 time for a question period. Can I as a member for Nicobel? Thank you Mr. President. My question is for the Premier. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. He's refusing to bring in mandatory vaccinations for healthcare workers. He's ignoring the evidence and the best medical advice this province can offer. He's ignoring the clear call from experts. But have no doubt, speakers, the science is clear. These vaccines will save lives. They will protect workers. With zero evidence, the Premier claimed that we would see tens of thousands of workers leave the healthcare system. A claim that his own Minister of Health says was dated. Speaker, unvaccinated staff should not be allowed in our hospital ICU. They should not be allowed to work with sick kids on pediatric wards. Why does the Premier not listen to the expert and bring in mandatory vaccine in Ontario's hospitals? I recognize the member from Eglinton Lawrence. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Nicobel for the question. As you know, we have in Ontario one of the highest vaccination rates in the country and in the world with 88.3% of Ontarians over the age of 12 with at least one dose and 84.7% fully vaccinated. To date, instances of COVID-19 transmission in acute care that might require a mandatory vaccination policy have been incredibly rare occurrences thankfully and that's thanks to the comprehensive infection prevention and control policies that are in place. And just this week we have seen the unintended consequences that a province wide vaccine mandate for healthcare workers can have by looking at the other jurisdictions that have done so, Quebec and BC. Yesterday afternoon Quebec announced that they will be pausing their mandatory vaccination policy due to the impact it's having on providing critical services. And British Columbia is postponing surgeries and procedures due to staffing shortages. Organizations here have a flexible policy. They can have a vaccine mandate. That's working for us and we thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. The Ontario Hospital Association, the Medical Association, the Registered Nurse Association, they are all disappointed with our Premier's decision. The OHA said, and I quote, there's a strong consensus among Ontario Hospital for a provincial policy requiring healthcare workers to be fully vaccinated. They go on to say the overwhelming numbers of healthcare workers who are fully vaccinated also deserve to feel safe and to deliver patient care in an environment that requires the highest level of protection available against COVID-19. Speaker, the Premier asked for their advice. He got that advice and that advice is clear. The healthcare sector wants mandatory vaccine in healthcare to keep patient, their family and staff as safe as possible. Will the Premier agree to change his decision? Will he agree to listen to the overwhelming majority of healthcare experts and implement mandatory vaccine in Ontario's hospitals? I recognize the Parliamentary Assistant, the Minister of Health. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Throughout this pandemic, our highest priority has been the health and safety of all Ontarians and we will continue to do everything that is necessary to protect our communities and our hospitals. We've seen from the experience of other Canadian jurisdictions that implementing a province-wide vaccine mandate for hospital workers can negatively impact patient care, especially in northern and rural areas. We're very concerned about that. British Columbia has had to cancel surgeries and diagnostic tests because of the sudden termination of more than 3,000 healthcare workers after implementing a vaccine mandate. And as I said, Quebec has now abandoned their vaccine mandate because of the significant risk and abrupt loss of thousands of healthcare workers delivering critical services. It's a complex issue, but when the impact of a potential departure of a significant amount of healthcare workers is weighed against a small number of outbreaks, we are not prepared to jeopardize the delivery of care to millions of Ontarians. We will continue to monitor the state of our hospitals and we will do what is necessary to protect all Ontarians. I turn to the member for Nipah Belt for the final supplementary. Speaker, this bad decision is a clear example of a Premier not doing his job. Instead of our hospital and healthcare professionals having a clear, provincial direction, we are stuck with 142 different sets of rules one from each hospital. Another bad decision in a string of bad decisions, Speaker, like the Premier's refusal to bring in paid sick days, which mean that this pandemic can continue to drag on and on. When is the Premier going to start listening to the advice of the Science Table, the Ontario Hospital Association, the Ontario Medical Association, the Ontario Nurses Association, and work to get us out of this pandemic and stop passing the buck? Thank you. I turn to the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health. Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you again to the member from Nipah Belt. Throughout this pandemic, we have listened to the science, we've looked at the evidence and we have been following the advice of our healthcare practitioners and providers, especially the Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario. And while organisations and settings in Ontario have the ability to put in place additional policies, a province-wide vaccine mandate is not in the best interest of the health and safety of Ontarians at this time, according to the evidence. Nonetheless, we fully support the decisions that many hospitals have already made to implement mandatory vaccine policies on their local circumstances based on what is happening in their hospital and their area. Organisations themselves are best equipped to understand how a mandatory vaccine policy may affect their workforce. And as an additional layer of protection, healthcare workers are now able to book their third dose of their vaccine as of Saturday, November 6th. Thank you. I recognize the member of Prescarporeal Southwest. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. In 2019, over 250,000 people visited food banks in Scarborough, a number which has seen a sharp increase during this pandemic. As of 2018, in my riding of Scarborough Southwest, our poverty rates are higher than the rest of Toronto. 33% of children under 18 and 23% of total population are living in poverty. 27% of all tenants are living in subsidised housing. This is my community where seniors, immigrants, children, working folks are left behind because things are becoming more unaffordable. Where people have to make the impossible choice every day between eating their next meal or buying their medication or paying rent. Speaker, my question is, does the Premier recognise that under his government and his low-reach policies, things are getting harder and harder for Ontarians to make ends meet? I recognize the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Community, Children and Social Services. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member opposite for this question. Of course, ensuring that our government has supported our most vulnerable throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been a key priority for this government. In fact, last year, Speaker, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services released our new poverty reduction strategy. This five-year strategy will help support Ontario's economic recovery by connecting people experiencing poverty with training, health and other supports to set them on a pathway to jobs and financial stability while helping people keep more of their hard-earned money. As part of Ontario's effort to support children, youth and families through these challenging times, we also provided $8 million in funding for Feed Ontario. This funding assisted Feed Ontario in producing and distributing prepackage hampers to support the great work of food banks throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you for your time. Thank you for the opportunity to speak a little bit further in the supplementary. And we'll go to Scarborough Southwest for the supplementary. Speaker, a month ago, I joined a community meeting where a community member broke down sharing how difficult it's been for him. And I quote, it's so hard to keep up with affording groceries I don't even know if I can make it. This government has failed the people of Ontario, especially if they have lost their jobs or are on social assistance. People are losing hope because the Premier's bad choices and his low-wage policies are not helping them. Even people with full-time jobs, especially those who are paid minimum wage working long hours, cannot make ends meet. Why hasn't this government made it possible for people across the province? I recognize the Minister of Labor. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I do appreciate the question from the member opposite. Mr. Speaker, I was proud to join Premier Ford, the Finance Minister, Minister Bethan Falvey, on behalf of our government to announce a minimum wage increase, 760,000 men and women, these frontline heroes that have served all of our families and all of our communities during this pandemic will be getting bigger paychecks. Mr. Speaker, if you are someone earning the general minimum wage, you're going to earn about $1,400 more per year. If you are a liquor server in restaurants, Mr. Speaker, you are getting a pay increase of $5,100 per year. Mr. Speaker, everything we're doing is about bigger paychecks, and we're working in this province. Mr. Speaker, a senior named Lynette reached out to my office to share her frustration about the increasing cost of living. From dental services to prescription drugs, rent, hydro, water, gas, she's not able to afford the basic necessities from fresh food to phone bills to TTC fair. We have families of four or five people spending decades living in a tiny one-bedroom apartment because it is simply impossible to afford a home. I cannot even begin to tell you about the long wait lists of housing or the high cost of childcare. Mr. Speaker, again, my question is when will the Premier even acknowledge that his policies have made it impossible for people, including seniors like Lynette to afford the basics in Ontario and do better by the people of this province? My question? I recognize the Minister of Labor. Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. Look, as I said, Mr. Speaker, everything that Premier Ford and our government is doing is to help people with more take-home pay to improve workplace protections for these frontline workers and all workers across the province. But Mr. Speaker, one thing that I'm proud of is the work we're doing to retrain and upskill and train workers for bigger paychecks in this province. I'm proud, Mr. Speaker, for example, we're spending over a billion dollars in the next several years to get more people into the skilled trades. We know, for example, over the next number of years, we're short 100,000 construction workers. Mr. Speaker, these are damn good jobs that pay six figures with defined pensions and benefits. Something that I thought the NDP would support, but Mr. Speaker, we'll continue helping people lifting everyone up to make sure they have more take-home pay to support themselves, but most importantly, to support their families in all of our communities. Thank you. I recognize a member from Quetnault. My question is to the Premier. On October 26th, the Court of Appeal was told the legal process that led to the permanent injunctions against the land at our 1492 land-backed lane contained no attempt at reconciliation. This land is part of the Holloman Track, which was granted to the Six Nations of the Grand River in 1784 for helping the British during the American Revolution. Speaker, since then the people of Six Nations of the Grand River have been fighting to retain the land promised to them through a treaty. What is the position of this government on finally resolving the land claims involving the Holloman Track? Thank you. I recognize the Attorney General. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to my colleague for highlighting another important area. We started the week by talking about important matters in terms of treaties, this being Treaty Week, and so I thank you for that. As you know, sometimes more can be accomplished by talking about things that are within discussion and before the courts, so that's unfortunately the position that we're in, that I can't actively engage in that debate here, but ongoing discussion is important, respectful discussion is important, and I think the engagement that we have on all the treaties in Ontario are important, and that we honor and that we continue to abide by the spirit of the treaties that they were entered into in the Treaty Week. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. I return to the member for quite long for supplementary. I'm not asking the government to address the matter that's before the courts, but I'm asking to address the province's responsibility to the Holloman Track Agreement with the Six Nations. Speaker Land Defender Skyler-Williams is a partnership in the hands of men with guns. Courts and cops are not a path towards truth or reconciliation. We may never find justice in their system. Our connection is to each other. The land and the water is what will guide our actions, not courts or cops. Peaceful negotiations cannot happen with the gun and the police. Question? Ontario must honor the treaties. When will Ontario stop ignoring the Treaty responsibilities to the Six Nations? I recognize the Attorney General. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I want to thank you for the question, for highlighting a really important treaty and a really important area for us. The government is that we are actively engaged in discussions of peer-to-peer and respectful dialogue so that we can reach a consensus, that we can reach a conclusion and do it in a peaceful way, do it in a respectful way. This being Treaty Week, I think it's a time to celebrate the coming together and the collaboration that we've had with many treaties over the years and the resolution, whether it be with the federal government or by the federal government but each of us having our own responsibility, respectful dialogue and continued dialogue. I recognize the member for Oakville, North Burlington. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, the past 18 months have been some of the most difficult in modern life. The pandemic has and continues to challenge us in ways previously unimaginable. While our province is making tremendous progress, beating back the worst of the delta-driven fourth wave, families in my community of Oakville, North Burlington remain concerned about their health, their jobs and the recovery of the province. Speaker, will the Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade advise us on what steps our government is taking to attract investments and create jobs in Ontario's economy? Thank you. Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Thank you to the member from Oakville, North Burlington for the question. Speaker, throughout the pandemic our government has never hesitated to invest whatever was necessary to protect the lives and support families and businesses. We have supported local businesses across the province through programs like the Southwestern Ontario Development Fund, the Eastern Ontario Development Fund and the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund and our plan to strengthen the economy, create good jobs and promote long-term sustainable growth as a working speaker. Just last month, we were in London to announce our support for Shogun Mayataki's $31.2 million investment in Ontario to build new facilities in order to process their renowned Mayataki mushroom. Speaker, these things are the size of your head and they are for the agri-farm and pharmaceutical industry. Speaker, only our government will say yes to create the conditions for long-term growth. Thank you. I return the member for Oakville, North Burlington for the supplementary. Speaker, the people of Ontario have rallied together to get through the worst of this unprecedented crisis. And as our province recovers from the global pandemic, we will need to strengthen our industries like natural resources, manufacturing, farming and food production. Can the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade update this house on what the government is doing to ensure we continue moving forward with an economic recovery for Ontarians in my community of Oakville, North Burlington and in every part of the province. Thank you. Our Government remains steadfast in our commitment to an economic and fiscal recovery that is fueled by economic growth, not painful tax hikes or spending cuts. And that's why we were so proud to support local businesses like the Newton Group in Guelph. They invested $10 million to install equipment to develop a remarkable prefab building system for the construction market. That's why we were over at Newland Feed for their $16 million investment in Wellington County to expand their production facilities to meet their market demands. And that's why we supported St. Francis Herb Farm in Berries Bay where they invested $13 million to add new production of their plant-based medicines. These are but a few of the investments our Government is making in local businesses all across the province as we continue to unleash Ontario's economy. Good. Can I ask a Member from York, South West? No. Parkdale High Park. Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. My constituent, Caroline, is a small business owner who received the Small Business Grant for only one of her two businesses, forcing her to decide which one to keep afloat. Like most owners of hospitality and personal care businesses, she is still financially gutted from the pandemic. Meanwhile, her commercial rent has increased. Caroline wants to know will the Government let small businesses like hers be forced to shut down or will the Government immediately provide a third round of funding to help businesses recover? Thank you. I recognize the Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Production. Thank you, Speaker. I really do want to thank the Member from Parkdale High Park and the work that she is doing to support her community. Now, throughout the Small Business Support Grant we provided nearly $3 billion in urgent support to over 110,000 small businesses right across our province. This also built on more than $10 billion in urgent relief and support that we provided through the COVID-19 action plan. We also expanded other areas where we could support our small businesses, like the Digital Main Street program that allowed them to create and increase their digital presence, and for many of the businesses was really a lifeline. In 2021-22, we've increased this up $10 million program which will help 13,000 businesses create and get online. We also provided $300 million to help offset those fixed costs including property taxes, hydro, natural gas for businesses impacted by public health measures, and I'll speak more in the supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Minister. The rollout of the Ontario Small Business grants was a disaster. There are small businesses in my riding who were eligible to follow the process applied on time and yet are still waiting in limbo. When my office sent an inquiry in to the Ministry, we got a response that there are quote no longer accepting MPP escalations. Instead, small business owners must call a general hotline which promises to call them back and never does. Is the Minister saying that MPPs can no longer assist our constituents? Isn't that our job? Will the Minister provide the promised funding to all small businesses who qualify and apply for the grant so that they can survive the pandemic? Thank you. Return to the Parliamentary Assistant for Small Business and Red Tape Reduction. Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the member opposite for the question. We're all here to support our small businesses, Speaker. As I said earlier, we really have to support them with historical spending to make sure we could help keep them afloat. And through the 2021 budget we also announced a doubling of the payment of this. Something that that member opposite and all the members on the opposite benches chose to not support, Speaker. This is something that they said, don't give the second round of funding. And now they stand here and question the Government about the funding that we did give. We ensured to make sure that our businesses, they chose instead to support our Government to help our small businesses, they played political games. At the worst of the pandemic when they needed us the most. Thank you, Speaker. I recognize the member for Cambridge. Thank you, Speaker. Good morning. My question is for the Minister of Health. When this Government was seeking a mandate from the people, it railed against and I quote the elites. It said and continues to say they are and I quote for the people. Before this Government lost its courage and went as far as threatening to the notwithstanding clause to overrule Toronto city councillors who opposed a reduction in the number of municipal politicians. If this Government is truly for the people, will it dig down deep, find some courage and reject Cambridge City Council's