 And it is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Tomiskaming Kosser. Thank you, Speaker. My questions to the Premier. Ontarians have praised the hard work of nurses on the front lines of our health care system. They've been some of the heroes of the pandemic, but they are overworked and burned out. All across the province, including the North and rural areas, we are in a nursing shortage. It's simple, Speaker, that we need more nurses to help Ontarians. Why has the government failed to recruit and retain nurses in Ontario? Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you very much, Speaker. And I thank the member opposite for the question. We recognize and value greatly the work that nurses have done since the beginning of this pandemic and have continued to do for the past 18 months. But we do realize that they are, many of them are exhausted, that they need a break, that that is why we have invested over $52 million already to recruit, retain and support over 3,700 more frontline health care workers to our COVID-19 fall preparedness plan. We do have further plans to recruit and retain more workers because we know, especially with the increase in care hours in long-term care, that we will need more support. We will need more workers in our health care system. That's in home and community care, in long-term care, as well as in our hospitals. So we're continuing to build on that, and we are going to graduate more nurses because we know that we need more registered nurses, RPMs, personal support workers, and everyone on the front line. Thank you. And a supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. The Ontario Nurses Association says some nurses are so burnt out, they are quitting, creating even more gaps. The Premier's science table said yesterday, there is already significant fatigue and burnout among hospital health care workers. They will be further strained and at risk for burnout if their unvaccinated colleagues are unable to work due to COVID-19 infection. When will this government mandate vaccines for health care workers and ensure that the risk of disruptions drops instead of getting worse? To apply the Premier? You, Mr. Speaker, you know, I find it ironic the NDP are saying one thing, fire 20,000 nurses, but we need more. But I'll tell you what we're doing, Mr. Speaker. We're investing over $1 billion to make sure the temporary wage enhancement takes place. And we're investing $4.9 billion over four years to create more than 27,000 new positions for nurses and PSWs. This includes the most recent announcement of $270 million to hire 4,050 new long-term care staff across the province, partnering with a publicly funded colleges with investment, by the way, the colleges are doing an incredible job in training the nurses and the PSWs. We're investing $121 million to accelerate the training of 9,000 PSWs, investing $86 million to train up to 8,600 PSWs. We are getting some of the greatest frontline health care workers anywhere in the world right here in the province because of our investments. Okay. And the final supplement. Despite the Premier's statement, the government has made it clear they do not appreciate nurses. Bill 124 strips nurses and other frontline workers of their rights to bargain their wages. They need to rip up that bill. And we need a new plan to train and return nurses with the government is willing to invest in this training and recruitment and retention. We need a government to say yes to more nurses instead of always saying no. When will this government withdraw Bill 124 and ensure that every Ontario community has the nurses that they need? Minister of Health. Thank you. Well, as I've indicated before, we greatly value the work that nurses have always done, especially during the pandemic. And we are recruiting more people. We are recruiting more nurses, registered practical nurses, personal support workers and others. We're spending hundreds of millions of dollars in order to be able to do that. But we also recognize that many nurses are feeling burnt out and that's why we have made mental health supports available to them because we need to make sure that our providers are well to be able to continue to provide care. So we are providing those supports to nurses. We will continue to do that because we want to make sure as we finally exit this roadmap that we will make sure that our frontline workers are well and safe and able to carry on their work in the future. Thank you. The next question, a member for Branson East. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. On Monday, when the Premier should have been talking about growing our province with new Canadian immigrants, he instead made comments that play into racist stereotypes about new Canadians. And those comments were hurtful, divisive and wrong. Immigrants and new Canadians struggle and work day and night to survive in Canada. Working to build this province and this country. So yesterday, the Premier was given an opportunity to apologize and he refused. So I'm going to ask the Premier again. Will he apologize for his hurtful and divisive comments towards new Canadians that are just plain wrong? The Premier. Mr. Speaker and to the member from Brampton, I was inundated from people from Brampton, from your community, from the sick community that said you were bang on and told me the story how they came here, worked their back off and said they're just playing politics with you, Mr. Speaker. Our base, our base, my base, our family's base is made up of great hardworking immigrants. I've been calling on the federal government for three and a half years to have more immigrants. This province was built on hardworking immigrants. I will support them and I ask them to come here and work and contribute like everyone else has. You know, that is the backbone of this province, our great hardworking immigrants. So stop playing politics and let's speak the truth. Okay, that's another question. Back to the Premier. I don't think the Conservator of Government and the Premier understand how problematic the Premier's comments were. So let me break it down. Immigrants often come to Canada with nothing. Some work in grueling jobs with low wages, struggling to get their education recognized, struggling to find housing and more. And yes, they face racism and racist stereotypes. And instead of recognizing this struggle, the Premier of Ontario made comments that feed into this division and into these racist stereotypes. A dog whistle that is hurtful and wrong. So I'm going to ask the Conservator of Government and the Premier of Ontario, do the right thing, show leadership and apologize for the Premier's reckless and hurtful and just plain wrong comments. And just please take your seat. Premier? I know Mr. Speaker asked about playing the politics. Very simple. My phone has blown up all night, all day, day before from immigrants, telling me their story, how they have come here with absolutely nothing. And they've started at low level jobs, they've worked up, they've built companies, they've started restaurants. That's the type of Ontario we need. And I find it very ironic, Mr. Speaker, I've been the one asking for 294,000 immigrants to come here and build the GDP. But guess what? Under the NDP and the Liberals, they never had to worry about that for 15 years. Mr. Speaker, they lost 300,000 