 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of his Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Speaker, it looks as though this will be the last question period for a while, and so I'd like to do a bit of a review of this government's priorities. This government has really delivered if you're a wealthy developer with insider connections, Speaker. We saw this government prioritize carving up protected greenbelt lands to the benefit of deep-pocketed friends of the Premier and his party. Lands that help Ontario mitigate the effects of climate change, lands of ecological significance, and crucial farmland. Speaker, to the Premier, will he prioritize our environment and stop carving up the greenbelt for his insider friends? To reply, the Premier. Thank you, and before I respond to the opposition, John, the wolf was wealth, and the sheepdog was Sam. And I just, you know, figure your wealth, I'm Sam. I'm protecting the herd, and you keep trying to go after the herd. And to the clerk, there's many attributes, but one of the most important things is you're a Tobacco boy, so thank you. I think I ran half my time out, but I'll supplement your question. But, Mr. Speaker, let's look at our accomplishments just over the last year, just since January. We reached a record low unemployment, the lowest since 1989. That's 34 year record unemployment. We landed a historic Volkswagen deal to build the largest manufacturing plant in the history of Canada. I'll go to supplementary. Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary. Speaker, on to another one of this government's priorities, emergency room closures. Emergency room closures are happening right across this province. Some of them permanently help used to be right around the corner. Now more people are finding themselves driving further and further for emergency or urgent care, because this government decided to funnel money toward private corporations instead of fixing the staffing crisis. The NDP proposed a solution to turn the lights back on in the public operating rooms that we already have and get Ontarians the surgeries they've been waiting for. The Conservatives voted no. Speaker, back to the Premier. Will he finally prioritize over insiders and make healthcare public once again? Premier? As I was saying, Mr. Speaker, we landed the largest deal in the auto sector. We are the EV capital of the world, not just North America of the world, with six of the largest car manufacturers right here producing automobiles and the batteries. Mr. Speaker, we expanded Go Service to Niagara, bringing the total to 21 round trips per week and talking about healthcare. Mr. Speaker, there's no government in the entire country that has invested more in healthcare than we have. We have $81 billion. We're building 50 new sites or upgrading 50 new sites to a tune of $50 billion. We had more nurses register last year in the history of this country. 12,000 of them. 12,000. We added 3,100 beds. We're going to be adding another 3,000 beds more than again any time in the history of this province. We're investing in our doctors and new doctors coming online with two medical schools. Did you just... Tell us more, please. Okay. Two medical schools, more undergrads and grads than ever before. Thank you. Thank you. The final supplementary. Speaker, this government's status quo is closed emergency rooms. We have more nurses leaving Ontario than they could recruit. We have not even... Ontarians don't have a family doctor. Speaker, investing in healthcare or education or housing, you know, instead of doing those things, the government is prioritizing giving $650 million to an Austrian corporate conglomerate to build a luxury spa on top of a public park. While small town emergency rooms are being shuttered, the company behind this elite luxury spa is being given hundreds of millions of dollars and a 95-year lease. Speaker, back to the Premier. Will he cancel his $650 million private spa and instead invest that money in communities that desperately need it? Members, please take your seats. Premier. Well, since we took office, Mr. Speaker, let's just go back 15 years ago when the NDP and Liberals were running this province. They chased 300,000 jobs out of the province. Let's move forward five years. There's 670,000 more people working today than there was five years ago. There's 380,000 jobs available in every single sector across Ontario. We are an economic powerhouse in North America. We've created the conditions and the climate for people to come here, open up a business. Matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, last year alone, 85,000 new businesses opened right here in Ontario. We cut $8 billion of burden off the backs of companies. As the Liberals and NDP chase these companies out of the country, out of the province, we're attracting companies from all over the world to invest right here in Ontario. The best place to live, work and raise a family. Thank you, Speaker. And I will say, I think this sounds to me like a government that's actually lost its way. I understand why the Premier can't answer the questions. Order, order. I have to be able to hear the member who has the floor, in this case the Leader of the Opposition. Order, restart the clock. Leader of the Opposition is the floor. Speaker, thank you. It's a government with the wrong priorities. It's a government that's become far too comfortable on the government gravy train. Ontarians across the province are writing, they're calling, they're rallying because they see a government that's out of touch. So I'd like to ask the Premier some more questions about his priorities. Because after five years of this government's transit policies, the Eglinton Crosstown project is completely off the rails. Years behind schedule, way over budget. Not so unlike the Ottawa LRT fiasco. All while people are waiting and businesses are shutting down. Speaker, to the Premier, will he prioritize getting the Eglinton Crosstown back on track so Ontarians aren't left waiting any longer? Premier, thank you for the question. Actually, the facts are, Mr. Speaker, we're building the largest transit project in North America. $30 billion with four new lines getting people out of their cars into transit. There's nowhere in North America that are doing four subway lines. But thank you for that question. And housing. We have a housing crisis. Last year there being 27,427 housing starts in this province. That's up 16% from the previous record year. Purpose-built rentals start across the province for up 143%. More than double than last year. Housing starts in Toronto. We're up 178% from last year. Housing starts in Brampton. We're up 65% from last year. Multi-unit construction in Ontario increased 7.6% since February. The largest increase in the country. We saw a 25% increase in condo permits. Also the largest in the country. Mr. Speaker, let's talk about education. This year education spending is at an all-time high of $34.7 billion. