 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Thank you so much, Speaker. Speaker, my first question this morning is to the Premier. The Premier is rewarding the worst people that have provided services in long-term care over these last number of years, the worst players in the long-term care system. These companies make profits off of the suffering of our seniors. They're being handed 30-year contracts and literally billions in public dollars that line the pockets of for-profit corporations. New contracts, Speaker, are an egregious situation. These companies failed to provide the basics that our seniors deserved in long-term care. They're being rewarded for that bad behavior, which is not only extremely problematic, but it's a knife in the heart to all of those family members who lost a loved one to COVID-19 in long-term care. So my question is, why does this Premier think it's okay to reward the very companies that neglected Ontario senior citizens in for-profit, rather private long-term care homes? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, what we are doing is continuing the build-out of more long-term care beds across the province, Mr. Speaker. We knew when we came to office that this would be a priority for the people of the province of Ontario. I've said it on a number of occasions, and as has the Premier, the inability of the previous Liberal government to invest in this sector is certainly what caused some of the problems that we saw at the onset of the pandemic, Mr. Speaker. We brought in a number of different initiatives. Not only it's not only about building new long-term care in the province of Ontario, it's about adding care. Mr. Speaker, we are going to a North American leading four hours of care daily. Mr. Speaker, we are hiring 27,000 additional PSWs. We're paying for the education of PSWs. So we know that there's a lot of work that needs to be done. Mr. Speaker, we're increasing inspections across the sector. Nothing changes from the fact that we need to get new beds in the system, Mr. Speaker, and we are doing that over the next number of years. Supplementary question. We saw this government's priorities. The first thing they did when they came into office was cut the inspections and reduce funding to long-term care. That was their priority, Speaker. And as a result, we saw what happened. A broken system under the Liberals was made much worse by this government, and literally, people suffered unspeakable situations. People lost their lives because of this government's lack of the right priorities. The Premier is literally handing over to Orchard Villa, one of the very worst actors in this whole nightmare, 733 new beds and over 1,000 redeveloped beds. That's the reward that Orchard Villa is getting from this government after the armed forces went in there and unveiled the nightmare that was happening where 70 people lost their lives. That home did not face one single penalty. They were one of the worst. The government's own inspectors, and I quote, said this, basic care including bathing, showering, oral hygiene, nail care, assistance with eating and drinking and fall prevention monitoring was not doing, was not being done. Why is this Premier rewarding his buddies in for-profit long-term care instead of protecting our seniors? Again, Mr. Speaker, just the opposite. What we're doing is building out, as the member highlights in her question, thousands of new spaces across the province of Ontario. We have had a problem even before this government was elected, but we decided prior to the election that we were going to focus on long-term care in the province of Ontario. That is why we initiated the rebuild and the construction of 30,000 new beds, Mr. Speaker. There is still more work to be done. That's why we're hiring 27,000 new PSWs. I know earlier today the minister announced the hiring of hundreds of new inspectors to ensure that these new beds that we're bringing online with the new inspections that are happening, with the 30,000 new placements, the 27,000 new PSWs, with over 3,000 new nurses that are being brought into the system that we have one of the most robust systems of long-term care. Mr. Speaker, four hours of care. These are massive investments that are being made. Should have been done decades ago. I acknowledge that, Mr. Speaker, but this government is getting it done. And the final supplement. Oh, they're getting it done, all right, Speaker. They're literally pumping billions of dollars into a broken long-term care system that is giving the worst-performing providers of long-term care, these for-profit corporations, even more public money. We already have in this province 57% of our long-term care beds are operated by private sector players, the highest in Canada. And this government's decision after the debacle, after the horrors that happened through COVID-19, are going to bump that up to then 60% with these announced investment speakers. CTV reported this just yesterday, and I quote at Orchard Villa, an inspection report from July. July 2021, just a couple of months ago, notes the licensee failed to ensure the staff followed the homes' infection, prevention and control practices just a couple of months ago. The FAO said that in 2021 the government is spending more than $6 billion of our public health care money to line the pockets of their for-profit buddies in for-profit, private long-term care homes. Why would the government pour billions of dollars into the same people that caused such tragedy throughout our province during COVID-19? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, what we're doing is pouring billions of dollars into the long-term care system, investments that should have been made by the previous liberal government. Mr. Speaker, they weren't. They should have been forced upon them by the previous NDP who, as opposed, waited for stretch goals and insurance. So what we're doing, again, I'll be very clear, Mr. Speaker, we are investing to bring on 30,000 new spaces. We are investing to ensure that there's four hours of care. That is a North American-leading level of care. We are bringing on hundreds of new inspectors into the system, Mr. Speaker. The Minister of Health has been transitioning to Ontario health teams, so that we can have better infection prevention and control measures, Mr. Speaker. But the member is correct. The member is correct. For far too long, the investments weren't made in long-term care, which led to homes that were not up to the standards that we expect, standards that we are putting in place, standards that we moved on very quickly after being elected in 2018. And we are going to rebuild homes. We're going to invest in new homes. We're going to invest in care. We're going to invest in the PSWs to manage that care, Mr. Speaker, and have the most robust system inspections in Canada. Thank you. The next question. Once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Mr. Speaker, my next question is also for the Premier, but we know exactly, everybody knows exactly what they're doing. They're handing more money over to their friends in