jobs. They had more people than jobs. Since we've taken government, we have more jobs than we have people. I welcome everyone around the world, no matter where they come from, come here, start a family, start a business, and give back to the greatest jurisdiction anywhere in the world, and that's Ontario. Members of police technical state, stop the clock, restart the car. Final supplementary. Back to the premier. Harmony Butler is a new Canadian living in Brampton. He is an essential worker. He works throughout the pandemic. He drives truck. He works six hours. He works six days a week, 12 hours a day. And in the evenings and on the weekends, he delivers food. He easily works 16 hours a day, six days a week. He lives in a basement apartment where he provides for his wife and his daughter. His is a story of so many other new Canadians who are struggling to make a life here in Canada. Do they sound like immigrants who are here only to collect the dough? What possible excuse could the Premier of Ontario have for saying his reckless and irresponsible comments? Why would he say that immigrants are only coming to Canada to collect benefits? And why won't he apologize? Order. Premier. I didn't say that. Again, they're playing politics. I'm the biggest pro-immigrant premier we've ever seen here. However, our family's been the same way. Again, I go back to our base. This is how we created. That's the reason I'm down here because the hard-working immigrants that couldn't pick up the phone and call any of the MPPs, they wouldn't return their phone calls. They could call the Premier, I'll return their phone call. They'll call the Mayor of the largest city in Toronto. They return the phone calls and went to their door. And I challenge my friend, Mr. Singh, I will go to his community, I'll doorknock and I'll see the response from the sick community and the sick community that came down to visit me and said, you're bang on Doug, just keep going and stay focused. That's what we're gonna do. We're gonna continue to create jobs. We're gonna make sure that when people come here, they have affordable housing that the NDP and the Liberals voted against. We're gonna have highways for people to drive on that the NDP voted against. We're gonna increase health care that the NDP voted against. It's no, no, no, no for these people across the aisle. And we're saying yes. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Start the clock. The next question, the member for Essex. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, yesterday afternoon, the Premier revealed that he'd be bumping his house leader up to this brand new, never heard before title as Minister of Legislative Affairs. We know that this isn't just a title bump, Speaker. It comes with a $27,000 a year pay raise. But the Premier talks a big game about looking out for workers, but he's the one, Speaker, that passed Bill 124 that targets frontline workers, our nurses, the angels in our community that have seen trauma and tragedy and continue to see it every day. And it freezes their salaries for the very people that have continued to keep us safe during this pandemic. Speaker, can the Premier explain why his house leader, his right hand man, deserves this generous promotion, but our hardworking frontline workers do not? You're fine. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I do appreciate the opportunity to answer the question, Mr. Speaker. As I informed the opposition house leader yesterday, in fact, the new responsibilities come with a mandate to ensure that the legislative assembly, which is in dire need of a repair, which is in need of a decanting, the function of that is returned to parliamentarians and away from the public service, Mr. Speaker. I think all members would agree to that. As I said, I informed both the liberal house leader yesterday and the opposition house leader of that, Mr. Speaker. Having said that, Mr. Speaker, the member is quite correct in one thing. When it comes to investing in healthcare, a massive investment in his community with respect to a brand new hospital, that, of course, was not a priority for them when they shared a coalition government with the liberals, Mr. Speaker. He never advocated for that. He never advocated for healthcare workers. He never advocated for long-term care. He never advocated for the twinning of his highways, which we're getting done. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Remember what I said just now? That's a messy question. Speaker, what's quite clear is that when it comes to taking care of his friends and his buddies, the Premier is all ready to say yes, yes, yes to a pay raise for the government house leader when it's time to pay frontline workers, those nurses. It's no, no, no, and he has entrenched it in law in this building. Speaker, all we know so far is that the house leader will be topped up with close to about $30,000. That's about six months' worth of hard-working nurses' salary or an entire year of a minimum wage worker's salary, but it might not stop there. Speaker, can the Premier tell us what other perks or promotions come with this new title? Will the minister have access to private transportation, limousine service according to this new title that he now holds? And again, the government house leader. Thank you very much. Of course, Mr. Speaker, I understand what the member is doing. He's embarrassed by the fact that he has sat in this house since, well, 2011 and has been unable to get a brand-new hospital for his region, and we were able to get it in our first term of government. The member's embarrassed. The six come to order. The member for Hamilton Mountain come to order. Government house leader has the floor. The member's embarrassed that although he has sat there and accomplished very little for his community, that in our first term of government, we were able to twin highways in his area so that we could get people in the economy in his area moving better and people around, Mr. Speaker. The member's probably embarrassed by the fact that whilst he was in a coalition with the Liberals, the only thing he asked for was a stretch goal on auto insurance, not new long-term care beds, not hospitals, not transit, not transportation. He sat there and approved the closing of schools, rural schools, Mr. Speaker, to the tune of some 600. On every measure, he has not delivered for his community, and that's why on June 2nd of 2022, a new conservative member of provincial power stopped the clock. The government house leader and the member for Essex will come to order. Perhaps you didn't hear. The government house leader and the member for Essex will come to order, and we'll move to warnings if need be. The Hamilton Mountain will come to order. Member for Ottawa's South will come to order. Here's your facial expression. Start the clock. The next question, the member for Etobicoke-Lake. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just want to turn this back to things that are really important to Ontario, which is about the pandemic. The pandemic has caused a lot of economic distress for people in various ways, and during these unprecedented times, it's meant that some women have faced the reality that many others well know about the worry about affording necessary period projects she needs each month. It's not a subject that we often talk about. Some of us never talk about it, but that's because many of us just take it for granted, that more women and girls are having increased difficulty affording the appropriate menstrual hygiene products, including while in school. The inability to afford these necessary products is often referred to as period poverty. We see this especially with young women and girls who may miss out on a day of school and other activities because the challenges to access the necessary menstrual products. Can the Minister of Women and Children's Issues tell us how this government is planning to address period poverty in Ontario? For Children and Women's Issues. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member from the Tobacco Lecture for the question. As the Associate Minister of Children and Women's Issues, I am always trying to ensure that women and girls have the support they need to succeed and reach their full potential. I was surprised to learn, according to a survey by Plan International Canada, 63% of women and girls have regularly and occasionally missed an activity because of their period and concerns of not having access to menstrual hygiene products. And one in seven young people, age 13 to 21, Speaker, struggled to afford period products. Mr. Speaker, because of our government's continued efforts to end period poverty, we have partnered with Shoppers Drug Mart to provide these essential menstrual products for free to students across Ontario. Our government is committed to ending period poverty, and this partnership is the first step towards progress. Thanks so much. Thank you. A supplementary question. Thank you, and thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I want to thank the minister for that answer. You know, once again, this is something we don't normally talk about, but I'm really glad to see that our government is working with the private sector hand in hand to provide these pre-products to our schools. Mr. Speaker, I know that 12 months ago, Minister Leche embarked on the negotiations to help end period poverty. And it is clear now more than ever that young women and girls need access to these products. I think it's critical that we come together, women and men, to support all students, especially those who are facing hardship, poverty or menstrual health struggles. Can the Minister of Education tell this health house why this negotiation? It was important to him, to our government, and most importantly, how would it improve the lives of young girls and women and other students across Ontario? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member from the topical lecture for her leadership standing up for young students and women and girls in our province. And we agree that in 2021 in this country, it is unacceptable that so many young students were unable to attend school due to a lack of access to menstrual products. We've been guided by and informed and inspired by the voices of students who called on the government to take action to help end period poverty. And that's why we worked in partnership with Shoppers Drug Mart under the leadership of the Premier to help ensure that from an equity perspective, from a health perspective, and from an academic perspective, we ensure every child could be in school every day. And that's why we're proud to have announced a commitment over three years for 18 million menstrual products, for 1,200 dispensers supporting schools in this province so that we can improve the mental health of students. And more importantly, we can ensure that all kids have access to the menstrual products that they deserve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The next question. Member for Kingston and the Islands. Thank you, Speaker. Yesterday, I was part of a devastating meeting, Speaker. It was a meeting that the Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Sport should have had with the restaurant industry. The industry represents 450,000 workers. It generates billions of dollars in tax revenue, and it operates on a knife's edge of profitability. A healthy restaurant operates with 3% to 5% profit. But during the pandemic, eight out of 10 restaurants operated at a loss or barely scraped by. Some businesses, or some of the sales, have come back, but not enough, Speaker. Sales are down 30%, and seating capacity is still capped. Winters are hard in the best of years for restaurants, and this is the worst of your, Speaker. The situation is untenable. Restaurants have several asks, and I would respectfully, through you, Speaker, request that the Premier address each one. Will the Premier lobby the federal government to continue the wage subsidies throughout the winter? Will the government stop insurance companies from imposing 30 to 200% increases on premiums? Will they commit to no penalties on unpaid, deferred payments? This industry is about family and community. I know I worked in it for years, Speaker. Will this Premier support the restaurant industry and get them through the coming winter? And to apply the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. I appreciate the member office's question. Of course, I know he has worked in the restaurant sector and hospitality sector himself, and we wish him great success. That said, I want to be perfectly clear. The Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, including myself as the minister, have met on multiple occasions with our restaurant working group, which we established in our own way, and we've met with them similarly myself over four times. My colleague, the Attorney General, my colleague, the Treasury Board President, my other colleague, the Minister of Labor, all sat down in order to support the restaurant industry, and we look forward to their actual recommendations. I will say that our government has invested over $600 million to 18,000 restaurants to allow them to survive during this period of time, and we've been working. If the member office that wants to talk about meetings, the restaurant working group did have representatives that were allowed to be part of a meeting that I had on Monday morning, of which a restaurant's candidate did not show up, although Culinary Tourism Alliance did, in addition to, of course, ORMA. Response? And they also were well aware that I was meeting at the Ottawa Hospital to look at a new civic campus. That said, I did have the opportunity yesterday to meet with Ottawa Public Health. Thank you very much, and the supplementary. Thank you very much, Speaker, and for the record, restaurants in Toronto faced the longest lockdowns and the lowest amount of support across all of Canada. People asked me if I missed the kitchen and cooking, and what I tell them is I missed the people I worked with. They were my chosen family, and they were incredible. It's how it is in restaurants. The Premier likes to speak of his family, about all the people who show up at Fort Fest. These are those people, Premier. They are. I don't think they're going to show up anymore. One owner told us of crushing debt he had taken on during the pandemic. He told us he is once again forced to lay off employees because patios are closing and capacity is still limited. And he talked about how throughout the pandemic he has been covering the cost of rent for employees who were losing their homes, covering their medical bills, their childcare