 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Brampton Centre. Thank you and good morning, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, people across Ontario believe that long-term care should be a safe place to live. But for many of these non-profit care providers, they see these homes as just real estate transactions. Last week, Ontario seniors who live in homes managed by Chartwell, the company led by former PC Mike Harris, sold off 16 homes and flipped another three as a way to turn a quick profit. Outrageously, Speaker, the company will net $277 million after this transaction. Let's be clear, these companies aren't using these profits to reinvest in better standards of care or even help to hire more staff. This profit is for their shareholders. Why does this government think that it's appropriate for private long-term care operators to net hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate transactions? Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. I think this has less to do with Chartwell and more to do with NDP ideology. So what the Member and her party are suggesting is that the long-term care system be nationalized in the province of Ontario. And what they are wanting to do is spend billions of dollars buying buildings. Now, Mr Speaker, we have chosen a different path. We are choosing to invest billions of dollars in building new long-term care homes, billions of dollars in increasing staffing in our long-term care homes, all things that would be at risk should the NDP proposal of nationalizing long-term care ever come to pass in the province of Ontario. It would put to risk the $40 million of additional funding that this government has earmarked for homes in Brampton, Mr Speaker. So again, what we're going to continue to do for long-term care is improve staffing. We're going to build modern new state-of-the-art facilities, Mr Speaker, to finally catch up after 15 years of neglect in the system. We're putting in the resources and making the investments needed to make long-term care the best, not only in Canada, but North America, Mr Speaker. Thank you, Mr Speaker. What new Democrats are fighting for is to ensure that billions of dollars don't go to for-profit care providers and that we reinvest in providing care with dignity to seniors in this province. One of these homes, Cartwell, that has been sold off, hasn't even finished construction yet. The company, which builds itself as a real-estate trust, not a long-term care provider, says the whole point of these sales, and I'll quote, is to find meaningful management synergies, Speaker, that doesn't sound like improving care to us. It's clear these big companies are using long-term care homes and real estate speculators to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars. But when it comes to offering better supports for elders and people with disabilities, that is nowhere to be seen. The company also says these deals won't be finalized without the government's permission. So, Speaker, will the government do the right thing, stop these transfers to yet another for-profit provider, and instead invest in not-for-profit care in the province of Ontario? To be very clear, the government will not nationalize long-term care in the province of Ontario. We will not spend billions upon billions upon billions of dollars buying long-term care homes across the province of Ontario, Mr. Speaker. What we will do instead is put billions of dollars into improving care, billions of dollars into building new long-term care, because what we're focused on is people, places, and community, Mr. Speaker. So what we're doing is building long-term care homes across the province in smaller communities that have never had long-term care before, Mr. Speaker. We're investing in people, not only the people that work in long-term care, but the people who live in long-term care, because for far too long, under the Liberals and the NDP, a long-term care facility was just that of a facility. We're making long-term care homes, because we recognize it is where people live, where they will have memories for many years to come. We're improving staffing, improving the homes, Mr. Speaker, and we will not do what the NDP are suggesting, nationalizing the system, and wasting billions upon billions of dollars on buying homes. Instead, we'll build the system and make it better for them. I don't supplement you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So the government house leader and minister of long-term care and home care has made it clear he is okay with companies like Chartwell profiting 277 million dollars off the backs of taxpayers and seniors in this province. That is shameful here in Ontario. Instead of treating these long-term care homes like real estate, we could treat them as decent places to live. What we saw during the pandemic was horrific, and we know that the government bailed out for-profit homes and failed to provide the support necessary for seniors. But it doesn't have to be this way for elders and people who live in long-term care homes, like people with disabilities, they deserve dignity, with enough staff to care for them. They deserve quality food and comfortable accommodations. But that's only possible if we take the profits out of long-term care. Why does this government continue to reward for-profit providers with taxpayers' dollars and not invest in the dignity and care that long-term care residents deserve? Again, Mr. Speaker, not one member of the NDP stood up when they held the balance of power between 2011 and 2014, stood up and made long-term care a priority. Did they ever make four hours of care a priority when they held the balance of power? No. Did they make building new facilities a priority? No. Did they make increasing staffing? No. Did they say that we needed long-term care in communities across the province, small communities, large communities? No, Mr. Speaker. This government has done just that. And what the member is asking me to do is to close down 680 beds that we have brought to Brampton. She wants me to close those beds and she wants me to redirect the $38 million in staffing to NDP policy of nationalizing long-term care. Well, it won't happen, Mr. Speaker. Not on our watch because what we're going to continue to do is make up for the failures of the Liberals and the NDPs by bringing in new long-term care by 30,000 new beds, Mr. Speaker. 28 beds and 27,000 staff. We start the clock. The next question. Once again, the member for Brampton Centre. My next question is also for the Premier. Speaker, the Ontario government's rollout of the antiviral drug PAXLAVID has been anything but smooth. For immunocompromised Ontarians, getting a prescription for this drug has not been easy. The CBC reported on Friday that one Ottawa woman waited all week to get her prescription, even though the treatment with this medication needs to begin within the first three to five days of the onset of symptoms, Speaker, for it to actually be effective. The CBC reports that Ontarians are only able to access these potentially life-saving antivirals at a provincial testing centre after someone has confirmed and tested positive for COVID. Why is this government not rolling out wider distribution of this drug to help Ontarians get access to the life-saving medication they need and to help us get this pandemic under control? Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. Well, originally when PAXLAVID was first approved, we received very small quantities of this antiviral and it was distributed through 26 select sites across Ontario, including clinical assessment centres. However, the situation has changed since then. We are now receiving higher quantities. We have received over 40,000 courses of PAXLAVID to date and we are now looking at expanding so that people can receive a PAXLAVID as should they need it from centres across Ontario. We know that there are many people who want to receive it. They can receive it through their primary care physician who can obtain it through an assessment centre or they can receive it at the assessment centres. However, because we are now receiving larger quantities, we are looking at other points of distribution so that people can access it more easily. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. The federal government actually provided Ontario with over 100,000 courses of the drug PAXLAVID, but that hasn't been widely distributed. Dr. Manaka Pai says that too few Ontarians even know that they can be eligible for this drug and I'll quote, people who are eligible need to know what steps to take to access the drug. People need to know where to go to get these drugs and these barriers are tremendous. And if we don't tackle them, the societal benefit and the individual benefit of PAXLAVID will not be realised and quote. Speaker, in provinces like Quebec, pharmacists, physicians, nurse practitioners, they are all allowed to prescribe this drug. Why isn't the government of Ontario allowing more prescriptions for this antiviral drug here in Ontario? Well, we certainly are allowing for more prescriptions. However, it should be noted that PAXLAVID is not suitable for everyone because there are contraindications with over another about 100 different drugs. Some people, even though they may want to take advantage of it, can't take it for health care reasons. However, we do recognise that many people are not aware of when they can obtain PAXLAVID. We are going to be expanding our education process so that people will know that more widely. We are looking to make sure that we have broadened access for everyone and we want to make sure that other parties can be involved in it, including pharmacies in the future. So there's many different points of distribution that we're examining so that anyone who can take PAXLAVID and is indicated for it will be able to receive it. Thank you, Speaker. No one wants to see things get worse in a sixth wave here in Ontario. This medication could be and should be a part of the province's response, but access is the issue. Ontarians who are not close to a provincial testing centre means that getting access to this life-saving drug will be very difficult. The Ontario government has the tools to get this drug into the hands of rural and remote communities, but they continue to lag behind other provinces. It shouldn't have to be this difficult for Ontarians to get access to this form of health care, especially when Ontario has, as the Premier has stated, over 100,000 courses of this drug already available. Speaker, what steps will this government take to deploy the antiviral drug across Ontario to help COVID-19 patients recover quickly? People who need PAXLAVID can obtain access to it through their primary care provider who can request it from the clinical assessment centres so that even if a person doesn't live in an area where there is a clinical access centre, they can obtain it through their primary care physician, nurse, practitioner, whoever it happens to be. We are also going to be expanding access and availability of PAXLAVID because they member is quite right. We have received increased quantities and we are also embarking on a clinical education program both for providers but also for the people of Ontario to let them know that this is another tool that we can use to limit the spread of COVID within our communities and to keep people from having to access hospitals and urgent care as well. So we are making access available and expanding access for everyone in the province to be able to receive it if they need it. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Last week, RBC Bank released a new report on housing affordability in its grim. Housing affordability has dipped to its worst level in 31 years, which means the dream of owning a home has gone up in smoke and it means the dream of even renting a home that you can afford has also gone up in smoke. An individual needs to earn over $118,000 a year to afford an available two-bedroom apartment in Toronto today. The housing affordability crisis is this government's legacy. What is this government's plan? You've got less than 60 days left. What is this government's plan to make housing affordable for Ontarians now? Thank you. Speaker, I threw you to the member opposite. Yesterday was a sad day for anyone who wanted to realize the dream of home ownership. New Democrats again, Speaker, voted against our government's plan on more homes for everyone, just like they did in 2019 for our plan More Homes More Choice Ontario's Housing Supply Action Plan, just like they did when they voted against protecting tenants and strengthening community housing. Over and over and over again, New Democrats have ensured that anyone who wanted to realize the dream of home ownership, Speaker, was going to get a big fat no from the NDP. On the side of the house, we embrace the housing affordability task force report. It's going to be our long-term roadmap. And in the interim, we need to do some immediate measures, Speaker. Immediate measures, like the measures that are in More Homes for Everyone. On this side of the house, we're going to keep putting forward suggestions. I know what's going to happen, Speaker. This member is going to continue to vote against it. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you also to the minister for raising your new bill. This government's new housing bill has been widely criticized by planners and municipalities because it financially punishes municipalities and could actually slow down building approvals. This is what Toronto's Chief Planner Greg Linton had to say. This bill could have the perverse effect of delaying development by sending more planning applications to the backlogged Ontario Land Tribunal. And there's nothing in this bill to make it quicker and easier to build more affordable missing middle homes like townhomes, duplexes and triplexes and neighborhoods we want to live in. Even though your very own Housing Affordability Task Force, with your own very own hand-picked experts, recommended that you do exactly that. Minister, what is your plan to build more affordable missing middle housing so Ontarians can afford to live in this province? Speaker, you know, I guess I would have thought in one of these two questions that the member, since you just recently contravened the Members Integrity Act by breaking Parliamentary Convention in her own constituency. I thought perhaps she'd start her question with an apology to the people of University Rosedale, but you know, I guess that's not in the cards today. I'm going to quote a couple of report speaker from the Altus Group in 2020 that was commissioned by the Building Industry Land Development Association. It talks about subdivision approvals in Ontario taking between 7 and 15 months. Talking about how rezoning speaker takes an average of 9 to 25 months. These timelines are too long. People who want to realize the dream of home ownership can't wait 25 months. So our plan as part of the plan they voted against yesterday would gradually refund permit fees if municipalities don't hit those very very important marks. So, you know, speaker, again, on this side of the house, we want to work with our municipal partners. Thank you very much. Thank you. The next question. The member for Flamboyle, Flamboyle. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Just yesterday we saw yet another vote of confidence in Ontario from a major auto manufacturer, General Motors, which is committing to investing in expanding their vehicle production right here in Ontario. But under the previous Liberal government, 300,000 manufacturing jobs left Ontario, devastating many communities. But now under this government we are seeing jobs and historic investments from some of the world's biggest auto manufacturers. Speaker, through you, could the Minister tell us what our government's recent announcement means for the people of Oshawa and this province? Great question. Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Thank you, Speaker. Over the past 16 months, Ontario's auto sector has announced over $12 billion in green steel, EVs and electric vehicle battery manufacturing. Yesterday we were extremely proud to support GM's $2 billion investment to reopen Oshawa and retool Ingersoll for electric vehicle production. In Oshawa, GM's historic investment will add a third shift to build the lightweight Chevy Silverado for a total of 2,600 new local jobs. At their cami plant in Ingersoll, GM will manufacture the Bright Drop. It's a brand new all-electric vehicle. Speaker, I got to tell you I drove it yesterday and it is a sweet ride. This investment from GM will position yet another Ontario automaker to manufacture the next generation of EV vehicles, the cars of the future. We will continue to support Ontario's auto sector and the thousands of jobs. Thank you, Minister. This announcement is clearly great news for the people of Durham Region and Ingersoll who will have their future secured for generations. Investments like these are truly transformative. For Oshawa, GM has been a pillar in the community and I'm sure this is welcome news for that local community. This announcement goes a long way to repairing the damage to our economy caused by the previous Liberal Government. Back to the Minister. Through you, Speaker, could the Minister tell us how our government has taken action to secure Ontario's automotive sector for generations to come? Since taking office, our government has worked very closely with Ontario's auto sector to ensure that the cars of the future are built right here in Ontario. Driving prosperity was our plan to position Ontario as a North American leader in electric vehicle production and, Speaker, the plan is working. We've been able to secure, as I said, $12 billion in investments in 16 months. This is unprecedented in the history of our province and it is truly game-changing and it shows just how important it is to create the right environment for job creators like reducing the cost of doing business in Ontario by $7 billion every year. Speaker, we're just getting started. Wait till we stand here next week. Good morning, Speaker. Good morning. Families in northwestern Ontario are facing a dire shortage of doctors. Two weekends ago, Red Lake's only hospital closed its emergency room for 24 hours because there weren't enough physicians to run it. Nearly 6,000 residents had no emergency room. This is not an isolated problem, Mr. Speaker. It has been narrowly avoided in Sulicote, a healthcare hub for area First Nations. This government knows the doctors' shortage crisis and the North will lead to more emergency department closures. What is the government doing to ensure that hospitals in the North can keep their emergency rooms open? Well, the biggest thing that we're doing is increasing enrollment in our medical schools so we have more doctors in the province of Ontario. We're adding another 160 undergraduate seats and 295 postgraduate positions over the next five years to make sure that we graduate more physicians and that more will be in Northern Ontario because the Northern Ontario School of Medicine is receiving 30 undergraduate seats and 41 postgraduate seats. That's going to go a long way to making sure that people who are trained in the North that are from the North will stay in the North and practice medicine thereafter. Mr. Speaker, we need solutions immediately, not five years down the road. Overworked and burnt out physicians across the North are trying to keep hospitals doors open to care for their patients. Speaker, one physician worked 10, 24-hour shifts in a month because of a lack of doctors to fill these shifts. Physicians are only supposed to work a maximum of four of these shifts. The well-being of doctors and patients are at risk. When will this government take the urgent action needed to end the doctor shortage in Northwestern Ontario? Thank you. First, let me express my appreciation to doctors and all front-line healthcare professionals for the tremendous work they've done over the past two years. That is why we are adding to the ranks so they are going to be able to not work extra shifts to be able to take time with family and friends. We have committed over $6.2 million across 32 primary care teams in areas of greatest need in the province and that would include mostly in Northern Ontario. That helps people stay connected to care within their communities and not having to go into hospitals by reason of default. So we are building up both by increasing the number of medical positions in schools, but we are dealing with it now by making sure that local teams, primary care teams have the resources they need to care for the people in their communities and that, as I said before, that is particularly in Northern Ontario. Thank you very much, Speaker. Through you, Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Minister, because of COVID lockdowns and rising costs in food, internet, electricity, accommodation, my offices have been inundated with calls from desperate ODSP recipients. These recipients just don't know where to turn. As you know, a single person's maximum allowance for basic needs in shelter is $1,169 per month, while the maximum allowable for a couple's basic needs in shelter is $1,750 per month. But the ODSP recipients have not had increases in years. The ministry is simply saying at this point in time they are in transition and are working on this. Well, there has not been a cost to living increase and the rate of inflation is rising quickly. It's more important or rather it's more expensive to shop, let alone live on the bare minimum called basic needs, which does not cover their biggest single bill, rising housing rents. So Minister, what is your ministry prepared to do now in the short term to provide for ODSP recipients? My writing constituents, more than ever, now must choose between shelter, heat, or thank you. Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question. In addition to raising the rates when we first took office in 2018 and in addition to the $1 billion in social services relief funding and the $8.3 billion we spend approximately annually, I've also been advocating for the federal government to come to the table to fulfill its campaign promise that it made to create a Canada disability benefit. We know how important this is to individuals who have lost their job or who are unable to work and that's why I did meet with my federal counterpart, Karina Gould. We urge the government, the federal government to move quickly on delivering a national disability benefit. We're going to continue to work with the federal government to deliver positive results for Ontario's disabled community and we're going to continue to find ways to create sustainability in this and this is a multi-ministry effort and I will deal with that in my supplementary. Supplementary question. Thank you Speaker. Back to the minister. Minister I appreciate your response but it's not just my ODSP constituents, it's ODSP recipients throughout Ontario. They're desperate for solutions now. Now my understanding is that those who are able can earn up to $200 a month on top of what they receive from your ministry and if they earn more than $200 a month the government will claw back 50% above the 200 which means if a recipient earned $300 their net monthly earning would be $250. Now I'm interested in identifying what percentage of ODSP recipients take advantage of earning extra money. I think that that number could be low. So my question to you Minister is would your ministry be willing to further incentivize those ODSP recipients who are able to work which would hopefully encourage more to get back into the workplace and off of ODSP? Minister Children's Community and Social Services. Thank you. Thank you Speaker and I appreciate the question. I think this is so important. We have a program that works very well with other ministries whether it's the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Labor Training and Skills Development and I think that that's such an important area. We're working very well with our ministries to make sure that people can find work when they are retrained in microcredentialing. The education ministry is providing childcare supports for people who need that to be able to work. We're looking across the spectrum of people who are really being served by our government in the multiple industries, making sure that they are able to get the supports to retrain to be trained and to be supported if they're unable to work. As I've said, a multi-ministry effort to create these things, the ports for individuals and understanding how we need to also review and renew and that's what our government is doing to make sure that we serve our most vulnerable people. Next question, the member for Sonya Lampton. Well thank you Speaker and my question today is to the Minister of Labor, Training and Skills Development. This morning, Minister, you gave an excellent leadoff speech on Bill 88, the Working for Workers Act, which highlighted our government's continued support for workers in Ontario. Speaker, I was excited to hear that if passed, this legislation would grant digital platform workers the right to general minimum wage, which would make Ontario one of the leading jurisdictions in Canada, if not North America. Mr. Speaker, everything we're doing as a government is to help workers get bigger paychecks to support themselves and their families. Through you, Speaker, can the Minister enlighten us and tell us how our government is getting it done for workers through the planned increase to the minimum wage? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank the member from Sonya Lampton for always being an advocate and a champion for workers. There are thousands of blue collar workers in Sonya Lampton who continue to build our province. A speaker, no matter how or where you work, every worker in Ontario should have access to benefits such as health and dental. That's why I proudly appointed our Portable Benefits Advisory Panel. Speaker, these experts will support the design and implementation of a new benefits program for Ontario workers. To rebalance the scales and give average people the confidence they need to drive their careers forward, our province is expanding benefits to millions of more workers who currently don't have benefits today. This will make it easier for them to move between jobs, help businesses attract top talent, and give workers more certainty about their future. Mr. Speaker, we're going to continue under the leadership of Premier Ford to work for workers every single day. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for that great response. It's great to see another rise in wages. Speaker, as the way we work continues to change, many workers now have multiple employers during their career work for themselves or actually work in the gig economy. We know that wages are important, but we also know that workers need benefits to go along with their income. Less than a quarter of those who work part-time or in precarious jobs have those benefits, which means these workers and their families must make difficult choices. Speaker, to the Minister, through you and to you, my question is, can the Minister tell us how our government is tackling this issue? Great. Again, I want to thank the member for that question. Speaker, our future work committee found that 89% of people in Ontario agree that the workplaces change permanently and Ontario needs to act. The future of work is here, and our government is working for workers to make sure no one is left behind. Our advisory panel of experts will help make Ontario the first province in Canada to pursue such a comprehensive benefits program. This could be a game changer for gig workers and service industry workers who often switch jobs throughout their career. Speaker, we believe workers deserve the peace of mind of health and dental coverage. That's why we're bringing the best minds together to lift workers up in every community across Ontario. Our government is relentlessly working for workers every single day by taking steps to build for tomorrow and for decades to come. Thank you. A member for Kennedy Spadina. Spadina for you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. For every Sunday for the last couple of years, I've been delivering meals to people experiencing homelessness. And a couple of months ago, I came across a person who was a badly infected lake with open lesions on his leg. And I talked to Seeds of Hope, which is a charitable foundation that supports people experiencing homelessness, and they sent a street nurse out. I asked him if he would go to the hospital, he refused. They sent a street nurse out and she gave him some primary care and was able to save his leg and possibly his life. There are 8,500 people experiencing homelessness in Toronto. Homes First reports that 30% have mental health issues and 25% have addictions. 