private, for-profit long-term care, into a broken system. They're expanding basically, Speaker, a broken system. But my next question is about the advice that the Premier has been getting from the science table, which is very, very clear. They say mandatory vaccines for healthcare workers just make sense. That it makes sense to have a mandate for vaccines for healthcare workers in our province. Let me remind the Premier that this is exactly what the science table said, and I quote, requiring that healthcare workers be vaccinated against certain communicable diseases is evidence-based and protects the public. So my question to the Premier is, when will he say yes? When will he say yes and bring in mandatory vaccines for frontline healthcare and education workers in our province? The Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you very much, Speaker. And I think it's really important to notice because this is not a simple issue. There are a variety of views being expressed by the science advisory table and also by the many groups that the Premier wrote to to receive their information, CEOs of hospitals, other health groups, to understand what the results would be if a mandatory vaccination policy were to be brought in. There is a concern that health human resources, which are already strained, our frontline healthcare workers are doing an amazing job and have for the last 20 months, but they are exhausted. Some of them are leaving for other reasons. Some of them may leave because they don't want to be vaccinated. We need to have that information. We are receiving the responses from all of those various groups, and we will put that all together, analyze it, and then make a determination on what needs to be done. And the supplementary. Speaker, it's really hard to understand why this Premier never just says yes to science. The hospital association also weighed in about a week ago, and they said exactly the same thing, Speaker. I don't know why the Premier hasn't seen their letter. Maybe it's still on his desk. Julia Hennigsberg, the president of Haaland Bloorview Hospital for Kids Rehabilitation, says this, and I quote, a universal vaccination policy across the healthcare sector is the safest approach for our patients and our teams and contrary to what the Minister of Health just said. The science table said, a quote, a requirement can enhance safety and reduce the risk of staffing disruptions due to COVID-19. So now I guess the Health Minister is not listening to science either. The healthcare experts, the Premier, asked for feedback, have given their feedback, Speaker, when will he listen and bring mandatory vaccines to all of our healthcare settings. Minister of Health. Thank you. Well, our government has been listening to science and clinical evidence since the beginning of this pandemic, and we will continue to do so. We listen to what the science advisory table has to say. We listen to our Chief Medical Officer of Health and all of the people that are advising him. We're listening to the CEOs of hospitals. We're listening to everyone. We want to understand what the ramifications of a mandatory vaccination policy would be. We know that if there's someone unvaccinated, it can affect other workers or other people in hospitals. But we also know that if they are, if there is a requirement for vaccination, some people will leave. We need to know how many will leave because we need to make sure that all Ontarians who are in hospital will receive the care that they require. So this isn't just a simple yes, no, do it. We need to understand what the ramifications will be and we're analyzing that now. And a supplementary. Well, Speaker, this is not the first time that a lot of people have been vaccinated in the past year and this government have decided to ignore science or to pay lip service to science while they're trying to appease their anti-vaxxer base. At the end of the day, Speaker, the evidence is in. The experts have spoken. In fact, the worry is that if people take COVID-19 as unvaccinated folks into hospitals as workers, they could spread it to their coworkers. If they think that their coworkers might be unvaccinated, there's risk that patients will become infected with COVID-19 and outbreaks can occur with our most vulnerable. Everybody is saying the same thing except this government. When will they finally listen to science, finally do the right thing and make sure we have a vaccine mandate to protect our workers, to protect our patients, to protect our families throughout our health care system. Mr. Bell. Well, it's very clear, Speaker, that our government has taken every step possible to encourage everyone who is able to receive the vaccine to do so. We've asked that we've made it easy for people to go and receive the vaccine. It's available in many locations. We now have GoVax buses going to where people are and not expecting them necessarily to come to where the centers are. We want people to be vaccinated because the majority of health care workers have already done that. But there are still some for a variety of reasons that are not choosing to be vaccinated. We need to understand how many there are because we need to make sure that our hospitals will be able to operate. Not only for all of our patients, we now have received nine patients from Saskatchewan as well who are in very difficult circumstances. We need to make sure that we have the health human resources that we need in place to be able to care for people. And it's also important to know that people who are not vaccinated are still tested very regularly to make sure that they do not have COVID. So we are protecting the health and well-being of all Ontarians. Next question, the member for Gavin. Mr. Speaker, good morning. This question is for the Premier. Speaker, last week the Northwest Catholic District School Board voted unanimously to call on the province to mandate vaccination for all education workers. They followed boards like the Toronto District School Board, Ottawa Carlton and Superior North Catholic who have all taken matters into their own hands in the absence of leadership from this government. It has meant that families are left with a patchwork of vaccine policies in our schools, one that is leaving students with more or less protection just depending on where they live in this province. Speaker, does the Premier think it's acceptable for unvaccinated school staff to work with our children who can't yet benefit from the protection of vaccines? The Minister of Education. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to Member Opposite for the question. We're proud in this province to have literally one of the highest rates of immunization for youth in the country. We're also proud to have one of the lowest case rates for young people in Canada, and that's because we follow the best medical expertise of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. That is not a coincidence. It's because we put in a layered approach that is coupled with high immunization rates. With respect to our schools, we're very proud, Speaker, to have invested in their ventilation and leading requests and recommendations on the science table. Every school has improved their ventilation from mechanically ventilated as well as the deployment of 70,000 happy units. Speaker, the logic of the Member Opposite to require that mandate would mean that we would potentially be terminating 50,000 workers in the education space. That's the position of the new Democrats to fire pink slips to tens of thousands of hardworking educated at a time when we are already challenged by staffing in the province of Ontario. I think we have to be coupled by realism, ensure that any staff member that enters our school has a double test, a negative antigen test to ensure they are safe, to ensure our schools could be staffed, and these kids could continue to go to school every day. Thank you. It boggles the mind, Speaker, why this government will not take this action, that parents across this province, that boards across this province are demanding. Speaker, the news that Health Canada is finally reviewing vaccine applications for the 5 to 11 year old age group is a huge relief to parents, especially considering that we surpassed 4,000 cumulative school cases last week. But given the province-wide scavenger hunt, a scavenger hunt that we saw with earlier phases, Ontarians are rightly worried about how they are going to get their kids vaccinated. This government has ruled out a pre-registration system like the one that BC created, and public health units, again, are being left to pick up the slack, or we're going to be left with this disjointed patchwork of plans. Speaker, why can't this government be proactive for once? Question? And deliver a plan that will ensure a smooth rollout of vaccines for 5 to 11 year olds? And to apply the Minister of Health. Well, thank you for the question. We have been very successful for adults. We have one of the highest levels of vaccination in the world right now. We are over 87.9% of first doses and 83.9% of second doses. This has been successful. It has been successful in reducing hospitalizations. We currently today have 269 cases of COVID in Ontario and 38 in intensive care. That includes the nine from Saskatchewan. So we are working on vaccinating children ages 5 to 11. We are in regular contact with the federal government as to when they expect that Health Canada will be able to complete the review and allow for it to proceed. I will have more to say in my supplemental about exactly what we're doing with respect to that age group. The next question, the member for Whitney. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the minister of long-term care. After years of neglect where the previous government only built 611 new beds from 2011 to 2018, the wait list for long-term care grew to over 40,000 people. Now, while I've heard the minister talk about our government's progress in building 30,000 new long-term care beds in Ontario, we know that we need innovative solutions to dealing with the wait list. Speaker, last Friday I joined the minister in my riding of Whitby to announce an investment of $82.5 million to expand the community paramedicine for long-term care program to an additional 22 communities. Speaker, can the minister of long-term care please explain what this investment means for seniors on the long-term care wait list? Minister of long-term care. Thank the member for Whitby for his question and the great work he does representing his constituents. The community medicine program for long-term care leverages the skills of our paramedics who do such great work in our communities focusing on supporting those who are waiting for a place in long-term care homes. We have a plan to build 30,000 long-term care beds 220 projects underway but the additional $82.5 million that we announced last week expands the community paramedicine program to cover all of Ontario. All seniors waiting for a long-term care bed can now get the support of community paramedicine. That brings our total investment to $250 million for long-term care beds. We have a plan to build 30,000 long-term care beds to $250 million serving all communities across Ontario with this vital support. Thank you. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Minister of Long-term Care for that response. I'm glad to hear the proactive steps that are being taken to provide quality care to seniors in my writing and across Ontario. Speaker, seniors in my community have a safe option to receive quality healthcare without having to go to the hospital while they wait for a long-term care bed. So, Speaker, after seeing the stagnancy and neglect of previous governments, how can residents be sure our government will improve the healthcare outcomes for seniors here in the province of Ontario? Thank you. So, Mr. Speaker, that 250 million province-wide amounts to $7.5 million to support our seniors through the community paramedicine program. Mr. Speaker, what that means is access to 24-7 support for our seniors. And I should say that that is in coordination with our vital home care services, bridging this situation for seniors who don't have access right now to a bed as we build them. It means home visits. It means testing, ongoing monitoring. And, Mr. Speaker, as the paramedics pointed out to me, it means a reduction in 9-1-1 calls because of the support that's being provided very directly to these seniors. So, it helps support our seniors. It also helps support our hospital system and in doing that, supports our communities. Thank you. The next question, the member for Niagara Center. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Ontario's domestic grape industry has defined tourism industry attracts 2.4 million tourists and generates a tourism-related impact of $847 million annually. Growers have invested in research and technology to mitigate the risks of climate change. However, this year, our Niagara and Ontario grape growers are facing a harvest that is challenging at best and devastating to some. The weather conditions this fall are making it difficult to harvest the crop. Grapes are perishable and picked at maturity and cannot be stored. Coupled with the difficult weather conditions, our Ontario grown grapes are rotting in the field because they are competing with imports. This is a time when world supply chain issues and shortages are making headlines. But, Speaker, local grapes don't get stuck on cargo ships. Will this government stand up today and ensure that local growers aren't left behind while importers get a place on a shelf? Thank you. Mr. Speaker, I probably wouldn't surprise the Honourable Gentleman that I, too, want to make sure that there is always a good grape harvest in the province of Ontario. Maybe it's an opportune time to give a shout out to my relatives who are actually in the process of making their own wine this year, but that's not to diminish the importance of this sector to the province of Ontario, especially in the Honourable Gentleman's region. Of course the tourism sector has been very, very hard hit and we have put in a number of significant investments into the sector to make sure that