 Now, it is time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Brampton Centre. My first question is for the Premier. Speaker, yesterday the Premier refused to explain why he told Ontarians that Dr. Moore, our Chief Medical Officer of Health, was working 24-7 and never took a break when Ontarians learned that simply wasn't the case. The Premier also refused to explain why he indicated that Dr. Moore stopped the clock. Is this how we're going to start? Member for Brampton Centre has the floor. This is a question period. She has a chance and an opportunity and she's going to be able to place her question without interruption. Start the clock. Member for Brampton Centre. Thank you, Speaker. The Premier also refused to explain why he indicated that Dr. Moore was meeting with all of the local Chief Medical Officers of Health when, in fact, as we've learned, that was not true and he was actually out of the country on vacation, Speaker. Ontarians deserve answers and they deserve transparency. When did the Premier know that the Chief Medical Officer of Health was away on vacation? Is that really the lead-off question and question period today? Is that really the lead-off question? Is that what the NDP have to ask about, Mr. Speaker, but it shouldn't surprise anyone, right? Because it was them with the Liberals who actually tried to fire the Chief Medical Officer of Health because they think they know better, Mr. Speaker. We'd rather focus on all of the great things that the Chief Medical Officer of Health, this one and the previous one, has done to help Ontarians. We have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world, Mr. Speaker, in the world. We are doing better than almost any other jurisdiction in North America, Mr. Speaker. Now, maybe perhaps the NDP are so focused on one person, but here's a newsflash, Mr. Speaker. There are a lot of people who help advise us. There is an entire medical team that helps advise us, including the great work of Dr. Muir, including the Public Health Medical Officers of Health across the public health agencies, including me when I asked my doctor for the president of my local hospital. I know all of our members do that. Perhaps the Politburo might want to expand who they talk to every once in a while and not just be focused on their leader. Supplementary question. Speaker, this is not about Dr. Muir. This is about the Premier's tenuous kids what Ontarians deserve. In 2020, we know that the Premier's finance minister was out of the country, but the Premier pretended otherwise. So it's strange, Speaker, that when the Premier had an opportunity to be transparent last week, he suggested that Ontario's top doctor was hard at work and meeting with other health officials. But as we've learned, that was not the case, Speaker. If there was nothing to hide, why didn't the Premier just tell Ontarians that Dr. Muir was away on vacation rather than pretend he was hard at work? I'm going to remind all members to be judicious with their language, be careful with what they say, including the member for Brampton Centre. The response? Mr. Speaker, the member opposite says it's not about Dr. Muir, but it has been about the Chief Medical Officers of Health in the province from day one. Opposition come forward. We have not agreed with them from day one. This is a party that stood in the chamber and asked to fire. They voted against a Chief Medical Officer of Health, wanting to fire, because somehow they know better than the medical officials, they know better than the Chief Medical Officer of Health, they know better than the public health officers across the province of Ontario, Mr. Speaker. Somehow they know better, but we know, Mr. Speaker, they flip and they flop. One day they want vaccinations, the next day they don't. One day they want masks, the next day they don't. One day they say things should be open, the next day it should be closed. One day they vote against supports for our small businesses, and the next day they say that it should be expanded, Mr. Speaker. They're all over the place, and that is why people never trust them to form a government, and that's why the people elected a strong, stable, progressive Conservative Majority Government, and they know that to continue the progress, a strong, stable, progressive Conservative Majority Government will deliver. The final supplementary. Speaker, well, here's the reality in Ontario. Due to this government's inaction, schools have started closing as of last week because there are not enough staff. Doctors and nurses are worried that there will not be enough staff in our hospitals to handle the sixth wave. This is what is happening right now in Ontario. Yet the Premier didn't think it was prudent to simply tell the truth and explain that the Chief Medical Officer of Health was away on vacation. Speaker, at this stage of... So I'm going to again remind the member to be careful with the language and not cross the line. I'll answer your question. Thank you, Speaker. At this stage of the pandemic, what we need is leadership, we need transparency, and we need accountability. Why is the Premier unwilling to tell Ontarians the truth and be transparent that Dr. Moore was on vacation rather than at work? Absolute load of garbage that is coming from the member opposite. That is coming from the member opposite. Order. Mr. Speaker, let me tell you this, let me tell you this. Over 90% of Ontarians have been vaccinated, Mr. Speaker. Over 90%. You know who said that that couldn't be done? They did, Mr. Speaker. We said it could be done and we got it done, Mr. Speaker. Why? Because we work with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the same Chief Medical Officers of Health that they wanted to fire, Mr. Speaker. But we went even further. We went even further than that, Mr. Speaker. We said that we had to do so much more to improve healthcare capacity. When we were adding nurses to our healthcare system, 8,000 new nurses and paying for their education, who was voting against it? They were, Mr. Speaker. When we were building long-term care homes, 30,000 new, 28,000 upgraded, who voted against it? They did. 27,000 new PSWs who voted against it? They did. New medical schools in Brampton, in her own writing, in her own community, who voted against it? Thank you. Thank you. Stop the clock. I sense there's a lot of excitement in the house today, for some reason. And I would ask the members to raise their questions and provide their responses in a manner that is appropriate and consistent with the rules of the house, not be overly personal, not attacking each other. Please start the clock. The next question. Member for Brampton Center. