 And it is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thanks, Speaker. This morning, my first question once again goes to the Premier. Speaker, for months, Ontarians everywhere, businesses, health experts, everyday working folks, have been pushing for the government to answer basic questions about their COVID-19 response. Earlier this morning, we called for a judicial inquiry, a full public judicial inquiry, into the government's response to COVID-19. So will the government commit today to calling a full public judicial inquiry into its response to the COVID pandemic? All right. Thank you. You can apply for the government. Government House Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, we were very quick to ensure that there was a commission of inquiry into long-term care, Mr. Speaker. But obviously, we are still in the midst of the pandemic. And as I said yesterday, look, I appreciate that the opposition wants to declare victory and say that it's over and move to reopening. But, Mr. Speaker, our main priority right now, obviously, is going to continue to be the health and safety of the people of the province of Ontario. Look, with over close to 7.5 million vaccines in people's arms, great progress, Mr. Speaker. Very, very good progress. I'm excited that the numbers seem to be going in the right direction, Mr. Speaker, but it's not time to declare victory. We are going to double down and make sure that all of the people of the province of Ontario are safe, Mr. Speaker, that when we get this behind us, the economy can come roaring back, Mr. Speaker. And there will be plenty of time for the members of this legislature to investigate the progress of the pandemic. A supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely the right time for this government to commit to doing the right thing as other governments have already done. This is something that needs to happen here in Ontario, just like it needs to happen in many, many other parts of this world. Look, this Ford government promised accountability. They promised answers, but their track record shows exactly the opposite of that. They stonewalled their own long-term care commission and refused them the extension that they had asked for because they didn't want them to be able to do the job necessary. They promised an investigation into long-term care deaths that were caused from neglect, caused from dehydration that the Canadian Armed Forces discovered. They've ignored expert advice and claimed that they didn't. So will the Premier commit today to holding a full, public judicial inquiry into what happened with this government's response to COVID-19? And the government, how do you think? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As I just said, look, the Auditor General has taken a look. There's a commission of inquiry, Mr. Speaker, as well. But I think there still needs to be, obviously, there will be plenty of time for first and foremost the members of this legislative assembly to look at through its committees, to look at how the pandemic of the before, during and after, Mr. Speaker. Having said that, I will reiterate, I'm just not on the same page with the Leader of the Opposition when it comes to declaring victory over this pandemic, Mr. Speaker, there is still a lot of work that remains to be done. Huge progress has been made. Yes, absolutely huge progress. Seven and a half million vaccines into people's arms. Thousands of appointments being booked, Mr. Speaker. That is great news, but the job is not yet done. And for the members of the opposition to suggest a mission accomplished, Mr. Speaker, I just simply disagree. We're going to double down our efforts to make sure that all Ontarians are safe, Mr. Speaker, and that when we put this behind us once and for all, Mr. Speaker, we can put all that we need to to making sure that we unleash this economy like it was before the pandemic, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, I fear we're now looking at yet another failure of this Ford government to do the right thing in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have watched as this government has made the wrong decisions. There are lessons to be learned here and they need to be learned. This government needs to make a commitment to being very transparent and open and public about how this pandemic was managed. There was a preventable third wave. They walked us right into it because they ignored expert advice and 1892 more people passed away in the third wave. The long-term care tragedy is unspeakable. 4,000 people lost their lives. The impacts are going to be felt for decades on families, on businesses, on jobs, on people's mental health. We need to learn what this government got wrong, including why the Liberals and the Conservatives failed to learn the lessons from the SARS pandemic. We need to ensure that this never ever happens again in Ontario, so will this government commit to an independent judicial inquiry? That's the very least that Ontarians deserve. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and of course, we have had an auditor general's report. We've had a commission of inquiry into long-term care, Mr. Speaker, and that's right. The Leader of the Opposition of the Party, of course, were against that commission of inquiry. But look, there, of course, are going to be lessons to be learned, Speaker. Of course there are, and it is our responsible to make sure that we learn from the mistakes of the previous foreign liberal administrations that preceded this government, Mr. Speaker. But we were moving very quickly, in fact, because we knew some of the problems that the previous liberal government left us with, whether it was inadequate testing, whether it was the lowest ICU capacity per capita in North America, we were moving very quickly on that. There are other lessons to be learned too, Mr. Speaker, like why variants of concern have been allowed to come into this country through international borders, why the federal government hasn't worked with us after we've been pleading for months to close down our borders. Are there lessons to be learned? Absolutely. And the first place we can learn those lessons is through this legislature, through the members of this legislature, working through our committees to do so, Mr. Speaker. That's the first step. Thank you. The next question comes again to the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you for my next questions for the Premier. But this minister is absolutely wrong in his assessment here. But this question is now to the Premier, and it's regarding the Minister of Health's statement yesterday that a reopening plan is coming soon. We know that this government has a dismal track record of ignoring experts all the way along. In fact, that's exactly what led to the third wave being as bad as it was. Their reopening track record has caused us to be in the third wave, has caused this pandemic to be longer than necessary here in Ontario. It has cost lives. It has cost jobs. It has cost us businesses. So the question is, when will we actually see the plan? The Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you very much for the question. We have been very careful every step along the way, protecting the health and wellbeing of the people of Ontario and emerging from this third wave, even though we're starting to see the numbers go down, we're not in the clear yet. We still have very high numbers in ICU. Today, they're down to 735, but that still is very high. We know that we have to take very careful steps because the last thing that we want in the province of Ontario is a fourth wave. So any steps that we may take in the future will be based on sound medical advice from Dr. Williams and for other health experts that are advising us because we know that we cannot move too quickly. The variants of concern are still out there. Things can raise up very quickly. So we need to take very, very careful steps to emerge from this third wave when the time is right. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. That would be a really good change here in Ontario. That would be a really good change. This Premier and this Minister have claimed in the past that they've consulted with doctors, that they've listened to the experts. We've heard all of this before, but it doesn't ring true, Speaker. On November, in November of 2020, the government claimed that their colour-coded system was designed by expert advisers. That's what they claimed, that the system was designed by the experts. But the reality shows something completely different. Those very advisers rejected the government plan we found out after. They had actually rejected the government plan in February. The government ignored the science table advice while claiming that they were following it. In fact, the Premier said, and I quote, we've always listened to the chief medical officer and the health team. And the experts say that decision not to listen is exactly what brought us to the devastating third wave that we are still dealing with, Speaker. So why would anybody believe the Premier and the Minister of Health now? Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. Notwithstanding the comments made by the leader of the official opposition, our government has in the past and always will continue to rely on the advice of Dr. Williams and the other medical experts who are providing us with advice and recommendations. They are reviewing the science, data, and trends, along with collaborating with local medical officers of health. And they are looking at the indicators such as the epidemiology of the virus, the number of cases, the percentage positivity, the health system capacity, ICU occupancy, and general hospitalizations, public health system capacity, and of course, the rate of vaccinations, which I'm very proud to say, are now at over 7.4 million vaccines that have been distributed. 57% of the population of Ontario over age 18 has now received at least a first dose. All right, next supplementary. Now, Speaker, everyone knows that this Premier, this government, walked us right into the third wave because at every step, while he was insisting that the expert advice was being followed, those same experts were actually begging the government to change course. As a result, we now have 732 patients in the ICU today. And in fact, today, we've hit a horrifying milestone where now over 2,000 more Ontarians lost their lives to COVID-19 in the third wave. Those are parents. Those are children. Those are children who have been left orphaned. Mothers, fathers, wives, husbands. We need to get this right. We absolutely can't trust the Ford government, unfortunately, to do that. So the question is, will this government commit today to a reopening plan that is actually backed by science and that we can see for ourselves where it's come from so that people can actually trust the reopening plan because they certainly can't trust, Mr. We certainly can't trust this government and this premier to get it right. And hereby the minister. Thank you, Speaker. Yes. Member for Algoma, Manitoula. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the premier. Timmins declare a state of emergency on Monday in response to the recent rapid surge of COVID-19 cases, the bulk of them within Timmins itself. The Parcupine Health Unit has called upon the government to recognize Timmins as a provincial hotspot to ensure that vaccines and supplies are readily available for the community. They also need support to enhance capacity for testing and to set up a community isolation center. We are now seeing young, healthy individuals requiring hospitalization. This is really, really concerning for Northern Ontario. Will the government provide the support Timmins needs to respond to this surge of cases? And to reply to the minister of health. Speaker, and thank you to the member for the question. Yes, of course we will provide support in any situation where there is a hotspot emerging where additional resources are needed. We are watching this situation very carefully and we will provide the supports that are needed to enable the situation to be brought back under control. But with respect to vaccinations, I can advise that we are receiving over 2 million vaccination doses this week that we are going to be able to supply all of the public health unit regions, all 34 around Ontario, with significant volumes of vaccines so that people can be protected, young people and seniors as well and everyone in between. A supplementary question, the member for Key White and All. Speaker, back to the premier. We have to know that the geography of the North and limited resources make our healthcare system vulnerable, especially in emergencies. Remote and sparsely populated communities are far from healthcare. People in regions across the North have driven over hundreds of kilometres to get to their vaccines because it's not getting to all Northern communities equally. Our public health units are doing their best with limited resources, Mr. Speaker. Now, Timmons is in a third highest number of active COVID cases per capita in Ontario. They need resources, Mr. Speaker. Will you commit to getting those resources to Timmons what they need so their healthcare is not overwhelmed? Yes or no? Mr. Speaker, thank you to the member for the question. Yes, of course, we will assist Timmons if they require additional resources in addition to vaccines. If they need more support to deal with any outbreak, and we want to make sure that we can supply everyone who wants a vaccine with one, I would just also refer to Operation Remote Immunity, which was a big success in vaccinating our First Nations people on 31 fly-in communities as well as in Moussine. We want to get back to do the second doses as well, as well as to deal with young people ages 12 to 17 who can now be vaccinated with a Pfizer vaccine. We are committed to that, and we are going to be ramping up Operation Remote Immunity to go back again to finish the job. So thank you very much. The next question, the member for Willowdale. Thank you very much, Speaker. Thank you. Speaker, I continue to talk to frustrated Willowdale-ers every day who have made incredible sacrifices over the past year, but they're also very worried, and they're worried because of these variants of concerns entering Ontario, and we know for a fact that these variants did not originate inside of Ontario's border, Speaker. We also know for a fact that the majority of cases today of COVID-19 remain those variants of concerns, and so my constituents have a right to be worried, Speaker. And if we look to the example around the world of other jurisdictions and see what they've done, our nation cousins have implemented stricter border policies to stop the entry of COVID-19, and they've had great success. Speaker, I did read recently, however, that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has come under fire for not restricting travel from international hotspots sooner. So, Speaker, my question is to the Solicitor General. Can she share lessons from the UK experience that that would be relevant to stopping the spread here in Ontario? The Solicitor General. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for the member from Willowdale for continuing to raise this important issue because it's not going away and we actually need to deal with our federal cousins. The spread of variants of concerns is not just something Ontario is monitoring and raising the alarms about. As the member mentioned in the United Kingdom as an example, you cannot enter if you have been in or through any country on their red list 10 days prior. The British Prime Minister has indeed been under fire for not adding some countries to this list sooner. This delay, some have claimed, have caused unnecessary spread of the new variants of concern just as the UK was reopening. In Canada, we don't even have red list. We have a couple of blocked countries, but as we know, it takes only two mouse clicks to rewrote your flight with a layover in another country to flaunt the rule. In fact, travel sites do it for you. It's time for our country's Prime Minister to step up with stricter measures and our borders as well. Thank you. And the supplementary question. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you to the Solicitor General because that's exactly what I'm hearing from my constituents, is that frustration after putting in a year of sacrifice and affecting their lives in every way imaginable, you would think that our partners in Ottawa would have put in some safeguards to protect our borders by this point, this far into the pandemic, this far into the third wave, but they have not. And Speaker, it's not just international travel. I mean, McLean's article from last week said this virus just isn't flying into Canada. It's also on a criss-crossing tear inside of our borders, Speaker. And I think that most Ontarians would agree with that, that more should have been done by our Prime Minister. So back to the Minister. Can the Solicitor General's tell us more about the countries on the restricted list for the UK? Solicitor General. Absolutely, thank you. The UK actually has 40 countries on their red list. Canada has no countries that stop you from traveling to Canada. We only limit direct flights. The federal government does restrict direct flights from India and Pakistan, but there are no rules against rerouting through other countries. The UK, Australia, and New Zealand restrict travel based on where you've been, not what flight you take. As other countries talk of tightening up travel restrictions, Canada is actually mulling over lifting restrictions along our longest border. Ontario is taking all necessary steps to stop the variants. It's time for our federal government to do the same. Thank you. Thank you. The next question, the member for Kitchener Centre. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Yesterday, PCAB reviewed the twice-delayed application by Charles McVeedy's Canada Christian College. Conservatives have bent over backwards to help Charles McVeedy. This fall, in an omnibus bill, they buried legislation allowing him to turn his college into a university that offers arts and science credits. PCAB made a decision last night, and while we wait for the Minister's response, here's what we know. We know Charles McVeedy never shied away from using his college platform to attack LGBTQ2S communities, and he never shied away from using his college platform to attack Muslim Ontarians. And so through you, Mr. Speaker, and to the Premier, when will this government tell Ontarians that people who spew hate should never run universities? To reply, the member for Northumberland, Peterborough South, and Parliamentary Assistant. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for the question from the member opposite. Speaker, as we've said from day one, this government understands and respects the independent PCAB process. Speaker, it's because of that independent process and because of the educational experts embedded in that process that Algoma University is expanding its educational opportunities in the North for learners in the North. It's because of that independent process that OCAD University in downtown Toronto is expanding opportunities for students in the arts, embracing new challenges, embracing new learning techniques, Speaker. It's because of that independent process that we've seen Seneca pivot to offer programming for in-demand labor market needs, Speaker. And it's because of that independent process, regardless of who applies, that we've ensured a high quality of education in this province. Speaker, we will always, as we said from day one, respect the independent educational advice from the PCAB committee. Thank you. Sublimetric question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and back to the Premier. The McVeedy's quest to own a university should never have gotten this far. It never should have come to this. The Premier and this whole government encouraged Charles McVeedy at every step. They emboldened him enough to think he can build a bigger platform for his hateful rhetoric. As long as Charles McVeedy supported the Premier, the Premier had his back. And in the meantime, the Minister of Colleges and Universities refuses to invest in Laurentian. He won't speak out against McVeedy's hate. He's leaving post-secondary institutions to fend for themselves during a pandemic. So, Mr. Speaker, through you to the Premier, why won't the government reverse the legislation and stop wasting precious time and resources on people like his bigoted friend, Charles McVeedy? And to reply, the member for Northumberland, Peter Borosa. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, it's this government that's historically lowered tuition for learners in this province. It's government that's expanded mental health supports that stood with our universities and our publicly assisted colleges through the difficulty of this pandemic, providing additional funds to support learners. Again, Mr. Speaker, it's because of independent processes, independent of political influence, independent processes that have a rigorous review on student freedoms in the PCAB process, a rigorous review on organizational structure, a rigorous review on student supports, led not by politicians, but by educational experts. I find it ironic that all of a sudden now, the members interested in the PCAB process. It's that member that wanted politicians to make those decisions. On this side of the House, Mr. Speaker, as difficult as it is, we will always stand by the independent educational advice of the PCAB process, Mr. Speaker. We will respect it, and I would encourage the members opposite to do the same. Thank you. The next question is for the member for Ottawa Avenue. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Education. As I have worked to draft my private members bill that will be debated later on today, I have been hearing from many leaders in my writing and from across the province that have been working tirelessly to fight racism. As elected representative, it is our responsibility to work towards a truly inclusive province. To this day, they are children in our classrooms who cannot reach their full potential because of systemic barriers obstructing their success. Your ministry, Mr. and Minister of Education, as an equity education secretariat initiatives branch, but I haven't seen any initiatives lately, even given the important rise of racism incidents over the last year and more, can the minister provide some information regarding any recent initiatives to address equity issues in our schools? To respond to the Minister of Education. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, we both have a shared interest in breaking down the systemic barriers that really impede the success of young people in the province. It's why this government made a pretty significant bold step in de-streaming the new grade nine math curriculum, which will be unveiled shortly for the benefit of all children in this province, lifting up the performance of students in Ontario. It's why we've initiated just last week a over $300,000 investment to counter anti-Asian racism that is very much on the rise in this province and around the world. It's also, Speaker, why we took action to end discretionary suspensions of young children disproportionately impacting racialized and black and indigenous children. It's why we've mandated all trustees and senior board staff to undergo a human rights training to build that capacity and that culture within our schools of inclusivity and respect, something that I think the member opposite and I share. Thank you. A supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And again to the Minister of Education, the fight against racism obviously needs to be led on multiple fronts, but one of those has to be education. As the work towards a brighter future for our children, we must recognize that giving them tools now to understand equity issues and to participate to the development in equitable Ontario is something that we wish for our children. So as I am a firm believer that schools are the starting point to a better society, I ask, does the Minister support action to modernize our curriculum and makes cool paces where our children can learn and contribute to building a more inclusive and equitable province? Minister of Education. Thank you very much, Speaker. We certainly agree that this is a priority. It's why we tackled actions to really reduce those barriers well before the pandemic and during the pandemic, Speaker. We have urged school boards and accelerated the collection of race-based data and the public release of it to create accountability. We have to understand the problem by measuring it first. It's also why we've ensured that there's anti-racism and anti-discrimination training in all curriculum mandatory from kindergarten all the way up to grade 12. One of the, I think, most compelling case studies of supporting racialized children is making sure that they can see themselves reflecting their educators, which is why we abolished Regulation 274 to ensure equity, diversity, and yes, merit leads the way in the hiring of new educators in Ontario. Thank you. And the next question, the member for Willowdale. Thank you very much, Speaker. I'm still going to talk about Willowdale and it has to do with transit this time an election promise our government made to get Ontarians moving, specifically in the Greater Toronto Area, where transit has not kept pace with growth. And nowhere has that pain felt more than in Willowdale, which hit its provincial growth targets for 2041. It did that a few years ago, Speaker. And so it's finally time to get these subways built. And I'm so happy that Willowdale has got some excellent news last week with an announcement that the federal government has committed to funding a 28 and a half billion transit expansion plan. So, Speaker, this is really exciting for Willowdales, but they need more detail. So can the Associate Minister of Transportation tell us how these transit projects will achieve the promise of addressing the growth in Willowdale? Associate Minister of Transportation with responsibility for the GTA. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I think you can tell that I can't stop smiling when the member speaks about the subject. But, Mr. Speaker, a tremendous amount of work has been undertaken to advance the single largest build of public transportation in Ontario's history. I want to thank the Premier for his vision and Minister Mulroney for working so hard to negotiate a great deal for Ontario. It wasn't always easy, Mr. Speaker, but she successfully persisted. The funding commitment confirms the continued construction of our Ontario line, our young north extension, our three-stop Scarborough subway, and our predominantly tunneled cross-town west extension. These transit lines will reduce gridlock, which is desperately needed in the GTA, and especially right here in Toronto, so that people can get to where they need to go, and so that goods can move across the province very, very quickly. Mr. Speaker, this not only means we will be improving the quality of life for people here in the GTA, but we will be injecting the GTA with billions of dollars to our local economy here. Can you supplementary? Thank you, Speaker, and really excellent news for Willow-Dellers. I mean, Willow-Dellers are very familiar with gridlock, the challenges associated with that, the challenges associated with overcrowding on the subways, and so my constituents have been waiting for this news for a long time, and Speaker, we're almost there. I mean, I've had relatives visit from overseas, look at our subway map, and this is decades ago, laugh at it. For a city our size, we do not have enough subway service. That's a fact. So I'm looking forward to the next day where we have a spider web network of subways, and this is an important step towards that. So my question is going to be back to the Associate Minister. Now that this landmark expansion plan has funding attached to it from the federal government, $10.7 billion, can the Minister tell us how we're going to plan and develop it differently so that these projects will benefit generations to come? The member for York Centre will come to order. The Associate Minister of Transportation. Our plans are centered around building fast, reliable, transit, but Mr. Speaker, we also have a focus on building complete communities. Throughout this pandemic, Mr. Speaker, we have spent the last 14 months confined to our immediate neighbourhoods. Having gone through this experience together, we have learned a lot. We have learned about the importance of walkable communities, so that people everywhere, so that you can access everything that you need within a 15 to a 20 minute walk, in a grocery store or a pharmacy, Mr. Speaker, and also so that you can have easier access to employment centres across the city, so that you can travel to take care of your loved ones. Order. Mr. Speaker, this moment in time has presented us with a great opportunity and Mr. Speaker, we will not waste it. We are going to build transit and we are going to build complete communities. The next question, the member for Davenport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the city of Toronto's annual employment survey was released this week and the findings shine a light on the absolute devastation. Our largest city has suffered due to the painful and repeated lockdowns made longer by this government's failures. The survey recorded a 7.6% decline in total jobs, making it the largest single year decline since the survey was initiated in 1983. The end of 2020, a staggering 3,480 businesses had been closed. Speaker, the people of Toronto want to know why did the premier repeatedly ignore the pleas for help from small businesses who were being forced into evictions, gouged by insurance companies and left without