 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Brampton Center. Good morning, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, despite all we've learned in this pandemic about for-profit care, this government continues to hand lucrative, multi-million-dollar contracts over to the worst operators in the private long-term care sector. Families across Ontario experienced those horror stories that came from those homes in the pandemic. Seniors pleaded for support. Residents died from neglect. And workers weren't given personal protective equipment, Speaker. No one in this province recommends giving these for-profit providers more contracts when they couldn't even deliver quality care to residents. So to the Premier, why is the Minister of Long-term Care handing over more lucrative contracts to the worst players in private for-profit long-term care after they failed to protect our vulnerable seniors? Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for her question, and Mr. Speaker, I always am pleased with the chance to talk about our government's plan to fix long-term care. There are three principles in that plan. The first is making sure that we build 30,000 net new beds. By the way, we're also going to be redeveloping about 30,000 beds to make sure there are enough beds. That's something the previous government didn't do. The second is to make sure that seniors receive four hours of care. That requires working to hire 27,000 new staff to support those seniors and create the highest level of care of any place in the country. And third, Mr. Speaker, our plan will make sure that there is accountability, that there is enforcement, and that there is transparency. And later today, Mr. Speaker, I'll introduce legislation that will re-enact a new act around long-term care to make sure that that is in place. Earlier this week, I announced the doubling of the number of inspectors and the increase in the power of those inspectors, the creation of an investigations team within that inspectorate to ensure that while we are building more beds, while we are providing more staff, we are also making sure that there is the accountability and oversight that our seniors deserve. Supplementary question. Speaker, RICA care owns both Eatonville Care Center and Hawthorne Place Care. These for-profit homes saw 93 residents lose their lives in the pandemic. And all of this, Speaker, is well documented in years of critical incident reports that both the Liberals and Conservatives ignored from these homes. At Hawthorne Place, for example, there were six inspections uncovering serious problems in the two years preceding the pandemic. This government and the one before it didn't issue RICA a single penalty. Instead, what they've done is offer them more multimillion-dollar contracts, Speaker. Why, just like the Liberals before them, would this Premier and this Minister of Long-Term Care ignore these scathing reports for years and continue to reward their buddies in the for-profit long-term care sector? The member well knows that there were issues across the long-term care sector, across all types of operators during the pandemic. And the member knows that we have introduced changes, like doubling the number of inspectors, increasing the power of those inspectors. But, Mr. Speaker, when the member and the NDP have a plan, Mr. Speaker, it's a plan to spend billions of dollars paying for the expropriation of private assets, it's a plan to stop over a hundred projects. They'd be stopping projects like the one that Rob Burton, the Mayor of Oakville, talked about. Rob Burton said his heart was overflowing with gratitude and for 15 years he'd been asking Ontario to deal with the deficit of long-term care beds and now in one fell swoop you're delivering. That's 640 beds that the member would stop from being developed. She would have to phone Mayor Burton and tell him that, I suppose. Mayor Bevilakwa in Vaughan said 256 beds are welcome. These are beds that are in Vaughan. Those are beds that are providing by private operators. Mr. Speaker, in North Bay Nipissing, the member would have to call the layman, the President of the Residence Council of Waters Edge Community, who said to the Minister of Economic Development, the Premier and I, we are very excited to see this new building. Mr. Speaker, residents want these homes, communities want these homes. Thank you, Speaker, and I think it's important to point out that doubling inspectors is important. But what's even more important is actually looking at those reports and acting on what those inspectors find and holding people accountable, something this government has failed to do. When the military of these two RICA-operated homes last spring, what they found was appalling. A high-ranking official from the armed forces said that the seniors cried in agony for help for hours. The military said that the staff were scared they would get in trouble for using proper PPE because, and I'll quote, it cost money, end quote. Families are speaking out, Speaker, and they are asking how can this government grant more money to this company? Well, Speaker, we all know the Liberals never fixed these for-profit homes, and coincidentally, actually, the CEO of RICA was a big donor to the Liberal Party's coffers. And we know that the Conservatives have also accepted big money donations from these folks. So, Speaker, when will this government do the right thing and start saying no to their buddies and start saying yes to protecting seniors and people with disabilities? Mr. Long, come here. I find it hard to understand how the NDP feel they're saying yes to seniors by cancelling over 100 projects that are building beds for seniors. Mr. Speaker, something important is going to happen tomorrow in Ontario, and this is happening almost every day across Ontario. In London, Mr. Speaker, the new Elmwood Place will be opening with an additional 50 beds for 120 residents in London. Mr. Speaker, the mayor will be there, the community will be there, but the NDP would say no to those residents. They say no to those beds. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow I'll be in Ottawa for the groundbreaking of 256 new beds in Stitsville just site Ottawa. Mr. Speaker, the mayor will be there, the community will be there, they're welcoming those new beds. The NDP's plan would stop those beds in their tracks. We're not going to let that happen. The next question, once again, the member for Brampton City. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. As we've shown time and time again, the for-profit model does not work in Ontario. It doesn't work for seniors and people with disabilities who live in these long-term care homes. It's led to substandard care, a terrible rate of deaths throughout the pandemic, and profits being ripped out of the system that could have been deployed to ensure better care for residents. That's why, last week, it was so shocking to see the long-term care minister continue to reward these for-profit providers with even more contracts. So, Speaker, why is the government saying yes to big developers and their buddies in for-profit companies and no to better care for seniors and people with disabilities? Mr. Long-term care. And I'm happy to have this conversation all day long. We have a plan to fix long-term care. Generations of neglect have caused the system to be as it was, and we've all spoken, and we've all talked about the tragedy of what happened during the pandemic. We are a government that is there to fix it. We are a government that is saying yes to seniors. Mr. Speaker, that means building new beds. That means adding new staff. Mr. Speaker, the members on the