 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Tomorrow, this is to the Premier, tomorrow, parents, teachers, and students from every single corner of our province will be standing up for our children's future. The Premier continues to stick his head in the sand and pretend that parents are on his side, while every day they tell him to reverse his cuts to education. Why is he ignoring parents, Speaker? Questions addressed to the Premier? Through you, Mr. Speaker, I just want to remind the leader of the NDP that what she's calling cuts, we're actually increasing by $1.2 billion. That's $1.2 billion. They have a tough time with math. We believe that parents want us to increase investment into the schools and into our children that go there. What they do not, and I've heard it right across this province, believe in increasing compensation. They'd rather have that money, which we're doing back into the classroom. We don't put it in some vault in the back of Queen's Park. We're putting it back into the children. We're putting it back into the classrooms. These strikes, Mr. Speaker, are impacting families. When you impact a family, just imagine how many people have to find child care or take a day from work. That's unacceptable, Mr. Speaker. A supplementary question. It's ironic that the Premier can't cite any parents who are in favor of his agenda of cuts because we're sure that he's hearing from parents who oppose it just as we are. Selby Public School is in the writing of Hastings Lennox and Addington. And their parent council wrote to the Premier an open letter stating, and I quote, Educators are some of the most important people in our children's lives. Members of our parent council as well as our community at large stand behind our educators. We will continue now and into the future. Why does the Premier think he knows better than those parents, Speaker? Well, Mr. Speaker, I never know more than the parents. The only difference between myself and the leader of the NDP, I travel right across the province. There's probably no one in the chamber that travels to more towns, more areas than I do. I speak to the parents, but guess what, Mr. Speaker? I speak to our great teachers. I support our frontline teachers that work hard day in and day out. They're just as frustrated. They get back in the classroom and do the job that they do best. That's teaching our kids. We want our kids back in the classroom, Mr. Speaker. The final supplementary. Well, Speaker, I invite the Premier to come and speak to 25 or 30,000 of them around Queen's Park tomorrow. And the Conservatives say that their plan to fire thousands of teachers is reasonable. But parents are telling us that the reasonable thing to do is absolutely the opposite of what this Premier is suggesting. Justin from Oshawa told us that he supports teachers. Why? Because, and I quote, you can't threaten to burn a house down and then threaten to only burn their garage down and say you're being reasonable in the negotiations. That's what Justin from Oshawa has to say. So why does the Premier think he knows better than parents like Justin? Premier. Through you, Mr. Speaker. I find it so ironic listening to the leader of the opposition that voted Mr. Speaker to close with their liberal body 600 schools. They didn't burn them down. They just closed them, kicked the kids out. That's the difference. We're building new schools. We're building new schools right across the province. That's our priority. Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in more priorities that parents want. Parents want us to focus on math, on STEM, and on mental health. And that's exactly where the money is going to the classrooms, to the students. That's what they want. Again, Mr. Speaker, I've talked to numerous teachers and I can assure you not all the teachers want to be out there. They want to be in the classroom teaching the kids. And they understand. They understand the parameters because we were left with a $15 billion deficit at $346 billion debt. They appreciate just going back in the classroom and teaching the kids. Next question is also for the Premier, but I would submit then that the Premier needs to take the cuts off the table so those teachers can get back into the classrooms across our province. Mr. Speaker, parents are very, very frustrated and they're feeling ignored by this government. Hillary wrote to us and to tell us about her child's experience with e-learning. And in her words, that experience has been a disaster. She says students with learning disabilities, or difficulties like her child, need FaceTime with their teachers. And they still struggle through these courses with that FaceTime. Except now, thanks to the conservative cuts, students like Hillary's child have even fewer teachers in their schools and will only fall further and further behind. Parents like Hillary need teachers to teach their child. Why is the Premier forcing their children into e-learning programs that just don't work for them? Minister of Education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This government wants a deal that keeps kids in class. That is our commitment to 2 million young people in the province. Speaker, parents are working harder. They give of themselves for their children. They pay significant amounts of their income to government and they expect a better return on that investment. When 50% of students are not meeting the provincial math standard, how is it that this government and this legislature is not united to expect better for the next generation of our province? Speaker, we're building and modernizing our education system with a focus on ensuring every student is technologically fluent. His financial literate is emotionally intelligent and is ready for the jobs of tomorrow. That's our positive vision for the next generation to start, Speaker, with keeping kids in class. Supplementary question. Well, Speaker, everyone knows this minister thinks he can talk well, but he sure doesn't listen to his own words. How is the math standard going to increase when you have fewer teachers in the classroom teaching arts whatsoever and parents know it, Speaker, and they're calling this government on exactly that. The Premier is pretending that his cuts are going to have no impact. I'd like him to hear from Jessica, a mom from Petrolia in the riding of Sarnia. Jessica's daughter has special needs and needs extra attention in the classroom. She writes, and I quote, even before these cuts, our school was so understaffed. Meeting after meeting after meeting, I attended begging for the help that she needed. We are barely hanging on. Why is the Premier ignoring the pleas from parents like Jessica? Let me answer the question of how we're going to improve math standards in this