 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for London West My question is to the Premier speaker late yesterday the Conservatives finally took a page from the NDP's housing plan Homes, you can't afford a full year Certainly speaker Raising the tax charged on non-resident Residents speculators who make millions playing the housing market is a long overdue measure But there's so much more to be done Will this government be announcing further actions to crack down on the housing speculation that just drives up costs for everyday families The minister miss both affairs and housing speaker I'm proud of the progress that our government's been able to do on the housing supply issue under the leadership of Since our housing supply action plan was passed in 2019 We found that there's been much improvement in the housing supply issue The the the enormous amount of purpose-built rental that's that's being built in the province going back to the early 90s But we know that there's much more to do yeah And and we need to do it speaker in conjunction with other levels of government And we really need our municipal partners to to do their part to ensure that we put a process in place That gets housing built faster at the speed that Ontarians not just need but deserve Speaker this government has nothing to be proud of when it comes to housing they have a dismal record In making homes more affordable for four years. They did nothing to tackle rampant speculation They have consistently showed much more interest in helping friends and donors build warehouses on protected wetlands Then in bringing down the cost of housing speaker The NDP has called for an annual speculation and vacancy tax on residential property like they have in British Columbia a Tax that would apply to speculators who are here in Ontario as well as non-residents Speaker will this government do that? Again speaker, you know the announcement yesterday that the finance minister and I made was was pretty clear We've now got the the the most comprehensive non-resident speculation tax in Canada. So we're delivering on those demand side Issues, but let's make let's let's not let's not cloud the issue speaker every single time that our government has put forward recommendations to deal with the housing supply issue new Democrats have voted against it every time we've put Amendments on the floor bills on the floor to protect tenants to strengthen our community housing every time we've increased investments In in new affordable housing in partnership with our municipalities every single time new Democrats have said no speaker I'm going to make it very clear to Ontarians under their leadership. We're gonna get it done Speaker speaker young people who are starting out in the housing market needs a plan that helps them We should be pulling out all the stops to address the housing crisis in this province The NDP's plan for housing includes measures to skirt to curb speculation as well as real rent control Desperately needed investments in social housing and more speaker. Will we see any of these other measures from the NDP's plan announced today? You know speaker again, I want to put some statistics on the floor as a compare to the NDP voting Know all the time so the year after we introduced our housing supply action plan in 2020 We saw 81,000 housing starts the highest level in over a decade and 11,000 rental starts Since 1992 the next year speaker 2021 we saw 100,000 housing starts the highest we've seen since 1987 and again more than 13,000 rental units which is the highest since the early 90s every single time speaker every single time new Democrats have said no their housing plan is no our housing plan is yes again speaker under the leadership of senior board We're gonna get it done Next question remember for nickel belt Thank you, mr. Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Health Residents of Sudbury in nickel belt have approached my office complaining about a new health service that they are being pressured to purchase In order to receive basic health care services from their family physician Sparrow health is an online products that charges patients for services. That was always free before To get a doctor's note a prescription renewal without waiting for an appointment Sparrow health will make that happen. Just give them $20 or the price of an annual Subscription with so many people who can barely afford the cost of their prescription Does this minister believe that it is okay for people to have to pay an extra $20 For the services of their family physician Thank the member opposite for the questions We know there are many Services that are covered under OHIP in some circumstances They're a physician may be able to charge extra for some of the services that aren't covered but for OHIP But for basic services, you're absolutely right people should be covered getting a prescription renewed some of the other Services that you mentioned you're absolutely right. They should not be charged for that And the supplementary question Currently Sparrow health is telling residents of nickel belt to pay $20 or wait for the next in-person appointment with their family physician This company is profiting off the doctor shortage Frankly created by the liberal government, but not helped very much by this one the average wait time for a family physician In nickel belt is four to six weeks Jody in my writing needed her prescription medication renewed She had to pay $20 plus a $10 fee to have the prescription fax the same day That's $30 that she had to pay for services that are covered by OHIP if she goes and sees her family physician Does the minister believe it is acceptable for people to have to use their credit card to get basic medical care from their own Family physician instead of their OHIP card I would agree with you that people should not have to pay for basic medical care that is covered by OHIP But I would say with respect to your comment about not having enough Family doctors in the north or primary care physicians or whoever else is providing the care our government is investing in an additional 160 undergraduate spaces and 295 postgraduate spaces the biggest expansion in terms of medical students entering schools in over a decade one of the chief Organizations are six that are receiving these positions and funding over the next few years One is in Northern Ontario School of Medicine, which is receiving 30 undergraduate positions and 41 postgraduate positions So that should certainly help with this situation Although as you say the payment for basic medical care from your own family is not something that we would Condone so but we should have more doctors on the system in the next few years to to deal with this So speaker, let me tell you what's happening right now Many people cannot afford these fees So