 And it is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you so much, Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. My question this morning, my first question, is to the Deputy Premier. Speaker, our ICUs remain overrun with patients who are struggling to breathe. Hospitals are preparing triage protocols that mean that they are going to need to ration life support services. And they have to then tell families when their loved one is not going to be able to get life-supporting services. Speaker, the question to the Deputy Premier is, does she agree that we are currently in a serious and urgent crisis here in our province? Thank you, Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you very much, Speaker. There is no question that the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has been very hard on our hospitals. They are very hard hit right now. There are a record number of people in ICUs. However, it is also very important to note that no triage protocol has been authorized by the ministry. Instead, what we are doing is building capacity to make sure that anyone in Ontario who requires an intensive care bed, whether it's by reason of COVID or for another reason will receive one. We have been building capacity since the beginning of this pandemic with the beds we've created, increasing our acute care capacity by over 14%. We're also opening mobile hospitals in both Sunnybrook and in Hamilton, and we are obtaining the health human resources that we need in order to manage them. So the people of Ontario can rest certain in knowing that if they need to be admitted to an Ontario hospital, they will receive the excellent care and treatment that they expect and deserve. A supplementary question. Speaker, it's been about five days since the premier of this province promised the best paid sick days program in all of North America. Today we find out from reports in the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail that rather than pass legislation here in this chamber that would actually bring paid sick days to Ontario workers, this government wants to piggyback, piggyback on a broken federal system that is not working for working people. My question is why would this government, why would this government throw money at a failed federal program instead of stepping up and providing paid sick days to workers in this province and saving their lives? Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We don't want workers to choose between their health and the job. Mr. Speaker, that's why we've approached the federal government. We're calling on the federal government to double the payments from $500 to $1,000 for four weeks of paid sick days. Mr. Speaker, the province of Ontario will cover 100% of the costs of doubling this program. We joined with other provinces like British Columbia to call on the federal government to be our partner to ensure that workers not only in Ontario but across the country are paid more than minimum wage. Mr. Speaker, this will ensure that workers in Ontario who are sick will be paid $1,000 per week. Mr. Speaker, workers are dying. People are dying in this province and paid sick days can save lives. We all know that. We also know that the federal program simply does not work and in fact the feds are rebuffing the Premier's advances when it comes to their failed benefit program. We know that paid sick days would work. And this government, instead of supporting that, instead of doing the right thing here and stepping up, has voted 25 times in this legislature against paid sick days. The question is, those paid sick days could be passed today. We have bills that we could pass today. Will the government do that? Will they support paid sick days today and start saving the lives of Ontario workers? Mr. Speaker, we support the health and well-being of every single worker in this province. That's why we have worked with the federal government since day one, since a pandemic came to Canada to ensure that the benefits are paid out to workers much more quickly. In fact, over 80% of the federal program is directly deposited into workers' bank accounts between three and five days because of our advocacy. Mr. Speaker, we advocated months ago to the federal government to ensure that workers could apply more than once. That is now happening. And Mr. Speaker, because of Ontario's leadership, we ensured that there is now four weeks of paid sick days in Ontario. We're asking the federal government to double that. Double that today, Mr. Speaker. Ontario will pay 100% of the doubling. We join with British Columbia to ensure that we have a federal partner to ensure that workers are kept safe in Ontario. The next question, the Leader of the Opposition. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. My next question is also for the Deputy Premier. But I have to say, doubling down on a broken system, a broken program is not going to help Ontario workers. Since the government defeated the NDP paid sick days bill back on March 1st about two months ago, 126,905 people have been infected with COVID-19 since March 1st when they defeated our bill. 955 people have died. In fact, Dr. Gabrie Stephen and ER Doc at Credit Valley Hospital says this, and I quote, 955 people have died since the last paid sick days bill was voted down on March 1st. How many lives is this government willing to sacrifice? Will this government answer the doctor's question? How many lives are they willing to sacrifice? Mr. Speaker, the very first action our government took when the pandemic hit Ontario, supported by all parties in this legislature, Mr. Speaker, was to bring in job-protected leave if any worker in the province is in self-isolation and quarantine if they have to stay home and look after a son or a daughter because of the disruptions to the school system. They can't be fired for that. Mr. Speaker, we eliminated the need for sick notes during COVID-19. And we went further, Mr. Speaker. We were the very first jurisdiction to bring in job-protected leave for those workers to get vaccinated. But we're calling on the federal government to ensure that workers in the province of Ontario are not paid below minimum wage. We want $1,000 a week for four weeks. Ontario will pay the full cost of doubling this program. Supplementary question. There are 875 people right now struggling to breathe in intensive care units in our province. The government should be doing what the science table recommended and what they've been recommending for a year, Speaker. We need paid sick days in this province. We need to rush vaccines to the hotspots, to the most affected parts of our province. We need to make sure that the government is closing non-essential businesses and providing them with the support and their workers with the support they need to get through these next several weeks. Instead, what we get from this government, delay, deny, deflect, but not doing the right thing. On all of those counts, they are not doing the right thing. Ontarians don't want any more excuses. They don't want any more delays. They want a government that will step up and do the right thing, provide paid sick