other side talked about for-hours of care. We are delivering for-hours of care. For-hours of care starting next month with $270 million to hire 4,000 new staff. Mr. Speaker, we are delivering across the province. I talked before about 611 new beds that were delivered by the previous government, at some time supported by the opposition. Zero of those beds were in Brampton, Mr. Speaker. Zero. We are delivering a total of 611 beds just in Brampton alone. Mr. Speaker, we acknowledge the need for accountability. We acknowledge the need for the enforcement. That's why we're doubling inspectors. That's why they're increasing their powers. And that's why the new law that we will put in place will protect seniors and make sure that they can not only have the quality beds, the level of care, but also... Thank you very much. Supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, the government is clearly too busy listening to their insider friends and buddies in the for-profit long-term care sector to actually make the improvements needed in long-term care. Yesterday, for example, the non-profit group Advantage released a statement that all Ontarians should know about. They called on the government to move all new beds away from for-profit delivery models. Lisa Levin, the CEO of Advantage, Ontario, says in all quote, the government is heading in the wrong direction, end quote. Levin says the not-for-profit homes actually provide better care for residents, and we agree. Speaker, so instead of always saying yes to their buddies, why wouldn't the government ignore the advice of experts in the not-for-profit sector that has had better outcomes for residents in their homes? Mr. Speaker, the member opposites understands the roles that the various advocates play in, and I have met extensively with them and appreciate their perspectives as we do. And she quoted Lisa Levin and let me do that as well when she was talking about the historic $4.9 billion in the funding. She said this is a watershed moment for long-term care in Ontario. It's putting dollars exactly where they need to be, increasing frontline staff to improve the care of residents. We have a direct and positive impact of the quality of life and enjoyment of seniors living their homes. More staff means more care, and that's what truly matters, and that's what this government has committed to this time. Order. The final supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. You know, Lisa, in her statement, says a number of other things as well, and I'll quote, she believes this is not what taxpayers in this country want to see. We don't believe taxpayers want this, she says. As Canadians, not-for-profit care mostly aligns with our belief in public health care. And quote, we know that the conservatives don't believe in or champion, frankly, universal public health care, but there is no reason why we have to continue with their plans for more privatization throughout our health care systems. Instead of funneling billions into the hands of conservative buddies and their shareholders, those funds could actually be better spent on de-institutionalizing care in Ontario and creating livable spaces that feel like home. Given the horrendous conditions in the for-profit homes, why would this government hand out billions of contracts to for-profit companies instead of investing in community-based care and not-for-profit homes? That's a long term fear. Just to be fair to Lisa Levin, Mr. Speaker, I'm pretty sure that last bit was the member, not Lisa Levin, because it reflects the NDP's ideological perspective, which is that everything should be run by government, that there should be no private sector, that we should spend billions and billions of dollars to pay through the expropriation, the very corporate and business interests that they sowed to cry instead of spending billions of dollars supporting the health of our seniors. Mr. Speaker, we do believe that not every good idea originated out of a bureaucrat. We think that the broader society, including the private sector, including not-for-profits, including municipal homes, have an important role to play, and that's why we will continue to support all of them in our goal to fix long-term care, deliver the care that's needed, deliver the homes that needed, deliver the protections and accountability that are needed for long-term care. I recognize the member for Osher. Thank you very much, Speaker, and my question is to the Minister of Long-Term Care. Minister, people are terrified that a for-profit long-term care home like Southbridge's Orchard Villa in Pickering, a building where nearly 80 people died of COVID, could be awarded a 30-year licensed extension, 30 years of public money locked in, and 89 new beds. 30 years is a generation of seniors. A lot of folks in their 50s, 60s, and 70s will be stuck with this profit-driven bad deal during their golden years, and that includes a lot of folks in this room. Devastated families continue to come to Queens Park to beg and plead for long-term care supports for resources and for justice. There is no justice in awarding a Southbridge home like Orchard Villa, so my question to you is this. Does a home like Orchard Villa deserve a 30-year free pass and licensed extension, and is it the official policy of this government to award bad actors and turn its back on grieving families? Mr. Long-Term Care. Mr. Speaker, this government has been listening to families. This government has been listening to residents. This government has been listening to members of labor unions and leaders of labor unions when it comes to how we approach homes. The home that the member mentioned, that license is currently under review by the independent director that looks at that. And Mr. Speaker, the government also listened, has listened to some of the concerns from families about the fact of whether that process should be looked at constructively, so that there can be an opportunity for appeal. But I'll speak more about that later today. Mr. Speaker, we are making sure that beds are being built. We are making sure that there is accountability. In the region of Durham, where the member comes from, Mr. Speaker, of the 611 net new beds that were built, less than 100 of them, Mr. Speaker, were built there. We have plans to build 1,097 beds in Durham, including in Oshawa, Mr. Speaker. Upgrade 703 beds. So, Mr. Speaker, that's what we're about. Getting something done, protecting seniors, delivering quality. Thank you. Thank you. Minister, people have no faith in this government or its intentions, where long term care is concerned. Families of Orchard Villa report that things are just as bad as they ever were. And we all know what the Canadian Armed Forces reported, the horrors that happen behind those walls and many others must not be rewarded. This minister was interviewed recently on radio and when asked specifically about Orchard Villa and public calls for action, calls for action casually told the public on the air that hopefully people will see quote the new building what new building the new building awarded along with a 30-year license for a for-profit historically problematic long-term care home has the minister already made the decision and is this as seems clear by his own words a done deal will orchard villa be rewarded with a 30 year license renewal a free path and a shiny new expanded building with 89 new beds in the wake of such a terrible ongoing nightmare Mr. Speaker and I don't want to make any assumptions but I might assume in the member I correctly that she may or may not have been to orchard villa I have myself and the minister of finance who's writing it is visited orchard