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. Doctors and nurses are very concerned that this sixth wave will result in more surgeries being cancelled in the province. Patients have already gone through enough. Waiting for surgery and other diagnostic procedures can be excruciatingly painful. And the Chief Medical Officer expects that ICUs will start to fill up with over 600 COVID patients in the coming weeks. When the ICUs fill up, hospitals have no choice but to redeploy critical staff resources away from surgeries. Why is this government continuing to claim that everything is fine when the risk of surgeries being cancelled is so high? To apply, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you very much, Speaker. Well, in fact, the risk of surgeries being cancelled is not so high. We are able because we created 3100 additional beds since the beginning of this pandemic in order to care for COVID patients, but also to care now for the people who need to have those surgeries done. Our ICU rates have remained relatively stable over the last several weeks. And as Dr. Moore himself has said, we have tools that we did not have just two years ago and in the previous waves, including highly effective vaccines that have changed the course of the pandemic. High vaccination rates that continue to improve is more and more Ontario and see the value of getting boosted to protect themselves, their families and their communities. And in addition to that, we have the antivirals coming online in large numbers starting today. People can access antivirals with a prescription through pharmacies. We have 4,700 pharmacies that are participating in that. That's also going to help us keep our hospital numbers down so that we can continue with the surgeries that people have been waiting for. Very good. Any supplementary questions? In my community of Brampton, families are concerned that their long-delayed surgeries will be even further postponed. Even prior to this pandemic in Brampton, we did not have the hospital capacity for our growing city making surgeries and wait times horribly long. In fact, at Brampton Civic Hospital, patients wait more than two times the provincial average for things like hip replacements. Speaker, no one in Ontario should have to wait endless months for the care that they need. But the reality is that the risk that these procedures will be cancelled yet again because we don't have the staff to actually handle all of these surgeries. So, Speaker, why is the government not listening to the medical experts, ICU doctors, and taking action to make sure that we don't overwhelm our health care system? Minister of Health. Thank you very much. Well, first of all, with respect to the people of Brampton, I think they have been ignored by the previous Liberal government, aided and abetted by the NDP. However, we are bringing a new hospital with many more beds with another emergency department with more surgical suites, not only a new hospital, but also a medical school is now coming to Brampton through Ryerson University. So I think we are delivering for the people of Brampton, unlike the other side. So with respect to recoveries, though, we have created the beds. We've got the 3,100 extra beds. We've also put over half a billion dollars into allowing for surgeries to be done on evenings and weekends and so on so that we can catch up. And that's what we are doing. Whatever happens with respect to the pandemic, we can continue to care for the people with COVID, but also to continue with those surgeries that many people have been waiting for for a long period of time. We don't want them to have to wait any longer. The final supplementary. Speaker, it's clear that we have a health care system that is in crisis. Projections from leading experts have made it clear that we're in for a brutal sixth wave. If no action is taken by the government, more surgeries are going to be cancelled in order to care for the COVID patients in our ICUs. In Hamilton, for example, at St. Joseph's Health Care, hasn't been able to clear out its backlog of surgeries. They announced last week that they have paused any ramping up because they are short staffed already due to COVID-19. In Toronto at the University Health Network, leadership is worried that their hospital admissions are creeping up and they simply do not have the health care resources to keep up. Speaker, what is this government going to do to ensure that no patient has their surgery cancelled yet again because of this government's inaction? Well, in actual fact, we are taking every step possible to safeguard the health and well-being of all Ontarians. We have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world right now. We're continuing with the vaccination rates. We have the fourth doses now available to people. We also have large quantities of Paxlovid and other antivirals. There is another antiviral that is out there that has to be done intravenously. We're continuing with that. We want to make sure that we have everything possible out there to protect people. And even if they contract COVID, if they are properly vaccinated, most people will not have to be hospitalized. That's very important. And with the antivirals now on the scene, that's going to save lives as well and also prevent hospitalizations. So with the numbers of beds that we now have, with the antivirals, with the money that we've put into increasing surgical violence, but also diagnostic volumes for CTs and MRIs, we will be able to care for all of the health needs of the people of Ontario. Next question, and then we'll go for Sudbury. Here, Speaker, in 2018, the Premier promised that he could do with the formal transportation Minister Stephen Deluca couldn't. He promised to tender the final 68 kilometres of Highway 69. He hasn't done that yet. Speaker, Melanie Fox and Alicia Duplis asked me to read this to the Premier. On February 2nd, our beautiful parents, Suzanne Ferrand and Amy Jauroux, were tragically killed on Highway 69. On the small stretch of the undivided unfinished highway expansion, it wasn't just our families that were affected. The poor transport truck driver has probably been forever changed. This could have been avoided if our government finished the job of properly dividing the last stretch of Highway 69. Then there may have been a ditch or a barrier to stop the collision between our parents' vehicle and the transport truck. Highway 69 is one of the gateways between the North and South of this province. Why not ensure that all occupants with a personal commercial can travel safely? Speaker, my question, when will the Premier finally tender the 68 kilometres of Highway 69 so that we can move towards fixing the highways so that nobody else is killed or injured? Mr. Transportation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank the member opposite for the question, and he's right. The Liberals under Stephen Del Duca did make a promise to deliver on this important project over a decade ago, Speaker, but it's our government that is bringing it to the finish line. And the people of Sudbury don't need any more empty promises like the ones that Stephen Del Duca made, they need action. That's why completing the final section of Highway 69's widening project is a priority for our government, Mr. Speaker. And the progress that we have made to date is testimony to this. 70 kilometres of the project are already complete and MTO is working diligently to get the approvals needed to complete the remaining 68 kilometres of the corridor, Mr. Speaker. In December, I was so pleased with my parliamentary assistant to announce the opening of a new 14 kilometre stretch expanding into the French River area. It's bringing us even closer to completion of this project. Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the member opposite that it is a priority for our government and we will get it done. Speaker, all the work that she spoke about was already tendered before they took government. Soon after losing Amy and Suzanne in February, another terrible accident occurred on Highway 69. There were three injured and one death and those two collision and that one collision. Melanie and Alicia were devastated to hear this news and they asked me to say these fatalities would have been avoided if the highway had been finished and divided. Please don't let the pain and sorrow happen to any other families. Don't let any other drivers walk away with the horror of having taken a life. Just before Christmas, our parents had seen the birth of their seventh grandchild. They had so many plans and dreams to accomplish. Now we still reach for the phone to call home but there's nobody there. Please don't let any other calls go unanswered. Finish the highway. Protect those you swore to protect when you agreed to be members of this government. Protect us. Protect Ontarians. Northerners are tired of paying with broken promises with their lives. Speaker, when will the Premier offer an apology to these families and all the families that have been and loved ones who have been injured? Question. And finally, keep his promise to protect Ontarians on Highway 69 so the people of Sabrin across the North can come home safely to their families. Mr. Speaker, and I thank the member for the for the question. Road safety is a priority for our government in particular in the North where winter driving conditions make our roads driving on our roads even more challenging. Ontario does have a very good record in road safety but there's so much more that we need to do. One of the things that we've been focused on Mr. Speaker is repairing the damage that was done under 15 years of liberal management. Miss management, Mr. Speaker. We've been working on repairing their winter maintenance record. We have done a great job Mr. Speaker in the next in the last four years but we need no we know that we need to do more but we're investing in our highways. Last year we committed $641 million to expand and repair our highways in the North. That work Mr. Speaker is expected to support more than 4,400 jobs in Northern Ontario. We know that there's more to do. Highway 69 is a priority. I was pleased in December to open a 14 kilometer stretch but we're committed to getting the rest of the work done. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Next question. The member for Perry Sound Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Northern Development and Mines Natural Resources and Forestry. Great Mr. Speaker. There's no doubt that this government has done a lot to improve the overall quality of life for Northern Ontarians. Whether it's by investing heavily in community infrastructure and educational projects or by investing in small and medium-sized businesses we can see that Northern Ontario is a priority for this government. Here here. Of course many of the job creators in Northern region are in the industrial sector employing thousands of Northern Ontarians. So Speaker through you what recent efforts has the Minister and this government made to assist the industrial sector in the North? That's a great question. Minister Northern Development Mines Natural Resources Forestry and Indigenous Affairs. Thank you Mr. Speaker. There's widespread enthusiasm across Northern Ontario in a number of key sectors. We had an opportunity with the Premier and the member from Sault St. Marie to announce the Northern Energy Advantage Program. Now this isn't just a rebrand for its sake Mr. Speaker. This is a significant new investment in energy costs for industrial users in Northern Ontario. Couple things. Four things you need to know. One the escalator has increased up to $56 million by 2025-2026. We've removed the $20 million cap Mr. Speaker. We've created a new investor class in the fourth thing Mr. Speaker. At a moment when our forestry products and mining products are being in high demand from around the world the NDP voted against it Mr. Speaker. We're going to continue to meet the demands of our industrial class Mr. Speaker across Northern Ontario. And that includes lower electricity costs. Can you supplement your question? Thank you Mr. Speaker to return to the Minister. I'm sure that it pleases industry leaders to work with the government that understands the relationship between industry and community. Between investment and job creation. And I'm sure that they are even more pleased to see a government that understands that life and business in Northern Ontario is different from here in the GTA. The previous Liberal government abandoned the North's transit its economic future and most disheartening of all Speaker its people. So Speaker through you could the Minister please share what he's heard on the ground and how the Northern Energy Advantage Program will help the North's vital industries. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. I mentioned a new investor class and this isn't just about offering reduced electricity prices for those electricity intensive industries. The member from Sault Ste. Marie an outstanding MPP knows that Algonma Steel was not part of the program. They are now Mr. Speaker and with the incentives that we have they're investing in an electric arc furnace. That's not just going to increase their capacity Mr. Speaker. It's a greener form of technology for them to produce larger amounts of steel. That's outstanding Mr. Speaker. Alamos Gold up in Duperville last week they had to find out two pieces of news Mr. Speaker. One that electricity is not going to cost as much but two the member from Algonma Manitoulin voted against those resources for that program. Mr. Speaker I didn't want to miss an opportunity at the podium to remind his constituents of that Mr. Speaker. Response shocked Mr. Speaker to learn that and thank this government for standing up for the miners in Northern Ontario. The member for Brampton North. Thank you Mr. Speaker. It's an honor to rise to give my final question here at question period. Thank you. And my question I think is fitting because what's happening in Brampton health care is still a huge concern a huge issue. Brampton needs a cancer care center and we've gone on far too long without a cancer care center. We're already dealing with hallway medicine at Brampton Civic which is in my writing of Brampton North. People have to travel to Toronto and other areas for cancer treatments. So building a cancer care center is only the first step. We need at least three fully functioning hospitals in Brampton Mr. Speaker. Not an additional wing to Piel Memorial but three fully functioning hospitals. So my question to the government is will you commit to the people of Brampton and providing their fair share and providing three fully fledged hospitals. Thank you. Minister of Health. Thank you. Well I thank the member very much for the question. I wish you all the best in the future. And with respect to Brampton we are giving the residents of Brampton their fair share. Finally they've been waiting for far too long. They did not get it under the previous Liberal government which sadly was helped by the NDP but our government is going to get the job done. First of all with the cancer care center a stage one proposal for the new standalone cancer radiation treatment building at the Brampton Civic Hospital was submitted to the Ministry of Health and it's currently under review. Secondly we are creating a new hospital that is going to be able to stand alone and to be able to serve the people of Brampton. They have been waiting too long with one hospital we are creating a second hospital that will serve the needs of the people in Brampton and of course Brampton is also getting a new medical school through Ryerson which is also going to help with the recruitment of physicians and other staff in the future. So we recognize Thank you. Thank you very much. Supplementary question. Thank you Mr. Speaker again to the premier. If we look at other cities in Ontario with a smaller population we can get a better picture of how Brampton is not getting the quality of healthcare that we need. Cities with smaller populations like Hamilton London and they have a minimum of three fully functioning hospitals. So this is why the people of Brampton feel that they are being treated as second and third class citizens. They're having to drive to other cities or to wait hours or be seen to be seen in the ER and this is not acceptable Mr. Speaker. So my question again to the premier will the government commit to Brampton with three three fully functioning hospitals including an emergency room. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Speaker and I would say to the member opposite through you Speaker that the only people we're hearing from that indicate that Brampton needs three hospitals are the member's opposite. The people of Brampton are very very happy that they're going to be receiving this additional hospital that is going to be fully functioning. That is also we're reviewing the cancer care centre for the Brampton Civic hospital. We're also working to make sure that we provide all the other supports that people need in order to catch up with some of the backlogs of surgery that had to happen as a result of the of COVID. So we are going to get the job done for the people of Brampton. We're going to make sure that they have all of the medical supports and services that they need so they don't need to travel to other areas but they could stay within their own home city and surrounding area. Great answer. Question. The member for Orlene. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker since first taking office this government has shown they're disdain for publicly funded education. They quickly cut 25 million from special education. They attack teachers and their qualifications. They increase class sizes and we all know that these cuts and others led to the largest teacher strikes seen in a generation not since the previous conservative government. Mr. Speaker. Now we learn while this province is struggling to get teenagers and children vaccinated while health and education leaders and parents were pleading for safer schools while we saw spikes in cases exposures on school buses in classrooms and lost learning time while denying parents and their children access to rapid tests this government provided 175,000 rapid tests to private schools. Can the premier explain why he chose to prioritize kids in private schools over those in our publicly funded school system? Minister of Education. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. It is a great opportunity to contrast the record of our government under the former Liberal government who has the shameful record of closing 600 publicly funded schools in the province of Ontario. 600. And that has left a significant impact on rural suburban and increasingly even in urban communities of the province of Ontario that felt the reduction in focus and prioritization and investment. This government this premier is increasing investment in public education by over 600 million dollars a year of a year to ensure children get back on track. The largest Ontario learning recovery plan 175 million dollars to ensure tutoring has expanded mental health expansion to the largest level 400% higher out of the former Liberal government. Mr. Speaker we are investing more we're sending 40,000 half units 7 million rapid tests every single month to ensure children remain safe and we get them back academically back on track in our schools and in our classrooms. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Complimentary question. Well thanks Mr. Speaker the government's contempt for publicly funded education doesn't end at primary and secondary school. The government has also shown contempt for our publicly funded universities and their students. They've made it more difficult and more expensive for many Ontarians to attend university by cutting OSAP. Their decisions have ensured that more and more students will only graduate with crushing levels of student debt. So let's summarize they've cut special education funding they have tacked teachers in their qualifications they make class sizes bigger they're forcing students into mandatory online learning you're making more he's making university more and more expensive every day Mr. Speaker. Now we find out that they're prioritizing private school children with 175,000 rapid tests over the millions in our publicly funded education system. So Mr. Speaker. Why does this government have such disdain for publicly funded education in Ontario? The Minister of Education Well Mr. Speaker. I'm proud to be part of a government that actually cuts tuition for the first time in a generation in this province speaker. It rose dramatically under the former Liberal government. I'm also very proud Speaker to be part of a government that is increasing investment to the highest levels ever recorded in Ontario history over $630 million more dollars to ensure quality education for Ontario's 2 million children. Mr. Speaker. In this province we are deploying 40,000 additional happiness in addition to the 73,000 incentives. We are continuing to prioritize 7 million rapid tests every month for public schools in this province. We have 300 million dollars allocated this year and an additional 300 million dollars next year for the singular purpose of hiring roughly 3,000 more frontline educators mental health workers ECZAs and custodians. Mr. Speaker. Our government is committed to ensuring remaining class for their mental and their physical health and we're going to continue to invest to ensure kids remain in our schools. The next question a member for Flamborough Glandbrook Thank you and good morning Mr. Speaker. And my question is about the previous Liberal governments contempt for the hardworking people of Ontario and the business community and my question is to the minister of economic development job creation and trade. Speaker under the previous Liberal government businesses ran scared and they fled the province in droves. Business owners in my writing have talked to me at great lengths about the cost of doing business in Ontario under their leadership the previous Liberal government being out of control. The legacy of the Liberal government left energy cost skyrocketing taxes were scheduled to increase and businesses just couldn't keep up with the previous governments constant cost escalations. Ontarians look to our government to turn the tide on 15 years of mismanagement. Speaker through you to the minister what steps has our government taken to make Ontario the lowest cost jurisdiction in which to do business. Mr. economic development job creation and trade. Speaker when our government took office we listened to the business community and took action to cut red tape reduce taxes and make Ontario more competitive. As a result we lowered the cost of business by seven billion dollars annually and saw the manufacturing sector speaker take off. But it's not just our manufacturing sector all across Ontario. People are waking up to go to jobs that did not exist before our government was elected. As of this morning speaker Ontario businesses have created 500,000 jobs since we took office. No previous Liberal government was ever able to create as many jobs in four years as our government has and this is the last time unemployment rates were this low in over 30 years. Speaker we will continue to make the right investments to create more jobs for more people in Ontario so we can unleash Ontario. Supplementary question. Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker it's so proud to be part of a government that has turned the corner on 15 years of mismanagement we saw 300,000 jobs disappear from the province of Ontario but under the leadership of this minister and of course the premier things have changed and our economy is on fire. The cost of doing business was so high under the previous government investments in manufacturing were being offshore to other jurisdictions. Ontario was losing its entire manufacturing base but thankfully speaker our government stepped in and reversed the damage did to our the Liberals did to our manufacturing sector. The fact is speaker Ontario businesses simply cannot afford to go back to 15 years of scandal and waste. So through you speaker can the minister outline how our government is securing our manufacturing sector for generations to come. Speaker we all know the story about how the Liberals only supported by the NDP abandoned our manufacturing sector. Their last report on the economy stated quote the structure of the Ontario economy will continue to shift from goods producing to service producing in particular manufacturing to service sector industry speaker they gave up on manufacturing they threw in the towel. Well we did not give up on our manufacturers and as a result we've seen 12 billion dollars in investments in just the last year and a half. Speaker we will continue supporting our great women and men working in the manufacturing sector we will never give up on the people of Ontario like the previous governments did. Thank you. The next question the member for Waterloo. Thank you very much my questions to the Premier. Speaker Ontarians expect a complete separation between police boards and politics that's why the latest revelation in Peterborough is so concerning. The Chair of the Peterborough Police Services Board Les Carayunas got his appointment in 2020 from this government after being called the wingman of the Peterborough Court MPP. After being caught on video campaigning for the member earlier this week Carayunas suddenly resigned from the police board for health reasons. The Police Services Act includes a code of conduct for members of police boards that stipulates board members shall not use their office to advance their interests or the interests of any person or organization with whom or with which they are associated with. It also states should board members should refrain from engaging in conduct that would discredit or compromise the integrity of the board or the police. Why does this government Speaker through you have such a hard time such a challenging time separating their partisan political interests from public safety and the police. The next one to the general. Thank you Speaker as the member opposite accurately depicted the police services board member in question did do something inappropriate tendered his resignation which of course we have accepted. Thank you. Supplementary question. So the issue is the pattern of behavior here. Ontarians have no time for this. That's why they were outraged when the premier tried to get his buddy Ron Taverner the OPP commissioner job in 2018. It's why the residents of Ottawa were furious when the premier's handpick appointee to the Ottawa police services board showed up to support the convoy that occupied the city of Ottawa. Mr. Karyonis only resigned from the MPP's campaign after he was caught on video but neither he nor the nor the MPP thought there was anything wrong with the perception that the head of the police board would be openly campaigning for the reelection of a conservative MPP. Does the premier does the minister think that this is acceptable for the member of Peterborough Quartha or will you try to sweep this under the rug and just pretend that this never happened? Thank you Speaker. I'm not sure the member opposite understood my previous answer so I will try again. The Peterborough representative of the police services board did something inappropriate. He tendered his resignation. We accepted it as we should. Thank you. Thank you. Our next question remember for Cambridge. Thank you Speaker. Good morning for the Minister of Education. On March 3rd a private member's bill Bill 67 that proposes to find anyone including a student who interrupts a proceeding in the education system for something that might be deemed as contributing to subconscious racism. Past second reading the member for Kitchener Centre stated that the bill is necessary to combat systemic racism in our education system and because if we continue with the current education system we are replicating colonial systems that perpetuate violence. The Government Member for Niagara West and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education stated this is a worthy bill and he looks forward to seeing it pass. Does the government believe as presented that students should be fine in the education system? That the education system is systemically racist and that if we do things the same way we are replicating a colonial system that perpetuates violence. Yes or no please. Government House Leader. Thank you very much Mr Speaker. I think the member knows that the bill that she talks about is a private members bill that was brought for by a member of the NDP and it is in the committee right now. The government of course takes absolutely no position on that. It is an issue that members rightfully make their own decision on this side of the house of course. Private members bills are not whipped. Members make their own decision but as I said this is something that is in committee and it will be up to the committee to decide whether it comes forward or not and for members to make a decision on whether they support it or not. The supplementary question. Thank you Speaker. All government members and even the member for Chatham Kent Leamington voted in favour of Bill 67 that seeks to find students for subconscious racism. And while some professors thought that the government and the member for Chatham Kent Leamington were and I quote fooled by this bill a review of the debate shows they wholeheartedly supported it. The government member for Niagara West concluded in his speech in favour of Bill 67 by saying he looks forward to ensuring that we're able to pass the legislation in this chamber. The government member from Carleton said she was proud to support the legislation and the government member from Mark Unionville said he hopes to support the bill. Does the government plan on passing Bill 67 and making it law prior to the June 2nd election campaign yes or no? Government House Leader. Of course the government has no intention of passing that bill and making it law. Mr. Speaker it is a private members bill and it would be up to members individually to make that decision. The member opposite knows full well that all members give the courtesy of moving bills to committee speaker. I think she herself has utilised that advantage. So as opposed to attacking the member for Chatham Kent leaving to Mr. Speaker I would suggest that she continue to focus on what's important to the people of the province of Ontario. But again Mr. Speaker the government has absolutely no intention of passing that bill. It will be up to private members to make the decision. The next question member for Oakville Moore Curling. Thank you Speaker. Just yesterday the Associate Minister of Digital Government and the Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape announced Ontario's new online business website that will help small business owners and entrepreneurs access the information and services that they need to get up and running and build back our economy. The business community has long said that it can be difficult to find information on how to start a business in Ontario and entrepreneurs are looking to our government to get it done. Small business owners are the backbone of Ontario's economy and with more and more businesses going online now is the time to help entrepreneurs to better interact with our government. Speaker can the Associate Minister of Digital Government tell us how we are making it easier for entrepreneurs to start a business right here in Ontario? Thank you Mr Speaker and thank you to the member of Oakville North Wellington for the question. The member is correct. I was also joined by the member of Mississauga Lakeshore and Karen Young CEO of Futurepreneur Canada to announce the launch of the new ontario.ca slash business website. I want to take a moment and thank Maria Castel the owner of planted souls for being a gracious host for our announcement. Planted souls is a new business