the means to replace lost revenue? And to reply, the member for Willowdale and Parliamentary Assistant, the Minister of Finance. Well, thank you, Speaker, and certainly I recognize that small businesses in this province have been impacted greatly by COVID-19, and these are our job creators. These are where these jobs come from, Speaker, and that's why this government from the get-go from when COVID-19 began has introduced a series of measures from the beginning, most recently in a grant program that the member opposite has voted against, Speaker. The member has done no favours to these small businesses by voting against every support measure, whether that was hydro control, not just to get through this pandemic, but to position these businesses for success in the future. So, the question to the members, what has the member voted in favour of to support these job creators? Name one measure that the member has voted in favour of supporting small businesses. Let me tell you, the words of the member opposite are cold comfort to the small business owners who have lost everything this year, and to the nearly 120,000 workers who do not have a job to return to, those businesses are not coming back. In Davenport, we've lost cherished local businesses like Wallflower on Dundas West, starving artist on St. Clair, and Queen West's iconic LGBTQ bar, The Beaver. There's a tide of for lease signs, like no one has ever seen before all across this city, and those that have survived up to now are begging you to stop forcing them jumping through hoops to get a small business grant that barely covers their needs. Speaker, Toronto's economic recovery is absolutely essential to Ontario's economic recovery. Will the Premier finally wake up to that fact and fix this mess? Member for Willigale. So, Speaker, what I hear is that the member has not voted in favour of any of the support measures this government has introduced, not one, but I will remind the legislature and the businesses in Toronto also that the opposition did not put forward a single amendment through the budgetary process, the official channel through which to suggest further measures to support these small businesses, not one. Speaker, so now as we move through, and thanks to the efforts of our health minister, nearly half the population in Ontario has been vaccinated with their first dose. That means hope is indeed on the horizon, and we see those brighter days, and this government has positioned these businesses for success tomorrow as well, because it's not the end of 2019. Now the members voted against that as well, Speaker, but here's the thing for the small businesses. We're going to get through this, and despite the efforts of the opposition, we're going to position you for success. We're busy fighting this virus. We're busy fighting for small businesses. The opposition is simply too busy fighting this government. Next question, the member of Order. Order. The next question, the member for Orleanne. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My questions for the Premier. Mr. Speaker, May is Cystic Fibrosis for the last month. Now, Ontarians living with Cystic Fibrosis have waited too long for life changing drugs that could transform their lives. They're available in other countries around the world, but not here. Trikafta is a transformational drug that can treat up to 90% of Canadians with CF. The federal government is poised to end the review and provide recommendations by the end of June. In England, the National Health Service finalized negotiations with the manufacturer and agreed to fund the drug before regulatory approval. Ontario can do the same, Mr. Speaker. Will the government negotiate with vertex immediately so that once approved this drug can be prescribed to desperate CF patients as soon as possible? To reply, Minister of Health. Thank you to the member very much for the question. This is an important issue I know to many Ontarians. Trikafta has shown great promise as an effective treatment for Cystic Fibrosis patients, and this is an important step for CF patients to be able to access new drug therapies such as Trikafta in Canada. Our public drug programs look forward to continuing their discussions with vertex as Trikafta moves through the steps in the drug review process, which includes of course approval by Health Canada for sale in Canada, a review of the clinical and cost information through a health technology assessment, and finally reaching successful pricing negotiations with the PCPA, the Canadian Pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance. So it is working its way through the system. We are doing whatever we can to follow up and to work with vertex so that these products can be available to Cystic Fibrosis patients in Ontario. Supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My supplement is for the Minister of Health. Twelve-year-old Camille Rochon from Orleans is one of the many Cystic Fibrosis patients in Ontario whose life depends on timely access to Trikafta. Now, it appears, based on that answer, that Trikafta will be delayed by the same healthcare red tape that has delayed so many other groundbreaking treatments here in Ontario that are available in other parts of the world. Every day that passes without access to these medications means more sickness, more hospital visits, and even more death. Mr. Speaker, the Premier, his Minister and this Government has the power to get Ontarians with CF affordable access to Trikafta. He could help, and the Minister could help, the vast majority of CF patients have a brighter future. I know that the Minister wants to say yes. So just say yes. Will you ensure that Trikafta is available at an affordable price here in Ontario the moment it receives federal regulatory approval? Health. Thank you again for the question. Of course we want all of these new drugs to be able to be approved and to be able to be available for people, and I know that many people in the system. Cystic fibrosis community are looking forward to having this approved, but you will also know that there has to be a process to make sure that we take an evidence-based approach to the approval of these new medications by funding decisions that considers the clinical effectiveness of the drug, the safety, patient input, affordability, and effects on other health services. So of course I am as anxious as anyone else is to have these drugs approved because we want to be able to help people with cystic fibrosis lead war normal lives. I know that life is very difficult for them and I am speaking with my ADM in this area on a regular basis to understand where the system is and anything that we can do in the Ministry of Health to move things forward we certainly will do. The next question, the Member for Willowdale. Thank you Speaker. I know our government has been making long overdue investments into our health care system. These are investments that the previous Liberal government simply failed to make. Stop the call. The Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks will come to order. The Member for Ottawa South will come to order. Please restart the clock. Member for Willowdale. Thank you Speaker. These investments into our health care system also include of course the education of nursing students in Ontario and we've all heard the many stories of Ontarians who wanted to become nurses but were unable to find a program close to home or weren't able to get into a program even though they were qualified because of a lack of