30 died in January and another 30 died in February on the streets of Toronto. Street nurses save lives. They help with overdose prevention. They provide access to medication to primary care. So my question to the government is why are you firing 43 street nurses who help people experiencing homelessness on the streets of Toronto? Thank you, Speaker. Well, this of course is a City of Toronto initiative, as the member will know, and they have always been clear that the Toronto Shelter Initiative was a temporary program in response to COVID-19 and it's going to be in the process of winding down over the coming year. However, our government is pleased to a report that we have invested $11.8 million to the Toronto Shelter Initiative to provide health supports to the homeless population as this is in the process of winding down. They have done tremendous work, but this funding aligns with the continued support with the Ministry of Municipal Players and Housing for dedicated isolation space as well. With respect to the nurses, we agree that they have done tremendous work. However, the situation is such that we know that these nurses will be able to find employment in other areas. We know that we need nurses in many locations. There are other parts of different hospitals where they can be employed, places like St. Michael's Hospital as well, which does work a lot with homeless populations to provide them both with the health care supports that they need, as well as the social determinants of health issues that they need in helping them to find housing in order to find food and all of the other essentials that they need. Your funding may have been temporary, but the homelessness crisis is not temporary. The mental health and addiction crises are not temporary. Last Sunday, I met a woman that was delivering some meals to her, and she had had fentanyl the night before, and she was coming down and said, I need a place to crash. So I phoned the central intake. We got her to a shelter, and I put her in an Uber, and I asked her, while we're doing all this, I said, if I could get you into a residential treatment program, would you go? And she said yes. And so for the next couple of days, I phoned the resident, I phoned detox centers, I phoned residential treatment centers. There's no space available. People are dying on the streets of Toronto because this government refuses to treat homelessness and the addictions and mental health that many people experiencing homelessness are experiencing as an emergency. In fact, you voted down declaring homelessness a state of emergency. You voted down my motion to build 70,000 affordable homes and 30,000 supportive housing units. Why does this government not treat homelessness as an emergency, stop cutting funding, stop cutting nurses, and actually provide people with both the homes and with the mental health and addiction supports that they need so that they can rebuild their lives and get back off the streets? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for that very important question. Mr. Speaker, we know that the social determinants of health, including housing, are extremely important issues to address, and that's why our government has worked and created a cross-ministerial approach to dealing with the issues of mental health, addictions, and of course, housing. Our government has invested and continues to invest money in providing supports to individuals that need help when it comes to their addictions. And as you will recall, in February, we announced $90 million in the Addiction Recovery Fund, and we opened over 400 treatment beds, which are equivalent to 7,500 new treatment spots. Now, Mr. Speaker, this problem did not get created in the last four years. This is a problem that's existed long before the pandemic, and it's something that only this government has come forward to actually do something about, not the Liberals and not the NDP when they had the opportunity. In fact, they did the cuts. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. The deadline to table the province's budget was last Thursday, March 31st. It is now April 5th, and still we have not seen the Premier's budget. So I would first like to take a moment to wish the Premier a belated, happy, delayed budget day. It seems like the Premier's pledge to table a budget before April was a serious promise, seeing as it came with an ironclad guarantee. However, it doesn't seem as if the Premier takes his promises seriously. While breaking promises has become a habit, we have seen broken promises when it comes to clearing the waitlist for children with autism. The reality is Ontarians cannot give themselves budget extensions for the services and the supports that they need now. Perhaps the Premier delay of the budget to campaign perhaps on his spring election. Speaker, does the Premier think it is fair to make Ontarians wait, especially when they cannot pay their bills with promises, especially broken ones? To reply, the Member for Aurora, Oak Ridge's Richmond Hill and Parliamentary Assistant. Government side, come to order. The question, Speaker, this is coming from a member from a government that missed eight of 14 of the third quarter finances, Mr. Speaker, when they were in power. So we're definitely not going to be taking lessons from a government that failed Ontarians 15 years in and all, Mr. Speaker. What we're going to do, Mr. Speaker, is we're going to work hard every single day to make sure life is affordable for Ontarians. They chase jobs away from Ontario. We're bringing jobs back to Ontario, Mr. Speaker. They failed our health care system. We're investing in our health care system, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to long-term care, Mr. Speaker, they have to stand and face the music. They failed the people of Ontario under the leadership of Premier Ford, Mr. Speaker, and this Minister of Long-term Care and everyone before Mr. Speaker, we are delivering for the people of Ontario every single day. 30,000 new spaces, Mr. Speaker. Members will take their seats. Order. Order. Please