they can come out of this more robust than they went into it before. I will take the Honourable Member's comments and I will be able to advise him a little bit later on. I apologize that I can't give him the appropriate answer that he's looking for specifically to that industry, but I will recognize how important it is that I endeavor to get back to the Honourable Gentleman at the conclusion of the question. Thank you. We need the Government of Ontario to stand up for locally grown grapes and the wine that is made from 100% Ontario grown grapes. We need Ontario grown to be first on the label and in the bottle and no grapes should be left on the ground. Growers have a collective legacy of investment of an estimated $647 million in 18,000 acres of land and vineyards. It costs about $40,000 an acre to establish a vineyard and takes four years from planting to mature production. It is a long-term investment in our land base with most of the vineyards located in Ontario's specialty crop areas of the protected green belt. This Government has said Made in Ontario is one of the pillars of the COVID-19 recovery strategy, but what will it do to make sure Ontario grapes get into a bottle of wine that is grown in Ontario and on the shelf of the provincially run liquor control board today and into the future? How long do growers and wineries have to wait to see action? Again, the Government has said Again, Mr. Speaker, look, I will agree with the honourable gentleman that this is an incredibly important industry to the province of Ontario and incredibly important to his region. I would agree that our great growers are some of the finest in North America and that our wines as a result of the fine is we have made a lot of progress with respect to opening up our markets here locally to expanding the availability of beer, wine and spirits across the province of Ontario. Something that the members opposite, of course, have voted against every single time, Mr. Speaker. So it is surprising, but I guess I'm somewhat grateful the honourable member is now shifting the NDP. Look, earlier we had them speak towards support for the oil and gas sector. Thanks to the great work for the member of Sarnia-Lampton. And now we're here and finally support for our local industries such as our great growers. So I thank the honourable gentleman. More has to be done and we'll make sure that it gets done so that it remains a vibrant industry. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for SimpleGrate. Thank you. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health. Speaker, last week the CEO of Royal Victoria Hospital launched a new South Campus to be built on a Greenfield site in Innisville Township. The planned facility is to first serve as a health hub focusing on outpatient care and then eventually expand to become a full-serviced hospital. Speaker, while this is exciting news for South Simcoe, it has many of my constituents asking how it will impact the timing of the redevelopment of Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Alliston. Stevenson received stage 2 planning money 16 months ago but has heard nothing since. Speaker, can the Minister tell my constituents when Stevenson Memorial can expect to move forward with the next stage of its much-anticipated and desperately needed redevelopment? Minister of Health. Well, thank you Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question as well as for your tremendous advocacy on behalf of the cystic fibrosis community that played a major part in the approval of the campus. Thank you for that. It is true we have received a submission from the Royal Victoria Hospital for a new South Campus but nothing has been decided yet. We're just in the preliminary review of their application but as you know having been in this position before we received numerous capital requests for hospital projects and we are working through a number of them now including the one from the Stevenson Memorial which was announced in our 2019-2020 budget. We are continuing to engage with the hospital to advance planning for the first phase of the hospitals redevelopment project which is a major. This is an important project and we are taking the time working with the hospital to make sure that it serves the purposes that the community needs. A supplementary question. Thank you back to the minister. Speaker as I was pleased to inform the house earlier this morning the minister of health visited the calling with general marine hospital in August while there she announced a $15 million investment to fund the next stage of planning for the hospitals future and I sincerely thank the minister and the government for fulfilling that promise to come to calling with but speaker the second part of the year has been that she will also tour Stevenson Memorial Hospital in the south end of my writing. This commitment is just as important to my constituents and will allow the government to see first hand the desperate and I mean desperate need for Stevenson's redevelopment speaker can the minister tell my constituents when she plans to come to Allison and tour Stevenson Memorial Hospital and I hope she will and will she be bearing good news when she comes. Thank you. Minister of health. Well I can't commit to the latter part of your question however I know that the Stevenson Memorial project redevelopment is major leading to 89,000 square feet and new bed capacity so it is significant I know for the constituents in your writing and we want to make sure as I said before that we take the necessary steps to get it in the right space in the right place for all of the residents and while I can't commit to a specific time for a visit I would certainly be happy to come and tour the hospital when time permits but unfortunately I can't advise with respect to any announcements at this point but I certainly will attend if I'm able to and thank you for the invitation. Thank you. Next we have the member for Flamborough Glambrough. Thank you Mr. Speaker Good morning. My question is for the Minister of Labor Training and Skills Development. Mr. Speaker the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated a great shift in how we work. Today in Ontario almost 30% of people aged 15 to 69 currently work from home while some constituents in my writing of Flamborough Glambrough have enjoyed the flexibility that this offers they also worry about their days getting longer while time with their family is getting shorter and shorter. Mr. Speaker will the Minister please share with the members of this House how the Working for Workers Act will help hardworking parents who feel burnt out. Mr. Labor Training and Skills Development Great well thank you very much Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member from Flamborough Glambrough for that very important question. The future of work is here and our jobs have all changed dramatically. This is why our government is taking action to ensure these changes are working for workers. Yesterday I was proud to rise in this legislature and introduce the Working for Workers Act. People are more than their