province is by going back to basics and eliminating the discovery math approach under the former Liberal government. We have a four-year, this government has a four-year math strategy. I am proud to report to this House that we will have financial literacy for the first time codified in elementary schools in this province. I am proud, Mr. Speaker, that we have a new curriculum that will be unveiled in September 2020. We have numeracy and now foundational competencies. We are expecting new educators in the province to be able to meet a grade night math standard, raising the bar of our teachers, raising the bar of our students. We expect our students to be better in numeracy in financial literacy in math, and that's why we're making investments in STEM education, Speaker. The final supplementary. Well, Speaker, the official opposition new Democrats would agree that the Conservatives are dragging us backwards when it comes to their changes to education. We agree with that. But you know what, the Premier can't get away from stories like the ones I've been sharing this morning. Conservative classroom cuts are making life worse for families all across our province. Jessica is blunt when she writes about her daughter and I quote, I am sick to my stomach about what will happen if Doug Ford wins this fight with teachers. I've had nightmares about it, end quote. Parents, teachers and students all want a government that works with educators to improve our kids' education. Why is the Premier so determined to move in the opposite direction of where everyone else wants this province to go? Mr. Speaker, if the aim of the Leader of the Opposition is to improve education, then I expect her to be the first member of the new Democratic Party to suggest that she stands with the government to oppose Regulation 274 that provides absolute seniority-based hiring when merit is not even in consideration. When qualification doesn't guide the hiring of new educators, certainly the Leader of the Opposition would accept that we could do better for teachers in this province. So we could hire candidates of merit, of qualification and of diversity in our schools. Mr. Speaker, in this negotiation, yes, we want to deal that keeps them in class. We want to deal that is good for our students. A deal that sees more investment in our schools not in heightened compensation, that is the priority of parents and we're going to stand up for that principle every day. The next question, the member for Essex. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier and Speaker. If the Premier thought the invisible license plates were bad, we're going to have to peel them off the ceiling after he hears this one, Speaker, because as the Premier knows, the Minister of Labor investigates cases where employers fail to pay their workers. One of those cases is from Oshawa in the 2018 election. The Ministry found that the Treasury Board President's own PC constituency association failed to pay an employee properly. The PCs only paid some of the wages of an employee that the Treasury Board had employed during the election campaign. They were so delinquent, in fact, Speaker, that the Ministry had to call in a collections agency to get this woman her wages, which, as of yesterday, she had still not been paid. Speaker, can the Premier tell us why his party officials are not paying PC staffers as is the law in Ontario? Allowing the question, it's the enforcement of the Ministry of Labor. Government House Leader. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Of course, this party will ensure that all the Ministry of Labor standards are met, Mr. Speaker. That's something that we've continued to focus on after 15 years of neglect through the coalition of the NDP and Liberal Party. But I think what is a sad spectacle today, Mr. Speaker, is to have, after the leadoff question, something like this, Mr. Speaker, when this province and this country is faced with economic struggles, when we have two million students who are going to be out of the classroom tomorrow, Mr. Speaker, the NDP chooses to focus slinging mud. I think it is a sad spectacle, the NDP. It is a sad illusion of the party that they used to be, Mr. Speaker. They used to be called the conscience of parliament. All they do right now, Mr. Speaker, is sling mud and that is why they have never been given the privilege of sitting on this side of the house after the one time that they did and the people will never go back. The official opposition asked a serious question. I would have assumed that they would have wanted to hear the answer. Supplementary question. Thank you very much, Speaker. The minister establishes a pattern. Not only do they not want to pay their teachers of the province, they don't want to pay their own staffers in their own party. I take no pleasure in this and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there's actually more. Two weeks ago, the CTV News reported the same minister broke the rules when his staff tried to get the same constituency association to pay for likes on Facebook. This is as if following the rules is difficult for this minister. On the minister's constituency association financial statement, no mention of this woman's salary can be found. Today I've written to Elections Ontario to ask for a full investigation into the Pickering-Uxbridge PC Association's financial returns as to why there appears to be such a glaring error in them. Speaker, what will it take for this minister to simply follow the rules and will he let Elections Ontario pay why his financial statements are filed incomplete? President of the Treasury Board to apply. Mr. Speaker, thank you through you to the member opposite. I have seen this correspondence that you're referring to and I will make sure that the CFO of the Riding Association complies fully with anything that the Electoral Office may do. So I thank you for bringing it to our attention. The next question the member to Willow did. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is for the Minister of Transportation. It's long been known that political gridlock between levels of government has prevented big projects from getting built. We understood this when we promised Ontarians that we would invest in key transit infrastructure. We knew it was possible. Last week the province took another step with the City of Toronto towards building our four priority subway lines. Speaker, could the minister tell us that's been made between the province and the City of Toronto? Mr. Transportation. Thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to thank the member from Willowdale for the question and I'm happy to bring everyone in this House up to speed on the progress that we've made to date with the City of Toronto. Our partnership with the City of Toronto is a key milestone in our plan to build public transit in the GTA. It is truly historic Mr. Speaker. In terms of discussion we finally have one single unified plan for subway expansion in Toronto. Our four priority projects constitute one of the largest undertakings in North America and last week the province and the City signed a preliminary agreement to deliver our unified transit plan. Today I'm pleased to announce that the province of Ontario in Hydro One Toronto Hydro and Enbridge have signed a memoranda of understanding to improve coordination of our four priority transit projects. Mr. Speaker, partnership and collaboration is the only way we continue to move forward for the progress that we have achieved to date. That's supplementary question. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for that answer. Creating one single unified plan that all three levels of government can agree on is no easy feat but our government has managed to accomplish this. Our shared goal of addressing congestion and building better transit infrastructure has brought us to where we are today. We agree that building the Ontario Line the three stop subway extension the young north extension and the Eglinton west extension will provide the most relief for the most commuters. Can the minister tell us why our partnership and collaboration with the City of Toronto is so important to getting these projects built? Minister. Thank you again to the member for the question and I would like to acknowledge the Premier and Mayor Tory for their commitment to making this happen. Mr. Speaker, Toronto City Council did not just endorse our subway plan with an overwhelming majority but they also directed the city manager to work with us to and I quote identify all opportunities to accelerate the delivery of the expansion projects. There's urgency here Mr. Speaker drivers and commuters are in bottlenecks and we cannot wait anymore for a transportation system that's improved. We have the intention to work in collaboration with the City of Toronto within the biggest expansion of subway in the history of Canada. I would like also take this occasion to remind our federal partners that we are still waiting their commitment to finance 40% of our plan. Opportunity to remind our federal partners that we are still waiting for the administration of their 40% commitment to our plan. Thank you. Thank you Speaker and my question is to the Premier Speaker, Ontarians still want to know what the plan is to deal with this absurd license plate fiasco. Yesterday the Minister of Government and Consumer Services decided to dodge and ditch the media rather than answer questions about faulty license plates. While the cameras were waiting for the minister of government to remove the license plates, this government is botching their exciting new Tory blue license plates just like they are botching education, the Ontario autism program and everything else quite frankly that they touch. Safety should always be a priority even in the face of exciting new vanity plates. Ontarians deserve to know how this happened, what's being done about it and when it will be fixed. Thank you very much. I have to say in response to what we heard to the opposition member over there, we are focused on getting the job done and that's our number one priority and I'm telling you that I can confirm with you Speaker that Premier Ford has spoke to the President of 3M Canada on three separate occasions and we are seeking an immediate solutions to the issues that have been identified with their product. We are working together and quite frankly disappointed with 3M that we're all at this point but we are working we are working together to remedy the issue. The license plates were designed and tested with key stakeholders and mind speaker. We are not happy with the results and we are continuing to work hand in hand with 3M. Speaker we have heard concerns, we are listening right, we are taking concerns very seriously, we're frustrated and we're disappointed. Thank you. Thank you Speaker and again to the Premier, this faulty license plate is a glowing example of this government not taking accountability for its mistakes. The only thing that we've heard from the government is about their partnership with 3M and their technology. Technology which only a few days ago it is dizzying to watch this government flip through damage control strategies. What is the actual plan going to be? Plan B could have been to use the reportedly 16,000 new white license plates that were still in stock, however those plates got sent back and scrapped and they had been bought and paid for by taxpayers and this government decided to destroy them to get their blue vanity plates out fast, seemingly faster and could be exhaustively tested. This is a question that needs an answer. This kind of absurdity does not reflect well on this government or on its leadership. So what is the plan to fix these plates and keep people safe? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and I'd like to share with the member opposite that we are continuing to work with 3M Canada. We're going to absolutely continue to listen to concerns, we're going to be continuously working diligently to remedy this situation. We're as frustrated and disappointed as anyone but we are going to work together on a path forward to make sure that we uphold the plates that have been designed and tested with key stakeholders in mind but we're also going to be taking into consideration the concerns that we have heard and again we're moving quickly with 3M to fix this situation. Thank you very much. Next question the member for Ottawa South. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and my question is for the Premier and if I can take a moment I want to wish the Premier a speedy recovery by my count I think this is the fourth time you've hit the roof in the last year. And Speaker it's looking like he might get repetitive strain. So Speaker the license plate fiasco is emblematic of the Premier's record in government. Misplaced priority bad decision hastily implemented bad result autism same thing climate change same thing public health same thing education is harder in that direction so my question for the Premier is will he listen to Ontario families and keep class sizes small. Thank you Speaker Minister of Education I am behalf of the government. Thank you Speaker. Mr. Speaker in the last election the people of this province in their wisdom rendered a decision that they will not proceed with the Catholic Win Liberal government that had double the debt increased taxation the highest childcare spaces in the nation we saw more schools closed under one party than any government in the history of Ontario since Confederation and in