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. The supplementary. Once again, it's like this premier is not existing on the same planet that the rest of us are. I don't know where this comes from. Oh my God. This is a government. This is a government that doesn't even have a deadline for the Eglinton Crosstown. Bright housing starts are down, not up. The government's prior. Leader of the opposition legitimately has the floor. She has every right to ask questions. This is question period. I have to be able to hear her. If the government side continues to interject loudly, I will start calling you out by name. We start the call. Leader of the opposition. Speaker, I know why they don't like it, but let's get back to reality. Back to this government's priorities. Speaker, the conservatives like to say that they've prioritized workers. But when push comes to shove, they let workers down every time. Exhibit A, they took away the three measly paid sick days that people fought for at the start of the pandemic. Exhibit B, they took away the constitutional rights of education workers. Exhibit C, the conservative members from Windsor won't lift a finger to help the striking workers at the Windsor Salt Mine They're out of work now for 111 days where the company is bringing in scab labor. The list goes on and on, Speaker. Question. But back to the Premier. Will he prioritize workers and pass the NDP's anti-scab legislation? Members, please take their seats. Can I get an extension of about an hour to show all our accomplishments? Mr. Speaker, let's go back to transit for just one second before I get to education. Over 70 billion dollars are being spent on transit. 23 billion on roads, building the 413, the Bradford Bypass, winding Highway 3 down to our great friends in Windsor. Let me tell you about Windsor. They've never seen more love from any government than they've seen from us. No matter if it's a new hospital, cilantro, job creation, Highway 3 schools, they've seen the love. And I felt it when I went down there. Let's just go back to education. As I said, education spending is at an all-time high of $34.7 billion. Education funding has seen a 27% increase since 2018. While the Liberals closed, remember those days, Mr. Speaker, they closed 600 schools. We're investing $15 billion to build new schools in childcare spaces, including additional $600 million in this year's budget. We've invested $30 million more, double the math coaches across the country. Thank you. Well, Speaker, you know, shameful there that the Premier would not even address the issues that we've raised around working people and working families in this province. Speaker, to wrap up, this is the state of Ontario now after five long years under this government's watch. We've got a non-existent climate plan while communities are dealing with the most severe forest fire season we've ever experienced. We have emergency orders closing while this government takes healthcare workers to court. A broken transit system held hostage by private contractors. And it's harder than ever before to afford a safe place to live. Ontario is a place that we are all proud to call home. But this Premier's wrong priorities are hurting people now. And yes, they are threatening the economic prosperity and future of this province. Speaker, back to the Premier, when will he change course and will he change course today? Stop the clock. The member for Sioux St. Marie will come to order. The member for Kitchener Conestoga will come to order. The Associate Minister of Housing will come to order. Start the clock. The Premier? Again, Mr. Speaker, one word, 670,000 people are putting food on their table, paying a mortgage, buying a home. Because we created the climate and the conditions. My Minister of Economic Development sends me a list every single night of companies coming in from all over the world, Mr. Speaker. And when people are out of work, do you know what they need? They need childcare. They need childcare that we partnered up with the federal government to attune a $4.69 billion, 28% over last year alone, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to long-term care, we know that the Liberals and NDP built, what, 617 beds over 15 years. We're building through our great minister of long-term care, over 60,000 new homes for long-term care, renovated ones. Mr. Speaker, I have an opportunity to speak to governors and ambassadors all over the world. They're saying, what are you doing in Ontario? You're on fire. You're leading the world. Leader of the opposition will come to order. The Member for Waterloo will come to order. The Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery will come to order. Let's start the clock again. Next question, the Member for Oshawa. My question is to the Premier. Yesterday during committee hearings, we learned new information about the Ontario Place redevelopment procurement process. Unbelievably, we learned that there was no fairness monitor appointed to verify the integrity of the process. We also learned that six days before the deadline for bid submissions, the deadline was suddenly extended by three weeks, even though Infrastructure Ontario had already received several bids. One bid that had not yet been received was the bid from Therma, which eventually won the redevelopment rights. So did that deadline extension give Therma an unfair advantage? Minister of Infrastructure. Thank you to the member opposite. Infrastructure Ontario is an arms-length government agency that is responsible for government procurements. They have internal controls to ensure that there is accountability and fairness and competitive processes. They report to a board that also has accountability and transparency measures. Of course, they work like any other agency with the FAO and the AG. Mr. Speaker, we had a successful call for development where we had a lot of interest because a lot of people are excited about Ontario Place as are we, and we will bring it back to life just like we said back in 2019. Thank you, Speaker. Again, to the Premier. So this government not only gave Therma last-minute deadline extension, it's also giving Therma a $450 million give or take parking facility that was not offered to the other Ontario Place bidders. Yesterday we learned that the government wants to build the relocated Ontario Science Centre on top of this new parking facility. The minister told the CBC she had a business case showing that building a new science centre would be cheaper than making repairs. But yesterday the minister said she has no idea how much the new parking facility would cost. So Speaker stands to reason she has no idea how much it would cost with a new science centre as the cherry on top. Will the minister release the business case to the public or admit that she doesn't have one? Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member for the question. First the member says the parking is for Therma, then the member says the parking is for the science centre. Do you know who the parking is for? It is for everyone. It is for all Ontarians. From the people of Northern Ontario that visit Toronto and want a wonderful place to go. That is who the parking is for. The member for Brantford branch. Thank you Speaker. My question is for the Premier. In 2018 the people of Ontario elected our government with a strong desire for change in order to clean up the mess created after 15 years of mismanagement by the previous Liberal government. Wrong choices and wrong decisions by the Liberal government supported by the NDP hurt all Ontarians. Instead of a government that supported our provinces working women and men, elites and activists lectured the people of Ontario insisting that they knew better. Instead of a government that worked with businesses and entrepreneurs we witnessed companies leaving our province and sadly hundreds of thousands of people losing their jobs. That is why it is so critical for our government to continue making the right investments to ensure that Ontario remains on a path to prosperity. Can the Premier please outline how our government is ensuring that we are getting it done for the people of Ontario by building a stronger province for everyone. Thank you Speaker. Speaker I want to thank our all-star member from Brantford branch. You're doing an incredible job and thank you. Our government just took a simple approach when we came into office when the previous government had the largest sub-sovereign debt in the world, the highest hydro rates and companies were leaving. We remember those days Mr. Speaker high unemployment while we believe in giving back to the people who have money back in their pockets no matter if it was getting rid of the tolls of the 412 or 418 or getting rid of the license sticker fee or dropping the gas tax by ten cents just imagine if there was ten cents on top of the buck sixty that everyone is paying already we believe in putting money back into people's pockets until they can stir the economy then go out there and buy a piece of furniture maybe go out for dinner maybe go on a trip somewhere in Ontario other than doing what they did for fifteen years taking money out of people's pockets chasing companies out of this province we have cut the burden of businesses by eight billion dollars to attract more companies to come here to create more jobs. Thank you. That's a supplementary question back to the members of Brantford branch. Thank you Speaker and thank you to the Premier for his response and his for his continuing leadership as he works on behalf of all Ontarians. The failure of the previous Liberal government supported by the NDP to focus on issues that mattered to everyday people resulted in fragmented programs failed policies wasted opportunities and an overall disregard for the hard working people of Ontario that is why our government must set clear priorities and focus on solutions that will demonstrate our respect for the people of Ontario we must manage our resources well and implement measures that will continue to strengthen our economy while building up our workforce and ensuring that life is more convenient and affordable Speaker as we look to the future can the Premier please elaborate on where the people of Ontario can expect to see further leadership by our government that will help to make Ontario stronger. Thank you Premier. Well again I want to thank the member from Brantford branch Mr. Speaker going back again five years ago we basically had a bankrupt province that's what it came down to we had to go in there focus on lean methodologies respecting taxpayers over the past two and a half years as I mentioned through the great leadership of the Minister of Economic Development we've seen 25 billion dollars a record anywhere in North America 25 billion dollars coming into our province but we need skilled workers Mr. Speaker and through the great work of the Minister of Labour we're spending 1.4 billion dollars working with our union partners to train the future skilled tradespeople that are going to build the cities that are going to build the towns across the province we have more cranes Mr. Speaker than LA, Chicago, New York, Washington, Boston combined there's a reason why people are investing in Ontario there's reason reasons why pension funds are investing here because they know they have a business friendly government that they haven't seen in 15 years as much as the world is large when it comes to sectors across the province I mean across the world it's very small we're leading the tech industry in North America we're employing 411,000 Thank you, thank you, thank you very much the next question to the member for London, Fanshawe My question to the Minister of Education A staffing crisis driven by low wages is threatening the accessibility of childcare for families programs are limiting capacity and expansion targets are at risk the Minister was overwhelmingly told by stakeholders in their consultations that they need to properly compensate childcare workers in spite of years of raising these concerns the province's contribution to the childcare budget remains flat staff have described this current wage floor as an insult will the Minister implement recommendations from the experts in the field to keep Ontario's $10 a day program on track Minister of Education Thank you Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for the question I mean as we conclude the session we can reflect back on this past year's one of progress when it comes to affordability putting party interests aside this parliament enacted a bill and a budget that has allowed us to cut childcare fees by 50% for the families we represent $8,000 to $10,000 in savings per year and we will go further of course we need qualified ECEs we need to recruit them and to retain the ones that work with our kids it's why in the program we sign with the federal government an additional dollar per hour has been committed per year a commitment to install a wage floor for the first time and a clear commitment by the government to go even further Mr. Speaker, in addition to increasing access to the ECEs, increasing affordable childcare options we're building 86,000 spaces this is a monumental step forward for financial relief for the people of Ontario we'll continue to work with the sector, with our workforce and our operators to make life more affordable for families across the country The key issue is that we need those childcare workers in those childcare spaces in order for this program to survive and thrive and expand we know the