jobs. There are mums and dads, community volunteers members of faith communities and so much more. Our legislation makes it crystal clear when you're off the clock you're off the clock. We're standing especially after the last 19 months our workers need a break. Thank you Minister for that response and Mr. Speaker we have seen a disturbing trend on the rise with more big corporations using non-compete agreements to hold workers back and stifle our homegrown talent. And recently I read that tech salaries in Toronto are only about 65% of the average U.S. tech salary. And I believe there is absolutely no reason for workers here in Ontario to be vastly underpaid compared to their American counterparts. Can the Minister share how our government is tackling this trend and freeing workers to advance their careers? Thank you again to the member for that. A speaker working for Workers Act will ban non-compete agreements. We are in an injustice and they have no place in Ontario. Banning these agreements will also help us attract top talent to strengthen our economy. And Mr. Speaker I'm pleased to say that we received the support this morning of 1,600 tech companies mostly small in medium size supporting this initiative. Mr. Speaker we're also leveling the playing field to help grow the innovative ideas that are being developed here in Ontario. Speaker Ontario is a province of opportunity where hard work pays off and big dreams come to life. Our government has a plan to build the future of our great province and we're taking the side of workers. Thank you the next question the member for Algoma Manitoulin. Thank you Speaker my question is to the premier drive test is currently facing a backlog of three months ends to book an appointment with the provincial order extending G1s and G2 licenses set to expire in a few months Ontarians are scrambling to book an appointment only to find that there are none available for many driving is how we get to things like groceries school to work to doctor appointments this is especially true for those living in rural Ontario this backlog is clearly not sustainable it will further hinder Ontario's economic recovery and it increasingly add stress on hard working Ontario families will the premier tell the people of Ontario what the government is doing to address the growing backlog in drive tests across Ontario the associate minister of transportation thank you very much Speaker and I appreciate the question from the member this is an important issue and drive test backlogs are something that people are suffering from I can relate to their frustration throughout this pandemic a very difficult time and that's why we're attacking the problem at a source from the beginning in June of course we did announce a $16 million plan with 251 additional drivers but the member asks specifically about the north and I'm happy to say that providing services on a part-time basis in northern communities that make up 43% of the drive test network and under this new plan to help address the backlog in the north every drive test location in northern Ontario will receive at least one additional drive examiner this is expected to increase testing capacity in the region by approximately 150% I appreciate the member's concern we have to address this backlog we're going to make sure we get that done in northern Ontario thank you again to the premier backlog for drivers tests were an issue in the north before COVID-19 now the number of people waiting to get tests has reached a crisis level in the north despite this the government has not opened a single new testing location in northern Ontario this is affecting residents in my writing like Charlie Wardell who is struggling to book a G test before his license expires and he is forced to start the process over again or Norm Lacroix a bus dealership owner who needs new bus drivers in Chaplot tests are backed up to the point where they cannot book an appointment until December of 2022 others 2024 a member for Sudray said recently the north is where we use highways to get to work not subways this backlog is causing major disruptions to everyday life in the north will the premier commit to opening more drive test locations in northern Ontario to ensure no one loses their license because they cannot book a test any associate minister thank you speaker and I'm glad the member referenced the question from the member from Sudray last week because he's right the north has unique challenges and to Charlie and Nord coming out of this very difficult 19 months we understand the frustration of trying to get through these backlogs because the north relies on these types of programs to be able to out there to live their daily lives and that's why specifically to the north we have allocated additional resources to keep one additional drive tester speaker this is also part of a bigger plan to go after the highest volume areas where these backlogs are being created speaker we are going to address this problem and I appreciate Charlie and Nord are going through a very difficult time so I will say directly to them once we're through this backlog you will find that we will return to the normal status of life and keep the northern locations in Dryden so that we can get around to access to get those drive tests done and get back onto the road the next question member for Scarborough Gildwood my question is to the premier when you sent thousands of students back to packed classrooms this fall you claimed that schools had what they needed to keep our children safe we were led to believe that the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic would not be the same as the waves that came before that the government had learned from the mistakes and that parents could expect learning gaps in their children's education to shrink not expand the reality however is alarming in my riding of Scarborough Gildwood parents and teachers are telling me that conditions have not improved schools do not have portable air filters but the other COVID measures that we know work to limit the spread of COVID-19 are absent the latest school in my riding today is a COVID outbreak that's five schools now in my riding that have had to deal with an outbreak and many people fear that there will be more as infection rates in schools is nearly one in four of COVID cases speaker last wave the minister of health prioritized vaccine hotspots during the early stages of our vaccination program will the minister do the same for vaccinations for our children so that they can get the vaccine as soon as it is approved thank you very much speaker and thank you to the member for the question we are working to protect all children in school we already have the vaccinations for students age 12 to 17 but for those in elementary school we're waiting for the results from health Canada for approval of the use of the vaccine for children ages 5 to 11 we are already putting a plan in place we are not waiting we will be ready to go as soon as this has been approved by health Canada we've already been in touch with the chief medical offices of health and the 34 Ontario