their wisdom they chose a government that's focused on investing the people of this province more money in health care more money in education more money in the social services that are consequential to the lives of working people. Speaker under our plan we envision a positive commitment to education to see students succeeding getting jobs and being more productive in the economy that is our plan and it starts with keeping kids in class that's what we're fighting for at the negotiating table Speaker the supplementary question Speaker the license plate is a 12 by 6 piece of metal they can't even get the word Ontario big enough for cameras to read it so I get a little concerned when they start messing with things like education they can't get a license plate right so Speaker through you to the premier minister again parents are telling you we don't want larger class sizes they're saying we want to make sure that every child in the classroom gets the support that they need so they can all learn that child and my child as well too thank you for the NDP for a heckle too I know she's supportive of education thank you very much to the leader of the opposition thank you for your support parents don't want order I apologize to the member who heads the floor order the government side will come to order the official opposition will come to order the clock will start member ferrata wassup the official opposition is heckling a party that's got six members I haven't figured that out yet and not in government but they can explain to me they have to question period so parents don't want sorry I'm having too much fun here and parents don't want a half day plan for online learning thank you very much so my question to the premier is this will you listen to parents and just keep classrooms safe strong places for kids to learn thank you well thank you so much for the question I just want to remind the NDP the reason you have six people in the house because he destroyed this province you have to increase taxes you didn't increase taxes more than any government in the history of Ontario and the pie grow bills more than any government can ask the premier can ask the premier to recognize that I'm standing up and ask him to take his seat up the clock and I will ask the premier to address his comments through the chair start the clock and ask the premier to conclude his thanks through you Mr. Speaker they put us in debt and put every person up in this chamber and everyone in Ontario more debt than any other jurisdiction in the world $346 billion a debt of $15 billion deficit and they sit back and wonder why they have six members they're lucky to have six members government side will come to order restart the clock the next question the member for sarnia lampton my question is to the minister of infrastructure for years I had asked the win liberal government to listen to the concerns of our local municipalities and leaders to address the critical infrastructure needs to municipalities in sarnia lampton but instead the concerns had fallen on deaf ears with infrastructure of my riding being left crumbling to a state of disrepair Mr. Speaker minister I know we have committed to investing a historic $144 billion to things like transit roads and hospitals right across this great province over the next 10 years and I can say that this investment will have strong positive impact on the economic development of sarnia lampton improving our ability to attract investment can the minister please tell this house what infrastructure investments the Ontario government is making in my riding and across this province thank you minister of infrastructure thank you Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the member from sarnia lampton for his important question and I am very proud to stand in this place today and tell this house that under Premier Ford's leadership and with this government we have nominated more than 350 projects to the federal government under the investing in Canada infrastructure program for final funding approval this includes 144 road bridge air and marine infrastructure projects and over 200 public transit projects for a total provincial investment of more than $480 million through the public transit and rural and northern streams of the infrastructure Canada program Mr. Speaker unlike the previous liberal government that we just heard about we are listening to the concerns of our municipal partners and are making significant investments in infrastructure while working to maximize the federal funds dollars that are available we're building and improving infrastructure programs projects that are important to all of us in Ontario so thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you minister for that response it's reassuring to be able to tell my colleagues that our government hears their calls for help loud and clear and we are actively delivering on long awaited infrastructure investments in Sarnia Lampton I was thrilled to announce recently that our government nominated 13 projects for final federal approval under the ISIP program two of these projects were under the rural and northern stream with over $2 million worth of provincial investments the other 11 projects were nominated under the public transit stream agreement Mr. Speaker I know these projects will attract investment and get people moving again minister Sarnia Lampton is getting tired of waiting when will the long awaited federal approval finally arrive so that the city of Sarnia and Lampton county can finally get their shovels in the ground minister thank you Mr. Speaker and thank the member again for his question and I understand the frustration of waiting that the member has and his constituents have as to why that less than a third of the more than 350 projects that have been nominated to the federal government for approval have not been completed but Mr. Speaker I remain optimistic that when the federal minister looks at these projects that we hope she already has that the approval Mr. Speaker has to be in the mail so I'm hoping the mail comes soon Mr. Speaker and the minute that I receive the formal written approval I will personally ensure that the member and his constituents for the 7.7 million dollars that they have been awarded from the provincial government anyway that they can move forward and they can put shovels in the ground they can build those projects because Mr. Speaker as you know infrastructure is a marquee part of our mandate on this side of the house and we understand how important it is thank you very much the next question the member for Brampton North thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier I recently heard from the York Region School Board who is concerned that mandatory e-learning is going to be