they are now booking unnecessary medical appointment to avoid to have to pay the 20 or 30 dollars Associated with their prescription renewal, which I want to repeat it was always renewed for free before So in northern Ontario where we are short 300 physicians people are booking unnecessary appointment with their family physician Because they cannot afford to pay it does not stop their speaker You can now get a physiotherapy chiropractor orthotics massage therapy prescription whether you need them or not Without ever seeing a physician Just give money to sparrow health and voila This privatizations of our healthcare system has to stop Care should be based on needs not on ability to pay question. Does the minister agree? Well, what I would certainly say is the activities of one group this sparrow group is not indicative of anything else happening within our system We can certainly look into what's happening with sparrow, but there is no privatization going on in our healthcare system We've actually increased our investments in our public healthcare system Since we took office by four point eight billion dollars that is in our public healthcare system And we have not expanded any private health care whatsoever anything that's happening. It's Systems that have already been there We have not issued any new medical licenses for independent health facilities or private hospitals since 1973 at that time there were 80 Private hospitals today. There are only four clearly indicates. We're not making investments there We're making investments in our public health care Speaker my question is to the premier Ontario recently lost Kristin Legaudonkers a master's graduate children's author an award-winning advocate She was lost to suicide Kristin fought tirelessly for system change in 2019 She slept on the ER floor and awaited 24 hours for mental health help. There just aren't enough supports her obituary reads After years of battling her own demons along with the bureaucracy of our mental health care system the system that she fought so passionately for failed her The current lack of mental health supports in my community is hurting everyone The CMHO states that children under 18 wait as long as two and a half years to receive mental health treatment How is that possible in Canada's richest province? What does this government have to say to Kristin's family and families who are waiting while their children are suffering? the Associate Minister for mental health and addictions just speaker and thank you for that question clearly Prior to going to having the pandemic in the province We've seen that there was a crisis with mental health and addictions and that's why our government under the leadership of Premier Ford Worked and created the roadmap to wellness agreeing to invest 525 million dollars annually Over 10 years for a total of three point eight billion dollars to create the very system That's missing and that system mr. Speaker is not only to look after adults, but after children our seniors It's a continuum of care. It looks at the different During the lifespan different ages and ensures that there are supports for them. It's a program that looks at creating connections between different Communities and creating the the continuum of care that's required for them Whether it's addictions or mental health care supports in addition to that. It's culturally sensitive It focuses on all people in all regions of the province of Ontario rural Municipal urban and of course Agricultural and we are going to continue making those investments for the people of the province of Ontario Thank You speaker Respectfully through you speaker to the member funding over 10 years won't help Kristen my questions back to the Premier Kristen needed our help. She advocated for others worked with psychiatrists and social workers and still it was an uphill battle One of the first access government made when they took power was to cut $335 million from promised mental health funding Dr. Jared Berman a child and adolescent clinical psychologist in my riding shared with me a youth in our area saw mental health Counseling but walk-in services had a different person every time no continuity of care No relationship of trust the cornerstones of good mental health care Lucky that this individual had partial parental benefit coverage. They were told a minimum of a six-month wait But more than likely a year Speaker Ontarians need to see better support of mental health care now So families aren't burdened with high bills So so their kids get the care that they deserve by this government return the $335 million they cut in mental health. Yes or no great Thank you, mr. Speaker this illusion of $335 million continues to completely elude logic This was a commitment that was made by the liberal government as a last-ditch attempt during the last election To try to win voters over this government made a commitment of the $3.8 billion and is investing those dollars now The investments that are making our game-changers They are transformational to the system. They are creating continuance of care for people with addictions in Providing everything from detox beds to addiction treatment beds to supportive beds We're making investments with the Ministry of Housing and ensuring that we have supportive housing for individuals Truly addressing the underlying issues of mental health and addictions in this province Which has to do with the social determinants of health, which I'm sure you understand spot now These investments are being made and it's hundreds of millions of dollars that no government in the past has ever Taken the time or energy to invest Thank you speaker It's no secret that our government inherited a massive infrastructure deficit from the wind all Duke of Liberals for 15 years We saw the wind all Duke of Liberals refused to invest in badly needed roads bridges highways And now Ontarians are paying the price by 2051 the population of the greater golden horses who is forecasted to grow to 14.9 million people that's 200,000 people the equivalent of well in st. Catharines and Grimsley combined moving into the region every single year So can the minister of transportation? Please tell us what this government is doing to invest and prepare our infrastructure for this population surge Minister of transportation Thank you speaker, and thank you so much to the member from Niagara West for the question Speaker the member is right that the previous liberal governments were short-sighted on transportation planning But good news for Ontarians under our government things are changing For instance, I was pleased speaker to join the premier just a few weeks ago to announce our long-term Transportation vision for the greater golden horseshoe this plan sets out a path to 2051 Including more than 100 near-term actions to tackle the