days, save lives, save our province from the crisis that we're in. Then, Mr. Labour. Well, Mr. Speaker, we know that the biggest gap in the program today is that workers in Ontario and quite frankly across the country are being paid below minimum wage. That is an injustice of the federal program. That's why last week we went to the federal government to tell them that we want to double the program to $1,000 a week for four weeks. But, Mr. Speaker, we talked about the gaps in the federal program. The Leader of the Opposition said Canada recovery sickness benefit pays less than minimum wage. The member from London West, Mr. Speaker, said the federal benefit pays less than minimum wage and every worker in this province, even the lowest wage, should be working at minimum wage. Mr. Speaker, our plan would pay $25 an hour, $1,000 a week for four weeks. That's how we're going to support workers in this province. And the final supplementary. Well, Mr. Speaker, maybe the government hasn't noticed, but we are in a crisis here in Ontario. We have ICUs that have almost 900 people struggling to breathe. We have hospitals that are preparing to triage patients and trying to figure out how they're going to explain that to family members of people who won't be able to get life-saving supports. We have parents in this province right now that are literally planning the funeral of their children. And this government continues to not act. My question is back to the Deputy Premier Speaker and the Minister of Health for this province. How can this government justify even one more second of delay, bring paid sick days to our province? We know it will save lives. We know it will stop the spread of COVID-19. Why can the Premier and this Minister of Health not bring themselves to do the right thing by Ontario? Mr. Speaker, we want a paid sick day program that's paying $1,000 per week to every worker who needs to stay home because of COVID-19. Mr. Speaker, we also want to go further. We want to make this program retroactive for 60 days to ensure that workers have the money and their bank accounts to pay their rent to ensure that they can put food on the table. But Mr. Speaker, let's be clear. The federal government with the flip of a switch can ensure that workers in Ontario are paid $1,000 per week and our government will pay 100% of the doubling. Next question, the Member for Brampton East. My question is to the Deputy Premier. COVID-19 is devastating Brampton right now. Countless people are getting sick and countless more are dying. We have a COVID-19 positivity rate of 22% and it's ravaging our community. Brampton has been a COVID-19 hotspot since the beginning of this pandemic but let's look at the Conservative Government's track record for Brampton. When this pandemic first started, we weren't getting the testing support that we needed. We were then not given the COVID-19 resources we needed to fight this virus. Then we were not given during the vaccine rollout. Initially, not one single vaccine was located in Brampton. Now per capita, Brampton has some of the fewest pharmacies in Ontario giving out vaccines. And when we look at COVID-19 vaccine pop-ups, for the entire city of Brampton, there's only one pop-up that is not located in Brampton and doesn't even service our entire community. Why is the Conservative Government not giving Brampton the support we need to fight COVID-19? Mr Thel. Thank you, Speaker. And I would vigorously disagree with what the member has just stated because Brampton has been treated fairly throughout this pandemic and recognizing now that Peel and Toronto are the hotspot areas. We have allocated more resources there for a long period of time. In fact, in the month of May alone, we are looking forward because we are going to be receiving many more doses of Pfizer. We will be allocating 432,960 doses of vaccine to Peel region which will make Peel the public health unit with the second highest doses region per capita in the province. Second only to the city of Toronto. There are 25 postal codes that have been identified as part of our hotspot strategy in Peel and there are a number of locations that I'd be happy to discuss in my supplementary that are responding to the need in Brampton and Peel. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Deputy Premier. Yesterday I spoke with Ratika Gandhi. Her father, Kenea Gandhi, died earlier this year from COVID-19. He was from Brampton. Last year, Kenea Gandhi started to exhibit COVID-19 symptoms. He later then tested positive for COVID-19. Kenea Gandhi worked at a factory and it turned out that many other workers at that factory were tested positive for COVID-19. And when Kenea's condition began to worsen, he was then admitted to Brampton Civic but because of surging COVID-19 patients there, he was then transferred to a new market. It is a new market where Kenea Gandhi died from COVID-19. The last words that he said to his daughter, Ratika, were, I want to go home. He was never able to go home. Ratika told me that she thought paid sick days would have saved her dad's life because it would have prevented workers from having to make that terrible decision between going to work sick and spreading COVID-19 and paying the bills. When will the Conservative Government finally listen to the experts and listen to people like Ratika who have lost family members bring in paid sick days and save lives? Mr. Blader. Mr. Speaker, certainly our condolences go out to that family that the member opposite raised and, of course, to everyone across the province and, quite frankly, across the country that's been impacted by COVID-19. Mr. Speaker, the very first initiative our government brought in was job-protected leave. So if any workers in self-isolation and quarantine, they can't be fired for that, Mr. Speaker. We eliminated the need for sick notes. But, Mr. Speaker, we have to have a federal partner to ensure that we have paid sick days for all workers in the province. Mr. Speaker, that's why we're calling on the federal government to double their program to $1,000 per week, $25 an hour. Make it retroactive for 60 days. Mr. Speaker, the other reason why it's so important, the federal government has that infrastructure already set up as well as we need to ensure that self-employed people and gig workers are covered as well. So $1,000 a week for four weeks and Ontario will pay the doubling of that program. Thank you. The next question to member for Topical Lakeshore. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Speaker, there's no place for crime in Ontario. While the majority of tow operators play by the rules, for years the towing industry especially here in the GTA has been riddled with violence and corruption. This is a public safety issue. It's troubling to know that this problem has existed in the industry for years, long before this government came into office. Cracking down on bad actors in the towing industry is another opportunity the previous Liberal government missed. In light of yesterday's introduction, could the Minister of Transportation explain why the Moving Ontario's More Safely Act, perhaps better known as the Moms Act, is an important step in overhauling the towing industry? Mr. Transportation. Thank you very much to the member from Topical Lakeshore for the question. The Moving Ontario's More Safely Act is a step towards creating a comprehensive provincial oversight system for towing. This will be the first of its kind in Canada. We're bringing this forward as a direct response to the recommendations that we receive from the task force our government established last year. If passed, this legislation will support legitimate tow operators, protect consumers and keep roads safe. The need for government action on this file is not news, Mr. Speaker. As the Stephen Del Duca Liberals know, industry stakeholders have been calling for this provincial action for years. Despite these calls, Del Duca as Minister of Transportation never introduced a provincial oversight regime for the towing industry and left public safety in jeopardy as a result. It's a shame, Speaker, but I'm proud that this government has taken this issue and is committed to doing things differently. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Minister, for that answer and I'm also proud that we're taking the actions necessary today. This legislation is just one of the many steps that this government has taken over the last year. From the task force established last June to announcing a joint forces operation team and tow zone pilot just last month, Ontario's commitment to improving the towing and safeguarding public safety measures have never been more clear. Could the minister please share why she's confident the Moms Act is the right course of action. Congratulations to respond. Thank you, Speaker. Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that Ontario needs to step in to overhaul the industry and to curb the criminality within it. As reported by the Globe and Mail just yesterday, Justice David Rose believes that solving this issue is the role of the Moms Act and he hopes that we will take up with urgency. We'll take this on with the urgency that is required. We agree with Justice Rose, which is why we've taken another step towards the creation of a provincial oversight regime through the introduction of the Moms Act. Here's what the CAA had to say about yesterday's introduction. By working with the province of Ontario, CAA is optimistic that provincial legislation to govern the towing industry will address the most pressing issues related to safety and consumer confidence, unquote. Speaker, we're going to continue consulting with industry and policing stakeholders as we move forward with this critical legislation that would, if passed, protect the public and enhance the industry. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Essex. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Deputy Premier. Speaker Ontarians were quite rightfully shocked when on April the 16th when the Premier's office, the Premier himself and his cabinet reject the federal government's offer to send in help from the Red Cross to relieve tired and overworked health care staff in Ontario. Then yesterday the PCs flip-flopped and are now desperate to get any help that they can find. In those 10 days, Speaker, 175 more Ontarians ended up in overcrowded ICUs and we lost nearly 300 Ontarians to the virus. Speaker, why was it this government's first instinct to refuse help when it was clear that the health care system and our frontline heroes could use all the help that they could get? To apply, Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you very much to the member for the question. In fact, we have been working with federal government to receive assistance. We have sent a letter to Minister Blair asking for assistance from some of the other provinces to help coordinate that assistance from help from the Canadian Armed Forces and from the Red Cross to do things such as the SAF transportation of health human resources support from other provinces, the redeployment of medical personnel including nurses and other applicable health care professionals from the Canadian Red Cross and other federal departments because it is necessary for us to continue to build capacity to make sure that we have those intensive care services that we also need health human resources. So we're very grateful that the federal government has offered to assist us and we are receiving help. We are receiving actually a contingent of physicians, three doctors, six nurses from Newfoundland today including Premier Fury's spouse who is a critical care doctor herself. So we are asking for assistance and other provinces, the Canadian Red Cross and the Armed Forces are also helping us in that respect. Supplementary. Thank you very much, Speaker. Ontarians are tired of reliving the same mistakes from this Premier and his government over and over again as we face wave after wave of this pandemic but that is exactly the pattern of behaviour we saw exactly one year ago in the pandemic's first wave. On April the 17th, 2020 the Minister of Long-Term Care wrote in her notes that she desperately needed military support. One took the government 11 more days to bring in the Canadian forces and we all know now the shocking scenes that they found when they arrived but the PCs refused and have refused to learn from their mistakes. On April the 16th, they should have taken the offer from the federal government for help. Why did they wait another 10 days to admit that they're flailing and accept any and all help to get Ontarians through this disaster? The Prime Minister has not hesitated to request help from a number of sources. We have been working throughout this pandemic to build up not just the physical hospital resources, the intensive care units and to make sure that we have the physical space we've been working to intensify the health human resources as well. That's why we have expanded the nursing extern program, the student extern program that's brought 900 students we have helped with the nursing first program. We are working with other provinces directly Newfoundland being an example. We're also working with Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, other provinces, PEI and Manitoba as well for assistance. So we have worked and are working with the federal government on getting further resources from the armed forces and with the Red Cross. We are not hesitating to accept help if it's necessary but we have been working on this throughout. There has been no hesitation and no delay in this matter. Order. The next question, the member for Ottawa South. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Yesterday 55 government members voted against Bill 247 guaranteeing 10 paid sick days to every Ontario worker. Something the COVID-19 science table on tears doctors, nurses and public health experts have repeatedly said will curb the spread of COVID-19. In 2018 the Premier took away two paid sick days from every Ontario worker. Paid sick days that would have saved lives. Last Thursday the Premier said that paid sick days would be coming imminently. He also said we'll have the best program in North America. Well Speaker it's five days later and there's not a surprise. We've already been waiting for more than 400 days. So Speaker through you. Can the Premier tell Ontarians when they can finally expect to see the government's paid sick day plan? Mr. Labour, Training and Skills Development. Well Mr. Speaker let's be clear what the Ontario Liberals want to do. They want to make every small business paid sick days. Mr. Speaker we need to ensure that workers have jobs to go to every small businesses survive through COVID-19. Mr. Speaker we have stepped up. Last week we approached the federal Liberal government who are currently paying $12.50 an hour to Ontario workers. That is not good enough from Justin Trudeau. Mr. Speaker we want to double that program to $1,000 per week $25 per hour make it retroactive for 60 days and ensure that every worker in the province of Ontario including those that are self-employed those in the gig economy are covered. The federal government needs to flip that switch and increase that to $1,000 today. Thank you. Let's be clear Mr. Speaker Ontario's Liberals, Ontario's NDPs Ontario's Greens, Ontario's Doctors Ontario's Nurses just about every Ontario except the people on the other side of the aisle wants to protect Ontario workers so let's be clear about that. This pandemic, the government has ignored the advice of the COVID science table including on paid sick days and whatever the government comes forward with this week here's the bottom line it's too late for too many Ontario families and the damage has been done and any program that they introduce now has to make sure that every worker has access no matter where they live or they work at a minimum it must be in fact until the science table says the pandemic is over and the payments must be easy for people to access small businesses and most importantly speaker most importantly any plan that comes forward from this government must be approved by the science table so for you speaker will the government commit to having their paid sick day plan approved through the COVID-19 science table. Thank you. Minister of Labor Mr. Speaker let's be clear what the Ontario Liberals want to do they want to place the burden entirely on small businesses across this province we want to ensure that small businesses survive COVID-19 that they come out of this stronger than ever that workers have jobs to go back to Mr. Speaker we contacted the federal government last week told them $1,000 per week let's double that program to $25 an hour for four weeks Mr. Speaker Ontario will pay the cost so every worker qualifies Mr. Speaker let me tell you what Minister of Labor Minister of Labor conclude your answer the members bill from Dawn Valley East squarely put the burden on small businesses we are doing better than that for tourism and culture industries the next question the member for Etobicoke Lakeshore thank you Mr. Speaker since the beginning of the pandemic we have seen a concerning rise in high risk driving with traffic volumes on roads more and more often every evening you know from my back deck in Mimico I can hear the cars racing down the gardener and I receive so many phone calls of concerned parents grandparents and citizens worried about the increased traffic and noise stunt driving poses a great risk to everyone on our roads including the most vulnerable and dangerous workers yesterday the government introduced the Moving Ontario More Safety Act also known as the mums act can the minister of transportation please tell us more about the mums act and why it was introduced now the minister of transportation thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member from Etobicoke Lakeshore for the question she is right this trend in stunt driving settling and it's one that our government takes seriously. Just this past weekend in Ottawa, a driver with three stunt driving charges was pulled over and given his fourth. This is unacceptable. It's clear that we need to do more to deter high-risk driving behaviors and that's why we've introduced the Moms Act, which if passed will help us crack down on bad actors and protect all road users through tougher penalties. Scott Butler, the executive director at the Ontario Good Roads Association said the Moms Act is, and I quote, an important first step towards realizing a future where Ontarians are no longer fatally injured or seriously hurt on our roadways, unquote. Mr. Speaker, road safety is a priority we all share in this house, especially during the pandemic. And I hope that the opposition supports this important legislation. Thank you, Minister. And I also hope the opposition would help protect our loved ones and our drivers on the roads. I want to thank the minister for that response. I know I speak from many when we say this is extremely welcomed news. I know that stunt driving is not the only item that is in this piece of legislation. Through this legislation, we talk about collision reporting, the reporting that is used to evaluate road safety policies. And I understand that is being updated. Can the minister of transportation address why this update is being made? Mr. Transportation. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the member for the question. It's been 30 years since the motor vehicle collision reporting system was last updated, and we think it's time to change that. The driving landscape has changed, with distracted driving on the rise in the last decade. Collision reporting, as it stands now, does not allow police to record if a driver was using a handheld device at the time of a collision. We need to change that, Speaker. What we are proposing would allow the most accurate data to be collected so that we can better understand road safety trends and ensure that we make the most informed decisions about policy. It would even help us with infrastructure planning, Speaker. We're working closely with our policing and road safety partners, and we will continue to do so as this bill moves forward. Thank you. The next question, the member for Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Deputy Premier. The M6K postal code in my riding is a designated hotspot. Its vaccination rate is well below the provincial average. The closest clinic for M6K's 18-plus residents is at West Park Health Centre. That means taking the Queen Street streetcar, then the Dufferin bus, walking five minutes to catch the Eglinton West bus, and then walking another 10 minutes. A round-trip of getting on and off crowded buses for two hours. We need a vaccine clinic in the M6K. Will the Minister provide the resources to open this clinic to serve the people of South Parkdale? Thank you very much to the member for the question. One of the reasons why we haven't been able to expand our clinics is because of supply. However, that is changing next week. We are going to be receiving much larger quantities of the Pfizer vaccine. That is going to continue throughout the month of May. So we have already expanded our clinics into pharmacies, as you know. They have been supplying AstraZeneca vaccines, but we are running a pilot program for delivery of Pfizer vaccines to pharmacies so that they will also be able to administer those vaccines