wage floor is well below what workers are saying is needed to address this crisis the minister is stating that he knows that this is an issue and that he plans to increase wages the question is how much and when the Association of Early Childhood Educators are saying that they are cautiously optimistic but worry that it will still be less than what's needed and will be delayed by the rollout of a broader childcare workforce strategy will the minister commit today to increasing ECE wages immediately instead of waiting for yet another report After childcare fees increased by over 400% of the former Liberal government our government got to work on a plan to make life affordable childcare fees went from $46 a day to $23 a day on average today under this Premier's leadership we can't discount how monumental that is for financial relief for working people and parents in Ontario that is one of the most monumental ways this parliament has made life more affordable but I accept the premise we've got to do more for our workers we've got to give them a reason to stay and work in a tough sector we value what they do which is why we've already increased their wages we've committed to going further we've also committed to expand access to 86,000 spaces by announcing a $213 million start-up grant where we literally help incentivize the marketplace more spaces and therefore more workers in the communities that have disproportionately underrepresented amount of childcare spaces to their population we're going to get this right, we're going to work together and we are going to make life affordable for moms and dads across these problems Next question Member for Chatham Kent Leamington Thank you Speaker my question is for the Minister of Transportation like other regions across the province communities in southwestern Ontario are experiencing population growth and business expansion but traffic congestion, gridlocked highways through Leamington and Essex County are extending travel times for all road users while delaying vital goods and services from getting to our markets urgent action needs to be taken to build the necessary transportation infrastructure to keep our province moving unfortunately transportation needs in my areas were consistently ignored by the previous NDP backing the Liberal government the residents of Chatham Kent Leamington and people throughout southwestern Ontario deserve better when it comes to our transportation network Speaker, can the Minister please explain what our government is doing to address the critical need for extended transportation infrastructure to apply the Minister of Transportation Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member for the question Speaker, when our government took office we committed to the people of this province that we would rebuild Ontario unlike the previous Liberal government who left southwestern Ontario behind our government is investing in this region Why Speaker? It's because we know that when southwestern Ontario is strong the entire province is strong I was proud to have recently joined the premier and my colleagues to announce our government is moving forward with the widening of Highway 3 Through the contracts to design, build and finance the widening of Highway 3 between Essex and Leamington this investment will improve road safety and will keep people and goods moving Speaker, our government is making historic investments in roads and in highways to tackle gridlock connect communities and to build our economy The supplementary question Thank you to the Minister for her genuine leadership The recent announcements made by our government will certainly address this long standing and urgent need These communities look forward to seeing construction get underway as soon as possible This Highway 3 expansion will dramatically reduce commute times increase road safety and improve the movement of people and goods but a further expansion of this infrastructure is still urgently needed We're seeing tremendous growth in the industrial, agricultural manufacturing and healthcare sectors in Windsor and throughout Essex County Population growth, job creation and other major investments are driving the urgency for an expanded transportation network This is why our government must continue to invest in this infrastructure to better support increased opportunities for trade through the busy Detroit-Windsor border Speaker, can the Minister please elaborate on how our government's investments in critical highway infrastructure and projects throughout southwestern Ontario will support our economy Minister of Transportation Thank you, Speaker Well, our government understands that in order to build a strong economy we need the infrastructure to support it For the Windsor-Essex region that starts with a strong transportation network This last year alone trade between Michigan and Ontario was valued at more than $80.7 billion and so that's why it is vital to keep this corridor moving When our goods are stuck in gridlock it only makes things more expensive Not only are we moving forward with the widening of Highway 3 our government will also support the City of Windsor to build a new interchange from the 401 to the Lowson Parkway Only support economic development but it will also help to increase trade opportunities across Ontario's borders The next question, the member for Waterloo Thank you, Speaker My question is to the Premier The people of Kitchener and Waterloo are getting left behind by this government I don't mean figuratively I mean literally There is so much demand for go-service on weekends when go trains don't run that buses are completely packed with people especially students and they're being left behind in Brampton On Tuesday of this week the Waterloo Regional Council voted to send a letter to the government urging it to address exactly this The people of Waterloo Region need and deserve two-way all-day go-service including on weekends When can Kitchener expect a weekend train to get to Kitchener on the Kitchener line? Speaker, I'm happy to talk about our government's plan to bring two-way all-day go-service to Kitchener and Waterloo but I wonder why if it's such an important issue for the member opposite why she voted against our plan You know, Mr. Speaker we're moving forward with the largest transit expansion plan anywhere in North America and while we're building subways and LRTs we're also building a strong regional network Mr. Speaker that is going to bring two-way all-day service across our entire network and that is despite the opposition voting against it but Mr. Speaker Kitchener, Waterloo is a growing area and that's why Metrolinx is constantly monitoring the service and ridership levels and that is why just recently we announced an increased bus service and while the demand was greater than we even thought the