisis in our healthcare system? Through you, Mr. Speaker. As I said, we've hired 14,579 new nurses and I agree. I agree. Do we need more nurses? 100%. And what we're doing to get more nurses, Mr. Speaker, we're putting hundreds of millions of dollars into a program to make sure that we attract new nurses. And I'll give you one example. We introduced the learn and stay grant for graduating nurses. So we will be taking care of their tuition at any cost if they serve in an underserved area. We're going to focus on that. Mr. Speaker, we're also, as I mentioned, investing another $342 million to add 5,000 more nurses to the system. If there was 5,000 nurses that could fly from the sky, we'd be hiring them tomorrow. We're coming up with solutions, Mr. Speaker. We've launched the largest medical school expansion in over 10 years. 160 undergraduates along with 295 post-graduates. This is what we're doing to make sure that we take care of the healthcare system, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Speaker, again to the Premier, healthcare workers have been very clear about the solutions that we need, including repealing bill 124 and improving working conditions. Right? Bold action starts with support for Ontario's healthcare heroes. Will this government make changes to improve working conditions for nurses and healthcare workers by implementing 10 permanent paid sick days and putting in place a robust workplace violence prevention program? I mentioned, Mr. Speaker, under the NDP and the Liberal Watch, they actually fired 1,600 nurses. What we've done, and it's a big thank you, because the nurses are absolutely phenomenal, we gave them a well-deserved $5,000 retention bonus. I call the thank you bonus. That's an increase of 7.6% on the average. Right across the country, that is the highest increase any province has ever seen. We're above the national average. We're always going to make sure we're there for our nurses. They do a spectacular job. We'll always have their backs, but I understand, Mr. Speaker, they need to have more support, and that's what we're going to give them. We're going to give them another 5,000 more colleagues. We're going to pour money into the healthcare system as we have. We're going to pour money into the healthcare system four years ago that the NDP and the Liberals absolutely destroyed. Mr. Speaker, and this question is for the Premier Speaker. In July I shared an internal memo from Toronto Western Hospital frantically trying to keep their emergency department open. They narrowly avoided that closure that time, but they were just one of 25 hospitals across this province facing emergency room closures from the smallest community health centers to our busiest urban hospitals. Our system is being pushed to the breaking point while this government's budget remains status quo, Speaker, to the Premier. How many more ERs and urgent care centers have to close before he finally admits this is a crisis. Thank you, Speaker. It's an honor to be able to rise today and talk about this very important issue. You know, in our thrown question, we will build a health system that better cares for patients and keeps our province open. And we are doing that with all of the partners, which is why, frankly, I have met with the Ontario Nurses Union. I've met with the College of Nurses to say we need to expedite internationally trained nurses who are in the province of Ontario here today and waiting for those licenses. We will continue to do that. We will continue to do that, including hospital CEOs, that when they need the support to get those health care workers in emergency departments, they'll be there and their government has their back. Thank you. Speaker, the nurses seated right here today beg to differ. Even when the emergency units stay open, wait times are growing. Two-year-old Harish and his family were left waiting 11 hours in an ER waiting room with a high risk of leaving without ever seeing a doctor. The family finally got hope for their son from a walk-in clinic two days later. Thank goodness he is safe and healthy now. Speaker, can the minister explain what she considers acceptable for a child to get emergency care? Is it 19 hours? Is it 11 hours? How is that even remotely acceptable? Speaker, there is no doubt that when we hear these types of stories of individuals who have had to wait with their children in emergency rooms for services, it disturbs all of us. But that is why, frankly, our government proactively, when we came into government in 2018 ensured that there are 3,500 additional hospital beds that are operating in the province of Ontario today that are not here in 2018. There are 10,500 health care workers who are operating, who are working in the province of Ontario in community, in long-term care in our hospitals that wouldn't have been there, frankly, under the previous liberal government. We'll continue to make these investments. We'll continue to talk to the partners to get all of those excellent ideas of how we can make sure that the hospital system, the home care system, the long-term care system is there when people need it. Thank you. Dr. Patience, people do health care workers too. Ontarians, looking for excuses, they just want to know that basic medical care is going to be there when they need it. I had an ER nurse from my community tell me just yesterday that the ICU they work in is at full capacity with only half the staff to care for a full roster of patients. How can the Premier look our exhausted and demoralized nurses in the hospital to bring in the alarms on staffing shortages and tell them that bill 124 is here to stay? Minister of Health. Speaker, the member opposite can talk about problems. I will give solutions. We have workers in the province of Ontario that were not there and frankly would not have been there under the previous liberal government. We have already invested in ensuring that we have a positive impact on the patients. We have to bring those emergency patients into emergency. There are dedicated nurses who are funded and prepared to take that patient on so that that paramedic can get back out into community and do the critical work that they need. Those are the types of solutions that are coming to us from our partners that we are working with Ontario Health hospital CEOs, nurses unions to make sure that we impact patient care in a positive way. Thank you. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Ottawa West. Thank you, Speaker. It's our healthcare workers who are putting forward solutions and it's the government that's refusing to implement any of the solutions that they're asking for. This past weekend, Monfort and Carlton Place hospitals needed to close their emergency departments due to lack of staff. The Queensway Hospital has been doing a lot of work to make sure that their arrangements has patients waiting up to 12 hours to be seen. Speaker, these wait times and closures are unacceptable in Ottawa and across the province. What is the government's plan to ensure that Ottawa area hospitals have the resources they need to keep ERs open and to provide patients with care in a reasonable amount of time. We've talked about preparing for and we've done that. Ottawa is about to see the largest hospital expansion in the history of Ontario. We have made that commitment. We are working towards those solutions because we've worked with the organizations, the OMA. We want to make sure that when people want to see their family doc, the family doc is available to see them. So we have expanded a program that allows people to see patients in the evening on the weekends. Those types of quantitative real solutions that are going to make a difference, then we are seeing people get the health care they need, where they want it, when they need it. There is no doubt. Then when a hospital has to shut an emergency for four hours, for a shift, it is very challenging for the community. But we work with partners to ensure that patients' lives are protected. The supplementary question. I'm going to have that conversation with my constituents who are waiting 12 hours per care. With health care in Ottawa already teetering on the brink, the Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre in my riding of Ottawa, is laying off health care workers with years of experience and good performance reviews. This is a tumultuous situation in which one third of staff have been working with health care workers. Community health centres serve some of our most vulnerable members. Now these patients are contacting my office to say they have nowhere to turn. Will the Minister of Health launch an immediate investigation into the Pinecrest Queensway Community Health Centre to ensure that funding and staffing decisions are being made in the best interests of patients? Again, Minister of Health. I'm going to reinforce yesterday and that was that our government intends to build a health system that better cares for patients and keeps our province open. We should be proud of how we have protected our citizens through a very challenging pandemic. And there is no doubt that one of the hardest hit areas was our frontline nurses, our frontline first responders. We get that. We've invested. We've made those changes specifically related to your health. I think that you have already written me on that. We will look into it to make sure that due diligence has happened in that particular situation. But I want to reassure the people of Ontario and those people in the house that we are making those investments in Ottawa, in Windsor, in Niagara, in Brampton to make sure we have a health care system that is robust and prepared to protect the people of Ontario. Thank you. The next question, please. Speaker for 42 years under a progressive conservative government, Ontario became a manufacturing powerhouse able to compete with any jurisdiction. Yet, under the previous Liberal government, jobs began to leave when high taxes, red tape and out of control electricity prices made Ontario one of the least competitive jurisdictions in North America. The result, 300,000 people lost their jobs when Liberal policies forced manufacturers right out of Ontario. Now, Mr Speaker, my question is a simple one. Can the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade assure my constituents, workers, their families and the communities that rely on manufacturing jobs that they will not be abandoned? And specifically, will he highlight the measures he is taking to protect and grow the sector in development, job creation and trade? Speaker, our government can assure Ontario families of our strong support for advanced manufacturers. And we also understand the need to invest in talent and equipment that they need to be our global leaders. Specifically, our advanced manufacturing and innovation competitiveness fund, or AMIC, does exactly that. AMIC is our year $40 million program that supports Ontario's advanced manufacturing sector. Ontario companies are investing millions in equipment, advanced technologies and the skilled workforces they need to be competitive. Every week, you will hear about AMIC and our other investments in automotive, aerospace, life sciences, IT, chemicals, steel. These sectors each employ tens of thousands of workers and are the cornerstones of our economy, and each one is proof that Ontario is open for business. The supplementary question. Thank you, Minister, for that reassurance. Speaker, this past June Statistics Canada provided an advanced estimate of manufacturing sector sales reports. These reports indicate that manufacturing sales actually fell 1% in June, with the largest decreases in the aerospace, product and parts industry. The throne speech highlighted the need to grow the economy. It talked about risks to the economy. For my constituents, that means lost jobs. It means missed mortgage payments. What is the Minister doing to protect families who rely on good jobs, local jobs with manufacturers who are so important to communities right across Ontario? Thank you. Minister of Economic Development. That's an important question because it highlights exactly why we stepped up with our $40 million amic fund. We needed this program