from there. Because we're certainly not aware of the quantities and delivery times as yet for AstraZeneca, but we know that people need to have more convenient locations in which to receive their vaccines. So as we receive these increased quantities, we will also be increasing the number of pharmacies where people will be able to receive them. So in addition to the last vaccination clinics, primary care sites and pharmacies, there will be many options for people across the province, including in the hotspot region that you're discussing. Supplementary question. Speaker, getting to a vaccine clinic is a challenge. Trying to book an appointment is even worse. People are trying to book through multiple systems as early as they can and are put in a queue for hours. Only to be told, there are no more appointments available. Hotspots like M6K simply aren't getting the vaccines we need. The government's own science table has advised prioritizing vaccine supply to hotspots. Will the minister commit that hotspots like M6K in South Parkdale will get the vaccine supply we need or will the minister continue to ignore expert advice? Thank you. Well, I can assure the member that we are following the advice of the medical experts who did recommend that we vaccinate based on age and risk and addressing the needs of the hotspot areas, which 114 of which have been identified in the province of Ontario. So we have followed the advice of the medical experts in taking off 25% of all the vaccines that we receive in the future, sending them to the hotspot areas in Piel and Toronto and making sure that we can then divide the remaining 75% based on population among the remaining 34 public health unit regions. We will continue to do that. A recommendation has also been made that we increase the number in vaccine hotspots from 25% to 50%. We're also studying that right now and expect to have made a determination in the next very short while because we know that if we are able to deal with the levels of transmission, getting them down in hotspot regions, that benefits the people across the province of Ontario because 80% of the transmission is happening in 20% of those communities. So we are very well aware of that and we are addressing those vaccines to those areas of concern, including. Thank you. Thank you. The next question, the member for Ottawa, Vanie. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And my question is for the Minister of Health. The vaccine rollout has been confusing, chaotic and inequitable. One resident in my writing has called the pharmacy booking system a bad version of Hunger Games. We have very little accessibility to vaccine in the hardest hit areas of Ottawa, Vanie. For those who actually can figure out that you have to add your name to different lists, appointment seems to take forever. Meanwhile, essential workers and marginalized communities in hotspot regions are having to sacrifice entire days to vaccine lineups that begin before sunrise. What's worse is that many can't take time off work or away from family to do that. So what is the minister doing to make vaccine more accessible by reducing the confusion and inequity that the current system has created? Minister of Health. Well, in fact, there is a very little confusion out there with respect to how to move forward to book a vaccine appointment because we have already administered over 4,791,000 vaccines. So clearly there is something working out there. We have the central booking tool that is very easy to use if people are still having trouble with that because some people don't have the ability to book online. There is a phone number that's available for customer service. As you are aware, the pharmacies are also booking separately. Some pharmacies have also introduced walk-in appointments, not all of them. And there are a number, 20 units now, 20 shoppers drug mark. They're offering 24,7 appointments for people. We anticipate that as the volumes increase in terms of the numbers of vaccines that we're receiving from Pfizer next week, we will be able to increase the number of pharmacies and increase the number of pharmacies offering 24,7 vaccines. We want to make it as easy as possible for anyone who wants to receive a vaccine in Ontario to get one and with the supplies coming in, it will be that much easier for people. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And again to the Minister of Health. Mr. Speaker, I've been hearing from residents in my writing who feel abandoned by the government and frustrated by the pharmacy vaccine rollout. And all the ways, the different ways you've described that is actually contributing to the confusion. A 43-year-old essential worker living in my writing has been out working in the community since the beginning of the pandemic. He, like many others that I've heard from, has felt completely neglected by the lack of urgency around vaccinating essential workers. At this point, he's waited long enough that he's eligible due to his age and not because he's been putting himself at risk every day as an essential worker. The science table has made it clear that we need to accelerate the vaccination of essential workers and those who live in hotspots. So will the Minister finally adjust the vaccine rollout to urgently and effectively prioritize essential workers in hotspots? And the Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. Well, our government is accelerating the vaccination of people living in hotspots. We have already indicated that we're accelerating by adding 25% of the doses that are coming in next week in order to deal with the hotspot areas. We know that we need to do that. We are looking at increasing the level from 25% to 50%. But I can also advise that in Ottawa, as of April 11th, almost 98% of those 80 or older had received a vaccine and over 22% have received their second dose in the Ottawa area. And it also should be noted that Ottawa last year was one of the first public health units to receive a shipment of the Pfizer vaccine in this province. So we are tending to the needs of Ottawa as we are tending to the needs of everyone across Ontario. Part of the problem in the past has been the supply of the vaccines. We are receiving more vaccines now and we will be expanding that across the province to pharmacies, to primary care centres as well as the mass vaccination clinics, to mobile units and pop-up units as well. The next question, a member for Topical Lakeshore. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, many Torontonians use the streetcars in their daily commute. For example, my mother, who takes the 509 along the Queen's Key every day when she goes to work, she's one of those commuters. And we know that the numbers will only increase when the pandemic is beyond us. Unfortunately, we've heard that many heartbreaking stories where there has been accidents where pedestrians have been struck by a vehicle when entering or exiting a streetcar. Mr. Speaker, I was pleased to see that in the moving Ontario's more safely act or the Moms Act, it will give the TTC more tools to enforce the law when drivers fail to stop before open streetcar doors. And I want to give a shout out to all our TTC workers and thank you for what you do every day. Could the minister please elaborate on the proposed measures within the Moms Act that will protect streetcar drivers, including my mom? Minister of Transportation. Thank you. And thank you to the member from Etobicoke Lakeshore for her question. Our government has heard loud and clear from the TTC that consumers or customers are anxious about boarding streetcars. The Moving Ontarians More Safely Act will help protect streetcar commuters. If adopted by the House, the Moms Act will allow the TTC to use images that are captured by streetcar cameras to prosecute drivers who fail to stop when a streetcar is in the process of boarding. Actions have consequences, Mr. Speaker, and this is a long overdue measure that will help us get rid of bad actors and create safer roads. Thank you. The supplementary. Thank you very much, Minister, for that answer. And I know that we'll encourage more people to get on the transit as the pandemic moves along and we get back to work. And I want to thank you for that answer. And while I thank the Minister for this measures, streetcars have had cameras installed since at least 2017. And can the Minister just elaborate a little bit on what the last government, why did government did not take this important action when they had the opportunity for 15 years to help protect these riders? Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you again to the member for the question. My colleague is right that this measure is long overdue. In fact, the TTC has asked for this measure since 2017, exactly when they decided to install the cameras on streetcars. In fact, the former TTC chair, Josh Cole, wrote to my predecessor as Minister of Transportation, Stephen Del Ducca, in 2017 demanding this measure. That letter went unanswered, Mr. Speaker. It took leadership from this government to recognize the issue and to take action when the last government took a pass. Our government will not leave any stones unturned when it comes to road safety. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Sudbury. Thank you very much, Speaker. The question is Deputy Speaker, Deputy Premier Speaker. I've seen this legislator legislature on a regular basis since February 1st, explained that the CCA process isn't appropriate for a public institution like Laurentian University. However, instead of halting the process, the Premier and the Minister have allowed it to move forward. And I don't know what outcomes the concerns are expecting, but the first wave of CCA cuts have resulted in elimination of one-third of the courses, the termination over 100 employees, and an estimated negative economic impact of $100 million annually. Speaker, it's time to admit that this does not make any sense. Citizens from my city of Sudbury and across Ontario want the Premier to halt the secretive process of CCA, cancel the cuts, and allow the students, the families, and the workers affected to have a voice in the outcome so that together we can save Laurentian. Speaker, will the Premier stand with the students, the families, and workers to see Laurentian, or will he choose to stand with the wealthy and well-connected as it's destroyed? To respond, a member for Northumberland, Peterborough South and Parliamentary Assistant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I'll again reiterate that the government understands this is a very difficult time for staff, for faculty, for students and their families, and that's why, Mr. Speaker, this government moved quickly to work with the institution to ensure pathways for graduation. We know that the CCAA proceedings does not have an effect on 90% of students and for the 10% of students who are affected, we're working with the institution who are in turn working with the students to ensure pathways to graduation. What that member opposite seems to fail to understand is that our institutions are autonomous governing, our governing bodies, Mr. Speaker, they don't respect the independent process of the courts, and that's deeply troubling, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The member for Sudbury, supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, back to the Deputy Premier. This has become world news. Le Monde in France covered the damage to the francophone and bilingual programs. The CCAA cuts have eliminated programs like economics, math, physics, political science, philosophy, engineering, environmental science and midway free. Art MacDonald, the 2015 physics Nobel Prize winner said, Sudbury has been intellectually and educationally cut off from attracting students. Darius Garnau, a fourth year computer science major described it this way. Laurentian University can now only be described as hollow. Our blue and gold gowns are now covered in the blood of all the cuts Laurentian has endured. It did not have to be like this. This is not progress and this is not saving Laurentian. Again, to the Deputy Premier, Speaker Will the Premier halt the secretive process of CCAA, cancel the cuts and allow the students, families and workers affected to have a voice in the outcome so that together we can save Laurentian to protect the students being directly affected. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, Mr. Speaker, this government has introduced legislation that if pass will expand the presence of Nausam and Hearst in the north to support students, Mr. Speaker. We've increased capital funding for our institutions, Mr. Speaker. We've expanded supports for Francophones in this province and my message for Francophone students is simple. L'Ontario fait des investissements important et continue. L'Ontario is continuing to investing in French services. We will invest 74 million of dollars in 2021 added to the money that was provided by the federal government. If the federal government wants to seriously support the French education in post-secondary schools, they could start to invest a fifth of what the provincial government is providing. Thank you, Speaker. My questions for the Premier. One reason that so many Ontarians are frustrated with the government's pandemic response is that the Premier will say he's following the science and then scientists and public health experts will say he's not following their advice. The best example of this is paid sick days. Every day this government delays listening to the scientists prolong the pandemic. Speaker, the science table is called for easily accessible, immediately available paid sick days and paid time off for tests and vaccines. So, Speaker, will the government commit to legislating paid sick leave that follows the advice of the scientists is easily accessible and immediately available to essential workers? To reply, the Minister of Labor. Well, Mr. Speaker, the very first action we took when COVID-19 hit the province was to bring in a job protected leave. Any worker in self-isolation and quarantine impacted at all by COVID-19. They can't be fired for that. We went further. We eliminated eliminated the need for sick notes and we were the first jurisdiction to ensure that people could take