villa 631 morning one of the things about my unannounced visits I do them at different times of the day because you learn more when you travel with an inspector than Mr. Speaker what what the member and I know that she's a compassionate person but may not appreciate is when rhetoric like that and we talk like that the people who hear that as well are the staff working there the staff that are working hard to protect those residents the staff that are there at 6 30 and 7 o'clock in the morning there at 6 30 at 7 o'clock at night Mr. Speaker we're not going to throw them under the bus we're not going to throw residents or families under the bus we're going to make sure that they are protected we're going to make sure that the rules are in place to make sure that there is accountability and we're going to make sure the facilities are new and my state of the art thank you next question the member for Perth Wellington thank you speaker I get so deep into what the minister of long-term care speaks I'm sorry Mr. Mr. Speaker the most recent job numbers were quite encouraging with unemployment numbers declining we know that our economy is recovering but some areas of our province were hit harder than others doing business in the north poses a whole set of different challenges that don't exist in southern parts of the province during the COVID-19 pandemic our government made a commitment to supporting businesses in the north and the rural communities that depend on them Mr. Speaker can the minister of northern development mines natural resources and forestry please tell us what these businesses can expect from the most recent round of NORP investments to respond well thank you very much mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for Perth Wellington for the questions important question you know the north has been long forgotten by the previous liberal government it's time that that our government actually stands up and recognizes them and it's true doing business in the north is unique and it comes with its own set of challenges shipping issues exacerbated by high fuel prices at a cost for business owners during the pandemic that affected us all and that's why our government is responded quickly to these concerns by creating the northern Ontario recovery program dozens of businesses across the north in Timmins, Coetnug, Muskegwek, James Bay, Nipissing, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay have all been successful in implying for the NORP they've been able to make critical upgrades to their businesses that help keep customers safe more recently our government announced $840,000 would be going to help 43 businesses adapt to COVID-19 public health guidelines response in the perry sound region mr. Speaker that is exactly the types of investments we need to make i'll be happy to talk a little bit more about those in the supplementary thank you supplementary question thank you speaker speakers great to hear that the program has been such a success that these funds will be going to help so many businesses across the north for too long the previous liberal government said no to the north no to jobs in the north no to investment in the north and no to economic prosperity in the north it's refreshing to see a government that says yes to northern Ontario with that being said mr. Speaker could the minister please tell us more about what types of businesses were eligible to receive assistance from the northern Ontario recovery program well thank you speaker and i will say companies from a variety of sectors including the tourism food service and retail sector applied for the NORP for assistance with projects such as building renovations new construction customer and employee safety installations equipment purchases including PPE mr. Speaker marketing for new business initiatives and restructuring of business operations and i'll give you a couple of examples zacks in sunridge they'll be using $25,000 they received from the NORP to purchase personal protective equipment develop a fully functional custom website and email marketing program and renovate the staff kitchens and washrooms mr. Speaker or how about cutter's edge a retailer of custom wood furnishings home decor and fashion items in berks falls they'll be using $25,000 from the NORP to help restructure their business operations and develop new marketing strategies mr. Speaker the list goes on our government is committed to making sure we continue to make these investments in the north and i'm really looking forward to a government will stand up for the north unlike the liberals have done for 15 years the next question the member for toronto dan for it thank you speaker my question to the premier the premier is quoted in today's toronto star about the millions he gave to the company face drive quote we look deeply into anything we invest in apparently that's not what happened speaker because this premier wasted two and a half million dollars on face drives contact tracing beeper bracelets that don't actually do anything the company bought these bands off the shelf from an online store in china and former staff company staff tell the media they don't even really work no one's using the products no one's buying them and the company's stock has plummeted the grant didn't help create any jobs and it only helped the corporate executives at face drive sell off their stocks for millions in profits and buy things like mansions why hasn't the premier torn up this contract with face drive and demanded that ontarians get their money back mr becker one job creation and trade thank you speaker think of where we were almost two years ago in the depths of the pandemic ontario we learned made no ppe of our own almost none so the government launched the ontario together fund to help companies retool their operations produce the critical supplies that we need and develop technology driven solutions and like all submissions this proposal was assessed by ministry officials using internal and external experts independent experts third-party institutions and in this case additionally two university professors provided their expertise to assess the proposal now in order to sure ensure value for money we do have safeguards against the company's performance and that includes a whole back of funding which we did covenants around project completion and a requirement to have an independent auditor confirm that the investment was made in accordance to the agreement speaker if a company falls short in any of these areas the ministry can and will take appropriate action to safeguard thank you thank you speaker again to the premier face drive stock has fallen while the company's executives cashed out but not before they dumped thousands of dollars into conservative party coffers the grant this government claimed and claims was vigorously evaluated didn't create any jobs in ontario the technology doesn't work and no companies are apparently using those beeping devices anymore there is no excuse for this governor wasting millions of dollars and a grant to their buddies while ontarians lack the services they need in education health care and more so speaker to the premier will he do the right thing will he call up his buddies at face drive and that they pay back the millions they got for this lucrative contract and didn't create a single job in ontario from day one our government has been focused on keeping the people of ontario safe and that's why we introduced programs to lower the hurdles for domestic companies to do this research and support our response to the pandemic the ontario together fund program supported 45 projects in ontario and leveraged more than 187 