next day we added double-decker buses to meet the demand in Kitchener, Waterloo Mr. Speaker we are there to meet the demand of Ontarians the greater Golden Horseshoe is growing and we will make sure that our transportation network keeps up and meets that demand Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker New Democrats will always vote against legislation that leaves Kitchener behind Frustration has reached a tipping point Mr. Speaker I was speaking to I was speaking with Justin Fan a University of Waterloo student who told the CBC he wants to use go transit regularly but he gets frustrated when he can't get on a bus Ian McLean President and CEO of KW Chamber of Commerce has said that more trains will deliver by some estimates up to 170,000 new jobs billions in new investment from the private sector trains are good for business and good for people and good for the environment why doesn't Kitchener, Waterloo deserve a train on the weekend this is a direct question to the minister when can they expect it because the buses are not getting the people where they need to go Mr. Speaker and I thank the member opposite for the question you know only recently we released the preliminary design business case for the Kitchener project that is going to provide more frequent and reliable service for people between Kitchener and Georgetown and it's a great opportunity for us to talk about the other investments that we're making along the corridor we're increasing services as we're seeing ridership demands increase which is why just recently we announced more trains to Brampton Mr. Speaker we announced new bus service to Kitchener Mr. Speaker and with respect to two way all day go and more frequent service on weekends Mr. Speaker we are building towards that we are working closely with our rail partners CN to make sure that we can deliver the service that we have told Ontarians we will deliver Mr. Speaker we put forward a great plan to get Ontarians home and get Ontarians to work in an easier more frequent way Mr. Speaker but when we do so Mr. Speaker the NDP vote against it and so the member opposite stands in this house and says she speaks for her constituents know that when we put forward a plan they will actually deliver on the promise of two way all day go she votes against it Next question member for Orleans Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my questions for the Premier last year paramedics in Ottawa set a new record but it's not a good one 1,806 times the Ottawa paramedics hit level zero Mr. Speaker there were no paramedics available to respond to calls for more than 73,000 minutes paramedics spent 93,000 hours at emergency rooms in offload delay the city is requesting provincial funding to help alleviate the offload delay problem at Ottawa's backlog emergency rooms in our hospitals will the government step up and provide the funding Ottawa needs to keep more ambulances on the road The Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Thank you very much Speaker I will say that not only are we stepping up but we have stepped up we had a top up of funding directly to Ottawa of $2.6 million through the dedicated offload nursing program the member opposite knows that I've spoken about this program many times because it is something that paramedics and the hospital clinicians see as a real game changer ensuring that paramedics can get back out into community and make sure that they have appropriate care within the emergency department we've done that work I've met with the Mayor of Ottawa one day, spoke to him again yesterday I meet regularly and talk regularly to the Ottawa hospitals we know that they are using effectively the 911 models of care where paramedics with the patients approval can take individuals somewhere else where other than the emergency department these are real changes on the ground that are making a difference in the lives of people of Ontario Supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker What the government is doing isn't working because there's a report going to the city next week calling for more paramedics that are urgently needed the offload delay at the Ottawa hospital means that paramedics are waiting two and a half hours at the emergency room to get back on the road for two consecutive years now Mr. Speaker the auto paramedic service has failed to meet the legislative response time of six minutes for sudden cardiac arrest last year they only hit their legislative requirement of 48% of the time Mr. Speaker imagine watching your loved one die of a heart attack right in front of you because there's no ambulance available to come Will the government do the right thing and get Ottawa the resources it needs to keep paramedics on the road responding to 911 calls Minister of Health Thank you very much the member opposite speaks of a report that's going to the city next week I've read it and it talks about the benefits that they have seen as a result of using the dedicated offload nursing program in terms of land ambulance support of course we partnership 50-50 with our municipal partners so every time they add a new ambulance every time they add a new paramedic the Ministry of Health and the province of Ontario is there to support with 50% funding and we will continue to do that because we want to make sure that 911 models of care dedicated offload nursing programs that are available in Northern Ontario for paramedics who train we are covering their tuition and education costs so that they can continue to serve and under-serve communities we're doing all of this work to ensure that the people of Ottawa and all of Ontario have appropriate care in their community Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Long-Term Care this spring the Minister announced that village of Winston Park a long-term care home in Kitchenerhead Open a new recently constructed building that will provide more beds for seniors Nevertheless, while this is good news for the local community Ontario's broader long-term care sector is being impacted by a rapidly aging population Despite numerous calls from experts and advocates the previous Liberal government failed to acknowledge the critical importance of investing in long-term care facilities and services This is why it's so vital that our government continues plan ahead to address the cares in need for our seniors across our province Speaker, can the Minister please explain how construction projects like this one will support our seniors in Waterloo and the neighbouring area of Cambridge Member for Lanark Front, Nat Kingston and Parliamentary Assistant Minister of Long-Term Care Thank you, Speaker and thank you to the Member for Cambridge for the question The expansion of the village of Winston Park is a game-changing project for the Waterloo and Cambridge area This state-of-the-art facility