restart the call. Supplementary. Speaker, let me just clarify the record, because as of 2018, Ontario Liberals had presided over 800,000 jobs that were brought back since the Great Recession. Just to correct that record. Come inside. Come to order. But, Speaker, perhaps the budget delay by- The clock. Stop the clock. Okay. I have to be able to hear the member for Scarborough, Guildwood. The interjections continue. I'll call you out by name. Please restart the clock. Member for Scarborough, Guildwood. Thank you, Speaker. Perhaps the budget delay is all about this government's broken promises. But also, what about avoiding scrutiny? For Renfrew, Nipissing Pembroke will come to order. Last week I wrote to the Auditor General in regards to the Fiscal Sustainability, Transparency and Accountability Act, and the AG's pre-election report on the multi-year fiscal plan. While her response confirmed that the AG still intends to release a statement once the 2022 budget is released, whenever that may be, the issue, of course, is that we still do not know when that's going to happen. Question. Speaker, a pre-election review by the AG is an important accountability measure that Ontarians rely on for good governance and to review their province's finances. Given the AG at least a few minutes to review, the budget is not enough. She historically— Thank you. Thank you. Again, to reply on behalf of the government, the member for Aurora will forage his written vote. Thanks very much, Speaker. Again, I thank my colleague for the question. Speaker, what we have been used to here in this province the last four years is that we've been getting a clean audit. I know that was foreign to the previous government, but every time we put our numbers forward, we get a clean audit from the auditor general, who I work very closely with on the committee. Let me tell you, she talked about jobs. I'd be more than happy to respond to you. 300,000 manufacturing jobs lost under this minister were bringing hundreds of thousands of jobs back to Ontario. They closed 600 schools under this minister. We're opening schools and investing in our students. When it comes to healthcare, as I mentioned earlier, they failed the people of Ontario. They failed our seniors. That's not what's going to happen under this government. We are going to continue to deliver for the people of Ontario. We're going to continue to make sure Ontarians live in a more affordable—we want good-paying jobs coming back to Ontario. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Environment, Conservation, and Parks. With spring and summer right around the corner, Ontario's provincial parks are a phenomenal resource for everyone in Ontario to get outside, get active, and spend time in nature. Not only are Ontario's parks a wonderful place to hike, swim, and enjoy the great outdoors, they're also a great place to learn about the natural environment. And I've heard about a wonderful new way for Ontarians to support the provincial parks. My constituents are eager to learn more. Speaker, through you, can the Minister please share how Ontarians can support our great outdoors when online? Thank you, Speaker, and I appreciate the question from that phenomenal member who, like me, I know, enjoys getting out and enjoying our great outdoors. Speaker, I'm really proud to say that—and said in this House today—that the Ontario Government under Premier Ford's leadership has launched for the first time ever a permanent online parks store. Speaker, for generations, families have been making memories in Ontario parks that last a generation. Now they have access to some of the favourites—bottles, hoodies, t-shirts, those crests, and the best park speaker—100% of those proceeds go back into Ontario's provincial parks, back into expanding the trail system, back into expanding the canoe routes, back into protecting our protected areas for generations to come, working with endangered species. Speaker, there's so much more. We're so excited. Thank you. We're meant to question. Thank you, Speaker, and I would like to thank the Minister for his passion and enthusiasm when it comes to Ontario's provincial parks. Ontarians can rest assured they have a dedicated member responsible for our parks, and it's exciting to hear about this wonderful new initiative brought forward by our Government. Now, Mr. Speaker, if I or any other member of this House were interested in visiting an Ontario park store, could the Minister for the Environment, Conservation, and Parks point out to where and how we can visit this store? Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the member again for that question. I'd like to also acknowledge the incredible hardworking team at Ministry of Environment, Conservation, and Parks, especially the Ontario park staff who've been on the forefront of this transformation. You know, for a year, Speaker, under previous governments, we literally lived in the Stone Age. Well, today, thanks to our digital first agenda, you can now, with the click of a button, go online, order your favourite parks merch, and support Ontario's provincial parks. You know, Speaker, this is an incredible opportunity, and we're not stopping there. Speaker, we're starting discussions for a parks foundation. We're electrifying park sites. We're expanding opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors at our favourite provincial parks, and now we can look good doing it, Speaker. So again, I'd like to thank the incredible team for all Ontarians watching. Go online, visit shop.ontarioparks.ca, go online, visit the park store, purchase your favourite merchandise. It's going in back into the parks we love, supporting our endangered species, like the Blending Turtle Habitat Restoration Projects, and so much more. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Emergency wait times and my writing of Hamilton Mountain continue to be a serious issue. Mrs. Nates and her 90-year-old husband, Thomas, went to the ER a few weeks ago due to a nosebleed that would not stop. Mr. Nates sat for three hours in the ER with a bucket and towels. Eventually, he had to be transferred to a different hospital for treatment. A senior left in an ER for over three hours, Speaker, with just buckets and a towel to deal with a medical emergency. That is not care. That is understaffing and underfunding at work. And Ontarians are the ones who are bearing the brunt. Let's not forget it was this Premier who promised to end hallway medicine within one year of being elected. That time has come in past. Why has this Premier allowed even more hallway medicine to continue in Ontario? Mr. Vell. Well, I thank the member very much for the question. I'm sorry this person had a very unfortunate experience in emergency, but that's certainly not reflective of what's going on across the entire province. We have put over $4.8 billion into our public health care system. In the last four years, we've increased the spending by $4.8 billion plus an additional $5 billion to create another 3,100 beds