regions we have their plans the plans differ according to the various units depending on what's available but we are reviewing their plans right now and making sure that in all 34 those regions they will be ready to go as soon as the vaccine is approved and the supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker Ontarians have sacrificed a lot in this pandemic especially in hot spot communities in my riding of Scarborough Guildwood we've done our part to get people vaccinated and to follow recommendations and guidelines in hopes that 2022 will not look like 2019 and 2020 and the sacrifices will not end until the remaining percentage of the unvaccinated gets even smaller a significant portion of this unvaccinated group as you know are those who are not eligible presently our children under age 12 and this group will be soon eligible based on the fact that health Canada is now reviewing the one approved vaccine for that age group the federal government has preordered 2.9 million doses minister you say you have a plan and I'm wondering if you will share that plan today with this legislature on what you will be doing to make sure that the unvaccinated under 12 are done as quickly as possible and that there is equity built into that so that hot spot communities where the virus continues to spread receives prioritization and that you coordinate with school boards so that clinics are thank you Mr. Hill much in fact there are 34 different plans because there are 34 public health unit regions within Ontario they vary depending what resources are available within their units but we are working with them directly right now schools as you indicated are likely to be a major place where the vaccinations will occur not necessarily within school hours because most parents of children of that age would like to be with their child when they receive the vaccine but in evenings and weekends that's likely to be a major location some will be done in primary care as well but there is a plan it is being finalized right now so that soon as the Health Canada advises that it's all right to move forward we will be getting those vaccines out to the local public health units and start that right away based on the success of our adult vaccination program people can rest assured that we will have bring the same rigor to the vaccination of children as well thank you the next section is the member for Carlton thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Education when our government came to power in 2018 we immediately began cleaning up the mess left by the previous government over 15 years we saw education neglected as schools closed all over our province and with the COVID-19 pandemic the delivery of education in Ontario and across the globe has been severely impacted school boards, educators students and their families in my riding of Carlton have demonstrated resiliency and flexibility in responding to changes in their learning environments and have come a long way in embracing new ways of teaching learning and connecting through you Mr. Speaker can the Minister of Education tell us how our government plans to right the wrongs of the previous government and ensure that there are enough schools to meet the needs of Ontarians to apply the Minister of Education well thank you very much Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member of Carlton for being a strong advocate for her families for delivering new schools for the next generation of residents in the Ottawa region Mr. Speaker our government of the premier's leadership is absolutely committed to rebuilding schools after a decade of darkness in the former Liberal government where 600 schools closed where the repair backlog increased by over 15 billion dollars Mr. Speaker that is unacceptable we know we can do better our kids deserve better which is why our government is allocated over half a billion dollars each and every year to rebuild schools to build new schools modern accessible technologically connected for all children in the province in fact speak of the draw over 150 projects they've been approved by this Progressive Conservative Government there's over 300 schools and child care projects that are currently underway under construction and I'm proud to highlight two Speaker the first is in Etobicoke for the Bishop Island Academy there are two members from Etobicoke who have helped deliver a brand new Catholic high school for families in that community and likewise in Halton the new North Ultral Catholic Elementary School that will help support children in growing communities right across this province thank you Mr. Speaker and through you this is excellent news I'm really glad to learn that new schools are coming for these communities especially after the previous government failed to support students across the province Mr. Speaker thousands of families outside of the GTA depend on us they're counting on our government to deliver high quality world-class education to their children for decades to come can the Minister of Education tell us how our government plans to invest in the next generation of Ontarians beyond the GTA thank you well thank you Speaker I think it's fair to say that families in rural remote parts of Ontario and families that live outside the GTA also deserve these modern schools accessible schools we absolutely would agree especially noting the equity disparity that took place with the former government where many of our rural schools and communities outside of Toronto just didn't get the investment they deserve and that's why I'm proud that the member from Carleton has delivered the new Riverside South Public Secondary School in Carleton to parents and young children in those communities a state of the art school likewise Speaker in Branford a hard-working member has delivered the new St. Charles Catholic Elementary School that will support families in that community and in the premier's community the premier's commitment to the people of Essex is to build a new Kingsville Public Elementary and Secondary School that's going to make a big difference for families in West Windsor Speaker we are investing in all regions of Ontario with one commitment to ensure schools are modern kids are safe and they continue to learn each and every day next question member for Humber River Black Creek thank you Speaker my question is for the premier premier a 77 year old senior in my community desperately needs your help since June 4 months ago Joyce has been unable to eat solids and is vomiting constantly becoming more and more frail and sick Joyce requires a specialized CT scan to find out what's going on and figure out how to treat it but because of the long wait list she will have to wait until December even worse Joyce's daughter experienced the same symptoms only to later find out she had esophageal cancer a cancer that claimed her life may she rest in peace premier I know all of this through Joyce's family because she is in no state to talk to me imagine what this family is going through they're desperately awaiting the scan and are fearing the window might close on