infrastructure deficit that the liberals created And to accommodate the massive population growth that is already here speaker So whether you're a student using transit to get to class a business owner relying on our strong Highway network to get your goods to market or a parent like me who's using local roads to get your kids to the nearby rink We took your needs into consideration when developing this plan Our government is saying yes to building critical of transportation infrastructure And saying yes to getting more options for Ontarians to get around Speaker and I want to thank the minister for that answer speaker We saw that the liberals new rapid population growth was headed to the golden greater golden horseshoe And instead of addressing it they shelved crucial key highway projects like highway 413 and the bradford bypass The liberals failed to get shovels in the ground to build more public transit They failed by sentencing a generation of gta drivers to perpetual gridlock and speaker The liberals do nothing approach isn't an option anymore So could the minister please elaborate on what key actions are in this government's transportation plan for the greater golden horseshoe And how this government is getting it done for the people of ontario District transportation Thank you again to the member from niagra west for the question Speaker i've said it before in this house if we don't take strong action now gridlock will only get worse in this province In fact, it's forecasted to triple over the next three decades I know the frustrations of sitting in bumper to bumper traffic bumper to bumper traffic each day first hand Yet every single day speaker We hear no from the liberals and the ndp on that side of the house who would rather keep ontarians trapped in gridlock forever Speaker our government is embarking on the largest transit expansion plan in canadian history We're expanding ghost service to deliver on our mandate of two-way all-day ghost service on core segments of the network Including in the region of niagra where we have already increased the number of go train go train trips per day By 20 percent 27 percent on weekdays and 23 percent on weekends Speaker we are also saying yes to building critical infrastructure projects like the highway 413 And the bradford bypass as well as speaker the morriston bypass Our government is addressing gridlock and addressing population growth head-on And I hope the members opposite will join us in this work The next question the member for key wet and on Me good speaker. Thank you Minnigas Eva. It's a good morning. My question is who the premier Speaker and snabbing nation grand chief reds. Nicanobi And the snabby ascii nation deputy grand chief on a Betty had to nebiscope Or at queen's park today calling on this government for immediate action In thunder bay regarding their police services All indigenous people have the right to feel safe and be treated Equitably within the city of thunder bay especially By those sworn to serve and protect What action has this government Taken since we learned that the thunder bay police services failed To properly investigate That that's a 14 indigenous people Thank you speaker, you know misconduct allegations Must and are taken very seriously by our government When we started to hear about the very serious allegations that were coming out of thunder bay I wrote to the anterior civilian police commission They of course as you know have started a review in january That review is ongoing Specifically related to the deaths The opp are doing an independent investigation that work has already begun Look when we heard from the chief pathologist and the corner About their concerns about these deaths They did the right thing. They did that independent review They gave it to the The attorney general funds referred that information to the opp those investigations are ongoing And we will allow that to happen without political interference. Thank you The supplementary question Back to the back to the premier the leaders of unsnabbing nation And the snabby asking nation Are here to tell this government That indigenous people Have no trust In the thunder bay police They repeated failures to problem Properly investigate that deaths of indigenous people mean that an additional 25 unsolved cases Of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls Require an external review Their families deserve answers Systemic racism within the thunder bay police is preventing justice for indigenous people And it is intolerable Will this government Immediately call for opp oversight Of the thunder bay police Mr. General a member opposite and I and our government are in full agreement These serious allegations must be and are being investigated by independence through the interior civilian police commission Through the opp Those investigations must happen in order exactly as you said to bring back trust and faith In the police services in thunder bay and elsewhere. We've done that those investigations are ongoing And we should not and cannot politically interfere in those independent Reviews as they take place. Thank you speaker Thank you, mr. Speaker. My question is to the premier Recently a serious problem that seems to exist in Ontario has come to my attention It's something that I find hard to believe or very discouraging A comprehensive study last year found that 39 percent of hospitals in ontario Do not have sexual assault evidence kits available to victims These kits provide really important evidence to trial in cases of sexual violence. Unfortunately It seems that these kits are not always available I also recently heard something else disturbing that some victims of sexual assault have been asked to pay for rape kits in provinces That is extremely disturbing in its manifestation of rape culture that should not be allowed to happen in ontario So my question is I have tabled the private members bill just yesterday to address the problem of rape Kip availability and to ensure that they always are available for free. Will the government support my bill? minister Thank you speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question Our government has zero tolerance for workplace violence One incident of workplace violence is one too many And that is why the ministry of health along with the ministry of long-term care and ministry of labor training and skills development Acknowledge the workplace violence the workplace violence prevention Continues to be a critical issue in the health care sector That's why we are working already with our partners like ontario health and the public services health and safety Association to develop strategic approaches to address this very important issue Most recently our government published a workplace violence prevention guide to the law for employers to help health