founded right here in Ontario and a recipient of the 2021 RBC Rock My Business startup award. I highly recommend visiting her shop in Port Credit Mississauga. Mr Speaker we heard from the business community that it can be overwhelming to find information on how to start a business in Ontario and we listen by removing the barriers of trying to locate all the necessary information. Mr Speaker my team at the Ontario Digital Service worked tirelessly to consolidate thousands of pages of content into one place by providing a central location for all information this will give clarity to businesses on what they need to know and when. Thank you Speaker. Thank you Speaker and thank you to the Associate Minister of Digital Government for that great answer. It is great to hear how we as a government are helping entrepreneurs take the guesswork out of how to start their businesses. Ontarians want to know that their government is listening and creating the Ontario.ca slash business website with consolidated information to make it easier for entrepreneurs to navigate the process of starting a business. I know entrepreneurs in my community of Oakville North Burlington want our government to take the confusion out of completing necessary paperwork and permits. Speaker through you to the Associate Minister exactly what information and resources are provided through the website. Thank you very much Speaker and thank you to the member for the question. Mr Speaker we are saying yes and getting things done. The platform contains information on how to register a business, apply for tax credits and permits. As well there is a tool that walks you through a step by step guide on the process of starting a business. I would also like to mention that this website is not just for people looking to start a business. It is also for current business owners on where they can find possible funding opportunities and sign up for email notifications on relevant updates. This website is a great reflection of the premier force brand of government providing good customer service. We are here for the entrepreneurs and businesses of Ontario and we are making our economy stronger by making it easier to start a business right here in the great province of Ontario. Mr Speaker we are moving the economy forward and making Ontario stronger with this new website. The next question the member for Essex. Thank you very much my question is to the premier speaker. My constituent Chantelle Roy Johnson's daughter was diagnosed with autism at just one and a half years old knowing that early intervention was key to her daughter reaching her full potential she immediately applied to the Ontario autism program to ensure that her the best for her daughter's future. Now three years old her daughter still languages on a waiting list while critical time is lost. In March the FAO reported that the government only spent 56 percent of the allocated funds for the autism program forcing thousands of other families to not get the critical care and therapy that they need. Speaker why has this government continued to find the funds for frivolous lawsuits for bumper stickers for defective vanity license plates for campaign partisan campaign ads instead of making the lives of children and families with autism better and providing them hope for the treatment and therapy that they so desperately need. To respond Minister of Children Community and Social Service Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question the member opposite will be interested to know that we are making good progress on bringing additional children into the program we already have 40,000 children receiving receiving supports who have a diagnosis of autism. We also have five times as many children receiving supports as the previous government's program supported by the NDP. We also have the independent intake organization now known as Access OAP which is going to be bringing in more children starting this month that will provide a care coordinator to look at the many domains of need to create this needs-based program service oriented family oriented child oriented program and this is something that we will continue to do understanding that the FAO report reflected the difficulties in accessing in person services during that time. We are fully committed to spending the full 600 million dollars the doubling in funding that we created for this program. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary. Thanks Speaker. Speaker Chantel's daughter like every other child in Ontario deserves the opportunity to live up to their full potential without having to wait years in line for help. While this government fumbled on the file from one minister to the next minister to the next minister families have been forced to incur debt and struggle to make ends meet. We remember all too well the first minister that held carriage of this file the self-described minister of tears who instead of fighting for autism children fought against them and went to war against those families and those parents threatening them. Order. Families, therapists and advocates have been here for years that the Ontario Autism program must be needs-based and without a wait list. Why has this government broken their promise to 50,000 families like Chantel's who continue to wait for the critical support that their children need? Thank you speaker to the member opposite in fact we have listened to the families through consultations in town halls creating a comprehensive needs-based program parents told us they wanted more than than ABA they wanted to make sure that their child children could have mental health services that they could have language and speech pathology services that they could have occupational therapy and we listened and we created a program and that did take time we acknowledge that but this is a needs-based program that is clinically informed research-based this is a world-leading program created by the autism community for the autism community through the autism advisory panel and the implementation working group and now the independent intake organization called Access OAP will be rolling out more more programs and more access for for to bring in even more children into the program we have 40,000 children and I can list some of them for you to for childhood budget funding 8,682 payments families who access foundational family services 12,914 in caregiver immediate thank you very much next we have the member for for several years now I've been working with a citizen of Champlain who are opposed to the plan same-ment plans in our community to set the records straight on this issue if they need a refresher the ministry of the environment issued an environmental compliance approval that was based on erroneous data provided by the proponent of the project en raison de ses erreurs important j'ai demandé aux gouvernements because view this this decision and to see the right data but the government refused to do so and it is a danger the question is simple will the government do what is necessary and reconsider the decision yes or no thank you speaker honor to rise thank you to the member for that question I'd be happy to sit down and have a meeting with that member about the specific issue in the ministry of environment we lean on the expert advice of directors within the ministry in fact we have more scientists in this ministry than any other ministry in government and they work closely I know on the specific issue and you know I find it ironic Mr. Speaker that on one hand the members from the liberal call on the importance of environmental assessments importance of environmental compliance approvals and then on the other hand when it doesn't suit their own specific interests want politicians to