because jobs left Ontario under the policies of the previous government. Here's an example of success from the members' own writing. Cyclone manufacturing is a leading global supplier of aerospace components. They just announced a $21.4 million expansion at their plants in Ontario to invest in new technologies, including advanced robotics. On Monday, we were at Cyclone to detail our government's $1.5 million amic investment. Now, this investment will bring back, it will reshore, 60 jobs back to Ontario to do things that have been done outside of the country and will provide upskilling for another 100 employees at Cyclone. The Liberals drove jobs away and this is another example of our government bringing jobs back. Next question, the member for Niagara Falls. My question is to the Premier. Today in this house we are joined by members of the United Steel Workers. Those members are grieving because in June of this year they lost a brother to a workplace death at National Steel Car. His death was in two years at the same workplace. A worker is dying at National Steel Car every seven months. That's three workers whose families will never see them again, whose children will never see them again and whose communities are devastated and grieving their loss. Mr. Speaker, it could be not more clear that this is an unsafe workplace. Workers do not go to work to die not at National Steel Car or anywhere. When will the Premier and the Minister take this seriously, meet with the United Steel Workers and make National Steel Car a safe place to work? Thank you. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Let me thank the honourable member for the question because it is obviously a very important one to the workers who are here with us today. It probably doesn't matter to them or their sympathies go out to the worker. I know we are very unified all of us in that. I know at the same time all of us, regardless of what side of the house we are on, know how important it is to keep our workplaces safe. And that has been a priority of this Minister of Labor. But Mr. Speaker, let me just say that it has not really mattered who has been serving in government. I would think that all parties all the time have the same importance, Mr. Speaker. An investigation has underway. There have been 75 visits. There are 78 orders with respect to National Steel Car. I know that the Ministry has set up meetings with both the representatives of the company as well as the union and there are actions in front of the court with respect to occupational health and safety. Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I have letters here since June that haven't been answered by the Minister. Every worker in our province deserves to survive their shift and return home health and safe. The United Steel Workers who represent these workers have demanded a meeting with the Minister of Labor to hold National Steel Car to account, protect their members and to assure people are safe at work. You know what the Minister has said this week, two more workers have been killed at work in Ajax. Under the west rate law, government is supposed to provide training to law enforcement officers to make them aware of their responsibility to investigate workplace fatalities. Speaker, will the premier direct his solicital general to do this today, ask his Minister of Labor to stop hiding from the United Steel Workers and above all, will he take any action at all to make workplaces in Ontario safe so workers can go to work to perform a fair day's work for a fair day's pay and go home to their families. I certainly appreciate the passion that the member brings to it. I can't think of any situation that would be more horrific than for a family to receive a visit when a loved one is at work and to be told that their loved one will not be coming home. I can't think of something even more horrific than that. Again, I say to those in attendance, all of us are sympathies directly to the families, not only of this in this instance, but of all workers who have died in the line of duty, but at the same time, a lot of work has been done here and I know the member wants more and there will be more because that's what the Minister of Labor has been doing since the day he took the job and he has received 35 visits to this facility. There are 73 orders requiring for a national steel car and there is action in front of the courts with respect to health and safety contraventions by national steel car. Thank you. Next question. Thank you. Earlier, the Minister of Economic Development toted Ontario's progress in attracting more people to Ontario. However, Russia's unprovoked an illegal attack of Ukraine along with growing instability in Asia as China attempts to destabilize the region has left our global partners seeking a strong, stable, reliable source of critical materials. The Ring of Fire in North Ontario is that source. Now, more than ever, the world is looking at Ontario and the Ring of Fire with deposits of essential critical materials valued at an estimated rate of 30,000 dollars. My question to the Minister of Minds, at what stage is of the development and what is the next major milestone for success? Mr. Speaker, thank you very much for the question and through you to the member from AJAX. Thank you for the questions. Because of our government's commitment, we are getting it done for the people of Northern Ontario. In April, Chiefs of Martin Falls Nation, First Nation, Webeke First Nation Road Link Environmental Assessment. The Northern Road Link project is an Indigenous led environmental assessment which integrates Indigenous principles with the provincial process. The Northern Road Link will connect two proposed roads, the 200 kilometre Martin Falls to our Arrow Road Community Access Road at the south end and the proposed 110 kilometre Webeke supply road to the Ring of Fire at the northern end. Our government remains committed to the success of the project. It will be a billion dollars in funding to support critical legacy of infrastructure such as the planning and construction of an all-season