care organizations Understand their obligations to prevent workplace violence under the ontario health and safety act The supplementary question Thank you, mr. Speaker and maybe I can offer the minister to read my private members bill because we're talking about Availability of rape kits and sexual assault here Mr. Speaker in canada only 33 out of every 1,000 sexual assaults are reported to the police We're women clearly do not feel that policing injustice Are responding to their needs we've seen numerous movements call out the systemic racism at play in ontario's policing Police can't do their job properly if they don't have the confidence of the general public We need to be bringing perpetrators of sexual assault to justice What is the solicitor general doing to ensure that there can be public trust in the opp so that woman every woman Indigenous black women and every woman feel comfortable reporting sexual assault Thank you speaker Well, I think the first and most important thing is that people have confidence to come forward and place those charges You know, we have some incredible police leaders who are doing Excellent work to make sure that there is standard processes so that when people Come forward They have confidence In the police service to make sure that those investigations are happening and that work is ongoing Absolutely, I will not disagree with you there What we are doing is making sure that people people understand what their rights and responsibilities are And to make sure that the police have the tools and that's frankly why we have now some grants and programs in place To have police services work with their local Sexual assault agencies to work with their homeless shelters to make sure that those Communications and relationships are there in place so that when someone comes forward not only can the charges come forward But they can also get and are provided the supports they need as they go through the criminal justice system. Thank you The next question the member for mississauga center Question to the minister of Skills development Small towns Ontario is back and ready to unleash our economic potential and start firing on all cylinders But we need all hands on deck in the construction sector alone We will need over 100 000 more workers over the next decade These good jobs with pensions benefits and bigger paychecks are right here in Ontario for the taking Our mission under the leadership of premier dug forward is to help more people reach them This includes our strategy to get more women involved into skilled trades Minister you were recently in ottawa to announce an exciting investment Can you please tell us how this announcement will benefit the people of ottawa? Thank you Mr. Labor training and skills development Thank you so much to the member for this very important question Mr. Speaker as a member said recently I had the pleasure of traveling to our nation's capital to join My colleagues and members from carlton and ottawa west napien together We announced our government is investing over 13 million dollars in free training and paid electricians apprenticeships for more than 2 500 people across ontario Mr. Speaker electricians make everything possible That we enjoy in life their cables kept us all connected with families with friends and work colleagues At a time when we couldn't be together This is part of our workers first plan for ontario We're helping people lift themselves up support their families and give back to their communities. Thanks Supplementary question Thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for that response and for working hard to get it done Through you speaker. It's clear. These are rewarding and well-paying careers Construction electricians make about 34 dollars an hour Industrial electricians make 36 dollars an hour power system electricians 47 dollars an hour and many electricians earn more than 50 dollars an hour Mr. Speaker last year there were over 1 800 job postings for electricians With over 2 billion in infrastructure projects on the horizon We need to ensure our workforce is ready to meet this demand We need these workers to build and maintain our roads hospitals and schools for ontario's growing population So speaker, what is the minister doing to give a hand up to those who work hard and take pride in a job? Minister labor to reply Well, thanks again and through you mr. Speaker I want to thank the member for her advocacy and continued support to get more people Into the skilled trades a speaker our announcement in ottawa was about more than just training We're breaking new ground taking historic steps and passing first of their kind legislation that builds a stronger ontario for everyone It shows our government is working for workers every single day and we're not slowing down We're putting those who work an honest shift in the driver's seat and helping average people and their families get ahead We've got a workers first plan to build a brighter future for ontario that works for everyone Through you mr. Speaker our government is all in and we're going to get it done under premier ford The next question the member for grant in east. Thank you speaker. My question is to the premier Ontarians are struggling to make ends meet and one of the greatest expenses that they face is car insurance But instead of helping ontarians in lowering rates their concert of government continues to allow billion dollar billion dollar car insurance companies to rip off ontarians by charging them more Simply based on where they live it is postal code discrimination and it is wrong last week alongside other NDP MPPs I put forward a bill to lower car insurance rates by ending postal code discrimination Will the premier do the right thing will he vote yes to our NDP bill to stop postal code discrimination and lower rates Or will he continue to allow his insider friends in the car insurance industry to rip off ontarians? Remember for brantford brant No, thank you speaker and thank you for that question Our government has been keeping a very close watch on the insurance companies across ontario to make sure that they are treating The people of ontario Fairly during this unprecedented time And we have had a clear message to insurance companies You should provide relief in funds to reflect the financial hardships of your customers are facing because of covet 19 And because of that because of the encouragement of the province of ontario We have seen a billion dollars in consumer savings affecting 93 percent of ontario drivers and in fact Mr. Speaker david marshall's report that came out a few days ago just stated that In 2019 since since 2019 fissure has been active in reducing the regulatory burden But the reality is mr. Speaker The people of ontario work very hard and our government understands The taxpayers are under