application for the City of Cambridge and for the City of Cambridge and for the City of Cambridge and for the City of Cambridge and for the City of Cambridge and for the City of Cambridge City Council's application for a drug injection site against the will of Cambridge citizens. Thank you. I recognize the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Cambridge for the question. As you know, this Government has come up with a policy for consumption and treatment sites across the province and we've had 16 that have been approved so far. All of these sites are based on reaction from the community. One of the things I'm sure that they are responding to the community needs. It's important part that they are a good neighbour and they provide the services within that context. So we believe that our consumption and treatment site program is a good program for these sites and is enabling the sites to be set up and the sites are saving lives and that's the number one priority is to be there to save lives. Thank you. I know the Government has been uncomfortable with opposition to a drug injection site from local residents in Cambridge since this Government has committed to funding over 20 sites across Ontario. The Government stated in its application guide for such sites that community support is essential prior to municipality applying for approval for a drug injection site. In Cambridge the higher ups on City Council conducted a survey and the vast majority rejected either proposed location put forward. So what did Cambridge do? They went against the will of its citizens and picked a location for a drug injection site that wasn't even put forward to the community for consideration or feedback. This is clearly a violation of this provincial Government's own rules that state community support must be obtained prior to an application. Will the Government do the right thing and follow its own rules and its own application process when Cambridge City Council you undoubtedly submit its application for a drug injection site. Thank you very much Mr Speaker. Our Government takes opioid use very seriously. It is a very serious issue in the province of Ontario. That's why we've approved the consumption and treatment sites that we have in communities that need them across the province and these sites as I said are saving lives by preventing overdose related deaths and most people are very concerned about that and they want the sites to be available to save those lives and to protect people to primary care, to treatment, to rehabilitation and other health and social services and that's the virtues of the model that we have put up. I think it's an excellent model but to be clear we are still looking at applications and it's part of our Government's commitment to put $3.8 billion into mental health and addictions to make sure that the mental health services are there for the people who need them and for people who have addictions available that they need so we can minimize the terrible toll that opioids are taking on our society. Thank you. I recognize the member from Stormo. Thank you Speaker and it's good to see you in your first question period in the chair. My question is for the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks. The Great Lakes are pillars of Ontario's economic, social and cultural lives. The health and social part of our economic prosperity and well-being. With that being said, could the Minister tell us what investments have been made to protect these natural wonders? Thank you. Thank you to the member from Stormo. He understands the ripple effects that clean lakes do have on our economy, tourism, culture, our small businesses and our restaurant sector. That's why under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government is committed to protecting our air, land and water and we're continued support for the Great Lakes via such actions and initiatives like the 14 million that were directly invested into the Great Lakes restoration. This will not only help the cultural vibrancy of our lakes but help our economy throughout the province. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the Parliamentary Assistant. Ontarians in the communities who call the Great Lakes home have long called for leadership from previous governments to protect their Great Lakes and waterways. And I agree, Speaker, actions speak for themselves and many of my writing are eager to see the Government act on this issue, not only for the Great Lakes but for the communities surrounding them that thrive on them. Thank you for your attention, Speaker. It's our wetlands, our wastewater and our greenlands and more. They're all pieces of the puzzle if we plan to be a government committed to effective climate policy. So, Speaker, through the Parliamentary Assistant, what is this government's plan to protect our environment? Thank you, Speaker. We have many initiatives underway and more to come in the future. Initiatives such as the ones in my backyard of the Muscova Conservation and Management Initiative. We have new wetland conservation partner programs. We also have 50 million to help municipalities improve their wastewater and stormwater systems. We're also investing in the Canada-Ontario Great Lakes agreement and projects surrounding how to keep all of our Great Lakes very clean. But, Speaker, while we create all these economic opportunities around our lake, keep our lakes clean, unfortunately we have not their plan and took many years to develop their plan, but I am proud to stand with this government who's supporting our Great Lakes for now and future generations. Thank you. I recognize the member from York Southwest. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The preparation of the cannabis stores in my community of York Southwestern has been raising concerns from residents and local business owners. These shops are everywhere, including close to local schools. The NDB had called for a well-regulated cannabis distribution, including control through proven responsible hands of the LCBO. Why is it when it comes to communities and cannabis this government seems to have a hands-off Wild West approach? Thank you. I recognize the Attorney General. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'm very proud of being able to launch a brand-new entity, a brand-new system that protects our communities, that protects our children, and is battling the black market, Mr. Speaker. It is a responsible approach to a market-driven approach. It is different than what was being proposed when we were elected, Mr. Speaker. It's something that is going to let the market decide and at the same time protect our children, protect our communities, and make sure that we are combating that black market. And that is happening as we speak, Mr. Speaker. I'm very proud of our members so far. I have more to say in the supplementary. I will turn to the member from York Southwest for his supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question again is for the Premier. Residents in my community and business owners have told me they are losing the character of their neighbourhoods with cannabis shops seemingly everywhere. At the municipal level, business improvement areas and residents have little influence on the location of these cannabis operations. Will this government do the responsible action needed of granting municipalities a stronger voice in location and value of these cannabis shops? Thank you. I recognize the Attorney General. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to put this in context. This was a decision made by the federal Liberal government that we would have cannabis in this province. We were charged with the responsibility of doing it properly. We focused on three priorities. We want to make sure that our communities are safe. We want to make sure our children are safe. We want to make sure we are dealing with the black market. The minority-based government, like the Liberals, would have a different kind of answer. There answer is let's just add more red tape to things, and that will somehow solve the problem. We're laser focused on our communities, our children and the black market, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. I recognize the member for Scarborough-Gildwell. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. This week we heard the Premier say that one of three years delayed was to help people who are seeing their cost of living expenses rise. The Premier admits that the cost of living is going up for Ontarians, yet still leaves the most vulnerable among us out in the cold this winter. The FAO's Q1 expenditure monitoring outlined that $500 million was not spent on children and social services, and $469 million of it was the financial and employment supports including OW and ODSP. Speaker, will he reverse the cuts made to OW and ODSP for the most vulnerable Ontarians, or will the Premier try to reduce his deficit on the backs of the most vulnerable people in our province? Thank you. Recognize the parliamentary assistant. Thank you, Speaker. And to be clear, when our government took office, we raised ODSP and Ontario works rates. Now, of course, over the past year and a half, Speaker, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our government has been laser focused on supporting some of our most vulnerable. This has meant that we have invested more than $1 billion through the Social Services Relief Fund and expanded access to temporary emergency assistance for those in financial crisis. Emergency shelters, food banks, charities, non-profits and emergency services which needed more support have accessed this fund to help cope with growing demand and the extraordinary circumstances faced throughout the pandemic. Ontario works and ODSP clients continue to have access to the government's discretionary benefits program to assist with one time exceptional expenses related to COVID-19. And, Speaker, in the supplemental, I'll speak to our efforts to reform and revitalize these programs as well. And the member from February of Gildley. Speaker, back to the Premier. Here's what you actually did. In 2018, September, there was a planned increase of 3 percent to OW and ODSP. You cut that increase to 1.5 percent. Will you reverse your cuts to the most vulnerable people in this province, acknowledging, as you have said, that cost of living has increased? Speaker, my constituents have reached out to me and they are pleading for help. A woman gave us a call. She's been waiting 10 months after applying for ODSP and she says that she is afraid that she's going to lose her home. She is afraid that she will be forced to move into a shelter. During the pandemic, Ontario government has been appalling to people on OW and ODSP. A $1 to $200 one-time increase that they had to jump through hoops to get is not enough. Will you reverse your cuts to the ODSP adequacy in your fall economic policy? Return to the Parliamentary System for Community, Children and Social Services. Thank you, Speaker. You know, our government understands that Ontario Works and the ODSP program are critical to helping those who need it most. The system has been facing challenges for years after being neglected by the previous Liberal government and the COVID-19 pandemic has exasperated those challenges. That's why our government has taken action through our reform and revitalization initiative to work with our municipal partners, to work with our stakeholders in our communities and develop a shared vision for social assistance for the future. The focus of this vision is on the people we serve and how we can connect them to supports that respond to their unique needs and the barriers they face. This vision will ensure that frontline workers have more time to focus on connecting clients with supports like job readiness programs, housing, child care, skills training and mental health services. Thank you. We're going to continue this important. Thank you. Recognize the member from Perth, Wellington. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, my question is to the Solicitor General. I understand that next week is Crime Prevention Week 2021, an annual event held the first full week of November in partnership with the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. I know it is an opportunity to celebrate the successful partnerships Ontario's dedicated police have with local community organizations to prevent crime and strengthen community safety. Perth County is one of the safest places in Ontario thanks to the hard work of community leaders and our local police. Crime prevention is an integral part of what our police services do each and every day to protect us in our families. Speaker, through you to the minister, could she tell us about Crime Prevention Week 2021 and why it is important to Ontarians? Thank you. I recognize the Parliamentary Assistant to the Solicitor General. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the member from Perth, Wellington for that question. And I want to begin by acknowledging the sacrifices and bravery of our police services across Ontario. I was disturbed to hear just last week here in Toronto, shots were fired at a Toronto police station. Some commented at how little the media coverage there was on this event. And I believe that might be because as a society, we sometimes take for granted the bravery of our police services. I know that both sides of this House members have not forgotten the sacrifices made by our police officers. Mr. Speaker, I encourage everyone in Ontario not to take for granted the bravery and sacrifices that our officers keep our communities safe today, every day, and especially next week as we look ahead into Crime Prevention Week. Thank you. I recognize the member from Perth, Wellington for supplementary. Speaker, through you, I want to thank the member for that response. I know that Crime Prevention is an integral part of what our police services do each and every day to protect us and our families. We know that Crime Prevention and Community Safety does not rest solely on the shoulders of our police services. This year's Crime Prevention theme is safer communities, stronger Ontario, and it speaks to our shared responsibility. Can the Minister of the Solicitor General tell the House what investments our government has made in Perth, Wellington policing to ensure communities stay safe, like the ones I live in? Thank you. Thank you. I return to the Parliament for the Solicitor General. Well, thank you again for the member from Perth, Wellington for that question. Community safety is a top priority, not just for those who work and support the justice system, but to all Ontario families. We have been strengthening our justice system from top to bottom. Our innovations are guided by three goals. Keep communities safe, hold offenders accountable, and deliver justice to the people of Ontario. Speaker, as we head into Crime Prevention week, I am pleased to tell the member from and the people of Perth, Wellington that our government has invested over two million dollars since coming to office to ensure that Perth, Wellington remains one of the safest places to live in Ontario. Thank you. I recognize a member from Toronto, St. Paul's. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. The optometry job action has entered its third month and children, seniors and people with complex eye care needs in Toronto, St. Paul's, my community and across Ontario are suffering. I heard from a constituent whose child desperately needs a new prescription without it. She's suffering migraines, dizziness and comes home crying each day. At this point, she's willing to pay out of pocket for an appointment, but that's not an option here. This has left many with the last resort of leaving the province to receive this vital service. This is no longer solely a healthcare issue. It's an economic one as people leave the province, moving their money into other jurisdictions to boost their recovery without other options. My question is to the Premier. For a government that claims to speak dollars and cents, is this enough now for you to get a fair deal in the hands of optometrists and get them caring for their patients in need as we know they want to in Ontario? Thank you. Thank you. I recognize the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member from St. Paul's for the question. As I mentioned before, I myself suffer from migraines and I think it's terrible that this young lady is suffering from migraines and she should have an appointment. So I encourage her and her mother to reach out to the College of Optometrists. There are optometrists providing services in Ontario, and it is frankly a professional obligation of all optometrists to ensure that their patients do not suffer any harm or any deterioration in their condition or suffer at all, frankly. As I've said before, we're extremely disappointed that the optometrists have done this, have walked away from the negotiations. It's very difficult to negotiate if nobody is there at the table. They chose the mediator. They refuse to meet the mediators' conditions and they will not come back to the table. We have done everything possible to lay the groundwork for a deal with the optometrists. We have put up front payment of $39 million. We've offered 8.4% increase. We've offered ongoing negotiations. We are ready, willing and able to negotiate with the optometrists. I encourage them all to come back to the table now. Thank you. I retreat to the member from St. Paul's for a supplementary. Speaker, the government has known about these negotiations for over a year and decided to do nothing. Let's just put that on the table first. My question is back to the Premier. The government has said over and over that it is optometrists who are not coming to the table. Doug Derabi, the senior director of government relations with the Ontario Association of Optometrists, has confirmed that he has not heard from this Conservative government since August 29th almost two months ago. This was after the government presented a deal that could only be described as a joke after years of negotiating with this government and quite frankly the previous Liberals. A day of meetings through mediators and lawyers costs each side of approximately $15,000. While this government may be comfortable spending taxpayer money on poor, on fair negotiations, the OAL does not have these means. My question is to the Premier. When can the Ontario Association of Optometrists expect a fair, realistic deal that will get them back to their patients they so desperately want to see here in Ontario? Thank you very much Mr Speaker and thank you again to the member for the state polls for the question. Of course the mediator left the parties with a standing invitation to resume mediation at any time. All we're waiting for is for them to come back to the table. The ministry has accepted the mediators conditions. The ministry has communicated its continued willingness to return to mediation and the ministry is ready, willing and able to do just that. That's what we're there for. Since day one we've done nothing but tried to get to an agreement with the optometrists but they're playing using hardball tactics, frankly, using vulnerable patients as part of their negotiating strategy. I would encourage them to come back to the table. We are prepared to do everything possible through the chair including review the overhead costs which they say are an issue but we need to see answer so we need to get them back to the table. That's where a deal will be made. Thank you. I recognize the member from Cambridge. My question is for the Premier. On the question of whether workers should be losing their jobs for not taking a COVID-19 vaccine or for not wanting to disclose their status, this government has been on both sides of the issue seemingly on a weekly basis. Members of this government have previously said publicly and in this legislature that the government encourages employers in healthcare and other sectors to implement mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies for employment. Then the government voted against a private member's bill to stop people from losing their jobs. Then they flip flopped and followed my lead to vote against bill 12 which would have made such mandatory policies the law. My question then, will the government clarify are they in favor of employers firing employees as a result of implementing new mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policies yes or no? Thank you. I recognize the Minister of Labor. Well thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker during this entire pandemic the health and well-being of all of the people of Ontario has been our government's top priority. We're proud of the vaccination rates in this province. We're leading the world Mr. Speaker. This is great news. This means that businesses are going to stay open as we continue to battle this pandemic as long as we continue going in the right direction. But Mr. Speaker everything we've done is to ensure that the health and safety of everyone's protected that's why we move forward with robust inspection plans of workplaces. We put out more than 200 guidance documents to help businesses adapt when this pandemic hit and Mr. Speaker we're going to continue every single day ensuring the health and well-being of the people is protected and continue to grow our economy as we come out of this pandemic. Thank you. I remember returning the member from Cambridge for the supplementary. Well Speaker