 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of the Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. People around the province are very, very concerned that this government is literally marching us into a third wave of COVID-19. You just have to listen to what the experts are saying to get a sense of how worried they are. In fact, as our Premier decides to loosen restrictions, the advice that everybody is giving is quite the opposite. It's to strengthen the restrictions. In fact, we all heard the Chief Medical Officer federally, Theresa Tam, say this last week, current public health measures will not be sufficient to control rapid growth and a resurgence is forecast. This is exactly the same advice that Dr. Brown gave the Premier about a week and a half ago. So my question is, why is this Premier prepared to move ahead, risking lives, risking another lockdown, and ignoring all of the advice of the experts? The Premier to reply. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. We always follow the advice of the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Williams, and will continue to do it. But I find it pretty rich. The flip-flops from the leader of the NDP and the Liberals and the NDP and the Liberal members criticize the inclusion of Ottawa as part of the Christmas lockdown. They were criticizing us for locking Ottawa down, saying they shouldn't be locked down. So it's the flip-flop scenario here. It's okay for Ottawa, and meanwhile it was proved wrong. We should have kept them locked down, and thank God for Dr. Edges. So you can't have it both ways. Very simple. Thank you. The supplementary question. Well, Speaker, unfortunately it's not just Dr. Tam who was warning this Premier to stop the reopening of Ontario. The Association of Public Health Agencies also last week got on board and said that the Premier has underestimated the imminent considerable threat of another wave, and public health measures need to be intensified, not loosened. Likewise, the Ontario Medical Associations, the doctors of Ontario, also warned the government that pandemic restrictions need to continue to avoid a third wave of COVID-19. Ontario's doctors, the Chief Medical Officer federally, the public health units, they're all saying the same thing. The Premier's own experts speaker at the science table are urging this government to back away. Why does the Premier continue to march this province into a third wave and ignore all of the advice and information that experts are providing? Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. Well, it's really important to note, and I hope all Ontarians are listening to this. We are not reopening the province. We're moving back into the COVID framework, and we're doing this in a very careful and cautious way, based on the medical information we've received from Dr. Williams and the public health measures table. It's also important to note that several of the members of the public health table are also the public health unit officers. So they are reporting from across the province on their particular state of being. We're very well aware of the variants of concern that are operating in some parts of the province, which is why the emergency break can be put by the Medical Officer of Health in any particular region, which is why Peel, Toronto, and North Bay are still in the stay-at-home order area and are not moving into the framework as yet. The final supplementary. Well, Speaker, the government's own chief or head of the science table said about this reopening that I'd really like for him to be right, referencing the Premier, but all the data points in the exact opposite direction. Same thing was said by Dr. Brown about a week and a half ago, Speaker. In fact, I think people's jaws dropped when they saw the modelling that Dr. Brown brought to the table, and in fact, folks might remember a particular reporter from TVO, John Michael McGrath, asked, and I quote, he asked, is this presentation actually predicting a disaster? And Dr. Brown in response said, I don't think you're missing anything. In other words, yeah, that's quite possible that we're heading into a train wreck, Speaker. So what exactly does the Premier have in terms of information that he's relying on that says that it's actually safe when everybody else, Chief Medical Officer of Health for Canada, our own science table experts and heads, the Association of Public Health Agencies, our hospitals, they're all saying the same thing. Why is the Premier ignoring them? Thank you, Speaker. Well, we have been very clear with the people of Ontario every step along the way with respect to this pandemic about what's going on, where we are with things. Dr. Brown appeared with his modelling. It's very important for the people of Ontario to know what's happening across the province. We do have the variance of concern. That is why, for example, the emergency brake was placed on North Bay. Otherwise would have been in a green area except that a number of variants, the South African variant, has been detected in an apartment building and has been spreading. That is why the emergency brake exists and that's why it's being used in North Bay and Peele in Toronto. Other parts of Ontario are able to move back into the framework. But we are watching this very carefully and we are dealing every step of the way based on the medical advice given to us by Dr. Williams and by the rest of the public health measures table. We will continue to follow that. Next question. Leader of the Opposition. Thanks so much, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. You know, it's bad enough that the Premier is ignoring the advice of experts and plowing ahead with ill-advised reopening. But at the same time, he's ignoring the recommendations that these experts are making in order to keep people safe. For example, the Premier refuses to put in place paid sick days. He refuses to put in place a cap on class sizes in schools. He refuses to stop evictions from happening until the end of the pandemic. Yet these are all pieces of advice, of measures that folks are saying, the experts are saying, that government should be putting in place. So why? Why is it that not only is this Premier reopening the way that he is against advice, but then he's also not undertaking the measures that are recommended to stop the spread of the variants of concern? Premier, your reply. Well, thanks to Mr. Speaker. Thanks to our Minister of Labor, myself, for advocating the federal government to change the program. Because we all know since September there was $1.1 billion sitting there because I advocated for it. They only spent $319. Now they've switched it. I want to thank the federal government for switching it. But, Mr. Speaker, rather than always looking at doom and gloom, world's coming to an end, we must be doing something right. Because per active cases, per 100,000 active cases, Ontario has the lowest outside the Maritime provinces, with 70 cases compared to the average of 83 in Canada, 97 in Quebec, 108 in Alberta, 88 in BC. Saskatchewan, 142. Manitoba is 86. Newfoundland is 83. But Ontario has 70. There must be something going on in the right direction here, thanks to the people and thanks to the Chief Medical Officer and his team. Member for York Centre, we'll come to order. Leader of the opposition supplementary. Thank you very much, Speaker. Perhaps the Premier is not aware, 60% of