pressure We recognize the impact that inflation is having on our families and that our government is here for them Our government is committed to putting and keeping more money in the pockets of hardworking ontarians Examples for example the jobs training tax credit of two thousand dollars low-income workers lift credit Mr. Speaker every opportunity that the opposition has had to make life more affordable for the people of ontario They have said no The supplementary question Mr. Speaker back to the premier We have just heard how out of touch the concert of government is That i challenged the premier to go to brampton to go to scarborough to go to northwest serrano as folks there If their car insurance rates have gone up over down They will tell you that the rates have gone up and people are struggling because of it And it's no surprise because every single year that the concert of government has been in power in 2018 In 2019 in 2020 in 2021 and in 2022 They have allowed car insurance rates to go up and on top of it They have voted no to two ndb bills that would actually have ended and lowered car insurance rates Enough is enough the premier needs to stop serving his insider friends in the car insurance industry And start serving the people of ontario will he vote yes to our ndb bill and lower car insurance rates once and for all Thank you, mr. Speaker You know, I appreciate that in the marshal report that was just released No mention was made about how making auto insurance more expensive for the rest of the people of ontario would serve any benefit In fact, what he's saying is that the future of consumer services like insurance lies in being responsive to rapid changes such as pricing and innovation We recently implemented through fissure a regulatory sandbox to test new Initiatives to respond to changing consumer needs Successful innovations from this sandbox would be delivered to the consumer market But mr. Speaker the reality is is that The people of ontario need real relief making life more affordable and convenient for over eight million vehicle owners by Eliminating license plate renewal fees the minimum wage increase a raise of over 660 000 to over 760 000 ontario workers Removing the unfair tolls imposed on highways 412 and 418 by the del ducal liberal government and addressing the housing crisis Mr. Speaker Every chance that the opposition has had to say yes to the people of ontario. They have said no james james The next question the member for durham Speaker my questions for the minister of municipal affairs and housing and I understand this is a timely question Oshawa is now one of the most expensive places to rent an apartment in all of canada A real estate listing and analysis firms numbers says oshawa saw the average two bedroom unit in in oshawa jumped by a staggering 24.8 percent this month Reaching a new high of 1860 per month I recognize minister you Inherited a huge housing backlog when you became minister What more can we do as a parliament? What more can you do to help my oshawa constituents like ontario tech students who are Soon graduate who are looking for a place to rent The minister of municipal affairs and housing thanks thanks speaker through you to the member For durham. I want to thank you for the question. Thank you for your advocacy in your riding The interest on the housing file you're right We inherited a housing file that was for the most part neglected by the previous government for 15 years We we went at it very quickly with our housing supply action plan And as you know Both in 2020 and 2021 the years following the housing supply action plan. We've had significant increases In durham alone in the members riding Since we implemented our plan there's been about 4200 housing starts, which is about a 58 average from 2019 it's it's higher than the average for 10 years But regardless of that your points are well taken and it only shows the fact that our work is not done We need all of our partners including municipalities To to do their share to make sure that that long drawn out process that's really causing Undo delays Needs to stop so your questions very timely and I'll have more to say later on today Thank you speaker and I want to specifically thank The minister for his collaboration on the release of a co-owning a home guide Earlier in the term one of the potential solutions for those finding themselves priced out of the market In february the average durham region home reached an all-time high of 1.2 million dollars As we near the end of the term of this parliament What other solutions can you offer to benefit my constituents? The minister of municipal affairs and housing thanks speaker and again through you to the member for durham I want to thank you for your leadership on The co-owner ship Innovation guide that we've done highlighting the golden girls in your riding. So thank you for your for your leadership We want to build upon Some of the measures that we put forward as a government obviously My housing task force report very bold visionary sets out sort of a longer term plan For the government, but we know it doesn't matter what consultation that we had The member knows that that the process takes too long. It it literally takes too long To to start a process and get shovels in the ground And that's something that that we've heard throughout the consultation We we want to put a plan in place, but we want to continue that consultation multi-generational communities to ensure that there's a rural and northern lens On the housing file, which I know the members, you know, very very interested in this is a long-term strategy It's not a one and done and and I think you'll see in the years ahead That our government under the leadership of premier ford will have many many more housing initiatives to deal with this supply problem Next question the member for perth wellington. Thank you speaker Speaker my question is for the minister of mines northern development national resources and forestry Mr. Speaker has been long long being Observed that the gap between northern and southern ontario is more than just a geographic one We have known for quite some time that the northern portion of our province has been left wanting for investment Whether investment in health care infrastructure or even just investment in Consideration into formulating strategies to improve life for our northern remote and indigenous communities It's clear that the previous administration was uninterested and instead solely fixated on the southern urban regions of our province Mr. Speaker through you to the minister How is our government and his ministry bridging that gap to build a stronger more inclusive ontario? And to respond the minister of northern development mines That's your forestry Speaker and I want to thank the member from perth wellington for