million dollars in private sector investments and that allowed us to reduce our dependence on unreliable supply chains you know in the beginning of the pandemic like i said very little PPE was made here and now speaker more than 74 percent of what the government purchases is domestically produced mostly here in ontario now it's unfortunate the member opposite and their party said no no to the additional 50 million we put in the ontario together fund they said no to those medical diagnostic companies in mississauga no to PPE producers in kitchener and scarborough our government will continue to provide those speaker the next question the member for york center morning speaker my question is to the minister of labour every day the minister claims to stand up for all ontario workers but he's not standing up for thousands of ontario workers who are losing their jobs daily because of their lawful choice not to take medication now although the government did not mandate vaccines anywhere by long term care instead they have employers and institutions do the work for them we're learning of health care workers being let go in toronto london winzer and otawa according to the education minister as many as 50 000 education workers may be at risk the minister's song and dance about how proud he is of ontarians and that we're all in this together is becoming tiresome will the minister of labour acknowledge the human catastrophe unfolding under his watch and will he lift a finger to protect hundreds of thousands of ontario workers from termination yes or no mr of labour training and skills development thank you very much mr speaker we're going to continue to protect the health and well-being of all of the people in this province and mr speaker i'm proud of the legislation our government table this week premier ford and our government tabled legislation called working for workers act and mr speaker which we're taking a number of steps to ensure that workers in this province have bigger paychecks more take-home pay more worker protections in workplaces and mr speaker our goal always is to continue to spread opportunity so people out there can get jobs with pensions and benefits so mr speaker a number of components in our legislation include cracking down on those bad actors in the temporary help agency sector recognizing foreign credentials for those immigrants that are here in ontario only 25 of them are working on fields that they studied and have experience and we want them to have meaningful jobs and fill the labour shortage and mr speaker i'm happy to talk about more components of our bill in this thank you supplementary question what bigger paychecks people are losing their paychecks what pension and benefits people are losing pension and benefits because they're being fired for cause it's astonishing that the minister of labour has no mercy no compassion to even acknowledge the human catastrophe caused by him and his government thousands of ontarians who've done nothing wrong but to refuse to take medication are being fired for cause at the start of the pandemic chiara eliot was working as a psw at the london health sciences centre and training to become a nurse she worked in the covet ward at the height of the fear she contracted covet and was sick for a month she went back to the covet ward and last april accomplished her dream of becoming a nurse last Friday she was terminated for failing to vaccinate this is despite testing negative three times a week and having a high antibody count which is good enough for the government caucus but not good enough for lhsc she's a single mother and because she was dismissed for cause she's not eligible for ei chiara cared for thousands maybe hundreds of the minister's own constituents what does the minister of labour have to say to chiara and i hope that he speaks directly into the camera minister of labour to apply order thank you uh mr speaker i'm proud of the people in this province in fact mr speaker about 88 percent of people have had a single dose those who are eligible were at about 84 percent double vaccinated here in ontario the people of ontario have done an incredible job in battling this global pandemic and to the member opposite ontario is in a much better place than most other provinces and many jurisdictions around the world but mr speaker we're going to continue working for workers we're going to continue to ensure that they have bigger paychecks to support themselves but most importantly have a better standard of living for their families mr speaker we're bringing in workplace protections things that the former liberal government with the support of the ndp did not take any action response and mr speaker we're going to continue to spread opportunity more widely and fairly to encourage and help people get into jobs with pensions and benefits like the skilled trades mr speaker we'll work for workers every single day the next question the member for oakville nor kirlington speaker speaker for years the ndp liberal coalition made ontario a hostile environment in which to do business ontario's economy was built on the strength of industries like our natural resources manufacturing farming and food processing but the liberals hydromass high taxes and failure to support our businesses and manufacturing community meant that ontario could not compete for global jobs and investment unfortunately communities like my riding of oakville north burlington which is well positioned for attracting investment were neglected by the previous liberal government speaker can the minister for economic development job creation and trade tell the house how our government is working to make ontario investment ready to apply minister of economic development collaboration and free speaker thank you to the member from oakville north burlington for the question from day one our government has made ontario open for business open for investment and open for jobs and that's why our government is launching the site readiness program and that's to help municipalities and landowners prepare industrial sites for investments that will drive growth to the region and create jobs one of the missing pieces in the province's land inventory was the diversity of industrial sites to meet the need of a variety of industries the launch of our site readiness program will offer municipalities and industrial landowners across the province more flexibility to bring their sites online more quickly this means that communities across ontario will better be able to compete globally and provide more options to attract investments to the province speaker we encourage all local mayors and their partners to join us as we unleash ontario supplementary question thank you speaker we know that covet 19 pandemic has dramatically changed the way we do business site selectors and investors are working under shorter timelines and increased pressure they are relying on new tools data and digital resources such as websites maps drone video and reports for more of their site selection work than ever before and site selectors and investors require immediate access to comprehensive site details to confirm the feasibility of a location speaker can the minister for economic development job creation and trade explain how property owners in my community of oakville north burlington and across ontario will benefit from the site readiness program minister of economic development speaker our government recognizes that the pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the way we do business the new site readiness program responds to this new reality and it provides site selection consultants and investors worldwide the information