road network and investments in high-speed Internet roads, upgrades and other community projects. The supplementary question. Speaker, respecting and working with our First Nation partners is a key to achieving success for this development project. The Minister himself publicly stated that it will be accomplished without the support and participation of First Nations. Speaker, the First Nations communities themselves deserve to be part of the success of this project. First Nations want to see their communities prosper. They want to see economic benefits that should occur to any community in Ontario or Canada. They want to provide a better future for their younger generations. Speaker, the Minister recently met with First Nation communities of the Wauwi and Martin Falls. Can the Minister please provide the House an update on the nature of these meetings as it relates to the Ring of Fire development? Thank you Speaker and through you to the member from Ajax. Back in July I was honoured to accept Chief Wabasey's invitation to the Webike First Nations Summer Festival and meet with Chiefs and Council from Webike and Chiefs for the leadership and resolve that allowed them to make progress on the respective community projects and the Northern Road link environmental assessments despite the pandemic. We discussed how important our ongoing partnership is to ensure these projects get built the right way. We talked about how important all seasoned roads will be to their communities to have better access for housing, healthcare, social services and education. We talked about how critical minerals deposits in the Ring of Fire would advance economic reconciliation, creating prosperity for their communities and high quality local employment for their people. Response? I look forward to continuing our important work with both communities. Thank you. Thank you very much. After spending weeks in hiding avoiding accountability the Government is now playing what Ontario Health is calling an unprecedented hospital staffing shortage. Grand River Hospital in Waterloo region was recently forced to close an operating room and postpone elective surgeries because 120 staff members were off with COVID-19. According to Health Quality Ontario as of April, half of the hospitals whose average ER wait time top the provincial average were in Waterloo which is over 19 hours waiting in an emergency room. When will this Government stop normalising this grave position our healthcare system is in and start listing to healthcare professionals calls to action everything is not okay? The Minister of Health So again Speaker I will reinforce it is deeply disturbing when we have an emergency department that must close an operating room for four hours a shift or in fact a weekend we work very closely with Ontario Health with hospital CEOs and management to make sure that they have explored every option to ensure that that does not happen. When it does we have safeguards in place that include making sure that first responders, paramedics understand where the redirect is often frankly within 15 minutes we want to make sure that we build the capacity and we will continue to do that. As the member opposite knows I have spoken to and I have directed the nursing college of Ontario, the college of physicians and surgeons to act quickly to make sure that every possible individual in the province of Ontario that wants to work in healthcare has that opportunity. Thank you. The supplementary question. We have lost 5,400 healthcare workers because of wage suppression policies from this government. If this government was actually concerned about the urgency of what is happening in our healthcare system they would listen to ONA, RNAO and other groups of healthcare professionals and you would repeal bill 124. Instead the minister of health says repealing bill 124 is a conversation for another day. That is a direct quote. Well we think that day is right now. That day is today. Is this government actively actively preventing nurses and other healthcare workers from being fairly compensated in our system? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. We are incredibly grateful to our frontline healthcare heroes for the contributions they are making across this province. That is why we have made record and historic investments to support healthcare and healthcare and health human resources across this province. We have added 10,500 additional healthcare professionals to the system since March of 2020. Mr. Speaker. The members opposite have voted against each and every single one of those measures. This also includes building capacity for the future which involves creating the first new medical school in the GTA in over 100 years in the city of Brampton. Another measure Mr. Speaker that the opposition voted against on this side of the house, this government will continue to work to support healthcare across this province. The next question. Member for Don Valley East. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the minister of health. This summer, we have seen unprecedented levels of pressure placed on our hospitals like nothing I have seen in my career. Emergency departments, intensive care units and other critical services are closed due to severe staffing shortages. Nothing on this scale has ever been seen before in our province. Imagine Mr. Speaker that you or someone you loved had a heart attack or a stroke. Imagine that you are a mother and your newborn child suddenly seizes before you and if that isn't bad enough imagine now that all of this happens in a community that just lost its emergency department. This is the reality for too many Ontarians this summer and yet we have all heard the minister's comments and so speaker through you I ask can the minister of health please finally provide her assessment and explain why she doesn't think that the current situation in our hospitals is a crisis. Minister of Health Thank you to the member opposite welcome to your new role as a parliamentarian. Imagine if we hadn't had a government four years ago who had invested in making sure that