now provides 224 safe, modern, long-term care beds along with top quality care and resources for residents Our government is also supporting another 12 projects in Waterloo including homes in Cambridge, Wilmwick and Kitchener These are beautiful homes Together, these projects will provide over 2400 new and upgraded long-term care beds built to modern design standards These investments will also bring many new jobs in the form of construction and healthcare staff This government is investing up to $5 billion for an additional 27,000 new long-term care staff That's something that the Leader of the Opposition might want to put in her review Thank you Thank you very much The supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the Parliamentary Assistant for his response It is essential that our government continues to prioritize the needs of our seniors in providing care and services that are essential By investing in new long-term care infrastructure and services we will be able to build a stronger system and will provide care and support for Ontario seniors and their families In considering the current and future needs for seniors it is clear that we need to build more long-term care homes and communities across the province Speaker, can the Parliamentary Assistant please provide an update on measures our government is taking to add more beds to Ontario long-term care system Member for Lennart Frontenac Kingston can reply Speaker, over the past year we have seen rising interest rates, increased construction costs supply chain issues which have slowed construction but our government is not wasting any time to ensure that seniors get the quality of care and quality of life they deserve That is why our government has provided an increase to construction funding subsidy for long-term care homes across the province to begin building by August 31st this summer This will and has enabled the continued development of new long-term care projects by building new beds more seniors will be placed in modern safe and comfortable new homes This initiative and commitment by this government will result in shovels in the ground for 11,000 long-term care beds by August 31st This is all part of our government's historic 6.4 billion plan to develop over 58,000 new and upgraded long-term care beds so we can meet the needs of our aging population Thank you very much Thank you Speaker, my questions for this Listener General Tomorrow I will be joining parents, faith leaders elected officials and community members at a community rally in Broadview Avenue in Ottawa Centre We are sadly having to oppose an anti-transgender, anti-queer hate rally that is happening at the foot of the street This same group of people were on Broadview Avenue 17 months ago One of them, if you can believe its speaker, travelled all the way from British Columbia to display homophobic and transphobic placards outside three public schools But on that day hundreds of people came to block the visibility of his placards and tomorrow we are going to do it again Speaker, I want to know will my friends in government join us and call out this hate and minister of citizenship and multiculturalism Thank you very much Without a question Ontario's home to a strong and vibrant 2SLGB TQI community who helped shape their province and made it into the success it is today with Prime Month well underway as my colleague stated I want to take this opportunity to honour their strength their courage and resilience to celebrate the important contributions they make to our province each and every day Mr. Speaker as a citizenship of multiculturalism I have been working with our 2SLGB TQI community and will continue to work with them and all allies and partners will be stronger safer, more inclusive Ontario where people from all walks of life from all backgrounds to the whole Ontario home Supplementary Thank you Speaker I appreciate what my friend in government just said but my question is really intended for the Solicitor General because I consider this to be a public safety matter for queer and trans kids in our community and all over Ontario as we just heard this is Pride Month but sadly and I'm sure many of us are hearing it the incidences of hate against queer and trans people are on the rise in the flames so at home we're gathering peacefully but determinedly to show queer and trans youth we are on their side I've heard members from across this house say the same thing so Speaker through you does the government have a public safety message a guarantee to queer and trans youth in Ottawa Centre and everywhere in this province that everyone in this house sees them, loves them values them and we will not let them be threatened by hate or bigotry ever in the province of Ontario Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank my friend for the question let me be clear yes we condemn all forms of hate all forms of hate we have a zero tolerance zero tolerance for hate based crime and Mr. Speaker everyone should feel safe in their own homes and communities but Mr. Speaker let me say this for those that do not wish us well for those who feel we don't have a right to live in our communities to raise our children to pray, to work and to love who we want and to live how we choose we will call them out The next question the member for Newmarket Aurora is to the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility June is Seniors Month in Ontario and I was honoured to have the Minister and his Parliamentary Assistant in my community last Friday to kick off Seniors Month at my Seniors Community Connections Expo held in Newmarket Seniors Month is a time to recognize the contribution of seniors in our province and to respect and celebrate the work that seniors have done and what they are doing in our communities The theme for 2023 is working for seniors Our government is making great progress in helping seniors to stay independent active and socially connected However it is vital to the health and well-being of Ontario seniors that our government continues to support initiatives that will help to keep our older adults engaged in their communities Speaker Can the Minister please explain the importance of Seniors Month and how it helps to properly recognize the contributions of seniors in our communities Thank you to the member from Newmarket Aurora for that important question I was honoured to attend her Senior Expo in Newmarket last week She brought together 17 seniors and community groups 100 seniors senior leaders that showed how active involved they are in serving seniors in that part of your region As a Super Senior I'm calling everyone to do what the MPP from Newmarket Aurora did and bring their seniors together Let's celebrate Seniors Month like it never before Back to the member from Newmarket Aurora Thank you Speaker and celebrating June as