particularly hard on students who already face systemic and institutionary barriers to learning including indigenous black and racialized youth Mr. Speaker we are already suffering thanks to conservative cuts to education now this reckless plan to force even more kids out of the classroom is going to make things even worse why does this government continue to believe that they know better than the teachers the students the parents who are all calling for the same that this government stop this ridiculous plan the minister of education thank you obviously through the negotiation the aim of the government including on subject matter like online learning is to get a deal right now we are negotiating with two of our partners the aim is to get predictability and stability in the sector our kids should be in school when it comes to the vision and when it comes to the mission of our negotiating mandate it is to continue to see more investments under this progressive conservative government we expect better we expect greater levels of accountability for the tax dollars in the system right now over 60 cents we have seen over 80 cents the dollars spent on compensation we want to see a strong return we want to see more than 50% of grade 6 kids passing their math standards when it comes to online learning we believe one of the critical skill sets our young people need in the job market is greater influence on technological fluency so we are providing online learning for students in this province a supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker again to the Premier it's not just students and parents in York and Peel region who don't want mandatory e-learning parents right across the province are saying that this isn't just a bad idea it's downright absurd two thirds of parents think mandatory e-learning will be bad for their kids and will have a negative effect on racialized students parents of black and racialized students need to be confident that their children will get the education that they rightfully deserve if the minister is truly listening to parents and students who are concerned about systemic racism in our schools he would not impose mandatory e-learning courses will the minister admit that his misguided e-learning program is a bad idea and stop trying to make life worse for Ontario families thank you to the member opposite for the question if we want to champion the interests of equity and diversity in this province then we will stand together in opposition to a regulation that gives no consideration for equity considerations of new teachers in this province we should speak with one voice demanding that in this negotiation 274 c some reform right now the system gives preference to union seniority and if we speak with a commitment to advance equity in the classroom to see educators reflecting the diverse needs of their communities then we will stand together, oppose this regulation and put students first in this negotiation the next question the member for Scarborough Gildwood thank you speaker my question is to the premier on the eve of international women's day the previous government made strides in supporting women and others who have traditionally been disadvantaged in the workplace we raise the minimum wage we enhance employment protections and we pass the pay transparency act to promote women's full and equal participation in the workforce unfortunately this government has rolled back these improvements to the labour force and to the advancement of gender equality in Ontario the wage increase was cancelled paid sick days have been slashed and the pay transparency act which has received royal assent has been suspended indefinitely and without explanation speaker can the premier explain why he decided not to enact the pay transparency act and will he commit to setting the date for the act to come into force by international women's day 8th this year the associate minister of children and women's issues thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for your question our government is committed to empowering all women and girls across Ontario while we live in a province that values inclusion and equal opportunity we know that women and girls in Ontario still face many barriers women remain underrepresented in political and corporate leadership and in some key sectors of our economy we also know that racialized women Indigenous women immigrant women and women living with disabilities tend to experience even greater barriers across our province we also know that women experience a disproportionate risk of violence as well and one in three women will experience sexual violence in their lifetime and Indigenous women being especially at risk we also know that gender stereotypes and gender biases develop early and affect the choices of girls and women and these biases follow women into the workplace addressing these kinds of systemic barriers and gender biases is imperative for achieving full gender equality in Ontario carry on Speaker I appreciate the members response and the awareness of the problem my question is what are you doing about it women still earn 74 cents to every a dollar a man earns in this province Speaker suspending this legislation fits in with a larger pattern that we have seen with this government they have cancelled planned increases to rape crisis centres cut funding to the Ontario college of midwives and slash billions of dollars of funding from social services and children's services in fact the word beer was mentioned three times more in the last budget than the word women in Ontario Speaker can the premier name a single action that his government has taken to promote gender equality in our province and will he and his minister of finance commit to putting the budget through a gender based lens Minister sorry minister of labour thank you very much Mr. Speaker let me remind the member opposite she was part of the government that was in power for 15 years Mr. Speaker and on the eve of the last election in 2018 they decided to raise this issue Mr. Speaker but for 15 years do you know what this party did Mr. Speaker 300,000 manufacturing jobs were lost in the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker from southwestern Ontario were hundreds of thousands of jobs were lost Mr. Speaker many women's jobs were impacted Mr. Speaker our plan for everyone in Ontario is working 300,000 jobs have been created in 18 months Mr. Speaker for the first time in over 10 years wages are going up in the province of Ontario for women and men and Mr. Speaker for the first time in 30 years we have the lowest unemployment rate in the province of Ontario thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the associate minister of transportation transit is one of the biggest concerns