his legacy in this place and the incredible work He's done for his constituents and our government over the past couple of years Up north we're talking about opportunities You know I started out in cochran went to iroquois falls to miskming shore Sturgeon falls cal stock mr. Speaker or on behalf of the minister of energy We announced a biomass strategy lack days ill with the premier minister Mr. Speaker talking about our critical mineral strategy There's a palpable enthusiasm across northern ontario Mr. Speaker that we have an opportunity to serve global demands that we have an opportunity to be part Of an integrated supply chain mr. Speaker from exploration to electric vehicles That means investing in our businesses investing in infrastructure for our communities It's why we modernize the northern heritage fund mr. Speaker northern ontario is appreciative of the work this government's doing and we're ready mr. Speaker Thank you speaker speakers clear that the minister's efforts to create a new and improved northern ontario heritage fund corporation Are manifesting into real world results for people and businesses across north the north Facts are this since june 2018. We have invested more than 473 million dollars in 4244 projects in northern ontario to the nohfc Leveraging more than 1.5 billion dollars in investment and creating or sustaining over 6600 jobs What is clear is that many northern communities were forgotten under past governments liberal and our Under past governments And our government was elected to clean up their mess Speaker through you. How is the minister turning these communities across the north into economic hopes? minister of northern development Thank you, mr. Speaker I'm sure the minister of economic development job creation and trade shares my view that we have the most amazing premier mr. Speaker Who is focused on the priorities of the north? He knows when it comes to agriculture that the clay belt thunder bay district and fort francis rainy river Represent three of the largest growth areas for agriculture He knows mr. Speaker that the tariff president biden slapped on russia and rightly so for their hardwood plidewood Birch mr. Speaker is now going to be demanded from from cocker and mr. Speaker That's why we invested 3.5 million dollars in a new four foot laid up there He knows mr. Speaker that in mining we have an opportunity to fill the gap Mr. Speaker and the global demand in the context of this strike Strife for critical minerals mr. Speaker the european union has come to the premier and myself for a meeting to form a Strategic alliance response asking us for our timber and our food mr. Speaker northern Ontario is busy And the ndp have voted against all of these important initiatives mr. Speaker. We're ready out north mr. Speaker The next question remember for hamilton math Thank you very much mr. Speaker my question is for the premier the covet 19 fatality rates for people with disabilities Are two and a half times higher than the general population They've largely been left out of conversations around supporting ontarians through through this pandemic Especially when discussing the protection of residents in long-term care facilities and group homes Speaker one group hope here in ontario had a 95 percent infection rate during the height of the pandemic This is shocking ontarians with disabilities do not deserve this They do not deserve to be left on the sidelines of this conversation This government needs to stop ignoring people with disabilities The health and well being of people in ontario who have a disability needs to be prioritized Can the premier tell us what his government is doing to protect individuals in group homes as the province reopens? Mr. Children community and social services Thank you speaker and thank you to the member opposite Our government is committed to ensuring the safety of those in our group homes and under children's Community and social services purview. That is why we have seen unprecedented Investments in this area to support our our vulnerable populations. Our government has Understood the impact of COVID-19 and that's why we've backed up Our communities and our group homes with real supports more than 250,000 recipients and their families received the emergency benefit introduced in march 2020 to help individuals who may have faced additional Costs due to COVID-19 to support individuals We also expanded access to temporary emergency assistance for those in financial crises who have had no access to other supports ODSP and ow recipients continue to have access to the government's discretionary benefits We're working with our other ministries the ministry of labor training skills development the ministry of municipal affairs and housing The minister associate minister of mental health and addictions to allow a plan for renewal and recovery For this sector. Thank you For people with disabilities and this has only gotten worse under this government In many cases a person has to wait up to 23 years for appropriate supportive housing 23 years speaker Can you imagine anyone in this chamber having to wait over two decades to receive housing and support that they need? I bet not Ontarians with disabilities are over represented among those living in poverty and in emergency shelters Which is completely unacceptable They deserve stability and they deserve to have access to appropriate housing options now Not two decades from now Can the premier tell us what his government is doing to expand the appropriate housing and care options for people with disabilities? And to protect them from future outbreaks Mr. Mr. Mr Thanks speaker. I want to thank the the honorable member for the question One of the things our government is doing As a result of our supportive housing consultation was to take an all-of-government approach on this issue We're working collaboratively obviously minister fullerton just responded to the first part of the question But she and I And our ministers in health minister Elliott minister tobolo are taking that all-of-government approach when it comes to support Of housing so one of the things that we heard from our stakeholders was there's there's too many programs So I made an announcement In a derm region with our chief government whip to announce our homelessness prevention program Which basically takes some of our supportive housing programs? And rolls them into one to make it easier and more flexible to our service managers Well, we've also done speaker. We've added more dollars To respond to the partners so that they're able to get that immediate improvement to the system today Not 10 years from now. They fully support us Remember for Scarborough Speaker my question is to the premier according to the FAO expenditure monitoring report for q3 the government's reduced plan spending on