they need to quickly recognize a site's strengths and potentials it will help communities make their properties investment ready more quickly it'll expand ontario's industrial land inventory and support a wider range of investment opportunities our site readiness program will build on the success of our two existing industrial land development programs we've had a very successful job site challenge which identifies mega sites for ontario for all of the great projects that are looking to come to ontario and the other is investment ready certified site program speaker and that provides provincial certification and market support for sites once there's due diligence done speaker with all of these programs in place we're ready to market ontario as the best place in the world to do business my office has been flooded with emails and calls from constituents who are angry that they're being denied access to essential vision care yesterday i heard from jennifer who's an indigenous parent in my riding jennifer's 14 year old daughter autumn has had headaches and burning eyes for almost two months now jennifer is concerned that her daughter has developed an eye issue but when she called her local optometrist to make an appointment she was shocked to learn that no one under the age of 20 or over the age of 65 is able to visit an optometrist here in ontario right now she was told that if autumn needed eye care that the only option would be to take her to the emergency room jennifer wants to know why her daughter has to suffer because this government is refusing refusing to negotiate a fair deal with optometrist thank you mr speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question i feel very much for jennifer and her daughter otta and i can tell you that we're certainly extremely disappointed that at the urging of the ontario optometrist association optometrists have chosen to withhold publicly funded services from children and seniors and it's due to the fact that the o a o has selected a mediator refused to meet the mediators conditions and has refused to come back to the table for negotiations although there is a standing invitation to do so it's especially concerning because optometrists keep telling members of the public that they are ready to negotiate but they do not come back to the table the current impasse lies squarely at the feet of the ontario optometrist association and we are more than anxious to get them to come back to the table to negotiate a fair deal we've put an offer on the table we've made an upfront good faith payment of 39 million dollars and we're really hoping that they will come back so we can make sure that residents get the care that they deserve thank you speaker calls to my office from people unable to make an appointment with their optometrist are becoming more desperate it has now been almost two months since seniors and kids in our province have been unable to access necessary vision care the previous liberal government badly badly underfunded vision care for kids and seniors letting this problem spiral out of control but now this government is refusing to pay for a fair plan with optometrists they simply don't want to spend the money to ensure that children and seniors in this province have access to essential vision care when will this government get back to the table and negotiate in good faith with the optometrists thank you mr speaker and thank you again to the member opposite we are at the table ready willing and able to negotiate every day there is a standing invitation as i said from the mediator who was chosen by the ontario optometrist association and we are all ready to negotiate anytime they will come back to the table so we encourage everybody out there to encourage optometrists to come back to the table that is the place that a deal will happen but i can tell you that this government is acting in good faith we've already put a fair and reasonable offer on the table including an immediate compensation increase of 8.48 percent retroactive to april first to catch up increases that physicians had over the last 10 years or so since optometrist last had an agreement also one-time payment of 39 million dollars which has already gone into the accounts of optometrists again to catch up future fee increases to align with the physician increases and also an immediate working group to go over their other concerns and continue to negotiate we are ready willing and able we hope they will come back to the table immediately so that people like jennifer and auda can get the care that they deserve thank you the next question remember for ottawa vany thank you mr speaker my question is for the premier in 2017 an expert panel suggested that i-way 413 not be built this project would destroy large extent of nature and farmland when you build more infrastructure for cars you encourage more people to drive the fight to fight the climate crisis we should be encouraging people to choose greener transportation methods yet instead of investing in public transit the government plans to build a brand new i-way so my question is that the government have a plan to reduce ontario's reliance on cars and if so how does building a six billion dollar highway plays a part in this plan associate minister of transportation well thank you very much speaker and i appreciate the question because it gives me an opportunity to address several important issues that the member raises not least of which is protecting our environment which is why i'm proud that our government has expanded the green belt unlike her government who changed it 17 times we're also building historic transit 28 and a half billion dollars towards that to make sure we can when possible with people who don't want to drive have the options to be able to get from point A to point B speaker though when it comes to highways today's population of ontario's nearly 15 million people in 30 years 15 million people will be the population of the greater golden horseshoe alone that's a lot more people in this province a lot more people who have no choice put to drive that's why our great minister of economic development is investing into the electrification of vehicles that's hugely important but also important speaker we need to make sure these cars are moving not idling that actually contributes to 35 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from cars on the road speaker we're going to invest in a growing population here on ontario and make sure we invest in highways and transit across the entire process thank you mr. speaker mr. speaker this government claims to support electric car manufacturing and intends to make ontario a hub for this industry that's great unfortunately the government's past actions do not support this as in 2018 they cancelled a rebate program which offered up to 14 000 to those who purchase electric cars this puts us behind other jurisdictions such as bc quibbeck and the united states where governments are encouraging consumers to buy electric the government is also not taking action to improve electric car infrastructure having gone as far as to rip existing charging station out the ground if the government wants ontario to be a hub for electric car manufacturing what is the plan to make electric cars accessible to consumers and convenient to use you know when you think about where we were only a few years ago in the province of ontario with automakers questioning their own success or viability or existence here in ontario we lowered the cost of doing business for them and other businesses by seven billion dollars a year and that has attracted that brought ford general motors and stilantis to