we have 3,500 new hospital beds operating in the province of Ontario. Imagine if we hadn't taken the time to ensure and expand so that we have 10,500 new healthcare resource people working in community in hospital in long-term care. I worry about that. Imagine if we hadn't had a premier who had the foresight to say we are going to make sure we have the capacity in the province of Ontario to make sure that any pandemic any future issues we have capacity within our healthcare system. We have that and we will continue to work forward with that. Thank you. The supplementary question Mr. Speaker we are in a growing province with a growing population. Each successive administration brings in more healthcare workers more beds, more hospitals. The question is, is it enough? The reality, the reality is that the first thing that this government did when they came into power in 2018 was to go to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and cancel programs that would have brought more foreign trained healthcare workers into this province. The question here is, have they done enough? And I believe minister, the answer is categorically no. Please correct me. Minister of Health With the greatest of respect this member opposite needs to understand the liberal history in healthcare in the province of Ontario. Hired teachers we hired nurses. The liberals closed hospitals, we are opening hospitals, we are building capacity. We will continue to do that. We are working with the colleges of nurses, we are working with the physicians and surgeons of Ontario to make sure that everyone who wants to practice in the healthcare system, in the province of Ontario has the opportunity to do that quickly. Thank you. Speaker, for too long the people and businesses in parts of western Ontario have been living without access to reliable high speed internet. The agricultural sector relies on reliable internet to operate and to make connections, to make business decisions, market their products, operate on farm technology and maximize farming techniques among many other things. Ontario's agricultural business sector is a leader in modern and innovative technological practices and can no longer rely on old and outdated techniques. The government recently made an announcement highlighting investments in high speed internet infrastructure. Can the minister of infrastructure please explain how this will benefit the people of my riding in Essex will my farmers be able to access reliable high speed internet and will a promise be a reality? The minister of infrastructure. I want to thank the member from Essex for the question. Our government knows how important access to reliable high speed internet services are for families, businesses and farmers which is why we're investing nearly 4 billion to make high speed internet services accessible in every corner of the province by the end of 2025. Last week we announced a huge accomplishment in our broadband technology that's connecting as many as 266,000 unserved and underserved homes across 339 municipalities. As part of the reverse auction announcement we're making internet accessible to as many as 3,970 homes and businesses in Lakeshore, Essex, Kingsville, LaSalle and Amersburg. This is just one of the many ways our government is addressing the needs of our communities and supporting the good people that we have in eastern Ontario. And the supplementary question. Speaker, I want to highlight the recent broadband disruption. The outage impacted many Ontarians. It impacted businesses who typically used debit transactions and point of sale machines, forcing businesses to turn to cash until service was restored. The head of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said small businesses may have lost thousands of dollars because of the service disruption. Unfortunately for many of my constituents that is a way of life. Repeated service interruptions or areas with little connectivity is something that we have been forced to live with because of the failures of the previous liberal government. Speaker through you how are we supporting the connectivity needs in areas such as my riding that may not have been covered through reverse auction. They deserve coverage and unlike the previous member of Essex. Thank you very much. We are committed to ensuring every community province-wide access to high-speed internet. The results of the reverse auction were extremely positive. A thousand more premises will be connected. But there is more work to do. While the reverse auction was under way our ministry with the help of Infrastructure Ontario focused on our last mile strategy to connect the remaining 40 to 60,000 homes. We are also engaging with internet service providers to understand which technologies and business models work best to reach these remaining homes and businesses. All options are being considered. We will make sure everyone is connected by the end of 2025. Thank you Speaker. Thank you. My question is to the Minister of Health. Sick kids is one of the best hospitals for children in the world. But the hospital's ability to help see and heal children is being put to test by this government. Demand at Sick Kids is skyrocketing. Visits to the emergency room are up 47% and 400 children are waiting for surgery beyond the acceptable timeline for them to wait. No child, no child should have to wait too long for necessary surgery minister. This is my question. What is this government's plan to address the surgery backlog at Sick Kids? Minister of Health. Thank you very much Speaker. There is no doubt that Sick Kids holds a very special place in all of our hearts. We have a very special place in Canada and frankly I think right now it is fourth in the world for the innovative amazing work that Sick Kids does. I really appreciate the fact that the member opposite has raised this. Our government appreciates this and understands it and acknowledges it which is why frankly we gave Sick Kids a 4.3% increase to their base operating which equates to $22 million. We are going to work with Sick Kids. We are going to make sure that