increased enrollment opportunities. Speaker, I'm proud that our government has taken the right steps to ensure that this changes, that prospective nursing students have more choices and improved access to excellent post-secondary training. Thank you Speaker. Can the Minister of Colleges and Universities tell us more details about what the government is doing to support the training of more nurses? Member for Northumberland, Peterborough South and Parliamentary Assistant. Thank you Speaker. It's always very exciting to rise in the House to talk about outside the box thinking and about leadership that this government is taking to invest in increased nursing spots for our next generation of nurses who have made a historic $35 million investment to expand nursing spots in this province. Speaker, it was the first expansion in nursing seats in over 20 years Speaker, 20 years the first expansion in nursing seats but what does that mean Speaker? For fall 2021 that means in our 2021-2022 cohort over 2,000 additional students of which 1,130 will be practical nurses over 807 870 RNs Speaker, we reach that number in close consultation with the sector reaching out proactively seeking feedback from our partners in the post-secondary sector asking them how many additional seats they can do and Speaker, it supports historic investments from this Minister of Health to end hallway healthcare and deliver better patient-centered care. Thank you. Thank you very much Speaker and I really appreciated that answer because in Willowdale nurses and students appreciate being close to home being able to study and work close to home so we look forward to continuing to care for our communities in the right way that my constituents want to see Speaker and this takes those investments but I know that we've also committed to establishing a nation leading 4 hours of care per resident in long-term care homes this is going to take a lot of PSWs as well and we've made significant investments there by supporting and training up to 16,000 at our private career colleges, publicly assisted colleges and school boards tuition-free now Speaker, I will say I was shocked to see the NDP critic for the colleges and university voice her opposition to the initiative to train 8,000 PSWs at our private career colleges I was also shocked to see that member vote against the $4.9 billion to establish that 4 hours of daily care per resident so Speaker, through you to the Minister, what is the Ministers or what Parliamentary Assistance reaction to the NDP's opposition to training more PSWs Member for Northumberland Peterborough Seth Thank you Speaker when we sit down with partners in the sector a commitment we make is to serve everybody in the sector and to work with all partners and leave no stone unturned and so it was deeply deeply disappointing to see the comments from that member opposite who would turn her back on our partners that train over 75% of PSWs in this province 8,000 PSWs that this government wants to bring into the system that are so desperately needed to care for our loved ones and what that member might be interested in learning is that of the 75% PSW graduates 65% are women and 50% are from racialized and marginalized communities so on this side of the House Speaker we're going to work with every partner in the post secondary sector not driven by ideology but driven by the need to work and leave no stone unturned to ensure that we deliver better patient centered care in the province of Ontario Thank you Speaker My question to the Premier we all know this has been a very difficult year for our kids they are pleading to let us play unfortunately the PC government just voted down our motion to safely reopen outdoor recreational facilities to boost mental health the Premier received a letter from athletics Ontario urging the government to follow the advice of his own health experts and immediately reopen outdoor sports activities they write we cannot overstate the mental health crisis facing our children on youth an Ontario soccer survey found that without youth soccer 40% of respondents reported feeling anxiety stress and worry so how is this government responding the Premier teased December camps will be open again he disappeared no plan on Monday the minister of health said today is not the day to reopen outdoor sports on Tuesday she said today is not the day today is Wednesday kids and parents are feeling enough anxiety they don't need to be held in suspense when we expect this government to start listening to them to apply the minister of health Thank you Speaker well in fact we do encourage people to be outdoors we do encourage them to go out and enjoy this great weather that's going to improve everyone's mood mental health and physical health as well by getting out to get some physical activity Premier tragically the devastating mental health crisis in the state of Toronto it's not going to happen it's not going to happen it's not going to happen it's not going to happen it's not going to happen Premier tragically the devastating impact of socialization on children's mental health is a full blown crisis this government's repeated failure to follow expert health advice has created problems for our kids that will not go away with the end of the pandemic in a CBC survey 92% of Hamilton teachers said that the challenges of this year will have psychological impacts on their students the team at McMaster's Children's Hospital the number of youth being admitted after a suicide attempt has tripled this year we have seen the devastating consequence of a government that never seems to have a plan Mr. Speaker, our kids are not okay they don't need more empty words we need a whole of government response how many kids in crisis is too many before this government will act Minister of Health we had just released a roadmap to wellness our comprehensive mental health and addictions plan for the province of Ontario which would provide a continuum of care across the system for people of all ages we have invested $175 million extra on that plan as part of our plan to build over $3.8 billion over 10 years more into our mental health and addictions plan we have also put $176 million into the mental health and addiction system this year and an additional $147 million to immediately expand access to the provincial mental health and addiction system for individuals and families in order to address the issues that many Ontarians are facing during the course of this pandemic we will continue to do more because we recognize that this pandemic has had significant response on many people and we are prepared to deal with that and we are going to continue long after the pandemic and we are building up the resources in order to be able to help people through this the next question is from member for York centre thank you speaker to the minister of health last Tuesday I suggested to the minister that it's astounding that almost all beds saved by cancelling surgeries are sitting empty surgeries of real patients are cancelled to save beds for computer modeled Covid patients the minister responded that the hospitals were closed for May 10 in Toronto the hotspot ICU occupancy was 81% with a goal of being under 90% acute beds occupancy was at 84% with a goal of being under 90% 2033 of our provinces ICU beds were occupied that's 84% ICU occupancy in Burlington 252 beds were occupied out of 335 beds that's 75% in Ottawa ICU capacity on May 10 was 66% I can go on and on my question to the minister of health she said