time off to get vaccinated and their jobs would be protected. Mr. Speaker, the federal government has said that they want to help. We have two requests. Number one, double the program in Ontario will pay $500, sorry, $1,000 a week for four weeks. That's $25 an hour. It is in injustice that the Prime Minister and the federal Liberal government is paying Ontario workers $12.50 an hour. And second, Mr. Speaker, we need the federal government to tighten or restrictions to ensure that the variants of concern are not getting into Ontario. Supplementary question. Speaker, respectfully. Respectfully, I don't think the Minister fully understands the challenges that essential workers face. More funds are welcome. No doubt about that, but adding more funds to the flawed federal program will not solve all of the challenges that workers face in easily accessing paid sick leave. Speaker, the science table is called and I quote, easily accessible, immediately available in quote, paid sick days. So, Speaker, the federal program is neither easy nor immediately available. So, Speaker, I'm asking the government, will you please listen to the science advisory table and legislate paid sick leave that is easily accessible and immediately available for workers? Minister of Labor. Well, Mr. Speaker, we've been working together with the federal government since the start of this pandemic. In fact, Mr. Speaker, it was because of Ontario's advocacy that there's been improvements to the program. In fact, Mr. Speaker, because of us urging the federal government to take action payments are now around the three-day mark directly deposited into bankers, sorry, into workers bank accounts. Secondly, Mr. Speaker, we needed workers to be able to apply more than once. That has been improved. And, Mr. Speaker, it was because of Ontario's leadership there's now four weeks of paid sick days for workers. The federal government has said that they want to work with Ontario, work with the provinces, we're asking for their help. Mr. Speaker, we want them to double the paid sick pay, $1,000 per week, that's $25 an hour. Ontario will pay 100% of the doubling. The next question, the member for Hamilton Melton. Hi, thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Deputy Premier. On Friday, the government is forcing the closure of SILAP's youth centre in Oakville, which provides mental health treatment for youth with complex needs in the justice system. These youth struggle with severe emotional and psychological challenges and they are sent to SILAP's youth centre for treatment where they have nowhere else to go. Without the intensive mental health treatment this centre provides, these youth are at greater risk of hurting themselves and re-offending. Why is this government abandoning these vulnerable youth while enclosing the SIL youth's SILAP centre? Of course, protecting youth and care is one of the our most pressing responsibilities, Mr. Speaker. We want a system obviously that better better helps the youth that are in care. We've seen obviously throughout this pandemic that there is a lot of work that needs to be done with respect to youth mental health. It's one of the reasons why we were so aggressive in wanting to keep our schools open for as long as possible, Mr. Speaker. But a number of investments have been made both with the Minister of Health, the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Mr. Speaker. And obviously, I think the Member would agree ensuring that children and youth in care continue to receive top priority, not only of this government, but all members of the SILAP centre. Order. Mr. Speaker. Just a supplement to question. That is a very disappointing answer. Obviously, nobody on the outside of the bench has any idea what's happening to these most vulnerable youth and it's shameful. The SILAP's youth centre treats young people during their most vulnerable time. Over half have attempted suicide and they have high rates of self-harm and aggression towards others. The majority of these youth are racialized and a third of them are crowned words, not all of them. These youth need support and treatment and this government is taking it away. Many experts, including the CEO of Sick Kids have asked this government to keep this centre open instead of abandoning these young people. Will the Premier stop trying to save money on the backs of our most vulnerable youth and stop the cruel closure of SILAP's youth centre? Thank you, Speaker. Our government inherited a number of significantly underused youth justice facilities, a problem that the previous government was made aware of in 2012 when it received the Auditor General's report which raised concerns about low utilization rates. In 2014, they set a target of 70% utilization for these facilities but continued to allow facilities to remain significantly underused. The utilization rate was only 20% on average for open custody and detention facilities last year. With higher utilization rates, our facilities will be better positioned to provide supports for youth in conflict with the law. Thank you, Speaker. The next question, the member for York Centre. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Solicitor General. On September 19th, her ministry sent a memo to all Ontario municipalities advising that a person who refuses to leave premises under the Reopening Ontario Act can be charged either under the ROA or with obstruction of justice under the criminal code. A recent article in the Lawyers Daily calls into question the ability to charge with obstruction when trying to enforce a provincial offense and failure to comply is punishable by the same provincial legislation. This goes back to a well-established principle established by the Supreme Court in a case named Sharma in 1993. When the refusal is prescribed by the provincial legislation, refusal to comply with same provincial legislation cannot form the basis for an obstruction charge. The appropriate procedure is to charge under the provincial law. Speaker, refusing to comply with the police officer's order to close or vacate is an offense punishable by section 10 of the Reopening Ontario Act. So why did the Solicitor General tell municipalities to press criminal charges for violations punishable by the Reopening Ontario Act? To reply, the Solicitor General. Thank you, Speaker. You know, it is truly unfortunate that this member continues to not understand how important this health emergency is. We have been working as a government to make sure that every ministry, every municipal partner, every police services, everyone who had any part to play, to keep people safe, knew what the rules are, had the enforcement pieces necessary to make sure that they were adhered to. And at the end of the day, we as legislators and you, frankly, as a legislator should be talking about how to keep people safe, how to make sure that your neighbors, your friends, and your communities are not getting COVID-19. That's what our responsibility is and it is incredibly unfortunate to have this member stand up day after day and pretend that COVID-19 isn't a thing. Members, to make a comment to the chair and to