Ontario workers do not have access to paid sick days. And in fact, 70% of those workers are basically our essential workers. They're the lowest income workers in our province. Here in this chamber, every one of us can take a day off sick. If we need to, we have paid sick days. We don't have to worry about missing money on our paycheck if we're taking a day off sick. So my question to the Premier is, if it's good for everybody here, if it's okay for MPPs to take a day off sick and not have a paid deduction, why isn't it okay for our most important essential frontline workers? Mr. Speaker, that's why the MPP is never going to form government. Simple as that. They have two programs here. You have the federal program. And then what the leader of the MPP wants is me to double dip into people's pockets when there's a program working and is working well now and just ask them to pay more in taxes. You can't have it both ways. You know something? We still have to be prudently fiscal responsible to all the taxpayers in this province. And we aren't about to duplicate it. They have a great program now rather than confusing people and contradicting and double speaking. Why don't you just tell people the truth? That is... Okay. You're going to ask the Premier to withdraw. I'll withdraw. Thank you. Final supplementary. There's little uptake to a program. It's because the program doesn't work. And that is the problem that we have. And it's compounded by the fact that this Premier is shirking his responsibilities to provide paid sick days to workers, particularly during a global pandemic. But it's exactly what we've seen from this government all along. The train wreck is coming with a variance of concern, but this government is failing to listen to the advice of doctors, of public health experts, of chief medical officers at the federal level, of the public health agencies of our province. Vulnerable and essential workers deserve and need sick pay. People need supports to get through this next wave that's coming. And the question is, why is the government ignoring all of this advice, heading us into another lockdown, more sickness and more spread of COVID-19? And the response, the Premier? Mr. Speaker, I have no problem, leader or the opposition saying it to me. I have skin on me like an alligator. I'll roll it right off my back. What the leader of the opposition is, is criticizing Dr. Williams. He says, listen to the chief medical officer, but the same group voted against him when we wanted to renew him until we got through this pandemic. So either you're with the docs, which I am, or you're against the docs. You can't have it both ways. So when the leader of the opposition is criticizing any decision, what she's doing is criticizing Dr. Williams and a couple hundred other doctors and all the public health medical officers in each region, because we don't make a decision without getting the buy-in from the medical officers of health, local ones. And that's the reason Toronto is still in lockdown. That's the reason Peel is still in lockdown because we listen to the public health units. The next question, the member for Brampton said. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Speaker, after months of delay and thousands of unnecessary deaths and chaos in our long-term care homes across the province, the Premier's ministers and his top medical advisors are finally presenting to the long-term care commission. But as of today, the Premier is not. Despite multiple promises that he would be fully accountable and willing to appear, the Premier is not going to go on record for his own commission. If the buck truly stops at the top and the Premier is willing to take responsibility for all of the decisions in long-term care, why is the Premier refusing to appear? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. As you can well appreciate, the Premier moved very quickly, as a matter of fact, quicker than almost any other government in the country to start to learn some of the lessons from COVID-19 as they impacted long-term care. We're quite proud of the work that the commission has done to this point, Mr. Speaker. As you know, the opposition, of course, was very critical of the long-term care commission, so it didn't have the independence that it required. It has shown just the opposite. Not only is it independent, it has received hundreds of thousands of documents from the government in order to do its job. It's issued two interim reports, Mr. Speaker. So I'm quite confident that they will continue to do good work, Mr. Speaker, and provide us with the recommendations that we need to fully address some of the shortcomings that we inherited, but also to make sure that in any future pandemic we are better capable of handling the situations that arise. Thank you. And the supplementary question. Speaker, the reality is that this government has put up roadblocks to their own commission at every turn. The commission still can't get access to important information and government documents, and the government has refused to offer the extension they need to finish their work. Why is the government preventing their own commission on long-term care from doing its work? It's a simple question. Why are you preventing them from doing their work? Well, in fact, nothing could be further from the truth. Remember that this is an opposition, of course, that was very critical of the long-term care commission when it was announced, Mr. Speaker. Not only did we speed up when the commission was started, it was originally started in September. We moved that up forward to start in July. We've received two interim reports. Thousands of documents have been released to the commission. As I said, they've given us two interim reports. We've acted on those reports, Mr. Speaker. But every step of the way, it has been the opposition that has been critical of this commission, Mr. Speaker. We're very supportive of the work of the Independent Commission. Order. In fact, we know that they will continue to do good work, Mr. Speaker, to help us inform... Remember, for York Center, come to order. But to also help us better understand how we react in future pandemics and learn some of the lessons that we saw after a decade and a half of mismanagement by the previous Liberal government care system. For Willardale. Thank you, Speaker. And through you to the Premier. Premier, as you've said from day one, nothing is more important than the health and safety of the people we serve here in Ontario. And that's why our government has been unwavering when it comes to supporting our local health officials. These new variants of concern remain a serious risk to community transmission and our health care system capacity, especially in Peel and Toronto. For the transmission period from February 7th to, or sorry, 8th to 17th 2021, Toronto has seen its case rate of 67.9 cases per 100,000 above the provincial average. Speaker, can the Premier please share with the legislature about the current stay-at-home orders for the regions of North Bay, Perry Sound, Peel and Toronto? Questions to the Premier? I want to thank the member from Willardale for the great question, Mr. Speaker. And the member is 100% correct, nothing is more important than keeping our loved ones safe. That's why I've been unwavering when it comes to supporting our local health officials and municipal partners. It was unwavering when Dr. de Villa came out and said they want to stay in lockdown. It was unwavering when Dr. Lowe came out from Peel and said he wanted to stay in lockdown. It was unwavering when the Mayor came out and said he wanted to stay in the territory to stay in lockdown. And it was unwavering when North Bay had a breakout of COVID. We'll never waver from the advice of the chief medical officer and the public medical officers. As simple as that, Mr. Speaker, we will always listen to them as I have from day one. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. And back to the Premier. We have a long-term care minister's office here at the end of a tunnel. As we've all seen, it's a very long tunnel. Canada has faced some challenges in getting these vaccines, Speaker. And we should be proud of the leadership of our health and long-term care ministers and General Hillier. Despite the delays in vaccine shipments to date, over 560,000 doses have been administered here in Ontario. We've administered more vaccines than any other province in Canada. who have now received protection from this terrible virus. Speaker, the numbers of long-term care homes in outbreak, the number of active cases among residents and staff, they're all falling. Speaker, can the Premier please share with the legislature what's next as part of the vaccination rollout for regions across Ontario? The Premier. Thank the member from Willowdale again. I want to echo my thanks and the praise to General Hillier and health and long-term care ministers, both of them. Ontario is truly a leader, Mr. Speaker. As our member just mentioned, we're leading the country in vaccinations. We're leading the countries and country in second doses of vaccinations. We're leading the country in rapid tests. We're leading the country in PCR tests. We're leading the country per capita in every single category, Mr. Speaker, because the great people of Ontario are following the protocols from the Chief Medical Officer and their local medical officer, and that's how we're going to get through this. Not the naysayers, not the world's coming to an end. We're going to get through it because Ontario is tough. We'll make it through there and we'll come out thriving on the other end, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Nickelbelt. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is from the Premier. It is about his pattern of making announcements with absolutely no details. Family doctors do not know what role they will play to help Ontarian with the vaccine rollout, but the Premier announced that they would be involved, which was complete news to them. Once again, important health care partner, we're talking about Ontario's doctors here, are scrambling to figure out what is going on. The medical association said on the weekend they are aware of concern. They have yet to meet with the Premier's point person, General Hillier, to figure out what roles Ontario's doctors will play in the vaccine rollout. Why is the Premier putting the cart before the horse? Why is he announcing the plan for vaccine will involve family physician without consulting with any of them first? Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the member very much for the question. In fact, the vaccine team, the rollout team, headed by General Hillier, has been in frequent communication with all 34 of the local medical officers of health who are providing their own plans with respect to the provision of vaccines for people within their area. The plans vary, as you can imagine, because the rollout in Toronto will be very different from the rollout in North Bay, Thunder Bay, and so on. So it's up to the local medical officers of health to fashion a plan, whether it's going to be mass vaccination clinics, whether it's going to be through pharmacies, whether it's going to be through physicians' offices. Physicians are going to be important. Primary care is going to be an important partner, whether it's primary care practitioners providing vaccines in mass vaccination clinics or in their offices, but they are going to be contacted by the local medical officers of health. In fact, many already have, and they are going to be an important part of providing the vaccines, as with pharmacists, nurses, and other people. It's up to the local medical officers of health to make those relationships work. The supplementary question. Speaker, family physicians are essential members of our frontline healthcare. Discussions with physicians should have happened before the Premier made the announcement, saying that they will be doing this, that, or the other thing. The Premier may not believe in consultation, but this is what our province needs. This is how we make sure that every one in Ontario is vaccinated fairly and equitably. It is not acceptable that, as one physician puts it, and I quote, none of the family physicians in Ontario were told about this before it was announced. Other beliefs, they are stretched too thin. They feel blindsided by the Premier's statements. Why does the Premier not value the input of our frontline healthcare workers, like our family physician, into how best to inform Ontarian about the vaccine rollout? Of course, we greatly value the work that is being done by family physicians and other frontline primary care providers. They are an important part of the vaccine rollout, and there has been extensive consultation by their local medical officers of health as to the role that they will play in the area within those public health units. They may be doing the vaccinations within their office, as I indicated earlier. They may be doing them at mass vaccination clinics, but they're going to be particularly helpful when we roll out the vaccines to people over 80 years of age, although people can rely on booking an appointment through the online portal or calling into the vaccination help desk. The reality is that many frontline physicians will be calling their own patients who are over 80 and making arrangements for them to either come in or to attend at a vaccination clinic. They have a very important role to play, and they're going to be called into service very quickly by their local medical officers of health. Next question, the member for York Centre. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Health. By report dated April 28, 2020, the Financial Accountability Officer revealed that in the first six weeks of COVID response, our province cancelled more than 50,000 surgeries and treatments despite empty hospital beds. On the same day, April 28, the University Health Network released a study using historical data to estimate the impact of COVID-19 planning measures on cardiac procedures. In response, the Minister of Health said, and I quote, A report has been released today by UI Chen with respect to cardiac deaths, and it has been estimated that approximately 35 people may have passed away because their surgeries were not performed. Speaker, almost a year later, with hospital rationing measures still in place, it's time for the Minister to provide Ontarians with an update. My question to the Minister of Health. How many elective procedures, be it surgeries or treatments, were cancelled by the province of Ontario since the start of the pandemic? What would be the updated estimate of patients passing away because their surgeries and treatments were not performed? And if the Minister does not have such numbers, will she undertake