 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Good morning, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. This morning I filed a complaint with the Integrity Commissioner requesting an investigation into the Premier's actions surrounding their family fundraiser and his cozy relationship with developers. Will the Premier fully cooperate with this investigation? Spawn, the Government House Leader. Mr. Speaker. Look, I mean, it's been a rather... I'll be charitable and say an unimpressive start for the leader of the opposition. Look, we have some real challenges that this province is facing. And the drive by smear of the leader of the opposition, you know, tried this once. The Integrity Commissioner has said that there was no issue with it. The Premier has answered the question. So let's try another smear tactic, Mr. Speaker. Let's try bringing the family into it, Mr. Speaker. What we are going to do instead is continue to focus on the priorities of the people of the province of Ontario, Mr. Speaker. Building this province up, Mr. Speaker. While they continue to talk the province down, the achievements that we're seeing in the province of Ontario, we're going to do just the opposite. Build better roads, build better schools, build better colleges and universities. Give our workers more opportunity to succeed in the province of Ontario. Thousands of jobs are being created. Billions of dollars in economic activity coming right here to the province of Ontario. We'll focus on that. She can focus on the drive by smear, which accomplishes nothing for the people of the province of Ontario. A supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Back to the Premier. Yes, Speaker, we should be talking about the issues that are facing Ontarians. You're right. But how are Ontarians... Leader of the opposition has the floor. I believe yourself a round of applause. But how are Ontarians supposed to trust that this government, this government has their interests at heart with this cloud of suspicion hanging over them about this government and who has access to them? Ontarians deserve a government they can trust. Are there any other events or parties of this nature that the Premier or his staff have organised recently that may be worth also asking the integrity commissioner to investigate? Even in her own letter to the integrity commissioner, she has it by saying, of course, in my opinion, in her opinion, no facts, no real evidence, Mr. Speaker, just the member's opinion. Here is the opinion of the people of the province of Ontario. In June, they cast their ballot and the opinion of the people of the province of Ontario was that the PC government was doing the right thing for the people of Ontario that turned us in larger numbers for the first time in decades and reduced the opposition, Mr. Speaker. But what we're going to continue to do is focus on the priorities of the people of the province of Ontario. Just this morning I received a notice from a constituent of mine who is, you know, upset, visibly upset at the fact that her gas bill, a $300 gas bill, includes a carbon tax of $47. And she says in her email, how can I continue to afford to pay the cost of living when a $47 tax is added to my bill? What am I supposed to do? She said, I can't turn off my furnace. I can't afford to put solar panels on my roof. She says, continue to do what you got to do to fight carbon taxes to make life more affordable to people of Ontario. And that's what we'll do. Final supplementary. Speaker, I'm going to go back to the Premier again. And I want to remind this government that invitees at this fundraiser said they felt, and I'm quoting, browbeaten. And I'm going to quote again, dirty, dirty. After receiving fliers and emails requesting donations of $1,000 for the Premier's family fundraiser. Just this morning it was revealed that developers, insiders and government appointees also attended these events, this wedding. Our one guest is a lobbyist now working for a company pushing to build on Greenbelt land. And another received a paid provincial appointment just months later. Will the Premier commit now to sharing the details of which developers and which government lobbyists were invited to this event? Who approached them for funds? And what, if any, land deals or appointments were discussed? Let's look at what the leader of the opposition is saying here. She wants the Premier of this province to ask his daughter to table in the legislature the guest list to their wedding. That is what she is asking. It is absolutely, I don't even know what to say about that, Mr. Speaker. We have real issues in the province of Ontario. Not who went to a Ford family wedding, Mr. Speaker. We have constituents paying $50 for a carbon tax and have to try to decide whether they can heat their homes. I have a small business person, Daniella Pantaleo in Stova, who is saying she is seeing things that are changing. Order. And she wants the government to continue to focus on building the economy, Mr. Speaker. That's what we're going to do. I have meetings with constituents on Friday who want to come and talk to me about the ability to buy their first home. Some who have been looking for a very, very long time and are getting frustrated and want us to continue on the path. They've heard of our plan to build 1.5 million homes and they are coming to talk to me about how they can participate in the dream. Because you know