that world class reputation that we are also proud of as Ontarians and Canadians continues to be able to offer their expertise to the world. Thank you. Thank you. My question is back to the Minister of Health. The leadership at Sick Kids see it differently. Sick Kids is facing a huge funding shortfall. They have had $120 million removed from their budget over the past decade and the total is short $45 million this year. Open staffing positions are not being filled and staffing in the critical care units is down by 15%. Minister, this is my question. Can you increase funding to Sick Kids to meet the need to address the staffing shortages so that children can get the care that they need? Minister of Health. So again Speaker I will remind the member opposite. We have already increased funding to Sick Kids in the amount of 4.3% which equates to $22 million. We are working with Sick Kids actively to make sure that anything that we can do to assist to find those opportunities that Sick Kids provides incredible incredible opportunities across the world and in Canada will work with Sick Kids to work with Sick Kids to make sure that that opportunity is there for us when we need it. Thank you. The next question, the member for Hastings, Lennox and Addington. Thank you Mr. Speaker. The auto industry has been a vital source of jobs, innovation and prosperity in this province. In communities across Ontario thousands work in auto manufacturing facilities directly or in businesses small and large to supply that sector. Under the reckless policies of the previous Liberal Government a carbon tax, red tape high taxes and out of control electricity prices cost Ontarians jobs and left facilities shuttered. Uncertainty has long been the enemy of investment and we are in a period of global uncertainty. Mr. Speaker can the minister provide any comfort in the industry and in the communities that rely on that the government will not abandon this sector as the Liberals did when they declared manufacturing in Ontario to be dead? Minister of economic development job creation and trade Ford 1.8 billion GM 2.3 billion Stellantis 3.6 billion Honda 1.4 billion LGE 5.2 billion Speaker what should bring comfort is the fact that over the last 20 months Ontario has attracted a record $16 billion in auto investments. These are game changing historic investments ushering in a new era for Ontario's auto industry providing employment for thousands more workers and most recently Belgium's UMICOR announced a $1.5 billion investment to build North America's first industrial scale battery materials plant and they're doing it here in Ontario the facility will locate in loyalist township and provide employment for a thousand people just for the construction phase speaker and UMICOR is here because they saw Ontario reduce the cost of doing business by $7 billion Supplementary question Speaker, Ontario should be a leader when it comes to the auto industry it should be a leader when it comes to the emerging technology markets and we should be a leader when it comes to jobs and innovation Liberal government policies like taxes, carbon tax, red tape and high electricity led to the closure of plants and the loss of 300,000 jobs putting communities at risk the auto sector in Ontario thrives is integrated when we produce and supply the products and services for all parts for a vehicle while the UMICOR investment is historic in many ways great privilege to be in my own backyard history has shown that unless it's integrated into the larger production process its impact will be limited I ask the minister can you explain the economic spin-off of this investment of economic development the UMICOR plant will be North America's first ever industrial scale facility to produce these battery materials these cathodes account for 50% of the value of an electric vehicle battery they contain northern Ontario's critical minerals like nickel, cobalt and lithium and when at full production this plant will produce enough cathode material to produce batteries for 1 million EVs every single year that's almost 20% of all of North America's EV production and so these materials that we're now seeing built in Ontario were the missing piece of the puzzle this is all to create our end-to-end supply chain but now we have all of the core pieces from minerals all the way through to manufacturing 16 billion investments in 20 months speaker this government is getting it done speaker my question to the premier the minister of health said it would be completely inappropriate to say our healthcare system is in crisis but right now in Hamilton healthcare officials describe the situation as increasingly precarious both Hamilton general and the Jervinsky are running over 120% patient capacity to keep emergency rooms open and code zero events where no ambulances are available to respond continue to rise speaker I ask how bad is too bad before this government will acknowledge this crisis Mr. Health thank you speaker I am reminded of a visit I made to St. Joe's a couple of weeks ago and it was to be updated on a recent investment that our government has made to ensure that their emergency department is protecting our most vulnerable individuals who have serious mental health illnesses who need to have that specialized emergency care and frankly they are very excited about the opportunity to finally get that expansion that coupled with 52 different hospital expansions that are in process in the province of Ontario that is unprecedented of investments that we are making in our hospital in our healthcare system it makes me very proud to serve with this premier with this caucus because it means we understand and appreciate you need to make investments you need to build to make sure that we have the healthcare system we need when people need it thank you speaker everyone knows maybe perhaps with the exception of this minister that the first step to solving a problem is to acknowledge there is one the chief of emergency medicine at St. Joe's describe what is happening as a perfect storm leading to a situation we haven't seen in the