to ask Ministry staff to perform such analysis and report questions and numbers to the House next week? Minister of Health. Thank you. Well, we certainly recognize that many surgical procedures and other tests had to be postponed during wave one in order to make sure that we had the adequate hospital capacity to care for the COVID patients that were coming in. Since then, when the numbers abated during the summer last year in 2020, we activated those surgeries and those procedures and put hundreds of millions of dollars into dealing with that, recognizing that as sad as it is to lose a family member to COVID, it's equally sad to lose someone due to cancer or cardiac procedures that weren't able to be performed. So we did invest up to $283 million to support additional priority surgeries, including cancer, cardiac, cataract, and orthopedic procedures. We also extended diagnostic imaging hours at healthcare facilities for MRI, CT scans, and other diagnostic response. And finally, we invested more than $351 million for more than 2,250 new beds at 57 hospitals in order to create the space for people suffering from COVID, but also being in hospital for non-COVID related surgeries. Thank you, Speaker. The Minister should be open with Ontarians about the full effect of cancelling hundreds of thousands of elective surgeries and procedures on human lives in Ontario. The Minister has more than 500 advisers on the COVID command table. Many of them are from UHN. As we approach the one-year anniversary of these hospital measures, I'll be following up on my question next week. Speaker, in my open letter of January 15th to the Premier, I cited the Director of Princess Margaret Cancer Hospital, Dr. Keith Stewart, who said, quote, what we're worried about, of course, is that there may be a tsunami of cancer out there that's going to suddenly show up. Close quote. Speaker, cancer specialists are worried about the significant drop in number of cancer screenings, referrals, and diagnoses since last March. My question to the Minister of Health. How many cancer surgeries, procedures, and screenings were cancelled by the province of Ontario since last March? What would be the corresponding estimate of patients passing away because their cancer surgeries, procedures, and screenings were cancelled? And if the Minister does not have such numbers, will she undertake to ask ministry staff to perform such analysis and report to the House sometime next week? The Minister of Health. I think it's very important to note that while we had to delay some of the procedures for cancer and cardiac during wave one, and of course now because hospital capacity is being strained, there are some additional surgeries that are having to be postponed now. But in a situation where someone's life was at stake, where it was an immediate urgent priority, people did receive those surgeries, not withstanding COVID patients. They did receive those cardiac surgeries. They did receive those cancer surgeries. There are some others that are still, we're still trying to make sure that we can deal with in a timely manner, which is why we've invested hundreds of millions of dollars in extending capacity so that these procedures and surgeries can be done on the weekends during the evenings. We have also created new beds. We recently opened a new hospital, the Cordelucci Vaughan Hospital, that's operating as a sort of a catchall for all of Ontario hospitals to make sure that they can continue to perform those surgeries. This is something that is a priority for the Ministry of Health as much as COVID is. We know that we need to continue with those procedures and surgeries. The member for York Centre had an opportunity to place two questions and then he continues to interject, interrupting the Minister that he wanted a response from. He must come to order. The next question, the member for Perry, Sam, was going. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, COVID-19 has placed an incredible burden on businesses across Ontario's North in all sectors. Operating a business in the North presents a unique set of challenges with huge distances to market that just don't exist for businesses in major urban centres. Business owners deal with barriers such as higher shipping costs that have only been made worse by the rising federal carbon tax. Back in September, Christie Kavosky, Executive Director of the Perry Sound Chamber of Commerce noted that businesses have been greatly affected by the pandemic. So my question, can the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines explain exactly what supports are available specifically for northerners during these challenging economic times? The member for Peterborough Coortha and Parliamentary Assistant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the member for Perry, Sam, was going. He's been a fierce advocate for Ontario's North. Our government is supporting business owners, entrepreneurs and workers. COVID-19 has fundamentally changed our day to day life and how we do business. And that's why we've taken swift action to deliver the Northern Ontario Recovery Program to date. The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation has approved NORP funding for over 1300 businesses across the North, and this number will continue to rise. These funds are used to help businesses make upgrades and adjustments to serve the community safely. Businesses like Wright Physiotherapy in Fort Francis, owner Jeff Wright had this to say, funding allowed us to renovate two of our treatment rooms to soundproof them and ensure confidentiality during virtual visits. Virtual physiotherapy allows us to provide service to anyone with an internet connection throughout Rainy River. The supplementary question. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It's great to hear that money is flowing in so many businesses across Northern Ontario. David Mdlockland, Executive Director of Destination Northern Ontario noted, quote, the recovery for Northern Ontario's $1.6 billion tourism industry depends on the sector's successful adoption of new operating protocols to keep visitors, employees and destinations safe. Close quote. Could the parliamentary assistant please tell us what type of businesses are eligible to receive assistance from the Northern Ontario Recovery Program? Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. North grants have been delivered to businesses across a variety of sectors, including tourism, food service and retail. Businesses like Crawford's Camp and Sue Narrows owned by Matt Rideback. Matt had this to say, the Northern Ontario Recovery Program has allowed us the ability and opportunity to safely expand our marina and rental location docs to properly social distance our clients and allow us to safely operate during these trying times. Whether business owners choose to use the funds for PPE for their employees or to install plexiglass dividers in their restaurants to ensure a safe experience for patrons, nor funds will be put to good use. Mr. Speaker, we know that business owners across the North are resilient and they will get through these tough times. The North program will continue to help businesses adapt to the new normal as more projects are approved and gets into the hands of those hardworking small business entrepreneurs. Thank you. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Waterloo. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Last week the Premier sent out a fundraising email bragging about his government's so-called support for small businesses, but the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses was quick to reply, saying the lack of support for businesses is unconscionable and that conservatives have renewed its reputation as the least small business friendly government in the country. Here's the government's record. Big box stores have received preferential treatment to date. Information about opening and closing has frequently been unclear and inconsistent and many of Ontario's small businesses feel like they've been forgotten by this government. They and we all deserve so much better. Speaker, does the Premier regret not acting sooner by voting against our plan to support small businesses and give main streets the hope and the help that they need to get through this next week? Thank you very much, Speaker. And thank you for bringing up that very important question, Speaker. It is a fact that small businesses have been struggling during this pandemic and that's why this government has been in step with our other partners at different levels of government providing that blanketed level of support to those who need it most. Speaker, most recently our government announced $1.4 billion for a small business support grant program and I'm glad to announce that just in Waterloo alone, $6 million has reached the hands of small businesses who need that support. That's a grant, Speaker, not a loan, so they don't have to pay that back and they can use that for PPE, improving safety for their patrons, and if they want to go online and see a complete list of those supports that we've provided from the beginning, in one window they can go to ontario.ca slash COVID-19, sorry COVID support and see the long list of supports that are available to them. Those supports are going to continue for those small businesses in Waterloo and around the province until COVID-19 is but a distant memory. The supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Last week the Premier begged 7-11 executives to come to Ontario and set up stores on every corner. Lucky for 7-11 the Premier's failure to stop businesses from being evicted means that there are unfortunately too many storefronts for rent but unlucky for the rest of us the Premier's plan to might be the final nail in the coffin for small businesses across the province. In fact, Ontario's big city mayors are opposing 7-11's applications to sell booze in store and consume it in the store saying it would expose already hard hit restaurants and bars to further competition. You are making it harder for businesses in the province of Ontario. And Speaker, no matter what conservative insiders and lobbyists are telling the Premier, main streets across the province won't survive if Walmart's and 7-11's keep receiving preferential treatment. When is the Premier going to stop fighting for what's best for big corporations and those special interests and start fighting for what matters to small businesses in this province? Members take their seats. Remind members to make their comments through the chair, not directly across the floor. The response? The member for Willedale. Thank you, Speaker. And I want to remind the members opposite that they have voted against every measure this government has introduced from the beginning of this pandemic to support these very small businesses now that the member claims that she supports. Speaker, whether that was the digital main street program, the PPE grant, the support grants for small businesses, the commercial rent relief program, where we were a 40% equity stake partner, Speaker, that member and that party has rejected every single support we have laid out for small businesses. When are they going to actually put their actions where their words are and support the hardworking small businesses throughout this province? Thank you very much. Next question, the member for Scarborough-Gildwood. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, the government says that it will only use ministerial zoning orders to expedite essential projects for the greater good. However, we now learn that does not include Ontario's irreplaceable heritage sites like the Dominion Boundaries or invaluable wetlands like Pickering's and Dufferin Creeks. Perhaps the record number of MZOs this government has doled out has less to do with heritage sites or the environment and more to do with circumventing and offsuit skating, planning processes on pet projects of the Premier's friends. I'm going to ask the member to withdraw the unparliamentary remarks. Withdraw, Speaker. Please, sir, question. To the Premier, it's obvious that your government used the MZOs to push through this under a veil of secrecy, hoping that everyone is too preoccupied by the pandemic to notice. Why did the government make a secret deal to- The response? Member for Dufferin East, come to order. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Thanks, Speaker. We're leveraging vacant, provincially-owned property to build affordable housing and community space. And I want to speak specifically, the member opposite bounced all around, but I'm going to address the Dominion Foundry specifically. A heritage impact assessment that was conducted on the abandoned site found that it required a demolition so that it could undergo full environmental remediation. Again, I want to be clear, our government approved a negotiating mandate that would help facilitate the future sale of the site. But, Speaker, let me be clear, the site has not been sold to anyone. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. Then I believe that this minister will have no problem making all transactions public today. At the end of last year's sitting, the government snuck in an 11th hour amendment to the budget bill in Schedule 6 to gut local conservation authorities and expand ministerial authority on zoning and other sensitive environmental areas. This abuse of power led to the resignation of Ontario's Greenbelt Council Chair David Cromby and six other members of the council. Again, this government seems to be trying to hide their agenda, which amounts to environmental destruction under the cover of COVID-19. Will the minister commit today to not pave over 400 acres of the Greenbelt and the Dufferin Creek wetlands with the proposed Highway 413 project? And again, will the minister make all documents pertaining to the Dominion Foundry public today? Speaker, I find it passing strange that the member opposite's party, when it was in power, carved up the Greenbelt 17 times. 17 times, Speaker. 