across the province, including in places like Hamilton, to make sure that we can care for the patients that we needed to care for during the COVID, the heights of COVID. But now we're dealing with in terms of the surgical recovery. So we have put the money into it. We are making sure that we're training the people to be there so that people can be responded to in a quicker time than the person that you have referred to. But that is what is actually happening across the province in Ontario. Because of our investments, people are getting the care that they need in emergency, as well as in the hospital if they need to be admitted. The EIR journey didn't end there for Mr. and Mrs. Nates. The other night, Mr. Nates fell and injured his hip. This time, they waited over five hours in the EIR to be seen. Mr. Nates was so past the point of exhaustion that they ended up leaving without an X-ray because there were still eight patients ahead of them. This is after waiting six hours. Mrs. Nates was a nurse for many years in this province. Both her and her husband have worked their entire lives in the province of Ontario. Yet neither one of them can get the medical care that they need when they need it the most. Speaker, it doesn't have to be this way. When will the Premier invest in alleviating—that's a good word today—ER wait times in Hamilton so that no more patients have to be left stranded and waiting while it's hallway medicine from this Premier? Our government has made significant investments in our health care system over the past four years to make sure that everyone in Ontario who needs to be admitted to hospital can be and can be admitted to a hospital room rather than waiting in hallways or other inappropriate spaces. We have increased our spending by $4.8 billion into our public health care system. We've created 3100 extra beds. We have also helped the hospitals with their COVID expenses as well and we continue to make investments to make sure that the health care professionals that are there will be there. We're creating another 160 medical graduate spaces, 295 postgraduate spaces. We're also helping our nurses because they've been on the front lines during this entire pandemic with a bonus of $5,000, the $763 million and we're also investing over $22 billion over the next 10 years to create greater hospital infrastructure. If that's not paying attention to our health care system then I don't know what is to the NDP. Thank you Speaker. My questions for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Before the pandemic there were signs many people across this province, young and old, were feeling less connected than they did in previous generations. Spending more time online, seeing friends less, spending less time volunteering in the community. All of these things have an impact on our productivity, our health and our well-being. The pandemic only exacerbated this serious public health problem that is loneliness and social isolation. Bill 104 would require the government to take action on this important issue. Will the government support it? Reply, Government House Leader. Thank you very much Mr Speaker and thank the honourable member for the question. Honestly the government, I understand the members bill and it's obviously a very thoughtful piece of legislation and I do thank you for bringing it forward. It is something of course that we on this side of the house will take a look at private members bills of course on this side of the house are left to the decision making of the members themselves Mr Speaker but I can tell the member that there has been good positive discussion at least on this side of the house with respect to the importance of the bill and I know that the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions has also spoken about the bill as the Minister for Children and Community Services so we are all looking at that because it is very clear I don't think it's a partisan issue by any stretch of imagination we understand that the challenges over the last couple of years for people and Mr Speaker the certainly the lack of resources that were left on the table back in 2018 when we came to the Government so I thank the member for the question. Thank you Speaker and I want to thank the Government House Leader for being open to this issue in this discussion. I will note that Dr. David Williams tabled a report in this house in 2019 it was actually a 2017 study he did but he tabled it in 2019 recognizing loneliness and social isolation as a serious public health issue he's done some great research that I think is in that report being disconnected according to often cited research is as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes a day it's also a major risk factor for abuse and neglect the time for a comprehensive province-wide strategy is now will the government commit to it. The Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you for that very important question. We know that our children as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have suffered a great deal we've noticed it with respect to the eating disorders and as a result of that the complications resulting from that we acted very quickly on that made investments of 8.1 million dollars followed by additional investments of 11 million dollars for eating disorders. In addition to that we are looking particularly at the lifespan of the individuals to ensure that we're giving the right supports that are appropriate to the age of the individuals the issues that you raise about isolation anxiety depression these are all things that yes we're aware of and need to do something about especially because if we work with the individuals and build resiliency in their youth by different therapies that are available to them by embedding those programs into education we will be able to help them and ensure that they have a healthy and productive adulthood thank you thank you the next question yes the member for Toronto then thank you speaker speaker my question to the premier yesterday the latest global climate report warned that the world was hurtling towards a climate danger zone a time not only of more extreme weather events but also a time of dropping standards of living and hunger for billions of people at the same time this government is ignoring its own inadequate climate plan and has added to the climate pollution we faced over the past four years now now we hear from the daily commercial news the construction industry newspaper that the government is undermining steps needed to bring new construction into the 21st century with a building code that will not only protect the climate but will protect building occupants they are ignoring those steps that we need to have taken why won't the premier direct that the new building code be designed to help people by cutting their energy bills through energy efficiency thank you minister the environment conservation parks thank you speaker well speaker ontario is on track to meet our emissions reductions targets