past a breaking point a disaster unprecedented these are words that health officials are using to describe the situation right now so my question to the minister to the premier with Ontario nurses here in the house will continue to deny the reality of the crisis in our healthcare system Mr. Health speaker I've said it at the beginning and I will say it at the end we will work with all partners who have solutions so far I haven't heard any solutions from the other side I have heard solutions from hospitals from nurses' unions from the college of physicians and surgeons I have solutions we are bringing forward saying if we do this if you allow us to do this we can make a change our government has already started those investments we have the hospital infrastructure that we want we have already invested to ensure that we have personal support workers in community in our long-term care and we will continue that work because we understand how critically important it is thank you speaker thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of natural resources and forestry and I'd like to congratulate him on his election here in the legislature Mr. Speaker summer in Ontario means that it is also forest fire season last year Ontario faced unprecedented levels of forest fires in terms of the number of fires and in hectares burned this year's fire season has been more manageable due in part to greater snow melt in the spring however conditions can change quickly and we need to be able to respond quickly forest fires can be devastating for communities, people and the industry what steps is our government taking to prevent communities across Ontario from the devastating effects that forest fires can bring thank you minister of natural resources I want to thank the members from Carlton for the question and congratulate her on her re-election as well I tell you that this year we've been able to avoid implementing restricted fire zones which are an important tool to help prevent forest fires but as my colleague reminds us the situation could change at any time and although there are fewer fires burning this year there are still thousands of hectares at risk across Ontario we remain at a high level of alert with ministry fire ragers and our fleet of water bombers and helicopters at the ready supplementary question thank you to the minister for the response Mr. Speaker as you know many communities across Ontario rely on the summer season for travel and tourism related jobs and economic growth whether it is campaign cottaging or the hundreds of summer jobs for students who work in reforestation forest fires put it all of this at risk often forest fires are started by human activity we have all seen media coverage of damaged fireworks simply not making sure a campfire is put out and who can forget that disastrous gender reveal party in California that started the destructive El Dorado fire destroying five homes and sadly killing a firefighter while it might seem like common sense can the minister provide some advice to Ontarians who are spending time outdoors this season and what are the risks to those who are irresponsible with fire thank you thank you speaker we all have a part to play when it comes to preventing forest fires and one thing that's important is good forest management making sure we have robust forest management plans that don't leave forest with a lot of excess wood to the average person up there I'd say make sure you're following municipal fire bans never leave your campfire unattended and make sure you put it out properly when you're done it's not possible for the cost of extinguishing that fire or property damage incurred by that fire with that being said let's stay diligent let's keep this fire season a mild one thank you next question the member for Toronto St Paul's thank you speaker my question is to the minister of health our public health care system is in crisis because this government refuses to respect and protect our frontline health care workers like Ashley and Lorraine across Ontario our nurses are run off their feet their mental and physical health is crumbling the official opposition here today nurses in my riding patients have sent this government solutions and we have been ignored my question is to the minister will this conservative government repeal bill 124 and help save our public health care system and the lives of our nurses and their patients for once and for all will you President of the Treasury Board thank you very much Mr. Speaker we look forward to continuing to work with our health care professionals across this province and continue to be incredibly grateful for all the work that they have been doing and that is why this government has made record and historic investments to sport health human resources across this province since March of 2020 we have added over 1,500 health care professionals across this province we are also introducing and building across this province over 52 new capital projects to support further health care capacity including new hospitals and cities like Brampton that were ignored and neglected by the previous Liberal government building in cities like Windsor, Ottawa and Mississauga Mr. Speaker we will continue to invest in health care workers across this province and the supplementary question anyways my question is back to the Minister of Health to overcome the labour shortage the government has hired private agencies to recruit nurses a much more expensive option than simply paying nurses fairly it is this that has many questioning whether Bill 124 was ever about fiscal restraint as much as building a pathway for the private sector to take even tighter hold of our fragile care system and drive it into the ground my question is back to the Minister will you stop the privatisation yes the privatisation of health care by investing in public sectors workers patients and families and repealing Bill 124 it is what we are all asking for forget about the official opposition nurses and patients yes or no will you repeal Bill 124 thank you very much Mr. Speaker we will continue to