of my constituents in the riding of Oakville people have been clear to me that they want adequate access to public transit so that they can get home and to work quickly and spend less time in traffic idling in their cars while they could be spending more time with their families I'm happy to hear that our government is making a commitment to build transit-focused communities which would add more homes and more jobs around transit stations can the minister please tell the house why it is so important to build transit-oriented communities in the GTA associate minister of transportation GTA thanks very much to the member for the question through you Mr. Speaker the greatest opportunities before the people in the GTA is building fast reliable public transit and more housing for people wanted the most near public transit on Tuesday we took a big step forward the minister of transportation tabled new legislation to build subway infrastructure faster as we make preparations to get shovels in the ground and build subways it's equally as important that we seize this opportunity to build stations the right way on January 30th Toronto City Council endorsed our memorandum of understanding for transit-oriented communities together in collaboration with the minister ministry of municipal affairs and housing we will be providing more transit and more homes the supplementary question thank you speaker and thank you to the minister I'm glad the minister and the government is committed to delivering transit-oriented communities and getting them built the right way building new transit stations with appropriate density and amenities for those who already live in the community isn't just good policy it's common sense especially for large municipalities like Toronto it's good to see some leadership on this file which will deliver more transit and more housing to things that all of us in the house we agree we need more of there are many reasons as to why this approach should be taken can the minister please inform the house of the great benefits that come when building transit-oriented communities around transit stations minister through you Mr. Speaker traditionally in the GTA stations have been built in isolation a lost opportunity through our transit-oriented communities program we will not only be bringing fast reliable transit to new communities but we will also be building communities around future subway stations the right way one thoughtful integrated approach transit-oriented communities will increase ridership reduce congestion create jobs a mix of housing and build complete communities based on good planning principles by living near transit Mr. Speaker you're not forced to buy a car for the auto insurance rates Mr. Speaker we are connecting people to places and making life easier and more affordable for the taxpayer thank you very much the next question the member for St. Catharines thank you speaker my question is to the Premier today we are joined by Kenneth who came all the way from St. Catharines Kenneth is a 72 year old senior who lives by himself in a one bedroom apartment in downtown St. Catharines he has lived in the apartment for over a decade but Kenneth's landlord is trying to evict him to undergo renavictions this is the second time Kenneth is faced with having to defend his home after the same company dropped the first claim throughout all of this Kenneth has been dealing with terminal cancer he just wants to spend the time he has left in his own home Premier why does this government think creating anxiety and doing nothing to protect vulnerable seniors like Kenneth from losing their homes to renavictions is okay members please take those seats the Attorney General thank you Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member opposite for raising the concerns of constituents we've heard concerns of their other constituents and others that they've brought up in the House we know that a house is more than a house a house is a home we know that's important to people there is a process in place there are rules in place there are rules to be followed and decisions to be made so without knowing the very specifics of that situation Mr. Speaker I can tell you this that when somebody is renovating there are rules around order let the property be upgraded and there are robust rules and they've been in place for some time so I'm happy to chat with the member about the specific concern and see if there's anything we can do of course if it's an active file we can't intervene in that thank you Mr. Speaker the supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker and I'm glad the minister will chat with me but I'd like him to give answers to Kenneth he will not be able to afford another 500 square foot bachelor apartment in his current building since new listings are doubled the price he is paying now since taking office this government has sided with developers time and time again they have done nothing nothing to make life better for tenants like Kenneth this government has scrapped rent control on new units by allowed rents to skyrocket and they have created an environment that encourages landlords to pursue aggressive and illegal renovations like the one that is happening to Kenneth and thousands of other people across this province Premier what are you going to do to help people like Kenneth and the people all across this province who are suffering from illegal renovations bullying politics members please take their seats the Attorney General part of this dynamic in Ontario is that we don't have enough rental housing this is part of the challenge and we are moving to fix that we need more spaces for people to rent we need to have places that people rent be up to standard it's critical that we have properties up to standard and sometimes you have to have a property renovated we are moving it up to standard and again I don't know the specifics of this situation but we do know across Ontario we are hearing from builders that they want to build rental housing stock but there's so many things in the way that's why the housing supply action plan is so critical 17,000 new units it is incredible what the minister of municipal affairs and our team has done so I look forward to creating more opportunity for people to rent across Ontario the next question the member for Hastings thank you Mr. Speaker my question today is for the solicitor general this Saturday February 22nd is human trafficking awareness day in Ontario this offers an opportunity for all of us in this house all sides to learn more and raise awareness about human trafficking let's be clear human trafficking is a crime the predominately affects young women and girls communities across this province and around the world indeed about two thirds of