intervene that was the problem that for too often plagued the liberal government when they were in this office well on this side of the house speaker we're going to listen to the experts in our ministry and I'm happy to take a meeting with her to understand her issue in more depth thank you speaker thank you Mr. Speaker respectfully to the minister he actually wrote me back and refused so he's well aware of this case so I just wanted to point that out Mr. Speaker in addition to the data issue mentioned in my previous question I want to stress that the community is fiercely opposed to this project and has been for years spending time money and energy fighting this project every step of the way and the warden of the counties now the local PC candidate who had the power to stop this project before it even got here and did absolutely nothing in fact he refused to do anything about it when asked that's the conservative approach but Mr. Speaker when the premier was in Campbellville talking about a quarry project he was cancelling he said and I quote when the people don't want something you don't do it it's that simple it's very simple well if it's that simple as the premier makes it out to be how come this project is moving forward the people don't want it don't do it will the government do the right thing and stop this project yes or no thank you speaker I wrote back to a refusing to overturn a decision that plagued that previous government where politicians came in willy nilly deciding to overturn things whenever they felt I didn't refuse I didn't refuse speaker I didn't refuse an opportunity to sit down and meet with her I think Mr. Speaker that member might be a little nervous about the fantastic candidate that's applying a little pressure and is likely going to beat her in the next election speaker and he's going to win because the people of her riding know that when it comes to investing in long-term care we're getting it done when it comes to building transit unlike the colleague she's sitting next to who can't get it done we're getting it done speaker when it comes to historic investments in transit reducing our carbon footprint this government's getting it done we'll take no lessons from the scandal-ridden plagued crooked previous government sorry I got carried away I withdraw thank you the appropriate way to withdraw is without qualification the next question start the clock to member for Hamilton thank you speaker my question is for the premier a family in my riding is struggling to support their child's learning due to this government's cutbacks their child is no longer able to receive the support of an educational assistant in the classroom and the child's mother was told that this was because of education cutbacks this support was critical in helping their child learn and now their child will not be able to go to school as a result this family is looking for answers speaker why did the premier make cuts to education so children in my riding and across the province cannot get the staffing support that they need Mr. Speaker what utter nonsense for the member opposite who has access to the estimates and who could see for herself that this government has increased investment in special education by 3.2 billion dollars the highest investment ever reported to help those very families and to suggest otherwise to that parent is so unfair at a time when they face the struggle of raising that child and I want that family to know in all families in this province that for children with exceptionalities we have increased investment increased staffing increased resources at every school board in this province literally spending more than any government in the history of Ontario we have doubled the allocation specifically for children with autism we have 400% increase the investment in mental health we've added another 90 million dollars in net investment in special education we're hiring 3,000 staff including EAs ECEs special education teachers because we care about their future and we'll continue to invest to ensure they succeed in the classroom well done Speaker it's not my nonsense it's what families tell us from across this province the minister couldn't call on any numbers he wants but families know the truth families know where it hurts and families see the difference police has to make a difficult decision to pull their child from the classroom because this premier is denying them the support that they need educational assistance are invaluable members to our schools the work they do ensures that children can learn and thrive with the supports that they need this family in my writing deserves to know why there is no funding available for proper staffing staffing that is required to support their child's learning can the premier explain why his government once again leaves children with special needs behind and treats educational workers as if they're expendable well thank you very much Mr. Speaker I am very grateful for the opportunity to speak a bit about the work we are doing to improve public education and in the member opposite's own school boards when it comes to funding they have 14.8 million dollars more for COVID resources we've added member for Hamilton which include funding to hire more staff which include funding to hire to bring in more resources specific to children with special education Mr. Heritage come to order this should not be an issue you know where we should be capitalizing on the insecurity that families face every day we should be committed to working together to improve the quality of life of these children and our government has demonstrated across enterprise wide with the ministry of help the ministry of community services and so many others that increasing investment increasing hiring and ultimately hiring more workers are going to improve the life of these children we'll continue to do that Mr. Heritage the next question the member for Chatham Kent Leamington thank you very much speaker and my question through you is to the minister of health and minister we've gone from two mRNA jabs will ensure you won't carry the virus or get sick or die from COVID to well you need a booster every four months and you can still contract transmit get sick or even die from COVID fully jabbed and boosted are still getting sick with COVID now the creation of a vaccine I've mentioned this earlier in past that requires 10 to 15 years of research before the vaccine is actually made which includes several years of identifying an antigen that can prevent a disease therefore one can conclude that the mRNA-based COVID shot is not a real vaccine as evidenced by the sheer number of boosters required to keep COVID at bay big pharma is earning tens of billions of dollars the COVID jabs are the most financially successful pharma product in the history of the world so who's really calling the shots clearly vaccines are not working as expected Dr. Moore question you said we must learn to live with COVID and I agree just as we must also learn to live with other viruses like the comic cold and different strands of flu so minister what is your plan moving forward as the threat of a sixth wave looms after the upcoming provincial election to respond the government host theater again I mean the member asked the question the other day and I'm not going to change my answer because the facts are there laid bare before everybody to see speaker vaccines have made an incredible difference in our in how we have handled the pandemic just look at the at the results before the vaccines and after the vaccines and a speaker so we're not going to change that direction at the same time it is very clear we have to learn to live with COVID ultimately we had to get ourselves in the spot where we could make we could