potentially life-saving treatment as the clock ticks away premier time is of the essence will you help Joyce and countless others who are desperately stuck awaiting urgent scans, procedures and surgeries thank you thank you thank you to the member for this important question we know that people like Joyce have been anxiously awaiting surgeries and diagnostic procedures for some time as a result of COVID where we've had to delay or postpone some of these procedures but we are very cognizant of the issues here we want to get people back into good health and to make sure that we can diagnose any illnesses before they advance further so that's why as part of our 1.8 billion dollar investment into hospitals we are also dedicating 300 million to reduce the wait list for surgeries and procedures and that's in addition to the 200 million dollars we announced last fall to deal with some of these procedures because we know that people have been waiting long enough we know that they need surgeries and the diagnostic procedures as well so that Joyce and her family can get the results that they need and get her hopefully back on the road to wellness thank you supplementary question thank you speaker back to the acting premier that your government will move quick because time is really of the essence in Joyce's case and so many others but as well backlogs and long wait lists aren't the only problems in healthcare today we just don't have enough frontline healthcare workers in our hospitals and our communities it makes the work of our frontline healthcare heroes even harder and has a direct impact on patient care yesterday the Ontario NDP tabled a vital motion addressing the nursing shortage but the government voted against it other provinces have taken real action to deal with this issue why won't you well we certainly recognize the health human resource issue which is one of the reasons why we're very carefully and really reviewing carefully the issue of mandatory vaccination for frontline healthcare workers we know that many people in frontline have been working over the last 20 months some of them are exhausted some of them don't want to continue some of them don't want to proceed with vaccinations so we need to look at that very very cautiously but we are spending money we are looking at retraining people making sure that we keep people into the nursing and other professions making sure we have the laddering prospects so that somebody is a personal support worker and wants to become a registered practical nurse or registered practical nurse that wishes to become a registered nurse we're putting those systems in place so that people can do that because we want people whatever their entry point is in working in the healthcare system to stay in the healthcare system and to look forward so some people may be happy where they are other people may want to advance we recognize that and we're creating programs to train people and keep people in those programs and to train people for the higher levels in terms of surgery intensive care and emergency work as well thank you the next question the member for Cambridge good morning my question is for the deputy premier last week after government members said in this legislature during debate what the government has been doing for weeks pushing and supporting employers in healthcare to end the employment of those workers who do not comply with new mandatory COVID-19 vaccine policies government members then reversed course followed my lead and voted against bill 12 which would have resulted in many losing their jobs in Ontario in healthcare and education so why yesterday was it reported that this government is still considering putting such a mandate in place in healthcare that will result in Ontarians losing their jobs why if the government voted against bill 12 will they not reject COVID-19 vaccine mandates in order for one to keep their job in healthcare minister of health thank you speaker and thank you to member for question we've dealt with this issue several times today in the legislature and there is an issue as you know with respect to health human resources and making sure that we have the people that we need in order to care for people in our hospitals and in home care as well so it is something that we need to consider very carefully that is why the premier sent the letter out to the hospitals to other healthcare organizations to understand what the ramifications would be if we were to bring in a mandatory vaccination policy how many people would we lose as the previous question indicated we are in a health human resource shortage right now and we need to carefully look at the situation to understand what it means in terms of people who are not being vaccinated who still have to be tested on a regular basis before they come into work but this isn't a simple question it deserves the proper scrutiny supplementary question thank you also last week the minister of labour said we have a labour shortage of some 293 thousand jobs and so he proposed making it easier for immigrants as opposed to any other ontarian to get licensed in certain professions by removing work experience requirements and yet this government is the one making the labour shortage worse by allowing for and encouraging employees to terminate employees who do not comply with made up mandatory vaccine requirements in just some examples construction elaston pcl announced mandatory vaccine requirements at sick kids 147 employees have been put on unpaid leave and at university health network 1% of their workforce will be terminated to the deputy premier why is this government allowing policies to be put in place that have ontarians losing their jobs all while the minister of labour is making it easier for immigrants to be licensed professionals in ontario by eliminating the work experience requirements that every other ontarian has to offer thank you very much and I thank the member opposite inches right we are moving forward to fill the labour shortages here in the province of ontario Mr. Speaker I think often of the opportunities in the skilled trades one in three journey persons today is over the age of 55 we have this challenge in front of us with all of these workers are retiring that's why we want to get into these meaningful opportunities with six figures with defined pensions and benefits this is how we're going to build back a stronger province and Mr. Speaker we are going to level the playing field for the people of ontario and for immigrants that are already here actually in fact Mr. Speaker 25% of immigrants that live in ontario are actually working in fields that they've many of them as we all know have been driving a taxi for many years we're going to ensure that all licensing requirements are in place all the proper testing protocols and we're going to give these people a hand out that they deserve next question member from ontario Mr. Speaker and my question is the premier Brent Davis is a Fanshawe college student in London he has autism depression anxiety and OCD when his apartment burnt down last August he and his mom Jay's Lynn