17 times. And I'm also surprised, Speaker, that this member didn't support the use of MZO's for things like hospital expansion at Sunnybrook Hospital or housing for creating long-term care beds. There are a number of MZO's. The member for Scarborough Guildwood come to order. The member for all walks. I'm surprised that this member opposite would not support. But I want to remind her and I want to remind members of this House that all MZO's that were done on non-provincial land all came at the request of the local council. So again, the member opposite can respond. Lots of accusations. The facts are the fact, Speaker. The next question. The member for Willowdale. Thank you very much, Speaker. Every year on February 22nd, Ontario acknowledges Human Trafficking Awareness Day. It's unfortunate that we even need to have a day to speak of this because it shouldn't be happening at all, Speaker. But I am proud to stand in this House today and every day to raise my voice for those who've been affected by this crime. Whether it's victims and survivors, their family members, their friends or other loved ones, trafficking robs these individuals of their safety, health and peace of mind. Speaker, we've heard all throughout this House that Ontario is a hotspot for human trafficking in Ontario and, sorry, Canada. And we're also well aware that most victims, sadly, are children and youth. It can take away their dreams and shatter their lives. But in conversations I've had with my constituents in Willowdale, many seem surprised to learn that human trafficking happens in Ontario and in our riding. I often hear, well, it doesn't happen in our community. But sadly, we know that's not true. Question. Speaker, can the Minister of Children and Women's Issue shed more light on the human trafficking issue in Ontario? Why it's so important to raise awareness for this issue? Minister of Children and Women's Issue. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member for Willowdale for that question. Speaker, let me be very clear. Human trafficking is a devastating crime and it's happening right here in Ontario, in our cities, in our communities and in our backyards. I have similar stories as a member about constituents of mine who did not know trafficking was happening in our communities, which is why raising awareness is so incredibly important. I've said in this House before, but it's worth repeating, raising awareness is the first line of defence against human trafficking. Everyone has a role to play in learning about this crime, understanding the signs and knowing where to go for help. Speaker, the member is also correct. Children and youth are most targeted. That's why we need to start having conversations with our kids early, like what our Minister of Education did with the health and physical education curriculum. It is why we need to work with the trucking industry and have signs that enroute like the Minister of Transportation is doing. Speaker, we need to raise awareness everywhere so that we can stop trafficking from occurring in our communities. Member for Willowville, supplement your question. Thank you, Speaker. Last March, our government unveiled its five-year, 307 million anti-human trafficking strategy, and I think that all members will agree that fighting against such horrific crimes is something that we can all applaud. Our government is fighting trafficking in Ontario, and that means raising awareness, as the Minister said. And while lots of great ideas have been shared and a lot of hope exists that that change is going to happen, COVID-19 has changed our world, one thing it didn't change and one thing it didn't stop was crime. In fact, trafficking still occurred right here in our province. That meant we couldn't stop our fight, we couldn't slow down or pause our efforts in any way. Speaker, back to the Minister, can you please tell this House and my constituents what our government has done over the past year throughout this pandemic about the appalling crime of human trafficking? The Associate Minister. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you again to the member for that question. Speaker, as the member said, this crime did not take any breaks during COVID, and neither did we. Despite our work having to take a different shape that we expected, we were still able to give over $7 million to the Attorney General for specific services to support victims and survivors. Reinvest $6 million into frontline community safety initiatives to help communities as well as victims and survivors heal. Create new education tools, including an indigenous specific tool to help children and youth understand this crime and invest an additional $46 million in community-based trauma-informed supports for victims and survivors. And Speaker, these are just some of the many things we were able to accomplish, but we all know that more needs to be done, which is why we are just getting started. Speaker, in order for us to truly fight this crime, we need to work together. That means across governments, across sectors, and across the aisle. I encourage all members and their constituents to go to the website Ontario.ca slash Human Trafficking to learn about the signs and learn where they can go for help. Thank you. The next question, the member for Toronto Centre. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Earlier this morning, we learned that the Premier made a secret backroom deal with a developer in September to sell off the historic and heritage protected foundry site in my writing of Toronto Centre. This confirms what we've known for months, but this government is still refusing to disclose the identity of the prospective buyer, their plans for the site, or the sweetheart price that they're going to pay for it. Speaker, this deal stinks. It's time for the government to come clean. Our communities deserve answers. Speaker, which one of the Premier's developer buddies is lined up to get this sweetheart deal? The minister of municipal affairs in the housing. Thanks. Thanks, Speaker. To reiterate, I want to be clear, the site has not been sold to anyone. There is a negotiating mandate the city has to facilitate the future sale of the site, but I want to remind the member opposite that we've been very clear as a government that we wanted to leverage vacant provincially owned property to build new affordable housing and community space in her writing. I want to again reiterate that the heritage impact assessment that was conducted on this abandoned site found that it required demolition so that it could undergo full environmental remediation. It's a shame that she's against such remediation. It's regrettable that she's against our desire to build affordable housing in the city of Toronto, but I want to make it very clear that there is no sale on this property. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Premier. Speaker, in order to cover up this deal, this government skipped. And asked the member to withdraw. I withdraw. Speaker, this government skipped a transparent and competitive bidding process. They passed an MZO on the foundry site in October to accelerate their secret plan. And they took a wrecking ball to my community to heritage protected buildings under the cover of a pandemic in direct contravention of the Heritage Act. Speaker, when my community took the minister to court earlier this month, the justice that issued the injunction halting demolition agreed that this government had broken the law by skipping those steps. Now, now we know that this was all done as a favour to someone in Ford's inner circle. Premier, who got the deal? It's time to come clean. Yeah, I'm going to ask the member to withdraw. I withdraw. Mr. Ms. both fares and oven. I think, as I've said, the site which has been abandoned for the most part for 40 years requires demolition to allow for a significant environmental remediation. The member notes justice Corbett. Obviously, I respect the decision. We've launched consultations. We're seeking input from stakeholders, residents group and the public on how that some of the elements of the existing structure could help inform us for development. We'll be conducting those consultations this week. Look forward to people participating in this process. Thank you, Speaker. The next question. The member for Don Valley East. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My questions to the Minister of Economic Development, job creation and trade. Speaker, small businesses across the province have been struggling to survive throughout this pandemic. Unfortunately, the government's lack of action continues to worsen the problem. Most recently, many small businesses and organizations like the Ontario Chamber of Commerce have come out in support of paid sick days. It helps keep businesses open. It keeps their employees and their customers safe. Despite that, the Premier and the Minister of Labor continue to deny this simple yet effective solution. Through you, Mr. Speaker, will the Minister make this investment and support businesses to keep our economy growing and employees safe? Mr. Labor, training and skills. Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the member opposite that the very first measure this government took during COVID-19 when it hit the province of Ontario was legislation that was supported by all members of this House to ensure that we have job-protected leave in this province. If any worker is in self-isolation in quarantine, if you're a mum or a dad, that has to stay home and look after a son or a daughter because of the disruption in the school system. You can't be fired for that. Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, we also eliminated the need for sick notes during COVID-19. But Mr. Speaker, I am extremely proud of the relationship that the Premier has with the Prime Minister and all provincial and territorial leaders to deliver $1.1 billion worth of now four weeks of paid sick days for every worker in Ontario. Please supplement your question. Thank you, Speaker. With all due respect, Minister, that's not the word on the street. You shouldn't be proud of what organizations like the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses are saying. They say, and I quote, that their response is the worst in Canada for businesses during the pandemic. Speaker, how can this government who speaks so highly of its business credentials have failed small businesses so terribly? In fact, a recent report of federal and provincial spending shows that of all the COVID business relief funding, barely 5% came from this provincial government. The Premier talks a good game, but when it comes to actual numbers, the government's support for businesses has been seriously lacking. Speaker, through you to the Minister, will he try to actually listen to what small businesses are saying here in Ontario so Ontario's economic pandemic response doesn't continue to lag behind the rest of the country? The parliamentary assistant member for Willowville. Thank you very much, Speaker, and I'm glad the member from Don Valley East mentions how important it is to consult with the people of Ontario, because that's exactly what this government has been doing. 522 consultations in the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs last year alone, not including the thousands of small businesses that we've been consulting with leading up to this budget coming up on a before March 31st, Speaker. The reality is that these supports have continued throughout the pandemic. Most recently, $770 million has reached the hand, Speaker, of the small businesses in the form of a grant program. That is money directly into the small businesses of Don Valley East to give them relief during these very difficult times. Those supports are going to come to us behind us, Speaker. I encourage the members opposite to join us to work with us to see what else businesses need in terms of the support instead of playing politics with this very important issue. So once again, I'm going to remind members if you ask a question to a minister, surely you want an answer and you can't continue to interrupt the Minister of the Parliamentary Assistance that's trying to answer the question. Please start the clock. Next question, the member for Beaches East York. Parkdale High Park. Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. My questions to the Premier. The staffing crisis that plagues long-term care homes continues to put residents and workers at risk. A PSW in my writing recently told me that the agency he works for quarantined all regular frontline staff in response to an outbreak and brought in untrained workers to fill the gaps. Residents were neglected and left in bed for hours on end without being checked on. My constituent also reports that some PSWs are having to work in multiple homes despite the regulations against it. What is the minister doing to address this? Minister Long-term Care. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member opposite for the question. You know, once again, I'm going to reiterate the importance of our commitment to long-term care to the safety and well-being of residents and staff in long-term care. We have a program of inspections during COVID. We're making sure that we're understanding what's happening in these homes. And this is part of the solution. And as we go forward, understanding the role of inspections, the training programs, making sure that we're doing that now in terms of PSWs. Our government has put out hundreds of millions of dollars and over a billion dollars, $1.38 billion to address the issues related to COVID in long-term care since the beginning of this pandemic, just for COVID. And so we will continue to take every measure possible and look forward to working with our sector to repair and advance and we know the importance of long-term care to Ontarians. Thank you. Speaker, my constituent also reports that he doesn't receive the full amount of his pandemic pay increase. He was told that it only applies to time spent directly assisting residents. PSWs often skip breaks because of understaffing, but when they so much as stop for lunch, they are nickel and dined. They have worked at the front lines of this pandemic for the last year. When will this government give PSWs what they deserve and address the staffing crisis by permanently raising their wages? Thank you, Speaker. And again, thank you for raising the important issue of the PSWs, the crisis that was preceding COVID. We've been working diligently since the beginning of our ministry in the summer of 2019, not only to address over a decade of neglect of this sector, both in capacity and in the staffing crisis. We've been working with our partner ministries, the Ministry of Labor, Training and Skills Development, the Ministry of Health, to address the shortcomings for PSWs not only in long-term care but other sectors as well. This needs to be a coordinated effort. And not only have we addressed the pandemic pay but also temporary wage increase following that. And as we redevelop long-term care, our four hours of direct care on average per resident per day will be leading in Canada. We have all our demands to that and the dollars behind that. We have a plan to repair and rebuild long-term care that the previous government never cared about and did not invest in. Thank you. The next question, the member for Guelph. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. The food and farming sector contributes $50 billion to Ontario's economy and employs close to 875,000 people. 