all reported cases of human trafficking in Canada are right here in Ontario Mr. Speaker we all have a role to play in combatting this issue and it's a cause that I was proud to champion while serving as the member of parliament in Ottawa and here in the legislature with all of my colleagues who are so engaged with this issue can the solicitor general share how our government is working with community leaders and partners to bring awareness to this disgusting crime the question the solicitor general thank you and thank you to the member from Hastings I know that you understand and appreciate how important this is but it is also critical that we share that information with all citizens in Ontario earlier today my friend and colleague the minister the associate minister of children, youth I attended a pop-up and it was hosted by Covenant House and Covenant House is raising awareness about human trafficking this is not just going to be led and solved through government intervention this is going to take multiple partners and when organizations like Covenant House today are stepping up and raising awareness about human trafficking it helps all of us because people need to understand how critically vile this crime is when the average age is 13 years old that's how old people are when they start to engage in and bring our young people into human trafficking so shout out and congratulations to Covenant House there are many other partners our premier and our government has made a commitment to tackle this heinous crime head on and I am very much looking forward to working with all of our colleagues hopefully on both sides of the house to bring awareness to it and ultimately shut down this crime supplementary question I certainly would like to thank the minister for her attention to this file and I'm sure that all members in this house will agree that raising public awareness of human trafficking is an integral part of protecting public awareness from exploitation however that awareness isn't just enough action is necessary that comes with the need to tackle the roots of the problem intervening early supporting survivors and holding offenders accountable Mr. Speaker that's no easy undertaking it's a momentous task and it requires very strong leadership that's why I was pleased that the Solicitor General and the Associate Minister for Women and Children were named co-leads in the development of a provincial plan to help combat human trafficking can the Solicitor General update this house on her progress to date Thank you our first priority we committed $20 million each and every year to services to support victims and hold offenders accountable this funding is a suite of investments that we are making to combat human trafficking and child sexual exploitation and end violence against women support victims of violence and exploitation and end gun and gang activity along with Premier Ford Attorney General Doug Downey and Minister Dunlop we recently convened a round table with key sectorial partners including law enforcement and victim services to share ideas best practices on how we can develop this plan I look forward to sharing more of those in the weeks and months ahead Thank you to member for Thunder Bay Attic Hoken Thank you Speaker My question is for the Premier Students and parents in my writing are very concerned about this government's cuts to education Pia Erichela is one of the many parents that have contacted my office she wrote to me and said the Ontario education system cannot continue to be cut and cut and cut as the years go on we are not going to develop a future society and workforce and we are not insured that the quality education is forefront in the provinces decisions and actions when will the Premier stop the cuts invest in education and invest in our children's future The question we responded to by the Minister of Education Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question Mr Speaker how we achieve an improved education system with better outcomes for the investments the taxpayers that this province are making is by ensuring it is modern by ensuring we are transforming it and aligning it with the labour market needs of our economy how we do that is ensuring that when we select educators in this province we choose the best teacher for the job we ensure that qualification tries over union seniority this negotiation how we maintain a good education system is by protecting in writing full day kindergarten in this province by ensuring the more money flows we provide in schools and curriculum in our kids not in heightened compensation for the second highest rate educator in the nation Speaker how we improve education is ensuring accountability for the student delivering more investment for our schools and our kids and that's what we are trying to do but first and foremost speaker requires a good deal that we are fighting for that keeps kids at class Supplementary question Thank you Speaker Back to the Premier Yeah like many parents across the north don't want to hear more talking points from this government what they want is a government to get back to the bargaining table stop the cuts and start investing in our children's future Pia went on to say the recent announcement about class sizes and online learning course requirements for high school students is the worst possible thing to happen for students in 18s do not have the necessary skills or discipline required to be successful on online courses they require face to face encouragement and connections to succeed in learning and I couldn't agree with Pia Moore Will the Premier commit to helping students succeed and reverse this government cuts Minister We are going to ensure our students succeed speaker by continuing to progress more than ever before in public education we are going to do that by announcing a four year math strategy to lift math scores after a decade of stagnation to the former Liberal government we are going to build new schools after the larger schools for closure policy in the history of Ontario we are going to demand better for the taxpayer, for the parent for the students of this province we are going to fight hard for merit to be the guiding principle with our kids do better that they have access to high wage good paying jobs, that's our vision that's our mission and the goal is to keep kids in class The next question My question is to the Minister of Infrastructure as you know there are more than 420 small rural and northern communities across Ontario almost all of these communities face challenges in building, maintaining and repairing critical local infrastructure such as roads, bridges water and wastewater systems investing in community based infrastructure projects helps these rural municipalities to tend to