the beds are not taking up by the computer models and are not taking up to preserve capacity she said the beds were full speaker why did she say our beds were full when the beds were not full and in some cases below the state of occupancy goal to reply the minister of health thank you speaker well as once again I can advise the member opposite that the beds are full that they are full we're still requiring patient transfers from one hospital to another in order to balance that load we still have 735 people in our intensive care units we are still dealing with the effects of this pandemic however I would also wish to advise that directive number two which restricted non-emergency surgeries has been amended to allow hospitals as long as they fall within the guidelines set out by the chief medical officer of health to continue doing start doing day surgeries to start working on that surgical backlog this is good news for the people of Ontario and I know that there are many hospitals that are going to be anxious to start with these surgical procedures and surgeries as well thank you for that in fact last year I asked the minister why did we cancel surgeries of ambulatory patients it made completely no sense they don't need a bed so thank you for restarting those speaker if the beds are full can you tell us what are the occupancy numbers she is the minister of health she can tell us what is the occupancy in Toronto today what is it historically what is the CCSO for Ontario today what is it historically if I'm wrong or misleading this house I stand to be corrected but speaker there is in fact a segment of beds that is full it's youth mental health beds yesterday the CBC reported that CHEO is overwhelmed by the increase in the number of young people needing mental health care and CHEO is looking to send teenage patients to adult hospitals like this before and that 50% of all patients visiting are now are seeking mental care so it appears some beds are full they are full with kids and teenagers suffering from mental health pandemic created by this government will the minister acknowledge the catastrophe caused by her lockdown policies on the mental health of kids and teenagers Minister of Health thank you speaker well certainly we know that there has been a fact on the mental health of everyone in Ontario as a result of this pandemic but we've needed to take the steps that we've had to take with respect to the lockdown to save people's lives that's why we're doing it to save people's lives we recognize the mental health effects we are dealing with that we're putting another 175 million dollars into the system this year we know that we've already put an additional 147 million in to deal with these issues they will continue post pandemic we're prepared to put whatever resources we need to into that to deal with these things but there's no question that this lockdown was necessary in order to stop the spread and save people's lives next question the member for London West thank you speaker my question is to the premier speaker on Monday health units learned with one day's notice that COVID-19 vaccine eligibility was opening up to everyone 18 years of age and over not surprisingly yesterday in London demand far outstripped supply with thousands of Londoners jamming the phone lines and the website to vie for limited appointments Middlesex London's medical officer of health Dr Chris Mackie said in no uncertain terms that our health unit has nowhere near enough vaccines for all the people in the new group speaker did this government do any consultation at all with local health unit so they would be prepared for this sudden change in eligibility order minister thank you speaker yes in fact we are in regular contact with the medical officers of health across this province we have conversations with them minister Jones and I two or three times per week so they were very well aware of this change well in advance of when it was coming they're also well aware of the numbers of vaccines coming into their area we can only make appointments for the vaccines that we have and this is going to be subject to supply in an ongoing basis we know that we have a large number of supplies that are coming in during the month of May and into June we don't have the figures post that but we can only book for where we have vaccines and I think the fact that we had over two hundred and seventy seven thousand people call in just yesterday when they the criteria expanded to age 18 indicates that people are anxious to have vaccines and we're very grateful to the people of Ontario for taking these up supplementary speaker the middle sex London health unit is ready to add appointments as soon as vaccines are available limited supply in mass clinics and in pharmacies has meant that London's vaccination rate is trailing the provinces despite Dr. Mackie's efforts to secure a reasonable supply of doses to vaccinate Londoners aged 18 he tweeted on Monday night a last-ditch effort this afternoon has failed to procure additional vaccine supplies for tomorrow's opening to adults 18 to 39 this means we have 24,000 appointments for about 135,000 people I'm sorry in advance for the frustrating situation of limited vaccine supply speaker London was overlooked in the initial pharmacy vaccination program and currently has no pharmacies administering vaccines why is this government continue to deny Londoners our proportionate share of doses minister thank you very much people first of all Dr. Mackie is doing a wonderful job in London with the rollout of the vaccines he's an important member of the team of the 34 local public health unit leaders that are rolling them out but London is receiving its proportionate share of vaccines we've reverted back to 100% distribution among the 34 public health units based on population based on risk and we will be supplying those vaccines to Dr. Mackie and to his team as soon as we receive them they have a significant allocation because of the 2.2 million doses that we're receiving this week and we will continue to make sure that London receives the vaccines it needs to make sure that the population can be vaccinated next question the member for Cambridge the federal government's public health agency of Canada has stated that their desire is to see Canadians go back to outdoor activities but only after 75% of those eligible for vaccines have received at least one dose something on terrains were permitted to do last summer before vaccines were offered the federal government's public health officer Teresa Tam has said indoor sports family gatherings and attending college university should resume only after 75% of those eligible are fully vaccinated in Ontario less than 3% have been fully vaccinated and Justin Trito has said the U.S. border will only open after 75% are fully vaccinated is this Ontario government basing its social restriction rules on the federal government's recommendations as 75% of the population being vaccinated before Ontario's draconian restrictions are lifted or does it have its own figure that it's working towards that I can reveal to the people of Ontario Minister of Health well of course we listen to the recommendations of health Canada to the recommendations of DASI we also listen to the recommendations of the medical advisers advising our chief medical officer of health on when this would be a safe plan safe time to exit the lockdown strategy there will be more information available very soon with respect to this but we need to factor in a