52 percent of agri-food jobs are in the GTHA. In York Region alone, the agri-food sector generates 57,000 permanent jobs and $2.7 billion in revenue. We need to do everything we can to protect these jobs, the prosperity and food security they provide, especially during a pandemic. So I don't understand why the Premier is fast-tracking a highway that will pave over 2,000 acres of farmland. That's 1,500 football fields of farmland. So, Speaker, has the government conducted an economic impact study of the effects that the Agri-413 and the sprawl it generates will have on the agri-food sector and our food security. The response, the government host. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. As you know, of course, it was always contemplated that when the green belt was formed that important provincial infrastructure would be made available in those areas. Obviously, the local area, be it Peel, York Region, and Halton have all seen and are going to see a tremendous amount of growth, and that's why it is so important that we have the transit and transportation routes available to those growing communities. At the same time, the member is quite correct, the farming community is extraordinarily important to all of those areas. That's why we will be continuing to consult to ensure that whatever route is taken has the least impact, Mr. Speaker. There is, of course, an environmental assessment that is not due for some time quite yet, and we will continue to work closely with our partners and with the agriculture sector to make sure that not only can the needs of all of these areas be met, but we have an important transportation corridor, but also that our agriculture community remains vibrant. Thank you. The supplementary question. Speaker, with all due respect, Highway 413 will save commuters 30 seconds. Wow. 30 seconds. So the Premier was right when he said we need to be more self-sufficient. That's one of the lessons of this pandemic, whether it's procuring PPE or growing local food. But the bottom line is we need farmland to grow local food. And this is especially important in the province of Ontario when only 5% of our land is suitable for growing food. And 42% of the best farmland in this province is in the GTHA. And yet we're losing over 60,000 acres of farmland in this province every year. Once it's gone, it's gone forever. We simply cannot afford to keep paving over our farmland without threatening our economy and our food security and damaging our food and farming sector. So, Speaker, I'm asking the Premier, will he protect farmland and cancel Highway 413 today? And again, the government has stated your point. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I wonder how many thousands of acres of farmland were removed from production when windmills were forced on people in the province of Ontario. Windmills that they didn't want and that the people of the province of Ontario didn't need, Mr. Speaker. I'll certainly take no lessons from the member's opposite when it comes to preserving and protecting farmland. As a federal member of parliament, I worked very hard to ensure that farming continued across the Rouge National Urban Park. This was at when members of the Green Party were fighting just the opposite, Mr. Speaker. Not only did they want to reforest Class 1 farmland across the Oak Ridge's Moraine, we said no, Mr. Speaker, and we preserved that farmland. It was a conservative government that brought in the Oak Ridge's Moraine that protected hundreds of thousands of acres of Class 1 farmland, Mr. Speaker. This government will do all that it can and ensure that we continue to have a vibrant and sustainable agricultural community, because it's important in communities like mine where it is the number one business activity, Mr. Speaker, and we will make sure that it thrives for a long time to come. The next question, the member for Brampton North. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Public health experts such as Dr. Low have been clear, hate sick days won't just save lives, they'll help save small businesses and jobs in our community as well. But despite these calls, not just from Dr. Low, but from all over the province, last week the Premier went on morning radio show and told Ontarians that he thought investing in their health and safety was, quote, a waste of taxpayer money. Speaker, investing in Brampton families isn't a waste. When will this government stop wasting time and finally ensure that people have access to paid sick days that they need so they can stay home if they're sick? Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Our government has been working every single day to protect the health and safety of every worker in this province. That's why, Mr. Speaker, the very first initiative our government took action on was job-protected leave to ensure that every worker can't be fired in the province because of COVID-19. If you're in self-isolation and quarantine, if you're a mom or a dad who has to stay home and look after a son or a daughter because of the schools being closed, you can't be fired. You're no longer required to present a doctor's note, Mr. Speaker. But furthermore, the Premier took charge. He negotiated $1.1 billion for the paid sick days for workers here in the province and right across the country. Mr. Speaker, there's still $800 million left in that bank account. Over 110,000 workers have either started receiving benefits or have applied for benefits through the federal program. And thanks to our advocacy on behalf of workers in this province, on Friday, Minister Quattro, the federal minister responsible for this program, doubled the amount of sick days to four weeks. We thank them and congratulate them. The supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Once again, this question is to the Premier. The Premier didn't just say investing in Brampton families was a waste. He said it was, quote, irresponsible. Speaker, what's irresponsible is this government opening up the province? All these new variants in COVID cases are surging without giving people the supports they need to stay safe. The Canada Recovery sickness benefit is not a replacement for paid sick days. It is a seamless, accessible, nor is it permanent. We need real paid sick days to protect workers. Will the government finally do the right thing and give people back the paid sick days they took away from them before the pandemic? Mr. Speaker, we continue to advocate on behalf of workers to the federal government to work in partnership with the federal government. Mr. Speaker, that's why I'm proud to say that because of our advocacy, 80% of paid sick days are now directly deposited into Ontario workers' bank accounts within three days. Mr. Speaker, workers in Ontario can now apply more than once. And, Mr. Speaker, because of our efforts to improve the program that your federal NDP leader supports, we've been able to double the amount of sick days to one month now, Mr. Speaker. We're going to continue to do the opposite of what the provincial NDP are calling for. We're going to actually work with our federal partners, not to duplicate government programs, but actually work on behalf of the working people of this province to improve their lives, and so all of us can get through COVID-19 together. Thank you very much. That concludes Question Period for this morning. There being no further business this morning. This House stands in recess until 1pm.