health Children's and social services and education Choking off supports to some of ontario's most important services and programs During a global pandemic and lockdowns are bad enough But the FAO's q3 report showed us again that this government is hoarding billions of dollars in contingency and unallocated funds What are these billions of unallocated funds for? There always seems to be a lack of transparency when it comes to this government But what we do know is this It was not to help ontarians get through this pandemic Instead order it was set aside for march madness a 5.6 billion dollar pre-election spending spree Speaker the premier in 2019 called march madness Spending a waste of taxpayers dollars. So why did he choose to waste 5.6 billion dollars now? To reply the president of the treasury board The minister of finance Updated on his own quarterly reportings where he noted that we are investing an additional 2.3 billion dollars to support the people of this province every step of the way To support the people of this province. We have invested There is no government in the history of this province that invested more in health care more in education More to support the people of ontario. Mr. Speaker. We've continued that Just like last week where we announced one of the first new medical schools in the city of bampen and over 100 years That also mr. Speaker includes a new medical school and scarborough with the people of scarborough We've got a commitment to build Over 3,000 new beds over 10 years and 22 billion dollars behind that mr. Speaker We will continue to make record investments to keep the people of this province safe and to build on our progress today Good supplementary Thank you speaker and and thank you to the president of the treasury board I worked on that new medical school before you took office. So I appreciate the fact that The government side will come to order Please restart the clock Member for scarborough gildewood has Mr. Speaker and yes, I did work on this scarborough academy of medicine before you took office So I want to see those programs get built the fact is the people of ontario and of scarborough Are waiting for services that this government has delayed like The families on autism that are waiting for services the odsp program Which is underspent in the face of rising inflation Seniors who are on fixed incomes They need to hear from this government that there is a plan to ensure that they can have a Retirement what about the learning gaps? Why are you delaying those important programs and leaving people hanging speaker? Does the premier think that breaking his budget deadline for selfish reasons Is the leadership that ontarians deserve because you've changed that deadline It should you should have been reporting this budget this week instead of the end of april You are keeping people waiting when they are in need of much needed programs and services in this province Thank you very much, mr. Speaker There is no government in the history of this province that has invested more To support the people of this province than this government Look at the record of the members opposite They voted no to over 1.5 billion dollars in additional spending to support hospitals that included 3100 new surge beds and those two in the members own community of scarborough The members opposite have voted no to historic capital investments to increase the supply of hospital beds in this province It's a 56 new major capital projects over the Course of 10 years the members opposite have voted no towards that mr. Speaker The members on this side of the house are going to be committed to making life more affordable Building hospital beds building capacity and building that new medical school in scarborough. Mr. Speaker. Thank you Thank you. Thank you, speaker. My question is for the premier Parents of children and young people with autism have long struggled for financial and structural support They require to get the proper care they deserve We know the previous liberal government led parents down and under this government The wait list have doubled in york south western one such parent is a laxers whom my office has been trying to help a laxers has been frustrated with the lack of communication from ontario autism program and has no funding support for her child And no end in sight to the length wait list Why will this government not step up to the plate and address how ontario autism program is simply not working? And the wait list is clearly unacceptable And to respond The minister of children community and social services Thank you, speaker. And thank you to the member opposite for that important question Our government has been committed to making sure that the children and their families get the supports they need And that's exactly why we've been creating a program for the community by the autism community That's why we've doubled the investment That's why we have approximately 40 000 children receiving supports right now through the plan Which is a multi pathway program providing supports in multiple ways And that's why we did consultations listen to the community understand the needs to create a new program through the independent intake Organization which has now been announced and we're moving forward making very good progress Unlike the previous government That had 75 percent of children who would never receive any supports and that was supported by You know the the NDP What did you do to address this issue? Member for Hamilton mountain come to order There is an important progress that is being made We're on track to getting five times as many children into this program as previous the data supports that Thank you. Thank you speaker at this Saturday is wall autism awareness day and back To the my question to to the premier Alexis has met barriers when trying to access the Ontario autism program and with the special services at home program In fact her ssa h application was In fact lost and she had to resubmit it A special services at home updated alexa's few days ago saying she cannot get a client number until funding is approved And that the waiting list for her son is on is contingent on when and how much the government funds ssa h Alexis sent a letter to the minister of social services, and I was copied on an icota We have been told earlier intervention is key for supporting kids with asd And if you haven't figured it out by now emits early intervention window is quickly passing Alexis has deep fears of her son's regression without getting the funding she needs and in fact Is fearful for this for his well-being Families deserve so much better and and with a wait list of 53,000 children When is this government going to provide the urgent help needed for the for their children's development? Thank you speaker and thank you for the question. Let