by 2030 for the working families who work at general motors on the forefront of the largest ever electrification of the automobile sector in ontario's history they know thanks to the leadership of this minister we'll get it done tackling the largest source of ghg emissions being the transportation sector for the inspiring youth speaker i met who participated in ontario's first ever youth environment council who wanted us to embrace the circular economy increasing the recycling of post-consumer goods reducing the amount of harmful methane emissions in our landfills they know we'll get it done for the many new workers in the trades working on the forefront of the cleanest steel transition in canadian history phasing out coal through the production of steel through the electrification of the arc furnace leading to six megatons of greenhouse gas emissions reductions they know that we'll get it done speaker we'll take no lessons from the members opposite whose climate plan was to drive out industry impoverishing ontario working families we're working with them we're leading to ghg reductions and we're not going to apologize for doing that the supplementary question supplementary thank you and again to the premier and it would be useful if the minister would read the auditor general reports on the progress of his plan i think he would have a very different story to tell we know that the world where the we know that in a world where the climate is not stabilized ontario will face growing costs to deal with extreme weather we're already spending five billion dollars per year and without action in the next few decades we'll be spending 40 billion dollars a year to deal with extreme weather impacts development of green building technology in ontario and green building products would give us global advantage in selling products and services around the world development of substantially greener building stock could provide more highly paid and highly skilled jobs and at the same time we could save people money on energy costs for their homes and their businesses while reducing the risk they face the world getting hotter every day why won't the government protect ontarians protect our jobs protect our future by bringing in a building code that substantially cuts energy use thank thank you speaker and again appreciate the question from the member opposite but we know that with reckless policies like their green new deal we won't be working with workers there'll be none left we're not going to be working with industry either we will have driven them out you know i had the opportunity to visit madame homes and see some of the incredible leading work that they're doing and you know what they said that the gatekeepers and the nimbyism supported by the ndp was the biggest barrier to a more sustainable future that's what the building sector has to say thanks to this minister of municipal affairs and housing we're working with all partners municipalities upper tier lower tier they've thanked us speaker for the first ever climate impact assessment they can try and shut me down speaker but they know they had the opportunity to do that they could have they didn't we did speaker we're working with industry speaker we're seeing greenhouse gas emissions reductions we're leading thanks to the incredible talent in ontario we won't take any lessons from the doom and gloom misery party who would lead thank you thank you the next question and my question is for the premier and i know that the premier is relishing his role as tinkerbell spreading election promises just like pixie dust you know pixie dust that he hopes is going to make us forget all his election promises in 2018 it's like the order the 20 income tax none of us have ever seen stop the car so obviously yeah the language that the member is using is irritating the other side and they would ask him to consider that as he continues his question please start the clock remember frodo i said well and we know they said they would have a plan for autism but they've doubled the waitlist but the latest promises on the gas tax promise which the premier's never delivered on until now is i'm going to reduce your gas taxes after the election for six months well that is pixie dust because it's disappearing pretty fast speaker even buck a beer held its fizz longer than that so speaker through you will the premier finally admit that he has not lived up to his election prominent of 20 election promises 2018 to reduce gas taxes and the response member for aurora or critch's richmond hillan well thank you very much mr. speaker i think ontarians know too well and what that member in the party that they represent they made a lot of promises the only differences mr. speaker they broke every single one of them after they got reelected so they're we're used to that mr. speaker exact opposite here mr. speaker it's true we made promises and we delivered on every single one of them and we're going to continue delivering on them the latest example is what the member is alluding to mr. speaker when we said we're going to do everything we can to make life more affordable after a very difficult two years for ontarians mr. speaker is this for us to continue to lower costs for ontarians which is a five further 5.7 cents reduction per liter at the pumps for ontarians mr. speaker this is on top of the 4.3 cents that was reduced before mr. speaker now here's the difference the fed we are also asking the federal government to do their part to as we fought the carbon tax to lower the price and the cost of living for ontarians we're asking the federal government to do their part and of course the members in opposition both sides continuously support join us okay so so here's a list the 20 percent income tax cut didn't happen right plan for autism double the wait list gas tax it's not going to happen after the next elections two election cycle sports going to happen but here's the thing here's what the premier said last election order take a look at your current hydro bill we are going to reduce them they will go down by 12 percent guess what hydro rates have gone up by 4 percent 4.3 so you know just another promise by the premier how is it that hydro prices went up instead of down like the premier said just because saying something at the time of election that sounds good right doesn't actually provide relief for ontarians so speaker how come the premier did not meet his commitment to reduce hydro prices in the province of ontario just like he told the people of ontario at the time the law response the member broke fell you that the people of ontario don't think rate reductions rate relief whether it's automobile drivers whether it's hydro users whatever that is real that's not pixie dust our government has committed to making relief for people of ontario and we will continue to thank you speaker thank you very much that concludes our question period for this morning there being no further business this morning this house stands in recess and still until 3 p.m