just this week the government seemingly changed its position again. After previously advocating for employers and healthcare to implement COVID-19 vaccination policies and terminate thousands who do not comply the government said mandatory COVID-19 vaccination would not be required for healthcare employees despite the flip-flop the government continues to allow employers and healthcare to fire thousands over this issue. And because of the government's fear-mongering for 18 months and continued use of emergency measures employers in every other industry are firing people as well. The Ministry of Labor has said there is a labor shortage. My question is if there is a labor shortage why does the government think it's okay if public sector and private sector employers fire Ontarians as a result of mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policies if such a policy is not required in healthcare. Thank you. I recognize the Minister of Labor. Well again Mr. Speaker we're going to continue protecting the health and well-being of all of the people of this province. We have come so far together Mr. Speaker employers government labor workers working together and that's why we're doing much better than most jurisdictions not only in Canada but around the world. So let's continue working together let's continue to encourage the people out there that haven't been vaccinated to get vaccinated that's why we're beating COVID-19 and we're going to continue to grow our economy create jobs fill those labor shortages and defeat COVID-19 once and for all. Thank you. I recognize a member from St. Catherine's. Thank you Speaker. My question is to the Premier. I met with Philomena Scarphone that recalls the protests by families with children who have autism during the previous Liberal government. She cannot believe it is worse now. Being forced to pay out of pocket for the therapy they could afford only four hours a week until they got funding. Unlike almost 50,000 children in Ontario Philomena was accepted to Ontario autism program. Her words night and day the difference the funding made with an additional eight hours a week of therapy but this government makes them wait for the second round with no timelines. 14 weeks she has been watching her son regress without therapy. Premier you blew up the existing program. When will your government fast and comprehensive need-based programs so families like Philomena can get the services they need right now? Thank you. I recognize a permanent assistant to the Minister of Community Children and Social Services. Thank you Speaker and I appreciate the member opposite raising Philomena's story. Of course our government wants to make sure that we are supporting all family with children with autism and to respond directly to her question on investment speaker our government is the government that has invested the most in the Ontario autism program in Ontario's history doubling the budget from 300 million dollars to 600 million dollars. We also brought together a group of experts family members folks with lived experience clinicians brought together to develop a community made a program designed by the community for the community. Speaker we're incredibly proud of the work of our Ontario autism panel and we're hard at work implementing that new program. We have foundational services that are now offered to families with children with autism. We have early years caregiver mediated services offered to families with children with autism. We have 600 kids moved into new core services. Thank you. Lots of work that has been done so far. You know as a member from St. Patrick's for the supplementary. Thank you Speaker. I'd like to see this government invest in the 50,000 children that have autism that have been waiting for them. Tammy Petal is another Niagara mother that has been sitting for months waiting for a response for the second round of the one time funding since since like the past liberal government you have not removed age caps. Tammy is worried his son will age out of the program before she gets the next round of funding. Families of children with autism are more worried than ever after the government admitted they wouldn't have a fully functioning Ontario autism program until 2022. People in Niagara are tired of hearing election promises to fix problems in 2024 or cynical policy reversals for a full grab while we sit have big gaps for families in Ontario today. Premier will you fix this program and finally be transparent on wait lists and timelines for families like Tammy's. Thank you. I return to the Parliamentary System for the Minister of Community Children and Social Services. Thank you Speaker. And as I mentioned previously our government is hard at work implementing this program designed by the community for the community with a record $600 million budget. Speaker when we talk about wait lists when we look at the previous government the financial accountability officer found that between 2012 and 2018 the autism services wait list grew by a staggering 47.8% each year. Wow. Under the previous government that wait list was stagnated the program was underfunded and Member of Helmand will come to order please. Any supports. Now under this government the program is much better funded $600 million. We have a new program that is being rolled out as we speak and folks on the wait list are finally receiving support. Over 39,000 answers. Member of Helmand will come to order please. Any other time in Ontario's history. Speaker there is a lot of work yet to be done. I will be the first to acknowledge this but we are hard at work implementing this program. Thank you. I recognize the member for the end. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker yesterday the premier announced that the government won't require hospital workers to get vaccinated. Now many hospitals have already taken upon themselves to require this of their employees and why because it's very reasonable to expect that healthcare workers are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. At the Ottawa Hospital at the Ottawa Hospital Mr. Speaker they have a vaccination rate of over 9%. At the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario the rate is 99.7%. And at UHN here in Toronto Mr. Speaker the vaccination rate is 98%. The largest hospitals in the province have proven that vaccination requirements can work. Now a few weeks ago Nick Cavullis the premier's right-hand man attacked hospitals saying that their CEOs are only playing politics instead of trying to protect their staff and their patients. So does the premier agree that the presidents of UHN and the Ottawa Hospital are playing politics. Is this the reason he won't mandate vaccines for healthcare workers. Thank you. I recognize the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question. Mr. Speaker as you know we've had one of the most successful vaccination campaigns here in in Canada in in the world frankly with over 88% of people with one dose and 84.7 of people with two doses and to date instances of COVID-19 transmissions as I've said before in acute care have been extremely rare. So we value the input that we received from hospital and health system partners and we fully support the decisions that many hospitals have made to implement vaccine policies based on their local circumstances. But as we've seen in other jurisdictions a system wide mandate is not the right approach at this time. We've heard from multiple CEOs as well as numerous organizations around the province who have described strong concern about mandatory vaccination policies in hospitals particularly in northern remote and rural areas where hospitals have more extenuating circumstances and need their healthcare workers. So we want to do what's right for all Ontarians. Allow hospital make flexible decisions. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My supplemental is also for the Premier. 85% of hospital hospitals responded saying that they would support a vaccine mandate Mr. Speaker. Now the Premier has said that tens of thousands of healthcare workers would lose their jobs with a healthcare vaccine mandate. When asked the Minister of Health had no backup to this statement. Now hospitals already require proof of vaccination or immunity for 17 conditions including measles, rubella, varicella and tuberculosis. And to my knowledge this has never caused a shortfall in staffing. Now this isn't the first time that the Premier has said one thing and the healthcare officials has said the other leaving the Minister of Health to hold the bag. So will the Minister provide to this legislature and to the people of Ontario the proof that 10,000 healthcare workers will lose their jobs. Thank you. Can I address the Minister of Health. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thank you again to the member opposite for the question. Just this week we have seen the unintended consequences of province wide vaccine mandates across provinces like BC and Alberta for their healthcare workers. Yesterday afternoon Quebec announced that they'll be pausing mandatory vaccine policies due to the impact it's having on providing critical services to patients. British Columbia is postponing surgeries and procedures due to staffing shortages. Ontario is a very large province and we think that the flexible approach is the right way to go. A mandatory vaccine policy for healthcare workers would exacerbate already existing challenges in rural northern and remote hospitals and any further departures at those hospitals would have significant negative impacts and we had several CEOs from hospitals writing letters to that effect. They said that this would cause them to lose and have to close entire departments for example because they have one person there who has specialized nursing. One size does not fit all is another thing that they suggested. We know that they're in a fragile state. They need to have those healthcare workers working. We're leaving it up to the hospital who know best. Here are my questions for the Premier. Breanne from Sudbury has multiple mental health diagnosis. She relies on her service dog Felix to function as an individual and to remain self-sufficient. Breanne receives about $1,100 a month from ODSP and that barely covers her rent and her bills. Obviously the ODSP guide dog benefit of $84 a month would really help her. However, Breanne has been repeatedly denied because ODSP requires recipients to prove that their dog is trained in an accredited training facility. Interestingly speaking, according to the Accessibility Frontarians with Disabilities Act an animal is a service animal. If the animal can be readily identified as one is being used by a person for reasons related to the person's disability including where the animal is confirmed as such by a letter from a qualified regulated health professional. And so Breanne provided a doctorate for ODSP and continues to be denied. If the government cares so much about cutting red tape, will it take the well-being of Ontarians like Breanne seriously and remove the overly strict rules for accessing the guide dog benefit? Thank you. I recognize the Parliamentary Assistance of the Minister of Community, Children and Social Services. Thank you so much Speaker and I appreciate the question from the member opposite and for raising Breanne's situation. I'm eager to learn more about the guide dog program and ODSP and would be pleased to speak to the member afterwards about Breanne's case and see if something can be done. In the meantime, Speaker, what I can say is that our government is committed to ensuring that we go forward with the renewal and revitalization of the Ontario Works and ODSP program. We're hard at work consulting with our municipal partners, with stakeholders, and with many people in the community about how we can improve these systems. And Speaker, we also look forward to the federal government fulfilling their campaign commitment to create the Canada Disability Benefit to increase the level of supports for those receiving the Ontario Disability Support Program funding to more closely align with the Canadian recovery benefit levels. Thank you. Thank you. I refer to the member from Sudbury for a supplementary. Thank you Speaker. It would cost thousands of dollars to get Felix the accreditation that would make the $84 ODSP guide dog benefit available. And frankly, that's impossible because people on ODSP like Breanne, they don't even have an extra $10 little in thousands. What's worse, Speaker, is when Breanne contacted the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, she was met with rudeness and a wholesale dismissal of Felix's vital role in helping her live in dignity with her disabilities. As a reminder, Breanne relies on Felix to remain self-sufficient. He assists her with medication reminders, medication retrieval, behavior interruption, anxiety alerts, dizziness alerts, alerts to sit down and reminders to eat. Felix is Breanne's lifeline speaker. When will this government acknowledge Breanne's humanity by apologizing for the old treatment of Breanne and removing the overly strict rules for accessing the guide dog benefit? Thank you. I return to the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Community, Children and Social Services. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. And again, I appreciate the member opposite raising Breanne's case. It's an important case and one with the which I'm sure all of us in this chamber want to make sure folks like Breanne work they need. Again, Speaker, this is part of the reason why our government is undertaking efforts to reform and revitalize our Ontario Works and ODSP programs after years of neglect under the previous government. We are conducting consultations as we speak with multiple partners, including our municipalities and others in the social assistance sphere. And our new vision is going to really focus on the people we serve and how to best connect them with the supports that respond to their unique needs, Speaker, because we know that there are multiple unique needs within folks who are accessing these supports. So we're going to continue to move forward with these consultations and we're going to work hard to make sure that these programs are there for those that need it most. Thank you. That concludes the time for question period for today.