number of issues not just the number of vaccines administered level of hospitalizations ICU capacity the R levels there are a number of factors that need to be considered and they come from a variety of sources supplementary in the United Kingdom society has reopened with 30% of the population being fully vaccinated south of the Canadian border where 37% of the population has been fully vaccinated things have reopened yet in Ontario we don't have a roadmap from this government as to when people can expect things to get back to normal is it 30% full vaccination 37% full vaccination or is it what the federal liberal Trudeau government wants 75% what figure is the Ontario government working off of and if it is the 75% figure what is the scientific reason for the figure being more than double other jurisdictions like the United Kingdom Minister of Health thank you very much well we are developing an Ontario guideline that will allow us to safely exit the lockdown when the time is right because the last thing we want is a fourth wave we have to avoid that at all costs it would be devastating for the people of Ontario and for the businesses of Ontario so we know that we need to proceed very very cautiously and that is what we will do but it will be based on the medical evidence the clinical data of Dr. Williams and the other medical experts that are advising us the next question the member for Spadina, Fort York thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the premier the City of Toronto announced last week that the C&E would be cancelled for the second year in a row and this is only the third time in its 142 year history that the C&E has been cancelled the other time was during World War II so with the second year of revenue lost City has said that the provincial government support is needed or the C&E may be closed forever so we all know how important the C&E is we know like for me my parents took me I took my kids my grandparents took my parents and this is a story that's repeated again and again across this province we all it's a 142 year history it's an iconic event in the province of Ontario so my question to the government is will the government commit to providing the financial support to make sure the C&E restarts in 2022 or will the government add to its legacy the permanent loss of the C&E thank you very much Mr. Speaker I know that the minister from cloud has been working very closely with all all representatives in that sector it's not just the C&E of course it's been a significantly difficult time for many of the people in our tourism and hospitality sector this is a sector that is as the member has highlighted I think that is so important to not only to the city of Toronto but when it comes to jobs and economic activity this is an incredibly important sector hundreds of thousands of jobs billions of dollars worth of activity Mr. Speaker that is why the minister of finance brought in a program to support the industries within that sector Mr. Speaker obviously there is more work to be done on that there were a lot of lessons learned in particular in Toronto coming out of SARS of how long it took that sector to recover the minister from cloud understands this and she is already working closely with that sector because without the revival of the hospitality sector the arts and culture sector in the province of Ontario Mr. Speaker this economy will not roar back it is too important to us and we will make a difference thank you Mr. Speaker I am glad to hear the government member recognizes the importance of the event and tourism industry to Ontario's economy and to our culture but they have also said a lot of important words about the importance of small businesses but they have let 20,000, 25,000 small businesses go bankrupt in 2020 before they finally introduce the small business support grant the supply to the CNE is just one example of the major events in my writing of Spadina Fort York whose futures are in jeopardy the Honda Indy Luminato north by northeast the Toronto jazz festival and so many other events attract millions of visitors to Toronto's waterfront each year but are at risk today will the government support the event industry in Ontario or will it allow iconic events like the CNE to die like so many other small businesses and local events during this pandemic and the government obviously look this is too important a sector for us not to all pay very close attention to it's not just the City of Toronto Mr. Speaker if I plug for my own hometown you know the strawberry festival in Stovall has been something that has brought so much economic activity to the downtown of Stovall it has been for the last year and this year coming forward I know that in Barrie the Elvis Fest is something that I loved and enjoyed across the province Mr. Speaker there are small festivals which might not make the headlines like the CNE but are so important to the hospitality industry and to the economies of small towns, villages and communities across this province it's not just the CNE it's a lot of jobs billions of dollars worth of economic activity Mr. Speaker and we are not going to lose that we are a government that wants this economy to come booming back and the arts and culture and attractions are an important part of that Mr. Speaker next question member for Ottawa just before the question period I would like to ask the Minister of Health about AstraZeneca doses and there's a lot of controversy about those doses sitting in freezers and that they're not going to be used and that some of them will expire so what I think Ontarians need to know especially those who've received AstraZeneca and those who are concerned about wasting those vaccines which we all agree would be the wrong thing to do so can the Minister let us know is there a plan will it be some information coming to us to let us know what's going to happen with those AstraZeneca doses that are in freezers right now Minister of Health Thank you very much for the question this is an important issue I know to many people who've received the first dose of AstraZeneca I'm one of those as well however we are waiting to hear from Dr. Williams on the effectiveness and any concerns that there are still outstanding with respect to AstraZeneca we do have some we don't intend to waste any of those doses but what will happen for those people with AstraZeneca either they will receive the second dose of AstraZeneca and there are indications coming from the UK that the VITTs the problems with that on the second dose are much less than with the first dose and that in the event we don't proceed with those AstraZeneca doses also from the UK there is evidence that it can be combined with an MNRA dose either Pfizer or Moderna that information from Dr. Williams and the medical team well in advance of any expiry date for those doses so nothing will be wasted. Thank you very much Thank you very much I would like an opportunity to correct my record I misspoke earlier regarding the loss of life in the third wave as of today we've lost 1,911 lives to the third wave and we're tragically close to the grim milestone of 2,000 lives lost in the third wave Point of order to the government house leader Yes, we could just to correct my record actually Elvis Fest is in Collingwood and not in Barrie there's lots of great things that happen in Barrie but Elvis Fest is actually in Collingwood Thank you very much Thank you very much there being no further business this morning this house stands in recess until 3pm