found out how difficult it is to actually find affordable housing in London his sole income is ODSP which means he has to live on about $1100 a month he was paying $700 a month in rent and that means he has $400 left for other expenses imagine more than 60% of your income just to put a roof over your head after reaching out to nine agencies none of which who could provide meaningful help Brent has now found a home through a fluke Jay's Lynn's mother a friend was in London the average rent for a room is $500 and $1,000 for a studio apartment on the current rate for OW and ODSP how are Ontarians supposed to live and will this government commit to raising rates for OW and ODSP the Parliamentary Assistant Member for Ottawa, West Napier thank you so much Speaker and I appreciate the question from the member opposite our hearts of course go out to Mr. Davis on the tragedy that occurred at his home in terms of government support for individuals with disabilities our government raised ODSP in Ontario work rates in the first year that we took government and during the COVID-19 pandemic knowing the challenges posed by the pandemic we invested more than $1 billion in the social services relief fund and expanded access to temporary emergency assistance to those in financial crisis we are going to continue supporting those who are most vulnerable including through this work and we're going to be there throughout the pandemic and beyond thank you Speaker Speaker Brent is not alone according to the latest vital signs report for London 77% of low income tenants surveyed reported their rental units needed significant repairs but the average price of rent has increased 7% as of September over 1300 people are experiencing homelessness and 6,000 folks are on a waitlist for social housing Brent's own is on two wait lists for housing one for two years and the other nearly five years when jasling reached out for assistance some of the programs told her that because Brent was able to stay with her while looking for housing because Brent was so desperate he went to the newspaper to get some help Brent doesn't want to be in this situation going forward and he wasn't eligible service simply because living with his mother why must Ontarians be in crisis before that they are supported and what are we doing to help Ontarians so they don't end up on the streets Thank you so much and our government is committed to ensuring that we are reforming and revitalizing these vital services that Ontarians rely on we know that Ontario works and the ODSP program are critical to helping those who are most in need the system itself is facing challenges that limit our ability to help people get back on their feet and the COVID-19 pandemic has exasperated those challenges that's why we are currently working with municipal partners and developing 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 frontline workers have more time to focus on connecting clients with supports like job readiness programs housing child care skills training this vision is the start of our collaboration not the end and we will continue to work with our partners across the sector to improve this system for the future thank you speaker next question the member for Ottawa venue my question is for the minister of labour training and skills development I have heard from many new Canadians who are qualified to work in jobs which are in eye demand but they can't find a job in Ontario they want to teach in Ontario but the rules and processes for the certification from the Ontario college of teachers were so complicated and slow that she simply gave up with Ontario facing a critical shortage of French teacher we should be simplifying our rules to make it easier for employers to make it easier for employers to make it easier for them to make it easier simplifying our rules to make it easier for immigrants to become teachers in our province the recent professional registration and licensing changes announced by the government don't go far enough what additional plans does the government have for allowing more teachers particularly francophone teachers to come to Ontario and practice their profession minister of education the question we are aware of is the fact that we are requiring and recruiting and retaining French language educators in Ontario it is a real crisis because we have great growth within our francophone communities and by extension within our schools we announced a collaborative enterprise-wide policy French language recruitment and retention strategy for educators that has already yielded since its announcement in June new educators recruited internationally from France and the broader francophone in this province educating as we speak clearly we have to do more we have to support the sector which is why increased funding for French language education at the highest level ever recorded in history I recognize where we have to do continue to work hard which is why we have allocated over $19 million in education alone specifically targeted to the recruitment of educators and the reduction of red tape at the Ontario College of Teachers and the supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker I do appreciate the response from the minister and that effort are being made however the only major changes that the government brought forward is the elimination of the requirement to have work experience in Canada but that ignores the heart of the problem which is that professional bodies refuse to recognize such certifications from other jurisdiction or to enable training for immigrants to renew their skills we are in an urgent shortage of health care and education professionals and we have trained doctors and teachers driving taxis and working checkout counters the bill I will be introducing this afternoon lays a path for identifying certification issues and develop a strategy I invite you to consider it so my question is will the government commit to an expansion of recognition of the population Mr. Labour thank you very much and this is a really important question Mr. Speaker yesterday we tabled the working for workers act Mr. Speaker that's going to create a clear path for new Canadians to find meaningful work here in Ontario to fully apply their skills Mr. Speaker this will help thousands and thousands of new Canadians that are actually here in Ontario Mr. Speaker this is an issue that the former liberal government did nothing to address today in the province 300,000 jobs are going unfilled only 25% of immigrants are working in their field of study Mr. Speaker this is an injustice to all of those people Mr. Speaker that are here in Ontario today that might be working for Uber driving taxi and doing what they were trained for so Mr. Speaker we're going to help them give them a hand up and also ensure that we fill the labour shortage thank you very much that concludes our question period this morning and I want to if I can for a moment thank the house for the cooperation that we demonstrated to each other today and the standard of civility that was achieved well done that stands in recess until 3pm