make record and historic investments in our health care system to support people across this province this includes this year investing over 342 million dollars to support and add over 5000 new and up skilled registered nurses and practical nurses as an additional 8000 personal support workers Mr. Speaker on this side of the house and our government we continue to look to solutions to support the health care system the members opposite have voted against each and every single one of those members including adding additional 10500 healthcare support workers since March of 2020 we look forward to working with the members opposite and building hospitals across the province building health care capacity across this province to ensure that people get the care they need next question the member for Barry and Isfill my questions for the Minister of Legislative Affairs we have a lot of people that came to watch Question Period today and I want to thank you for coming but many of you may wonder why we had a delay in Question Period today so I wanted to ask the Minister of Legislative Affairs if you can kind of explain to us that delay that happened today Mr. Speaker to reply the Minister of Legislative Affairs thank you very much Mr. Speaker I do appreciate the question from the member because it is actually a very serious one despite the cat calling from the opposition and I want to thank Broadcasting Services trying to keep a building this old trying to keep a building this old running each and every day is truly amazing and they do extraordinary work Mr. Speaker just yesterday when you saw the speech from the throne I'm sure as members were coming here they saw wires all over the place that's what it takes to keep this building this old operating speaker and that is why the Premier has made the decision that working together with members on all sides of the house it is time for us to look at different options to renovate this building bring it back to the stature that it was when it first opened Mr. Speaker to provide the people of the province of Ontario a legislative assembly that can be here for the next 150 years Mr. Speaker and we are going to work very closely with members on all sides of this house to make sure that we give Ontarians the best possible legislative assembly that one can be proud of Mr. Speaker and we're well on our way to making that happen supplementary question I want to thank the Minister of Legislative Affairs for that great answer and it really builds on what we introduced yesterday through the Minister of Finance as we introduced the build plan to build Ontario Act as we're building core infrastructure like highways and core infrastructure like hospitals as the Minister of Health said it's also important to build up the foundation of our democracy so I wanted to ask the Minister of Legislative Affairs how he's building up this democratic institution we have and some of the options we're looking at the Minister of Legislative Affairs another really good question Mr. Speaker because obviously we order are intending to be here I don't know why I'm so upset about a question about democracy and about the house of the people of the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker it's almost like they're reliving the election it's like they're upset that they've now been put into a little corner because for a lot of time they spent talking about the van party that was the liberal but the people of Ontario have almost reduced them to a van party in fact it's half a bus now Mr. Speaker the reality is the leader of the opposition isn't sitting in his traditional seat not because the place is too small but because the NDP caucus is small Mr. Speaker but we're going to fix that we're going to fix that because this place needs to be here for the next generation of parliamentarians who sit in this place regardless of how they feel about it this side feels that this place needs to reflect the importance of the province of Ontario and again I want to thank broadcasting services for the work that they do each and every day to keep a building 150 years old operating Mr. Speaker Thank you very much Order Order we'll start the clock Member for Niagara Centre Back to healthcare Speaker that's what we care about on this side of the house Speaker in Niagara and across this province question to the Minister of Health healthcare workers are making immense sacrifices postponing vacations taking extra shifts and losing the time off they need to recover from the grueling work they've been doing since the pandemic began all the while the Premier and Minister of Health have been missing in action on summer vacation our Niagara hospitals are so close to the breaking point that our local mayors and regional chair had to release a joint letter to the public asking residents to avoid the ER or risk stressing the system beyond capacity will the minister admit that it is her absence and the absence of her government that is the problem not workers who are being asked to work through their vacation Minister of Health I again Speaker I will reiterate Ontarians continue to have access to the care they need when they need it that is our priority as a government that is frankly I'm surprised that the member opposite isn't talking about the great investments that we are making in the Niagara region with the Niagara hospital we are making the investments that frankly the Liberals and the NDP never did we're making the investments because in order to keep Ontario strong we need to build Ontario and we are doing that we are doing that economically in our school system in our healthcare system and we will continue to do that why speaker because we want Ontario to continue to be the best place to live raise a family and stay healthy in the province of Ontario we'll do that the opposition can fight and talk about issues that frankly we have already acted on we are already building in Niagara a world-class healthcare system come join us that concludes our question period for this morning there being no further business this house stands in recess until 1pm