give ourselves the opportunity to live with COVID so that meant massive investments in health care that meant ensuring that PPE was developed right here in the province of Ontario so that we didn't have to rely on other jurisdictions you will know Mr. Speaker when we went into that warehouse the liberals left it bare they left us with outdated PPE we had to transition education post-secondary education response we did all of that speaker but ultimately ultimately vaccines have made a big difference and I still encourage everybody if you haven't been vaccinated although over 90 percent have if you haven't go get vaccinated and get a booster because it works thank you thank you supplementary question thank you speaker back to the minister over the past two years Big Pharma was given a free get out of jail card if people were injured from injections by issuing the emergency usage authorization and we were led to believe that these safe and effective shots would keep everyone from getting COVID if that were the case why was Big Pharma let off the hook in the beginning they said enough clinical trials had been performed and yet recently Pfizer was court ordered to produce their clinical trial documentation well surprise surprise data produced by Pfizer revealed thousands of adverse side effects that were kept from the public so here we are two years four lockdowns five waves and thousands of small businesses forced to close because of the pandemic now a few months ago I had asked the minister and her team to meet with other medical experts to gain insights and have a sharing of ideas sadly question you declined so minister after studying all the data in trends over the last two years do you anticipate more lockdowns and infringements of personal freedoms or you will need to ride out future waves as we learn to live with COVID and other variants remind the members to make their comments through the chair government house leader very much just figure look Mr. Speaker I've said it on a number of occasions look on terror was forced into longer lockdowns and almost any other jurisdiction in North America we acknowledge that one of the reasons why we were left with such having to take such drastic measures because the previous liberal governments supported by the NDP failed to make investments in healthcare we had the capacity of 800 people think about this one of the richest jurisdictions in North America with 800 people in ICU we had to lock down the province of Ontario well that changed that changed not order have we increased ICU capacity we've added over 3000 critical care beds Mr. Speaker we've brought back PPE production to the province of Ontario we were able to transition education we were able to transition post-secondary education Mr. Speaker we have made all of the investments possible we've got 90% of our population vaccinated so we are in the spot now Mr. Speaker where we're ready to learn to live with COVID it has led us to this point Mr. Speaker and is now is certainly not the time to be telling people to stop getting vaccinated to look back it's time to look forward to do it the Minister of Economic Development unleash the economy thank you next question member for Toronto St. Paul thank you Speaker my question is to the Premier according to NETIC in Ontario there are 689,000 people struggling with eating disorders only 10% of them actually have access to getting the help they need we only have 20 publicly funded inpatient beds across the entire province many are sitting empty because they're simply no staff private options for ED supports are tens of thousands of dollars and out of reach for most folks Sherry lives in our community of St. Paul she's been battling an ED for 30 years she's currently waiting for one of those beds waiting speaker equates to dying for many people who have eating disorders they need the care in order to survive in order to thrive eating disorders have literally the highest highest rate a highest mortality rate of any mental illness my question is to the Premier will this government adequately and publicly fund eating disorders care get us more beds more staff both in institutions and community to make sure every single person struggling with EDs can get the support they need and will they commit to universal mental health care thank you very much and to apply the member for Eglinton Lawrence in Parliament thank you very much Mr. Speaker as the member opposite knows our government ran on a promise to put $3.8 billion dollars over 10 years into mental health and addictions and we are well on our way to achieving that with $525 million dollars of annualized funding increased over those years every year so it's very important to us that we meet the mental health and addictions needs of all Ontarians and we are doing that eating disorders as the member mentioned are a very important area and we have been making investments into the eating disorders programs to make sure that they can meet the needs of the people who are using them our government is investing $8.7 million in funding to provide sorry $8.07 million in funding to provide paediatric specialized eating disorder services for those up to the age of 18 years to hospitals who are experiencing significant pressures brought on by the pandemic this one-time investment was supported in the addition of 14 life-saving specialized inpatient eating disorder beds for children and youth thank you speak thank you very much second please our question period point of order the member for Bruce Gray Owen Sound thank you very much Mr. Speaker when I made my farewell speech last week I made a comment that the premier prior to Premier Ford had never visited Bruce Gray Owen Sound what I meant to say speaker from a constituent was sharing with me had never made a visit to do a very significant announcement like the Markdale Hospital so I just want to crack my record I wasn't trying to disservice any of the other premiers I believe Premier Wynn and Premier Peterson were there and I'm almost certain that Premier Davis was there previously but it was for a very significant announcement like the Markdale Hospital thank you Speaker point of order the member for Brampton North Mr. Speaker I just wanted to let everybody know that my constituency assistant is here Julia Cole and she is the reason she is the reason why my office has been so successful and productive in dealing with the in assisting with the constituents of Brampton North thank you and House Speaker has a point of order Mr. Speaker I just a number of colleagues have have want to be asked to say this and I think it's appropriate today as the Minister of Health and Deputy Premier's birthday so on behalf of our caucus I'm sure all members we'd like to wish are very very very happy very happy here's some culture industries Mr. Speaker I'm remiss I didn't acknowledge at the very beginning of question period that a long time friend and colleague from the City of Ottawa who works right now for the member from Ottawa West Appian is here today so I want to welcome David Gibbons from the City of Ottawa to this chamber today welcome to it Point of order Point of order the Department of Conservation and Parks Time to acknowledge the Stephanie Squared sitting up in the visitors gallery and a long time friend Stephanie DeLorm who's been a dear friend of mine since the very first days that I got involved in politics very thankful for your friendship and welcome to Queen's Park thank you thank you I beg to inform the House that the following documents have been tabled two reports concerning Randy Hillier member for Lanarkron and Kingston from the Office of the Integrity Commissioner of Ontario there being no further business this morning this House stands in recess until 3 p.m