what? They want to just like... Question. Once again, the leader of the opposition. Ontarians deserve a government they can trust, Speaker. They're not getting that. They don't trust this government. Order. Order. Leader of the opposition. Ontarians deserve a government they can trust. Nurses. Nurses in this province deserve a government that values them. Speaker, healthcare is a tough but rewarding profession. Healthcare workers deserve our respect and our admiration. But in Ontario's healthcare system today, they are simply not receiving it. Nurses have felt undervalued for years. In January, they started bargaining a renewal contract with the Ontario Hospital Association. Their main demands are very reasonable. Ensure better staffing and wages so that Ontarians get the care they need when they need it. Will this Premier finally show that he values nurses and healthcare professionals by raising their wages and negotiating a fair contract? Minister of long-term care. I think, Mr Speaker, we have shown just how much we value nurses across the province of Ontario. Order. I think in her own answer, in her own question, she highlights what we're doing. We're negotiating with nurses with respect to their contract. But at the same time, Speaker, I hope the leader of the opposition will think twice about the NDP's previous lack of support for what we're doing in healthcare. Billions of dollars of healthcare investments. I know in Niagara Falls, in Niagara, a $3 billion commitment to building new hospitals in Niagara Falls. Now, Mr Speaker, there will be more nurses in that hospital, there will be more doctors. But the NDP do not support that. 60,000 new long-term care beds across the province of Ontario. The NDP does not support that. A new medical hospital in Brampton, they don't support it. Two new medical universities, they don't support it. Thousands of new nurses that are being brought online because of the hard work of the minister of colleges and universities. They have not supported that, Mr Speaker. So, in addition to paying our nurses and the negotiations that are happening, I hope that they will consider voting in favour of the billions of dollars of healthcare. Thank you. Supplementary question. Billions of dollars of un... that have remained unspent on healthcare. 4,000 hours of ER room closures. That's the story of this government. Speaker, this government claims that they're bringing in new healthcare workers, but never talks about a plan to actually keep them in the profession. Thousands of nurses are leaving. Instead, they've suppressed nurses' wages, ignored their concerns, and now they're set to force more of them out of our public hospitals and into for-profit clinics. Speaker, it is a sad state of affairs in Ontario when Ontario's nurses have become one of our most valuable exports. Will the government act today to address the working conditions and wages of nurses and healthcare professionals so we can keep them here in Ontario? How rich coming from the NDP, right? This is an NDP who had the opportunity to govern this province once, and what did they do? They laid off thousands of nurses across the province of Ontario. They held the balance of power under the previous Liberal government. Did they support new hospitals? Did they support long-term care? No, nothing. Not a peep, Mr. Speaker. We have brought in incredible resources to build our healthcare system, Mr. Speaker. We are investing in hospitals in every part of this province, north, south, east and west. We're tackling the divide that used to exist between urban, rural medicine, Mr. Speaker. We are balancing the budgets between our small and medium hospitals and the large hospitals. We are educating more nurses in the province of Ontario than has ever happened before. We're bringing more doctors into the system. We're building new hospitals in Brampton, Niagara. We're building new hospitals in Ottawa, in Windsor, all over the province. You know why? Because nurses have told us, A, they want to work in new facilities that respect the work that they do. And that's why we're making those investments. Now, what the Leader of the Opposition can do is vote in favour of any of them. The final supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. Nurses have been fighting for years for better wages and working conditions. But instead of supporting them, the government has tabled an unconstitutional law to put a ceiling on their wages. They have forced nurses out of the profession. That's what the crisis looks like right now. Now, why will the Premier not admit that Bill 124 was a mistake and to support nurses and keep them in the province, you have to pay them a fair wage? We have made a number of investments in health. We started in 2018 to invest in our hospitals in all the long-term healthcare. Each time we made such an investment, the opposition had an opportunity to vote in favour of this. But in fact, they voted no. They voted against all these investments and initiatives. And now the Leader of the Opposition tells us that they support these initiatives. But we had the opportunity many times under our government to build for the future. And the Leader of the Opposition had the opportunity to support this government, to support the healthcare system, to support long-term healthcare. But I think, Speaker, that the NDP leader is going to do exactly what they've always done, voting against all these investments. Our government has acted in favour of our healthcare system to build a new healthcare system for the entire province, for all Ontarians. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health. Medicare is a program that defines us as Canadian as Ontarian. With Medicare, care is based on our needs, not on our ability to pay. Canadians and Ontarians are good people. We care for one another in good times. And we care for one another in times of need, sickness or injury. Medicare is something that every Ontarian is proud of. Every Canadian is proud of. But Bill 60 puts all of that at risk. Speaker, why is the Ford government destroying Medicare? Member for Eglinton Lawrence. Mr Speaker, the opposition's objective is fighting change. Our objective is improving Ontario's publicly funded OHIP-covered services for patients. As journalist Kelly McCarland recently stated, the opposition's approach, quote, is a big reason that healthcare in Canada has reached a cliff edge. Even as cries for improvements go up, any effort to change the system that clearly isn't functioning effectively is met by an avalanche of objections from organisations in the arts of delay and obstruction, convinced only their initiatives and remedies are acceptable and only if implemented as they prefer. Alarmism and obstructionism got us where we are now. And if it has its way, we'll be stuck with the crumbling system for years to come. That is not good enough for this government. We are taking action to improve services for patients. The supplementary question. Mr Speaker, the government is inviting private for-profit investor-owned corporations into Ontario's healthcare system. The body of evidence is strong and well supported. The government's actions will lead to investors making hundreds of millions of dollars off of the back of sick people. I'm really sad to stand witness to this destruction of Medicare. Speaker, why is this government bound and determined to destroy Medicare? Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Recently, a constituent from Thunder Bay Superior North wrote to my colleague from Thunder Bay, Atacocan, and said the following. I want to write to you about my successful surgery. Quote, Premier Ford is absolutely correct about getting the private medical clinics and hospitals involved to ease the backlog of surgeries. Had it not been for the private hospital I had my treatment at, I would still be dealing with the pain and suffering of my medical issue. I got the surgery done in two months instead of having to endure the pain and suffering for an additional 18 months. All options should be on the table. Options for the benefit of the patient and not the political agenda of the other political parties. In fact, the NDP suggested I go to a private hospital. That's the Scholdeis Hospital in Thornhill. Full speed ahead with this caring legislation. At least the PCs are concerned with my well-being and others like me. Sincerely, Mr Speaker. Member for Mississauga Mall. Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Mr Speaker, Mississauga is home to large knowledge-based industries, including advanced manufacturing and life sciences. Talented and vibrant residents know that Mississauga's competitiveness in these industries cannot keep growing on a business as usual trajectory. After 15 years of anti-business liberal government policies, we saw 300,000 benefaction jobs leaving this province thanks to this government's job creating friendly policies. We have seen increased on terrorist competitiveness in creating 600,000 jobs since 2018. Minister, my constituents want assurance that this government will continue attracting new investments and showing the world that Ontario is not just open for business. Ontario is ready for business. Speaker, through you, Minister, please explain what the government is doing to continue creating good jobs and attracting investments to Mississauga. We will apply the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Speaker, by reducing the cost of doing business in Ontario by $7 billion every year, we've shown that Ontario is open for business. Now, we're attracting record investments and record jobs. $17 billion invested in the auto sector, $3 billion invested in life sciences, $1 billion of dollars invested in the tech sector. And our support for Mississauga's world-leading advanced manufacturing sector has never wavered. Mother Parkers recently announced their $33 million investment in Mississauga. Now, they're a made in Ontario success story. They're going to be producing private labeled coffee and tea for the world's largest retailers and restaurant chains. They will be creating new jobs, new markets, making cold coffee and tea extracts in a brand new manufacturing facility that we were pleased to support them with a $5 million investment. That's what we're doing to attract investments and jobs. Thank you. The supplementary question. Thank you, Minister, for that answer. Mississauga's economic prosperity has been made possible as a result of this government's success in supporting our businesses and bringing thousands of manufacturing jobs back to Ontario. I want to take a moment and thank the hardworking workers of Ontario. We could not have achieved the success without your hard work. These investments that the government has attracted have been transformational, protecting Mississauga's standing as a Canadian pinnacle of innovation. These investments have raged across tech, aerospace, life sciences, chemicals, even the auto sector. That's right. Mississauga will play an important part of this province, EV revolution. Through you, Mr. Speaker, Minister, further through these investments, can you please highlight how our government is going to support Mississauga's entrepreneurs as well? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Good economic development. Our investments are game changers for Mississauga. We supported Cyclone's $21 million aerospace investment where they reshored 60 jobs from facilities in the U.S. We've helped numerous Mississauga auto parts manufacturers through our Ontario modernization program to join Ontario's new auto and EV revolution. We invested in Mississauga's life science sector by supporting borough pharmaceuticals, two and a half million dollar project to reinvigorate their development capacity and create new good-paying jobs in Mississauga. We've helped Mississauga businesses get online to the digital transformation grants. In addition, Mississauga's Small Business Enterprise Centre receives $420,000 annually so they can supply entrepreneurs with all the tools they need to be successful. And that includes $112,000 to help students and young entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground. We're building Ontario, Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. When the Minister of Education promised a normal, stable and enjoyable school year, he forgot to mention the asterisk that said, kids with accessibility needs not included. Every day, children with disabilities are being sent home because there is no EA available to support them. Kids like Desmond, whose mom has to keep picking him up and hoots Paradise Elementary School on Hamilton because of an EA shortage. Why is the Minister of Education refusing to provide the supports children need to be at school? The Minister of Education. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member opposite for the question. We believe every child has a right to be in school without disruption right to June and I hope the members opposite will advance that principle. As we carry on our negotiations with teachers over the coming months, but for children with special education needs, we increased the budget this year by an additional $90 million. The special education budget is now at the highest levels, ever recording on trail history. Now, I appreciate that we have longstanding challenges of staffing. It's why this progressive Conservative Government has hired 7,000 additional education workers since we came to office in 2018. We know there's more to do. For mental health, for example, we increased funding by 420%. And I appreciate that there are challenges within our school boards. We expect response to have the staffing in place to support our kids. It's insulting to tell parents that you're making historic investments when you're underfunding education so badly that there are parents who have to sit outside of their kids' school every day just to help their kids use the bathroom. Like Sumi Said and Hamilton and Collette Cousins in Toronto deserve to have the supports they need and parents needing to sacrifice everything to keep them at school. So why won't the Minister of Education commit to adequately funding education and making sure every kid who needs an EA gets one? We agree that children with special education needs need to have the supports in place. It's exactly why we hired 7,000 additional education workers in the province of Ontario. It's why we've hired roughly 900 additional educators since starting office in 2018 outwithstanding to the member's opposite that enrollment, when it comes to children, have actually remained flat the increase of staffing has still taken place. With that said, the member speaks about the need for funding. It is this government that has increased funding for this current school year by $683 additional million dollars for publicly funded schools. That's a 2.7% increase. More funding for school boards. More funding per child. More funding to every community. We recognize there's more to do. We're working across party lines to continue to ensure children have the best education system possible and the kids are able to graduate and get a good-paying job in this province. The next question is for Markham Unionville. My question is for the Ministry of Education. Canada's economy and indeed the world's economy is changing and innovating every single day. Many technical and digitalized jobs in demand today may not have even existed a generation ago. The knowledge and skills previously required for work must reflect and adapt to meet our future needs. Parents want assurance that our education system is keeping pace with the ever-changing future job landscape so that the children have the best possible chance and obtaining good jobs will continue to enable stable paychecks. Can the Minister please explain that our government is doing to ensure Ontario's curriculum is providing students with forward-thinking skills for the job of the future? Thank you. Minister of Education. I want to thank the member for Markham Unionville for this question because we recognize as progressive conservatives that the world is changing, the market is changing fundamentally to ensuring that we have the skill labour needed to fuel our economy and yet this course, this curriculum was last updated by the former