the table they have made commitments and we have backed those commitments starting with ford at 295 million so our investments in the electric vehicle you will see them outlined in the near future but it began with 295 million dollars so our investments will be on the supply side speaker we're looking at battery manufacturers we're working with our critical minerals we are going to make ontario the electric vehicle hub of north america thank you the next question the member for storm on dundas south glen gary speaker the question is to the minister of long-term care ensuring the health and safety of our residents in long-term care has been our government's top priority we know the long-term care residents have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and when our government took office in 2018 the inspection backlog had grown to over 8,000 files this bad lot backlog of complaints and critical incidents included allegations of sexual assault physical abuse and negligence speaker this is something that our government cannot stand for so to the minister after decades of neglect what investments are our government making to ensure that the days of when bad actors could get away with anything less in quality care for our long-term care residents are over mr long-term care i'd like to thank the member for storm on dundas south glen gary for the great work he does and for this question mr speaker just this week i announced 20 million dollars of funding 20 million dollars to hire just under 200 more inspection staff mr speaker what does that mean that means that there will be double the number of inspectors 344 on the ground inspectors slightly more than double the inspectors to be doing the important work of reviewing and inspecting our long-term care homes mr speaker that means that on terror will have a ratio of two for every two homes one inspector the best ratio in canada which is what it should have and it also means three things it means that as we introduce proactive inspection programs which were recommended by our long-term care commission inspectors will have the time to work with homes it'll also mean that the unannounced inspections that respond to critical incidents will take place and take place in a timely way and third mr speaker it also means that among our new inspectors will have an investigative team a team that has the skills required in the extreme circumstances required to make sure that a more in-depth investigation is carried out mr speaker this is an investment that will protect our city thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for that answer speaker we've heard from long-term care the COVID-19 commission and the auditor general that the inspection regime in long-term care needed to be improved and speaker this investment will certainly go a long way towards helping us better identify and resolve problems increase enforcement and ensure that our residents in long-term care are kept safe meanwhile the leader of the opposition refers to this investment as completely backwards so to the minister the long-term care sectors tireless advocates and stakeholders have been very vocal during this pandemic has the minister heard the voices there are feedback on this increase in inspectors has been has been strong and and positive mr speaker Donna Duncan from the Ontario long-term care association said Ontario's long-term care homes share the government of Ontario's commitment to accountability and transparency and remain steadfast in trying these principles in legislation as i talked about that will come later today mr speaker smokey thomas of ops who said the comprehensive and unannounced annual inspections are the only way to ensure homes operate the highest standards of resident care it's what our union has demanded for years and we're pleased to see this government is listening and responding to the good work our union has done mr speaker we'll continue to listen this it took decades mr speaker for the long-term care situation to get to where it has been we will work with all parties to make sure that we move forward in a progressive way and the increase of inspectors the double living inspectors is a good start thank you the next question the member for Thunder Bay article can thank you speaker my question is for the premier on saturday i joined hundreds of family members who walked five kilometers to bring awareness and highlight the need for urgent action to address the addictions crisis in Thunder Bay the family members there told me that the province needs to take action so many lives could be saved but it requires more than empty promises when will this government repair the years of next act and finally provide the coordinated wraparound services needed to save these lives member for eglinton warrants the parliamentary system thank you very much mr speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question the opioid crisis isn't crisis is an ongoing public health emergency that has certainly been intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic this year alone our government has made emergency COVID-19 investments of over 194 million dollars in mental health and addiction services because more people are in crisis and are dying from fatal overdoses we know that some communities including northern rural francophone and indigenous communities have been disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis which is why through our opioid strategy our government remains committed to addressing the opioid crisis and to supporting people who need help with with this issue last year we made historic 98 million in investments for initiatives that address the opioid crisis and will be providing additional 91 million this year to sustain those programs to help provide critical supports thank you speaker and the supplementary question my question is for the premier recently we had 15 critical overdose calls in two days in my community this weekend i spoke to family members of those affected they talked about the need for detox beds treatment which is not available in our community after care and supportive housing they talked about the lives that were cut short and those that they left behind addiction shouldn't be a crime we need to treat it as a medical issue when will this government take action to support individuals and family in crisis thank you very much mr speaker as i said in my first answer we're supporting a lot of initiatives to provide opioid supports and including in the north so some of the investments include consumption and treatment services currently we're investing 9.4 million for 16 of these sites in need across the province and this includes a consumption and treatment site located in thunder bay ontario naloxone program 22.7 million for that provides naloxone to ontarians at risk of opioid overdose and their friends and families through eligible organizations there are over 165 of those distribution sites for naloxone in the north needle exchange and syringe programs we continue to fund the 34 public health units to provide those elements of harm reduction we have also harm reduction program enhancement for all 34 public health units including those in northern ontario harm reduction outreach programs we support 36 community-based organizations to deliver harm reduction outreach programs of these eight programs are based solely in northern ontario including in thunder bay so we're doing a lot and we know we have to do more that's why we continue to work on this important issue thank you thank you the next question remember for scarborough gildwood thank you speaker my question is to the minister of infrastructure in many