costs, buying groceries for his employees. So through you, Speaker, to the Premier. And I hope that the ministers from North Bay and the minister from Napaian are listening closely now. Member will take a seat. Member for Essex is warned. I apologize to the member for Kingston, the island. Please conclude your. Thank you, Speaker. I was looking down. I didn't see you rise there. I apologize. So again, through you to the Premier. And I do hope that the ministers from North Bay and Napaian are listening very closely. Your writings are filled with independent family-owned restaurants. Please find it in yourselves. Have the economic wherewithal. Have the compassion, whatever it takes to get there to bring back a third round of small business funding and help these restaurants get through the winter. Thank you. Thank you. And to the applied minister. Thanks, as I did mention, over $600 million was invested directly to 18,000 restaurants throughout the pandemic. We also provided a great deal of support through rent relief, energy relief. In addition, my ministry has just announced another $100 million fund for tourism and economic development recovery. We continue to work with the Ministry of Economic Development Trade, as well as Treasury Board and Finance in order to support our sectors. I will say this. In order for us to get back to full capacity, in order for us to continue to get back to normal, we need to download that QR code. And I'm pleased to say that over 800,000 have been verified in the last couple of weeks. But I did receive troubling information yesterday from Ottawa Public Health, as the member opposite knows. I'm a proud member from the City of Ottawa who indicated to me that right now, 30% of our restaurants are failing to comply to the ability to verify the vaccination certification. I will continue to work with the sector, not only to provide them with funding and in order for them to stabilize, but also in order for them to adhere to public health protocols, because that is the key for us to get back to economic and social recovery and success. Yeah. And before I recognize the member for Ottawa itself, I'll apologize to him for mistakenly calling him to our earlier this morning. I'm nervous for past transgressions. So. We move on, so. Member for Ottawa's side. My question's for the Premier, and I hope that he's listening very closely. So Ontario's families have been through so much in the last 19 months. Lost income, lost time at school, lost time with loved ones, and so many other things. And vaccines have arrived and they've brought hope. So it's perfectly reasonable for families to expect that the person caring for a loved one in hospital or in their own home or at school or in a childcare center, that that person has been vaccinated against COVID-19. And we know that vaccines reduce transmission, disease, hospitalization, and death. And we know that seniors, those who are immunocompromised and children under 12 who can't be vaccinated are very vulnerable to the Delta variant. So, Speaker, through you, why is the Premier refusing to make vaccinations mandatory for frontline healthcare and education workers? Thank you very much, Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for the question. This is a very important issue, and it's one that we're analyzing on a daily basis within the hospital sector. As you know, we have one of the most successful vaccination rates in the world with over 87% of Ontarians age 12 and older having received their first dose and over 84% being fully vaccinated. Since we announced our last mile strategy, we've had a big increase in vaccination rates that largely will include healthcare workers. We've had approximately 365,700 first doses and approximately 525,900 second doses. We do recommend that every Ontarian be vaccinated. We do recommend particularly healthcare workers be vaccinated because they are dealing with the public and dealing with their ill patients and the vast majority of people already have in frontline healthcare situations. So, we are reviewing this on a daily basis, and I'll have more to say on this in my supplementary. And supplementary question. Well, thank you, Speaker. You know, very clearly the Minister of Long-Term Care understands breakthrough infections and infections in the unvaccinated because he made vaccines mandatory in long-term care. And when he said that, he said, although staffing might be impacted by this policy, the priority has to be protecting the safety of residents and the safety of other staff. The Minister said, while they might lose some staff who are unwilling to get vaccinated, home operators are much more concerned about the implication of an outbreak and what that would mean to staffing. So the same principle applies in hospitals, in schools, in childcare centers, in home care, in all other settings where that kind of care is delivered. It's really hard to understand why you're incrementally parsing this all out. It doesn't make sense. It's not logical. So, Speaker, through you, will the government be supporting Bill 12 this afternoon and make vaccinations mandatory for frontline healthcare and education workers and protect the most vulnerable among us? Minister of Health. Well, first, the situation with long-term care homes and the staff in those homes, it's different than in other locations because long-term care homes have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. However, that said, the Premier has sent a letter to hospitals in Ontario and other frontline healthcare providers to understand what the impact would be for a mandatory vaccine requirement because it's not a simple standalone issue. We understand that there will be some people that will not be vaccinated and we already have health, human resource concerns. We want to make sure that our hospitals can continue to provide excellent quality care so we have to weigh the benefits of mandatory vaccination versus the job losses that might happen for people who choose not to be vaccinated. So we have received those responses pursuant to the letter that the Premier sent out. We are reviewing those answers now and will make a determination very shortly with respect to this issue of mandatory vaccination. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Kitchener-Conestoga. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And my question is to the Minister of Seniors and Accessibility. Mr. Speaker, over the summer, I've had the opportunity to meet with many businesses in my community of Kitchener-Conestoga and to see firsthand what they are doing to create a more accessible Ontario. Last month, I had the honour to show the Minister around the beautiful town of Elmira to see what they're doing to keep their downtown core accessible and also had an opportunity to tour onward manufacturing with him in Kitchener, where they've rolled out some fantastic programs to help people with disabilities. Can the Minister please share with the House what the government is doing to ensure that all of Ontario is accessible so that every Ontarian can live the Ontario dream? Minister responsible for seniors, accessibility. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to answer that question by sharing a real example. The town of Elmira is showing leadership on what small businesses in that town are doing to make their community more accessible to everyone. These small businesses are making their communities more accessible to everyone. These small businesses are echoing the Ontario spirit that is being shown across the province during National Disability Employment Awareness Month. I saw this firsthand at the Onward Manufacturing Facility. When I toured this small business with my good friend, the member for Kitchener-Conestoga, they showed us firsthand the value of employing people with the disability and how they make their workplace accessible for everyone. Onward Manufacturing is a real example. Thank you very much. Thank you. And the supplementary question. Well, thank you, Speaker, and it's encouraging to see the work that the Ministry is doing. We got to see it firsthand while we were out touring around some of these local small businesses. In addition to the investments in accessibility, the seniors community knows this government has invested billions of dollars to protect them during the COVID-19 pandemic. As we continue to combat the fourth wave, seniors need to know that their government is there for them. Speaker, if the Minister could tell us a little bit more about the work that his Ministry is doing to protect seniors as the fight against COVID-19 continues. Thank you, Speaker. The Minister. Thank you to the member for Kitchener-Conestiga. Thank you for your continued support and excellent work for Ontarians in your writing. Our government is protecting seniors in the writing of Kitchener-Conestiga and the rest of Ontario by investing in the infection prevention control measures to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in retirement homes. Mr. Speaker, it's my honor to share with you how that the writing of Kitchener-Conestiga received over $215,000 in IPAC funding. That's over $215,000 more dollars to spread on staff, PPE, training and other measures to stop the spread of the virus. Thank you. Thank you. The next question, the member for Niagara Falls. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier and hopefully will answer it for the people of Niagara. Today in Niagara, only 6% of the residents have received their MRI within the provincial benchmark of 28 days compared to 46% of other Ontario residents who are there scanned in that time. The current wait time for an MRI in Niagara, listen to this, is 255 days. Well above the provincial average of 141. In Niagara, thanks to the help of Mr. Tom Rankin, we have fundraised enough money to install an MRI unit. We have requested from this government $1.52 million to run the new MRI machine seven days a week to clear up the backlog. Will you provide the funding in that request and ensure the residents of Niagara have fair access to MRI scans? Yes, or no? Minister of Health. Well certainly our goal is to make sure that everyone on Ontario, including in Niagara region can have fair access, timely access to both surgeries and diagnostic procedures that have been delayed as a result of COVID-19. So that's why as part of our $1.8 billion investment into the hospital sector, we're also dedicating $300 million to reduce surgical backlogs and to increase diagnostic procedures from delayed or canceled surgeries and procedures because of the pandemic. And this is in addition to the $200 million that we introduced last fall because we know that people have been waiting long periods of time. We want to make sure that we can get caught up, which we are doing very quickly on both surgeries and diagnostic procedures. So that applies to everyone across the entire province. We are mindful of that and we are working very hard to make sure that we can limit the times that people have to wait to receive these procedures and surgeries. And the supplementary question. Premier, minister, you're aware of the requests from Niagara Health. You're also aware of the fact that we need operating funds in Niagara. There are 5,000 residents today waiting for an MRI. 5,000. These scans can be the difference of life or death and people are sitting home stressed out waiting for 255 days to scan they need. It's disgraceful in this province. We did our part. We fundraised enough money to buy the machine. That's our obligation. Now the Premier has to do his part and provide the funding to clear the backlog and get these people the access to medical services they need. In 2017, the Conservatives supported my motion then these backlogs by funding the MRI scan in Niagara. The people of Niagara need them now to live up to that commitment. Will the Premier say today to the residents of Niagara that he will be delivering the money needed to clear the backlog and ensure that no resident in Niagara, no resident in Niagara has to wait 255 days for a scan that they medically need. Thank you. Well, I can't speak specifically to the issue that the member is mentioning. I can indicate that we are working very hard to catch up on the surgeries and diagnostic procedures that had to be canceled or delayed because of COVID-19. But I'm also pleased to say that in 2020, 2021, the average Ontario hospital completed 88% of their targeted surgical and diagnostic allocation. This is something we are working very hard on. We've invested over $500 million in order to be able to do that. We know that people have been waiting a long time. We are grateful for the fundraising efforts that have already happened, but we are doing our part to catch up and to make sure that people do not have to wait undue periods of time to have these procedures done or surgeries done. So that applies across the province, including in Niagara. Thank you. The next question is the member for Chatham Kent Leamington. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Long-Term Care. Sunnycrest Nursing Home located in Whitby, recently had four deaths and seven hospitalizations within the first week since the COVID boosters were administered. Sadly, these deaths were covered up and not reported to the mainstream media for reasons that are suspect. An inquest was not called. Autopsies seeking the cause of death were not performed. Corner findings, not released. If I were a family member, I would demand answers and I wouldn't accept, well, they died from other comorbidities. So Minister, to you, what is the government doing to protect our elderly from dying when the purpose of the boosters are supposed to save lives? To reply, Minister of Long-Term Care. Mr. Speaker, and I do thank the member for the question. Mr. Speaker, our focus has been on protecting the residents of our seniors homes and of course every death is a tragedy and we mourn them with the families. But Mr. Speaker, that is why the province of Ontario with the support of the chief medical officer moved as the first jurisdiction in North America to have third doses. And I am pleased to report to the legislature today that 88% of eligible residents have those boosters. Now, Mr. Speaker, and to the member, as we know, there is no perfect protection against this disease. And that is why we continue to make sure that other protections are in place, including now requiring randomized testing of both immunized and non-immunized staff. We want to take every step we can to make sure that we're protecting people in our long-term care homes. Mr. Speaker, as you know, on October 1st, I indicated that a vaccine mandate would be in place so that by November 