Liberals in 2008 when smartphones when automated vehicles, the rise of social media had taken hold and yet it was not reflected in the skills and the curriculum children were learning within our schools and so we've now updated technical education curriculum for the coming school year which will include a focus on artificial intelligence and will include a focus on cyber security on the advancement of automation in sectors from advanced manufacturing to agriculture to construction this will help ensure we have a highly skilled workforce that our economy needs Mr. Speaker, we graduate 65,000 STEM graduates a year and even still there are 17,000 vacancies today in computer and information system professionals This advancement will help support our kids and give them the competencies they need to succeed and the ever-changing economy around us Supplementary question Thank you Speaker and thank you to the minister for his response Knowing that students will learn about increasingly critical technological concept is encouraging the much needed changes to course content will certainly reflect the knowledge and skills that are necessary for career and occupations that are emerging across many sectors What is also true is that many jobs in the skilled trades are currently unfilled and the vacancy rates continue to rise by the day The reality is that Ontario's population is growing rapidly and workers for many occupations are desperately needed to build infrastructure and housing Speaker, can the minister please explain our government's plan to connect students with in-demand skilled trade jobs Thank you Speaker Thank you very much We want Ontario students to be not just the users of technology but the creators of technology in this country and that's why we've updated the curriculum with a real emphasis on life and job skills on reorienting the curriculum around the labour market needs that are going to help these young people get a good paying job to own a home and to live a life of dignity and purpose in this country We do need more skilled labour We need them to fuel the economy to improve our lives It's why we've expanded the dual credit program just in December A significant increase We're talking about roughly 24,000 students are benefiting from this type of investment that's going to help them to reach ahead courses and really take courses in high school allowing them to graduate and complete their studies in college We've expanded the specialist high skills major program which allows students to gain credits in high school 15,000 students that are participating in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program All of this is designed to give them a leg up and a competitive advantage to get those good paying jobs to the future speakers Next question Member for Niagara Centre Speaker through you to the Minister of Health Back in April all parties in this house supported my motion to keep full emergency department services and acute care services at the Welland Hospital Yet recently folks across my riding in Welland, Port Coburn, Thorald and Pellum were shocked to learn that Niagara Health is permanently removing after hours emergency services in Welland as of February 27th next week So if someone in need of emergency surgery shows up at the Welland site they'll be put in an ambulance and sent to another hospital What specific steps will this government take to stop these cuts and uphold my motion to ensure that full services remain at the Welland Hospital so that families in South Niagara can receive an equitable access to health care Parliamentary system, Minister of Health and Member for Eglinton Lawrence Speaker we know that the status quo isn't working like the rest of the health care system emergency departments across Ontario have been experiencing significant health human resource challenges Our government is taking action launching the largest health care recruitment, training, retention initiative in the provinces history and our emergency department locom program averted over 1900 closures of emergency departments in 2022 Building on the 12,000 new nurses registered to work in the province last year, our government is investing in a range of initiatives to attract, train and retain more nurses and get them into our health care system including our learn and stay program We're working hard every day to make sure that we have the health care resources and staff that we need to deliver services across Ontario Please supplement your question Speaker if the well-in-hospital were to lose these life-saving services the nearest hospital to offer them would be the Niagara Falls site which is half an hour away by ambulance That does not include the time it takes to load the patient into the ambulance processing, stabilisation and offload delays by EMS which are currently in crisis across Niagara As many frontline doctors and nurses and medical professionals made clear to me that this will almost certainly result in avoidable deaths for patients who need to be in an operating room within the hour, for example with a burst appendix Is this government willing to leave the people of South Niagara without timely access to life-saving care or will the minister honour my request and meet with me immediately to resolve this dangerous situation The parliament's assistant Member for Niagara West Thanks to the member for Niagara Centre for raising this issue and I think it's