pockets of scarborough's business parts broadband internet performance is unreliable and far too slow to meet the needs of doing business and living well in the virtual post pandemic age it's an issue that has impacted small and local businesses in scarborough because while the infrastructure exists the costs associated with connecting access to business parks amounts to tens of thousands of dollars and this can be prohibitive the scarborough business association and the scarborough community renewal organization wrote to the minister's office over a year ago to advocate for those local employers whose viability and livelihoods as well as their employees are being impacted by insufficient internet access in this digital age speaker through you to the minister are you committed to connecting scarborough and eliminating those last mile broadband issues and you know you have committed to connecting every ontarian will you ensure that scarborough is part of that and when will this government take the necessary steps to ensure that accessible and affordable broadband internet is available to to those small businesses in scarborough thank you to reply the government hosting thank you thank you minister mr. speaker i think the honorable member for the friendly question it is very much appreciated she will know of course mr. speaker that despite the fact that businesses in scarborough in fact businesses and homeowners across the province of ontara have been demanding better access to the internet that was not forthcoming under 15 years of of liberal government mr. speaker but the good news is for the people of scarborough gildwood a community i know quite well mr. speaker is that not only are we going to connect scarborough gildwood but we are also going to connect king vaughn we are going to connect otto or leans we are going to connect london west we are going to connect the toronto center algoma manitoulin is going to be connected winzer is going to be connected thunder bay is going to be connected mr. speaker we are going to connect ashawa mr. speaker in fact we are going to connect every single community in this province with broadband and the highest level of investment anywhere in this country, Mr. Speaker. Supplementary question? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I will certainly take that back to the two organizations, nonprofits in my community, who wrote to the minister in August of 2020. Speaker, yesterday I hosted a small business roundtable along with the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, Stephen Dilduca. And one recurring theme from the hardworking business owners in Scarborough is that this government is not focused on small business issues and recovery. It wasn't even mentioned in their thrown speech. What we heard yesterday from small business owners is that the same issues this government heard months into the pandemic have remained unresolved. Small businesses need help to recover or they face bankruptcy or closure. The Ontario Small Business Support Grant was not broad enough and it only reached one of every five small businesses. That leaves many businesses out in the cold. Businesses are still waiting for when this government will extend another round of relief. So my question, Speaker, is will the minister of finance in next week's fall economic statement include small businesses and renew the small business grant and expand the criteria so that more small businesses are eligible for the support they desperately need so that they Thank you. Thank you. And to reply the associate minister. Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the member opposite for her question. Speaker, when the pandemic hit it was our government that recognizes right away that small businesses that were impacted by public health measures required immediate support so that they could continue serving their communities and employing people in Ontario to get those supplies on to the table that we desperately needed. Our goal was to get money to businesses quickly because we recognize the enormous economic outlook and shock the employees affected by strengthening these public health measures. To date, the small business grant has delivered nearly $3 billion in urgent and unprecedented support to well over 110,000 small businesses right across our province. Through our 2021 budget, we also announced a doubling of the payments to eligible businesses so that they can receive up to $40,000 in support through this program. Our government was very disappointed to see that all the members opposite and their party when they chose to vote against the 1.4 billion in support. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. Please stop the clock for a moment. So I need to remind the House that during question period, a supplementary question has to follow logically from the initial question. It's not to raise an additional issue, a brand new issue in the supplementary. It's got to be consistent to some degree at least and have some relationship with the initial question. Thank you very much. Start the clock. The next question. Member for University Rosedale. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Government and Consumer Services. I'd like to tell you about Rani. She lives in a condo in University Rosedale. Since she moved in, life has been nothing short of a nightmare. The AC broke down for two months over the summer and her property manager refused to fix it. The unit next to her is constantly used as a short-term rental and she can't do anything about it. The unit above her is empty and has caused major flooding with extensive damage three times in two years. She's now on the hook to pay for repairs and insurance hikes. When Rani went to her condo board and asked for help, she was ignored. The only option Rani has left is to go to court and risk racking up thousands of dollars in legal fees. The Condominium Authority of Ontario was created to provide a quick and inexpensive place for disputes just like this to be heard. But its scope is too small to hear genuine complaints like Rani's. This is my question to the Minister. Can you commit to expanding the jurisdiction of the Tribunal so condo residents have the rights and the protections that they deserve? Thank you Member for Sarnia Lampkin to reply on behalf of the Government. Well, I'd like to thank the Honourable Member for that question. And the Condominium Act is undergoing great review right at this time. And just a little of some facts. There's over 900,000 condo units in Ontario and that's up from 200,000 in 2001 with over 11,000 condo operations. So the condo operations are governed by the Condominium Act and have their own board of directors. And I'd like to add some more in the supplementary. Thank you to the Member Opposite. I'm pleased to hear that you are aware of how many people live in condo dwellings. It's many and that there is an opportunity right now for the Ontario Government to do the right thing and expand the jurisdiction of the condo Tribunal. Just like you're currently doing, but you need to expand it. So my question is back to the Minister. The Condominium Regulatory Authority of Ontario is one of those regulators. They regulate property managers. And this is really important because many condo residents complain and have concerns about their property managers and the work they do to maintain the condo building. Issues like poor maintenance, wasted funds and allegations of kickbacks and fraud are common concerns. So but here's the problem. If you're a condo resident and you call the regulator to complain, nothing is done. The Auditor-General found that the CMRAO, that's the regulator, is not doing its job. And from 2017 to 2020, the authority inspected just 14 licensed condo managers and four condo management companies. Minister, what is your plan to ensure these regulators do their job and provide good protections to condo residents across Ontario? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member for that question. I also sat through the Auditor-General's report, I think it was Tuesday of this week. A lot of issues were highlighted by the Auditor-General. She commented on the good things that were taking place under the Condominium Act, but also pointed out, as the members just said, some of the failings in the condo operations and the governance of the condo authority. I know this is being taken a look at right now by the Ministry, by the staff. They were on the call as well, and they understand the importance of condos. I live in one myself here, and I know a number of the members in the House do as well. So it's something that we've taken under advisement. It's on our radar, and we're going to try and fix it. Thank you. The next question. Start the clock. The member for York City. Speaker to the Minister of Health, this government has no compassion. When I asked the Minister of Labor what he would say to Chiara, a nurse who had COVID, a single mother dismissed for cause, when I asked what he would say to her and look into the camera, the government members were laughing. That's the Ford government. But if they don't care for the personal catastrophes unfolding before their eyes, will they at least take care to protect the integrity of the healthcare system? The Ontario Medical Association said a few days ago that we're facing a tsunami of mental health patients. I've been warning about this since May 2020. Nearly 700,000 Ontarians are waiting for procedures. But the Minister of Health is standing by while the healthcare system, while institutions themselves are purging healthcare systems, healthcare workers out of the system. Will the Minister of Health take a pragmatic approach and put an end to the termination of tens of thousands of healthcare workers, not for compassionate reasons, but at least not to exacerbate the healthcare disaster this government created? Member for Eglinton Lawrence to reply in the afternoon. Thank you very much for the question. I can tell you that this government is very compassionate toward our healthcare workers, toward all of our frontline heroes, and we are acting accordingly. And I want to thank the member for raising the Ontario Medical Association report the other day. We believe that our healthcare providers play an integral role, obviously, in our healthcare system. And we thank them for their tireless work. Our government is committed to building a modern, connected, sustainable, patient-centered healthcare system through historic investments, including in response to COVID-19. And we're pleased to note that in their prescription for Ontario, they've outlined a number of things that we already have underway, including, of course, our $3.8 billion investment in mental health and addictions through Ontario's Roadmap to Wellness, which sets out a detailed plan to create a comprehensive and connected mental health and addiction system that provides consistent and evidence-based care to Ontarians when and where they need it. And, of course, we have special mental health supports for our frontline healthcare workers because they have been working... Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, my follow-up to the Minister of Education. Two days ago, the minister said that up to 50,000 education workers may be at risk if the province was to mandate vaccination in schools. But while the government is sitting on its hands, the school boards themselves are about to do what the minister says that he's not doing and terminate close to 50,000 education workers. I understand that the government has no compassion for the careers ruined, or the 50,000 education families that will be destitute before Christmas. But the question I ask again, if the government is unwilling to show compassion, then how about the practical effect, the integrity of the system? Ontario's kids suffered enough from his government's lockdowns. The minister has shut down the schools longer than anywhere on the planet. Our children are digressing. Will the Minister of Education protect Ontario's children and prevent school boards across Ontario from purging up to 50,000? Thank you. The response? Minister of Education. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. What I can confirm to all members of the Legislature is the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ontario Health, Pediatric Hospitals, and the Children's Health Coalition have confirmed that our schools have been safe. And our commitment on this side of the Legislature is to keep them open, keep them safe for students and staff. It's why, Speaker, the Children's Health Coalition said just a week ago, quote, data from Public Health Ontario suggests that the overall efforts to limit virus transmission, such as masking, distancing, and vaccinations have been successful. Mr. Speaker, we're taking nothing for granted. It's why we have deployed a rapid antigen testing program on a risk basis. It's why we've stepped up our ventilation. It's why, Speaker, we require masking indoors. All of these efforts have led to one of the lowest case rates in Canada for young people. What? Supported by one of the highest vaccine rates for youth. We're proud of our record. We're going to continue to do everything possible to keep students, staff, family safe for the people of this province. Thank you so much, Mr. Speaker. Question period has expired. Government House Leader, on a point of order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just rising in accordance with Standing Order 59, Mr. Speaker. Let me just thank all colleagues for what has been a very productive week here in the legislature, and specifically thank the House Leader for the Official Opposition, the House Leader for the Liberal Party, and the Leader of the Green Party, and of course all colleagues for unanimous support of that very important motion this morning. I appreciate everybody's assistance with that. Mr. Speaker, next week on Monday, November 1st, we will, in the afternoon, we will have Opposition Day Number 3. Following that, we will move to Bill 27, Working for Workers Act. On Tuesday, November 2nd, in the morning, we will resume debate on the Throne Speech. In the afternoon, we will return to Bill 27. And in the evening, Speaker, we will move to P&B Ballot Item Number 7, standing in the name for the member for Bruce Owen Sound, and it's Private Member's Motion Number 9. Bruce Gray Owen Sound, excuse me. On Wednesday, November 3rd, in the morning, we will resume debate on Bill 27. In the afternoon, we will begin debate on a bill to be introduced later that day. In the evening, P&B Ballot Item Number 8, standing in the name of the member for Hamilton Center, which is Bill 3, Stopping Anti-Public Health Harassment Act. On Thursday, November 4th, in the morning, a bill to be introduced later today will be debated. We will, of course, and during routine proceedings, I remind colleagues, ministerial statement, fall economic statement from the minister of finance. In the afternoon, we will resume debate on a bill which will be introduced later today. And in the evening, Ballot Item Number 9, member for Etobicoke Lakeshore, excuse me, the members for Etobicoke Lakeshore and Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke, Bill 18, Polish Heritage Month. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.