Seniors Month is an important way to recognize the contributions of seniors and highlight the importance of age friendly communities However, the risk of social isolation for seniors is a reality Repeated research studies show that loneliness and social isolation have detrimental effects on the physical and mental health of seniors This is an important issue and that is why it is essential that our government continues to make investments into programs and services that help seniors to remain active and socially connected Seniors in Ontario deserve our continuing support Speaker Ken, the Minister is supporting the quality of life for seniors in Ontario Minister of Seniors and Accessibility Mr. Speaker Fighting social isolation is the best way we can help seniors For example I announced over $51,000 for Newmarket Senior Active Living Centre And another $51,000 for Aurora Senior Active Living Centre This is a part of our government's $20 million investment in more than 280 seniors community grants and almost 300 senior Active Living Centre across Ontario Thanks to the leadership of this premier this investment helps seniors stay fit active healthy connect to their communities and fight social isolation Beautiful question a member for Sudcari Thank you very much Many constituents of Northern Ontario must travel long distances to receive specialized healthcare And the broken northern health travel grant system forces patients to cover those travel costs and accommodations up front and then they have to wait to reimbursed For example, Denise and her husband are seniors on a fixed income and they need to come to Toronto to see Stephane's neurologist Denise told me Stephane will get $0.41 a kilometre but only after the first 100 kilometres My question speakers will the premier remove cost-privileged barriers like this one to make it difficult for northerners to access proper care through the northern health travel grant Deputy Premier and Minister of Health There is no doubt that there are unique challenges for patients who are looking to access healthcare in northern Ontario or have to travel great distances to get those treatments which is why we've invested $48.2 million in the northern Ontario health travel grant which paid out nearly 150 individuals for those reimbursements I will say that I am particularly proud of some changes that we have been able to make on the grant and that ensures that individuals can now apply electronically and get those reimbursements directly into their bank accounts It means that there is not the unnecessary delay in red tape and it's been very helpful particularly for individuals who have multiple trips and multiple treatments So that is one example of how we are improving this grant to make sure that people get their money back faster Supplementary question Thank you Back to the Premier Denise wrote to my office about the northern health travel grant She said The neurologist has been good about doing visits via OTN the Ontario telemedicine network but he needs to see him in person this week and then at a later date Stefan will require procedure and have to stay in Toronto even longer When Denise and Stefan come for medical care the northern health travel grant However the discounted and I put that in quotes hospital hotel rates are now $250 a night So although the minister is saying the system works better Speaker the reality is that Stefan and his wife are going to be out $150 every night that they are here and that is unfair for somebody who needs medical attention My question is Will the Premier commit to increasing mileage and compensation so seniors like Stefan aren't paying out of pocket to access essential medical care Again I will remind the member opposite that we are improving this system to make sure that people get that money into their bank accounts in a more seamless way particularly when they have to come for multiple treatments or medical procedures You know it speaks to frankly why we continue to invest and expand our hospital capacities in the north, in Sudbury in communities across Ontario You know the Premier made reference to it earlier today over 50 different capital expenditures that are happening in hospitals We want to make sure that if it is appropriate and when it is appropriate they can get that care closer to home and it is again of course one of the expansions that will happen under Bill 160 as we expand community and surgical diagnostic centres in communities across Ontario Thank you Speaker Member for Brantford Grant Thank you Speaker As the MPP for Brantford Grant I have always been proud to champion participation in sport in the communities that I represent Sports contributes to better health community pride and a stronger economy However I am deeply concerned to know that according to Ontario soccer's CEO the province is losing referees at an alarming rate This decline in numbers is due to the increasing prevalence of abuse towards referees To address this serious situation I understand that Ontario soccer is launching a body camera pilot project for soccer referees Speaker can the minister please share his response to this initiative being introduced by Ontario soccer Thank you Mr. Tourism call transport Mr. Speaker before I get to that I'd also like to thank Mr. Decker for his service many years from now many years from now my grandkids point to that picture and say there's Papa but who's the other guy I'll simply say he's the other guy who made a big difference in my life Thank you Thank you for what you do in sport and recreation in your community it doesn't just stay with you it's all across the board because that helps our health care down the road To answer the question directly I went really I have to go to that extent now to put cameras on officials to make sure parents and fans on the perimeter of a field are not harassing officials and let's be clear Mr. Speaker these officials aren't always adults they're young people they've decided to go get trained participate they don't necessarily have to play in sport but they participate when they're officials so it's disgraceful it's unnecessary Stop it Mr. Speaker Thank you Speaker and Minister I really appreciate your thoughtful response to this issue Speaker all Ontarians who participate in sport deserve to have a safe and supportive environment sadly we are seeing young girls and boys being discouraged by a few irresponsible spectators who intimidate them with abuse of yelling Any form of harassment is unacceptable and it must end Speaker can the Minister please share any insights he has gained from his experiences with sporting organizations and with participants Thank you Speaker Thanks for the question this may sound strange but I've been very fortunate to be on sidelines and behind benches in sport in minor sport for a number of years I have some great