the York Center supplementary. I have suggested to the Solicitor General that it's her job to keep the rules and that it's her job to keep the rule of law. We're still a Western democracy, COVID or not. COVID is a very serious infection. It affects a very serious, it affects a segment of population and a lot of people but that doesn't mean that the rule of law is out the window. Speaker, I don't think that the Solicitor General came close to answering my question so I'll follow up with the Attorney General. This is a serious legal and law enforcement issue. COVID doesn't change the fact that as legislators we're still have to abide by the rule of law. So to the Attorney General suppose a provincial law officer given an order pursuant to a provincial law and refusal to obey such order was punishable by the provincial law itself. Every level of court in the land said that refusal to obey would be punishable by the provincial legislation not by the criminal court of Canada. So my question to the Attorney General was it appropriate for the Solicitor General to tell the municipalities they have an option to arrest and charge with obstruction of justice under the criminal code when the conduct alleges punishable by the reopening of Ontario Act? Yes or no? To respond government host leader. Thank you very much Mr Speaker I think it's it's very clear that we're going to continue to disagree with the member the opposition member opposite with respect to how we should react to the current global health and economic pandemic in the province of Ontario. We believe of course that as the Solicitor General said and as this government has said on number of occasions and quite frankly as this member has voted on for over a year in support of measures that keep the people the province of Ontario safe we're certainly not going to apologize for for taking those measures and the steps that are needed to do that Mr Speaker at the same time we have had to ensure order as government we responded to challenges with respect to borders that the federal government we're not willing to close down those borders which has caused variants of concern to flood into the province of Ontario we've had to increase ICU capacity that was left so devastatingly low by the previous liberal government we've had to deal with response to long-term care which the previous government did not invest in Mr Speaker but ultimately we'll continue to disagree at the members opposite who believe that we should reduce our guard when it comes to fighting COVID-19 we're not going to do that Mr Speaker. All right thank you the next question the member for Tamiskaming Cochran. Thank you Speaker my question is to the Deputy Premier so it's been almost a week since the Premier promised the best sick leave program in the country and now the government saying we're offering to double the amount paid but you're missing one of the big flaws that has plagued this program from the start so a worker has a cough he's not going to apply for a week-long program and stay home he's going to go to work with a cough he's going to get or he or she they're going to get tested hopefully they're negative but if they're not negative day two they're still spreading the virus because you don't have paid sick days you have a week-long program you know that why do you continue why do you continue to promote a program that actually doesn't help people to stay home when they need to get tested why why are you so philosophically opposed to doing that and again I remind the members to make their comments through the chair minister of labor well mr. Speaker the biggest gap in the federal program is that they're paying Ontario workers $12.50 an hour in fact mr. Speaker that's why we're calling on the federal government to double that to $1,000 per week for four weeks mr. Speaker this would cover every single worker in in this province it would cover those that work the almost million workers in the gig economy for example we're also planning to make this retroactive we just need the federal government to partner with us they said they want to they want to help us we want them to to double that program for heuristics come to order to step up when it comes to enhancing border restrictions but mr. Speaker it's been the party opposite that has highlighted the gap in fact mr. Speaker it was the leader of the opposition that said the Canada recovery sickness benefit response pays less the minimum wage the member from london west west the federal benefit pays less than minimum wage and every worker in this province even the lowest wage should be working at minimum wage we agree thank you and the supplementary thank you once again there are several major gaps with the federal program and that is one that it paid less to minimum wage but as big a gap and probably more important right now to stop the spread is that it isn't that accessible and you need to stay home for a week after the fact so people who are needing to get tested and waiting for the test are prone not to stay home we all know that and we all know that COVID-19 is spreading through workplaces like wildfire fixing part of the federal program or attempting to fix part of the federal program and getting a no from the feds is not going to help stop the spread when are you going to quit playing politics and actually look at programs that are going to help stop the spread of COVID-19 through Ontario one more time I'm going to invite the members to make their comments through the chair Minister of Labor well thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I'd remind the member opposite that the very first piece of legislation we brought forward was a job protected leave any worker impacted by COVID-19 can stay home and not lose our job we went further Mr. Speaker we eliminated the need for sick notes we were also the first jurisdiction to bring in job protected leave for vaccinations we actually worked with the British Columbia NDP government to ensure that they could follow in our footsteps and and have that protection for their workers as well but Mr. Speaker the federal government said they want to help double the program to a thousand dollars per week for four weeks Mr. Speaker make it retroactive for 60 days ensure that workers are getting paid 25 dollars an hour instead of 12 dollars and 50 cents because our workers here in Ontario and quite frankly across the Canada deserve a lot better thank you that concludes our question period is it a point of order okay member for us right of order thank you very much speaker on a point of order I just want to crack my record yesterday during morning debate I stated that the PC government had voted against paid sick days 21 times in fact it is 23 times that they voted against paid sick days thank you pursuant to standing order 38 36a the member for Hamilton mountain has given notice of her dissatisfaction with the answer to her question given by the government house leader concerning the sillaps youth center and this matter will be debated today following private members public business do you know further business this morning this house stands in recess until 3 p.m