attract support and sustain economic growth and job creation Ontario's economy has thrived leading the country in jobs and economic growth every person in Sarenya Lampson and every region in this province can share in this prosperity with all of this house how our government is supporting small rural and northern communities across Ontario through investments to build, maintain and repair local roads, bridges, water and wastewater systems Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker and I would like to thank the member from Sarenya Lampson for his question As Minister of Infrastructure I often hear from municipalities that they need sustainable funding and reliable transit in their communities and that is why in November our government advised eligible municipalities about their total formula funding for 2020 through the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund This almost $200 million in funding will allow communities to move forward with critical infrastructure projects while providing flexibility to address their unique needs On January 17th the Premier Ford and I joined the TPP from Parisell, Muskoka to announce up in Muskoka the OSIF 2020 allocations for all 424 eligible communities With this funding we are working directly with our municipal partners who can choose where to invest their 2020 Community Infrastructure Funding Program Thank you Mr. Speaker Well thank you Speaker and thank you Minister for that information Minister I was thrilled to learn that over $6.1 million of OSIF funding formula funding was allocated to eight municipalities in my writing Among those communities in Sarenya Lampson receiving funding the City of Sarenya will receive nearly $3 million The Township of St. Clair will receive more than $1.1 million and the County of Lampson almost $1.1 million as well In addition the Village of Oil Springs the Village of Pointe-Everd the Township of Venice-Killum will receive almost $1 million in provincial infrastructure funding combined Can the Minister please explain how this important funding can improve the current condition of the aging infrastructure in the communities of Sarenya Lampson Thank you Thank you again Mr. Speaker This is an important question to ask for the member from Sarenya Lampson and you know what predictability and stability in community infrastructure funding is a long way for our small rural and northern communities We've all heard this from the Association of Municipalities Convention, from the Rural Ontario Municipal Association Delegations at our local agriculture fairs and whenever we have an opportunity to meet with our municipal partners Mr. Speaker the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund was carefully designed to directly address the local priorities of our small rural and northern communities who face unique challenges in getting infrastructure built The Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund is an excellent example of how formula-based funding helps all 424 eligible communities build maintain their local roads and bridges, critical water wastewater systems and providing the municipalities with their allocations in a timely manner Thank you very much The member from London West Thank you Speaker My question is to the Minister of Education Speaker, parents and students in my community are overwhelmingly opposed to mandatory online learning Lindsay, a London West parent said, our young people are suffering from greater anxiety, depression and suicide rates than ever before Why would we want them out of classes for the support of teachers and classmates? Brad, another London West parent told me my children have the right to be taught by a human being not a screen George, a grade 10 student in my writing wrote to me that teachers are required for our learning I can't count the number of times I've looked to a teacher for help Speaker, will the government listen to parents and students to plan to fire teachers and force e-learning Minister of Education We want to ensure that our young people have access to the competencies required in the job market We know, having spoken to for-profit and non-profit leaders in the economy that they say to us that technological fluency is a critical competency required to get access to the jobs of the future We agree Mr Speaker That's why we're offering a diversity of courses to students that in London perhaps would otherwise have access to those courses in that region We're offering a gold standard of courses We're also ensuring that there's exceptions built-in so that not all kids have to take those courses Mr Speaker, we're ensuring high-speed internet is at every high school in the province at the start of this program in September of 2020 and Mr Speaker the courses we're developing will not require internet in order to use them This is a program for every student It's a program to incent participation in the economy and to do to get our young people job ready for the economy of tomorrow Mr Speaker, one of the many things that this minister fails to recognize about its ill-advised mandatory e-learning plan is that it is fundamentally unfair to students whose families cannot afford high-speed internet at home This is from an email from Luke Blank a 29-year-old London West resident He said, quote, growing up poor meant that I didn't have internet access and didn't even have a home computer until I got a job to pay for it myself If I were faced with mandatory e-learning, it's almost guaranteed I would have flunked Mr Speaker, why is this government plowing ahead with a plan that will marginalize and further disadvantage low-income students Mr Speaker, we are driving forward with a plan that ensures that the best educators in the front of class that is a common-sense principle which we believe parents want us to champion at the negotiating table The best way to unleash the potential of students in London in every region of this province is to ensure that Merritt guides the hiring of our educators in this province in 2020 That is an expectation that parents have and it's one that we're prepared to meet This negotiation, we want to make sure that Merritt drives the decision-making and that ultimately the best educator is the one chosen to be at the front of their class That concludes our question period for today I hope it's a point of order Point of order Mr Speaker, I'd like to congratulate my sister Dr. Marta Brown and my brother-in-law Jesse Brown on the birth of the first child My nephew David Zev Brown and the first of the next generation of Babers and Bronze was born on February 13th 7 pounds, 7 ounces and at his brist and baby naming ceremony early this morning Mom and baby are doing great and I couldn't be happier Thank you Mr. Speaker That is in recess until 1pm