friends as a result of participating in sport but because of the officials and I was asked on April 1st on the football side of things to speak at their conference in Hamilton at the Tim Hortons field there was 100 plus officials there and they're there to learn more and to get better they're there to get better not because they want to become pro officials or umpires or referees but because they want to make the game better they want to give something back to their community so when we talk about the time that they spend in this group I said what is the key problem for you now he said we're losing people from age but we're also losing young people especially because of the harassment they're getting on the sidelines let me be clear the culture sport has to change and we can all affect it in a positive way because here's the statement without officials there are no games My question is to the Premier special education needs within the county district school board is continuing to grow an additional 200 students will need special education supports for the next school year their deficit for 2023-2024 special education funding is projected at 10.2 million dollars the board has flagged the increasing needs of their special education programs with the conservative government multiple times in December last year the GECDSB wrote to the Minister of Education calling on the province to address and I quote significant underfunding end quote and that the board expects to spend an additional 5.4 million on special education this year Speaker why won't the Premier adequately fund the special education programs needed and support the students of Windsor Essex Minister of Education well thank you very much Mr. Speaker we obviously very much are concerned about those kids and it's why this government since coming to office in 2018 has increased the special education envelope of funding by over 540 million more dollars Mr. Speaker as a case study of that investment in this year's presentation of our funding for school boards that is going to rise again by 124 million more dollars that's going to help families in Windsor and Essex and right across the region and it's going to help the school boards have the staff in place to meet the needs of those kids and to support those kids we have 3200 additional EAs hired under our progressive conservative government we're proud of that and we're going to keep going Mr. Speaker as we're hiring 2,000 additional frontline educators focus on literacy and math to help kids that are most at risk we are committed to strengthen the training of our teachers of our principals and commit to hiring more staff to support the kids in your region and across Ontario Thank you Mr. Speaker I can tell you as a former trustee that this government and the government before them have chronically underfunded special education and that increase the minister just mentioned is less than the rate of inflation when we're talking about school boards already behind in having funding for special education students and it's the students and their families that are suffering because you will not invest adequately so that their needs are met in fact speaker Lanton Kent the province is only funding a quarter of the special education needs Toronto district school board has a 67.6 million dollar shortfall when it comes to special education as I said in the greater estates county district school board their shortfall is projected at 10.2 million dollars they've already said that it's going to cost them more million dollars for special education this coming school year students across Ontario with special education needs their parents and families deserve a government that is making the necessary investments to see all students strive will the premier stop short changing students with special education needs and properly fund the special education programming and supports that all students need to thrive Yes Please take their seats Minister of Education Well Mr. Speaker we're going to be students of history and let's look back to the Ray government where you literally left the province in an economic disaster and you didn't even pay the workers of this province called the Ray days so we reflect with great wisdom on the horrid track back of the NDP we'll never go back we're going to go forward and we're going to continue to build schools we're going to continue to modernize education we're going to continue to play the large function any responsible government will to demand better for the next generation of this province if members opposite are concerned about the interests of public education then vote today for bill 98 the better schools and soon in fact join this government in standing up for accountability for the rights of parents and for better outcomes for reading, writing and math we're going to get back to basics and we're going to stand up for the next question the member for Newmarket Aurora thank you speaker and my question is for the associate minister of women's social and economic opportunity it is encouraging to hear that our government is continuing to focus on initiatives that are providing women with opportunities for greater economic empowerment however there are still areas of concern that need to be addressed the number of women employed in technology related careers as well as in the skilled trades occupations are well below their mouth counterparts the reality is is that women only currently account for 5% of the skilled trades workforce with more than 100,000 unfilled skilled trades jobs right now it is critical that our government does all that we can do to attract more women to pursue these in demand and rewarding careers speaker can the associate minister please elaborate on how our government is helping women to develop the skills they need to gain financial security the associate minister of women's social and economic opportunity thank you speaker for the last question and for the last question to close out this session I have gone across the province and had a wonderful opportunity of meeting thousands and hundreds of women who are getting into the workforce and taking advantage of the programs and investments this government has made to support their flexibility and their training in skill development this includes promoting a wide range of fields and careers for women and girls helping entrepreneurs find resources and resources to create more women led businesses and that's why we've also expanded the investing in women's futures program and the women's economic security program and together we've assisted more than 3,000 women to start their businesses, pursue further training and or their education we are getting it done for women in Ontario because when women succeed Ontario succeeds I conclude our question period for this morning . . . . . . . . . . . . .