15th, all staff will need to be vaccinated. Mr. Speaker, we'll take the steps we need to take to protect our elders. Thank you. Supplementary question? Thank you, Speaker. And again, thank you for that response, Minister. You know, initially these experimental drugs, AKA vaccines, were coined as the saving grace to eliminate COVID. Now people must get up to six booster shots. Is that because the experimental drugs aren't as great as expected? Where's the clinical data in the research proving boosters are safe and effective? I'd like to suggest that our seniors are not human guinea pigs, yet surprisingly, there have been no animal testing on these drugs. It appears that corners have been cut in order to rush to get the vaccines and boosters out. But just to be clear, Minister, I'm not pointing fingers at you. Regarding the determination of the safety of the efficacy, but now it's been reported that a lawyer at Sunnycrest has threatened staff with dismissals and lawsuits. Should they talk to anyone about the deaths following the administering of the first round of boosters? That sounds like a cover up. So, Minister, will you commit to investigating these allegations of threats and the hiding of any wrongdoings at Sunnycrest and to seek justice for the families affected? I need to caution the member on his language. The minister of long-term care to reply. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, each and every death inside or outside of long-term care homes is a tragedy, Mr. Speaker. But from my perspective, and I appreciate the members not pointing to me as a medical expert, nor should he, would he? But from my perspective, the perspective of our government, the perspective of the science table, the perspective of our medical professionals, the potential for serious illnesses and diseases reduced by 11 times, Mr. Speaker, for those taking the vaccine. Mr. Speaker, we encourage and continue to encourage everyone to get vaccinated. We will, under the leadership of the Minister of Health, continue to look at the science with regards to further booster shots and where those are necessary. But, Mr. Speaker, I think the vast majority in this legislature and the vast majority in our province understand that vaccines are an important part of the solution to ending COVID-19's challenges on our economy and our health, and we'll continue, Mr. Speaker, to follow-up. Mr. Speaker, the next question, the member for Haldeman Norfolk. Speaker, to the Minister of Finance, and I've met with many constituents of my riding, and I've heard over and over again how critical the measures we took to protect people's health and the economy were in their communities. As the rollout of our last mile vaccine plan continues, and there is light at the end of the tumble, the people of Ontario want to ensure that we do not lose any of the hard-fought gains we've made against this pandemic. But they're also looking for tomorrow. They would like to know how this government plans to deliver prosperity to Ontario workers, their families, and for the future. Speaker, would the Minister of Finance please share how he's planning to ensure we remain steadfast in our resolve against the pandemic while creating the right conditions for future economic growth. Great question. Primary Assistant Minister of Finance, member for Aurora, Oak Ridge's Richmond Hill. Thank you very much, Speaker, and I want to thank the great member for Haldeman Norfolk, not just for the great leadership that he provides here in the legislature, but certainly for what he does for his constituents every single day. Speaker, just like my colleague said, I've seen just how important these supports have been to many, many Ontarians, Mr. Speaker. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our government has been steadfast in commitment to make every necessary resources available to protect the people and to protect the jobs, Mr. Speaker. We've invested $19.1 billion alone in response to COVID-19, and while we've made important progress, Speaker, our job is not done. We cannot let our guard down against COVID-19 and our government will continue to make sure that we're there for our frontline heroes, Mr. Speaker. But as we all know, we inherited a province from the previous government where real investment in infrastructure never materialized, Mr. Speaker, while liberal insiders all got rich. The previous government, Mr. Speaker, said no. We're going to say yes, Speaker, yes to investing in our healthcare capacity, and $730 million. Thank you very much. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the parliamentary assistant for that response. You know, it's really great to hear that our government is laying the foundations, not only for Ontario's recovery, but also for long-term prosperity. And as the parliamentary assistant made mention after so many years of neglect by the previous liberal government. Now, as we all know, it's workers on the ground. They're the frontline in this fight against COVID-19 and with respect to our economic recovery. Speaker, my question, will the minister, the parliamentary assistant, provide a bit more detail on how our government's plan will support Ontario workers? Parliamentary assistant. Thanks again for the great question. Speaker, my colleague couldn't be more right. And that's why our government's going to fight for all workers and their families in our 2021 economic outlook and fiscal review. Mr. Speaker, our focus is both on essential workers who work tirelessly on the front lines of this pandemic and our hardworking Ontarians who have been, who have set back in their new work and careers by COVID-19, Mr. Speaker. We'll fight for those looking for new opportunities for themselves and their families here in Ontario, Mr. Speaker, the economic engine of Canada. Speaker, our government will build on the range of training and employment supports we have already put in place to give workers the skills they need to fill our labour shortage and support our economic recovery. Speaker, our priority, since beginning of the pandemic, has been protecting the people and protecting the jobs and we're going to continue to do just that. A lack of resources will never stand in our way, Mr. Speaker. We will continue fighting for people of Ontario and the jobs every single day, Mr. Speaker. The next question, and then we'll put the key button on. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Education. For those of us that live in the North, we often pay double for the same products found down here. This gap is even wider when you go into fly-in first nations. I'll get this, Mr. Speaker. A regular box of tampons can range from $16 to $45, leaving people to choose between menstrual products or food security. Norma Kijik of Northern Chinabah Education Council, they run three high schools, was disappointed to see jurisdictional issues. Once again, creating division between the provincial and first nation schools and students. These products being offered for free to all school boards in Ontario, but not available to first nation school boards. Why is this government discriminating against first nation schools? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We're proud to have unveiled a plan to help end period poverty in this province for all publicly funded schools in the province of Ontario. This is a very positive step forward that should be celebrated as we end a challenge that has kept many young students from going to school every day. This government was resolved to fix it, whereas the former government and the new Democrats did nothing for 15 years. We took action. I mean, that just is the case. Nothing was done, and many students were staying home as a consequence. We've negotiated an agreement with Shoppers Drug Mart to set aside 18 million pads for students for the next three years. This is a positive step forward when it comes to Indigenous education. I'm proud, Speaker, to confirm that funding for Indigenous education within our provincial schools is up to the highest levels ever recorded in Ontario history. We have strengthened the curriculum, particularly from grades one to three in the social studies curriculum, to enhance Indigenous education. We'll continue to be there to support first nation and you would meet these students in this province. Thank you. And a supplementary question. Miigwech, young people attending first nation schools have high needs for these products, but they're being excluded. The press release announcing this program says, this supply of three menstrual products will be provided to all school boards, but that's not the case. It is unfortunate that a public-private sector agreement did not see the need to address the issue for all students in Ontario, but only for those who attend provincial schools. I am asking, Speaker, for clarification. As first nations, schools in the riding have reached out and they asked if they can participate. Is the minister saying, is the minister telling me the program is not for first nation schools? Thank you, Speaker. I appreciate the question for the member opposite. I believe that for many years in this province, many young students were staying home as a consequence of not having access, equitable access to menstrual products. There was inaction by governments to date, and it was our government who made a decision to help end period poverty in this province. The advice of many student leaders, including the Ontario Student Trustees Association, who counseled us to find a fix to this problem. So we over last year negotiated with Shoppers Drug Mart to deliver 18 million pads over three years, 1,200 dispensaries to publicly funded schools in the province of Ontario to support all students, including first Indigenous students within those schools and other young children in the province of Ontario. We want all kids to succeed. We want them to go to school each and every day. This investment, partnering with the private sector, will help support better quality and equitable education for our Ontario students. The next question is for the member for Orléans. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, about a year ago, the government issued a news release heralding the use of rapid COVID-19 tests. In this news release, the Premier said the new rapid tests are game changers in the fight against COVID-19. Game changers, Mr. Speaker. Despite being a game changer, the Premier ignored all the public health warnings and sent our children back to school without making investments to keep them safe and without there being a rapid testing program put in place. In fact, at the end of September, the Premier said no to rapid testing in order that agencies stop supplying rapid tests to parents. So we have parents seeing the Premier sitting on the sidelines in an effort to keep themselves safe, step up to do the work that the Premier has said no to. So, Mr. Speaker, the Premier has said that rapid tests are a game changer. When is he going to get into the game? Mr. Speaker. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We are proud in this province to have one of the highest vaccine rates for young people in this province in Canada, as well as one of the lowest case rates for young people in the country. And that's because we follow the best advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, consult with CHEO in the member's region of Ottawa and see kids in Toronto. And the guiding light of that advice has been to bring forth a layered approach to our school safety. Mr. Speaker, we're proud that 99.9% of our schools are open, 2 million children are learning, supported by safe schools with significant improvements in ventilation in every single school. We have expanded testing options, the take-home PCR testing option for high school asymptomatic students. And yes, to the member's question, we have added in an additional tool with the deployment of rapid antigen screening where public health units in the province can deploy wherever they see fit based on risk. Not political decisions out of medical officers of health. We have trust in our medical leaders. We have confidence in the frontline staff in our schools and we are grateful for the partnership keeping schools safe in this province. Supplementary question. Supplemental results for the Premier. Throughout the pandemic, the government has taken a reactive approach. They are routinely a day late and a dollar short for rather, Mr. Speaker, often weeks late and billions of dollars short in keeping Ontarians safe. At the end of September, school-aged children accounted for the highest share of COVID-19 cases of any demographic in Toronto. The Premier has said no to reducing class sizes. The Premier has said no to ensuring vaccinated educational staff. The Premier has said no to rapid testing surveillance. Now, there are serious questions as to whether the government is doing all it can to keep our classrooms and schools as safe as possible. In fact, Mr. Speaker, this week, the Premier said it wasn't safe for him to take personalized executive tutoring in French one-on-one, Mr. Speaker. But he's asking our kids to sit in packed classrooms without rapid testing surveillance and without knowing their teacher or the child beside them is vaccinated. So Mr. Speaker, does the Premier believe that the classroom environment, he's asking teachers and students to endure, is safe when receiving one-on-one executive tutoring in a controlled environment is not? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the fundamental question for members' opposites is do we agree with the advice of the Children's Health Coalition who provided public statements just days ago when they said, and I quote, data from public health on trail suggests that the overall efforts to limit virus transmission, such as masking, distancing and ventilation, have been successful with less than 0.25% of Ontario's 2 million student population testing positive. The Coalition also noted that among the total number of cases in children and youth between September 19th and October 2nd, 79.5% were not linked to school outbreaks. We have in this province one school closed of nearly 5,000. We have 2 million children learning. We have an overwhelming consensus that the ventilation improvements, the masking indoors, the enhancement of testing and screening and better cleaning is making these places safe for kids, safe for staff. But we take nothing for granted. We're responding to the deathly premiere. We've added another layer by the deployment of the rapid antigen screening program that was deployed at the school in Toronto that has now reopened following the deployment of PCR take-home tests as well. We're doing everything we can working with public health to keep schools safe. Next question, members of subject. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Speaker, questions to the premier. Speakers, at the end of July, there's a backlog of more than 700,000 driving tests. Since August, the minister of transportation has announced additional temporary road test centers in nine locations. The location speaker to our Guelph, Oshawa, Burlington, Markham, East Williambury, Mississauga, Southwestern Ontario, Niagara region and the auto area. You may have noticed that zero of those nine locations are located in Northern Ontario. The backlog of driving tests is a huge issue in Northern Ontario speaker. Leaving out northerners from taking their driving test means they can't go to work. That means lost wages, lost appointments, lost opportunities. The premier needs to take action now, speaker, to allow northerners to get on the road and to get on with their lives. Will the premier commit to opening additional temporary road test centers across Northern Ontario, including one of my riding of Sudbury? The associate minister of transportation. Thank you very much, Speaker. And I appreciate the member for asking that question because it's important to address the backlog of drive tests. Obviously this pandemic has affected everyone and that includes those trying to get those drive tests done. That's why in June, our ministry introduced a plan, a committed investment of more than $16 million to tackle that very backlog. The member is referencing when it comes to in vehicle passenger road tests. And as part of this plan, we are opening more temporary road test facilities, hiring an additional 251 examiners and offering road tests with extended hours on weekdays and holidays. In fact, just recently, speaker, we opened three additional temporary road tests throughout the province and I know there's more work to be done but we're going to clear that backlog and make sure that people are getting those drive tests in a timely manner. Thank you very much. That's a fantastic question. Thank you again. Back to the Premier. I'll talk about Rick. Rick is a constituent of mine. His daughter's been driving for five years and like many Sudburyans, she relies on driving to get to university and to get to work. However, Rick told me she can't make an appointment for her G test get this speaker until December 31st of 2022. Speaker, the conservative government brought in nine additional temporary road test centers and all of them, all of the ones he was talking about are in Southern Ontario. This disregards the need for Northern Ontario's people in Northern Ontario who lack the robust public transportation systems of Southern neighbors. The North is where we use highways to get to work not subways. So wait times for drive testers, especially devastating in Northern Ontario. People in the North don't have the choice of a train, subway and bus to take them to work. When will the Premier open additional temporary road test centers in Northern Ontario, including in my riding of Sudbury? If there's a minister of transportation. Thank you speaker. And the member highlights a very important point. He's right. The North is very unique compared to the rest of Ontario and they have unique challenges and we need to address those challenges. And that's why we have been making sure that we address unique situations like Rick and help open year round drive test centers in Northern Ontario and Dryden, Espinoa, Fort Francis, Huntsville, Cappos Gasing, Canora, Kirkland Lake, New Liskard, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Thunder Bay, Timmins and Sudbury. And these drive test centers will operate year round. And as I said, there have been additional resources allocated to make sure we address the backlog. There are more testers. We're going to get through that backlog. And when life returns to normal, we're going to be on that road to prosperity here and in the North as well. Thank you. The next question, member for Cambridge. Speaker, good morning. My question is for the Premier. The other day the Premier gave us his glib tough guy act saying that he only wanted new Canadians that were willing to work hard rather than sit around all day. A comical choice of words coming from a Premier whose political career wasn't built on hard work, but rather on the reputation of his father and his late brother. And even funnier considering that since getting elected, the Premier often goes missing from the public eye for long stretches as he did for most of the summer. Perhaps the Premier was projecting and referring to his own lack of hard work when making these comments. Mr. Speaker, will the Premier admit that his crude comments about working hard were simply a diversion to distract from the fact that his government's policies have resulted in thousands of Ontarians losing their jobs over the last year and a half? Supplementary question? Supplemental, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The government's defense of the Premier's statements were equally comical. First, the Premier said he is pro-immigrant as evidenced by the crowds of people that would attend Ford Fest and receive calls from the late Mayor of Toronto. Well, I have news for you. People didn't go to Ford Fest to see the Premier. They went to see his late brother Rob. And the Premier isn't the one who built a reputation on hard work and calling people back. That was also his late brother Rob. Maybe the Premier hasn't realized yet what my family in all of Ontario now know. He's not Rob Ford. Second, the deputy Premier said the government is in favour of even more immigration. More than the 450,000 a year, their friend Justin Trudeau has set, which is about double the number under the previous Harper government. Can the Premier tell us how much higher he wants immigration to increase? Considering that at the same time he wants more immigrants, his government has been putting Ontarians out of work continuously on a daily basis for the last three years. And to reply on behalf of the government, the government host leader. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I certainly won't dignify the first part of that question with an answer in any way, shape or form. It's certainly not why the people of the province of Ontario elected us here, Mr. Speaker. When it comes to immigration, I think this government has been very clear. The Premier has been very clear that we need more people to come to the province of Ontario. We have a significant amount of jobs that need to be filled so that we can continue growth, economic growth and prosperity across the province of Ontario. Mr. Speaker, we can only do that if more people were to come to the province of Ontario as they have for generations, Mr. Speaker. I mean, I am a minister in the government. My parents came in the late 50s, 1960s. The Minister of Education is in the same way. We have a parliamentary assistant who fled the Soviet Union. We have the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Finance, the Digital Government Minister, the Minister of Education, Mr. Speaker. When you look at our side of the House, we are very diverse and we are very proud of that. Thank you. That concludes our question period for this morning. This House stands in recess until 3 p.m.