me let me First of all acknowledge the challenges that families have had And the importance of the progress that we're making to bring families into these programs And I dispute the the number that you're suggesting for the 50,000 the actual reality is that we have 40,000 children receiving support right now Children and youth in the behavior plans 3,665 A childhood budget funding a payments issued 8,682 32,000 for Hamilton mountain come border interim funding for the foundational family services 12,914 The opposition had the chance to support children and youth with special needs They said no to the grand view children's treatment center in Ajax. They said no to the one door for care In in Ottawa, they said no to the chatham kentz children's treatment center They voted against this funding and these investments not wise not once but twice Our government is supporting. Thank you. Thank you. The next question the members as well Thank you speaker. My question is for the premier Families in Ontario have paid the price for the premier's dithering and delay as the last jurisdiction to sign a child care deal In canada and they will pay the price if there are not enough spaces available Here's the bottom line Ontario will not have enough child care spaces if there are not enough early child could educators to care for our children There's already a shortage of eces because of low pay and poor working conditions Graduation rates at the ontario college of early childhood educators have declined by 7% every year since 2014 Speaker care providers deserve fair wages So will the premier say yes to eces and the children and families who need them by offering a $25 an hour pay for ecs Respond minister of education Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker. We've delivered what no liberal Liberal premier could which is affordable child care for the people of ontario under premier forge leadership We have announced a plan that will reduce rates by 25% on average up front this spring An additional 50% by Christmas of this year. We will get to $10 by your 2025 a monumental initiative that will provide relief And stability for families who need it young families in our province Mr. Speaker. We value the work of early childhood educators It's why in this deal we have a minimum wage of $18 and $20 for supervisors. Mr. Speaker 75% of our workforce is above that We're trying to create An equilibrium of wages within the sector to retain them and incentivize 14 000 more to enter our our industry. Mr. Speaker. We've landed not any deal But a better deal for the people we serve Speaker we need to have an honest conversation with the people of ontario About the fact that you need Eces to be able to staff the spaces to deliver the affordable child care that people want and need Paying care providers a fair wage is just the right thing to do It's the right thing to do for nurses educators and child care workers It reflects the values of who we are as ontarians But if that doesn't convince the government to do the right thing Maybe basic economics will you don't have to be a labor economist to understand The low wages in a tight labor market will make it difficult if not impossible to hire the workers needed Manitoba gets it. They're paying $25 an hour. Yukon gets it. They're paying $30 an hour So why doesn't the ford government get it at $18 an hour? Speaker will the premier stand up do the right thing and pay eces the fair wages they deserve Mr. vegetation Mr. Speaker in the agreement that was publicized for the people of ontario We confirmed to a minimum wage of $18 every year in this in this agreement thereafter It rises to a dollar up to 25 dollars at a maximum, mr. Speaker Also, the problems of ontario unilaterally put in 395 million dollars to ensure that Child care workers who work within work with staff and kids 6 to 12 years old which are excluded from this federal deal Also get that wage increase. We didn't have to do that But we believe there's a right thing to do to stabilize the workforce and encourage 14 700 more eces to step forward To help fill the 86,000 spaces that our progressive conservative government is creating We have put more money in the child care system We're maintaining the ontario child care tax credit Which the members of the greens liberals and new democrats have opposed systematically in this house We're going to continue to invest in families reduce fees and make life more affordable for families in ontario Thank you, speaker my question is to the minister of health right now in algoma, manitoulin Communities are facing many shortages of permanent doctors In teslan the north shore health network has been searching for a full-time physician At the local hospital for months. They are scrambling They are relying on locums to fill the urgent need of the hospitals while primary care Which is the goal seal of our care here in this province is basically non-existent Weeks ago. I presented a plan with to the minister from the east algoma primary care work team To create an integrated care model to help recruit and retain new physicians in the area The current model of care is simply not sustainable in the area This has been going on for years and this problem minister is not going away We're looking to you for your help Can you let us know what is the government's plan to train recruit and retain physicians in northern ontario Mr help Thank you very much and thank you to the member for question We have had several conversations about the issue that you just described You did present your plan to me and we are studying it. We understand the urgency for it We know that you need to have a solution and we are giving a priority in our office I can certainly advise you of that in the longer term However, you know that we are expanding medical placements for medical students Significantly across ontario the biggest increase for the past 10 years 160 undergrad positions 295 post graduate positions I recognize that won't help in the immediate instance that you're speaking about However, it is going to greatly increase the number of doctors who are going to be available in ontario Particularly in northern ontario because the northern ontario school of medicine is receiving 30 undergraduate positions at 41 post graduate positions That concludes our question period for this morning Pursuant to standing order 36a the member for Ottawa Vanie has given notice of her dissatisfaction with the answer to her question Given by the minister of health concerning the availability of sexual assault evidence kits This matter will be debated today following private members public business Next we have a deferred vote on the motion for second reading of bill 89 An act to amend the human rights code with respect to religious expression Call in the members. This is a five minute bell