important to consider the reason for so many of the investments that we're making into the province of Ontario and into the Niagara region to address the health care concerns of constituents in all of our ridings and also to ensure that we're building up a health care system that meets the needs not only of communities that are large and urban but also smaller communities such as those also in southern well-in and that's why our government has introduced measures to not only increase the amount of nurses but we've doubled the nursing program at Brock University going from 300 nurses to 600 nurses including 5 other nursing programs across the province we've launched 2 new medical schools to ensure that we're graduating hundreds of new doctors who are able to provide the services that are needed but where was the member opposite when it came to funding these important investments to ensure that services were being made across Niagara and Ontario nowhere to be found voting no every single time when it came to the health care system where the government is going to get the job done for the people of Niagara and for health care across your riding and mine next question the member for Ottawa thank you my question is to the Attorney General I think everybody here can agree that human trafficking is a terrible crime when the victims become survivors they need to be able to rebuild their lives and it takes a lot of resilience to come out at the end of the tunnel to move forward with hope however survivors of human trafficking often encounter one significant barrier when trying to move forward with their lives and that is having to defend themselves against debts that their traffickers incurred in their name in fact these debts have the effect of revictimizing the survivors because these debts damage their credit and are real barriers to moving forward and be able to leave their past behind BL 41 proposes to address this important issue by stopping the collection of these debts and the publication of such information on consumer reports this government has taken steps to address human trafficking in the past and this one there is one more opportunity for you to stand in solidarity with survivors of human trafficking will the government support BL 41 tonight at second reading and help ensure that the controlled traffickers exert over their victims is severe for good the Attorney General thank my friend for raising this very important question and this very important area that we're all focused on and I want to give special shout out to Laurie Scott the MPP Mr. Speaker she was on this file she was on this problem long before this government was even elected Mr. Speaker when we were sitting in opposition she was driving forward change and she's made change after change after change and help educate people about what's actually happening in our communities with this heinous crime Mr. Speaker I want to say that we're following Laurie Scott's lead that we're engaged in this bill we look forward to the debate tonight and I'll answer more in the supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker I do look forward to hearing more well BL 41 is an excellent step forward in the fight against human trafficking and will ensure victims are better supported as they move forward it is only one step more works needs to be done which not only focuses on enforcement but also puts in place preventative measures to keep our young people safe and supportive measures to help survivors move forward we must do more to educate our young people on ways to recognize and avoid dangerous situation that could lead to them being trafficked we must do more to ensure survivors are supported as they heal from this traumatic experience and rebuild their lives my question is what is the government going to do to hear the voices of the survivors that know the solutions to prevent human trafficking from occurring and to better support survivors as they deal with the impacts of the crime the Attorney General we're taking a multi ministry approach there are five different ministries engaged in combating this heinous crime we've put significant resources into battling the people who are perpetuating this and of course supporting those who are victims of it Mr. Speaker, we have done small things like making sure and smart serve that they have embedded training programs for those in the front line that are most likely to encounter those involved in human trafficking we're doing big things like investing tens of millions of dollars to support victims of this crime Mr. Speaker, I'd like to point out that Laurie Scott who I mentioned in the first part of my answer is actually co-sponsor of this bill this evening so I look forward to her words and to the others as we move forward to continue to combat this very heinous crime Mr. Speaker, next question the member for Sousa Marie thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern and Development last week the Northern Ontario Farm Innovation Alliance NOFIA had their annual conference in person for the first time in several years the conference presented an opportunity for farmers, stakeholders and industry experts from Northern and remote communities to gather and discuss ideas for the agri-food sector Farmers are a critical component of Ontario's economic strength with their hard work and their dedication our communities and our province would not thrive Speaker, can the Minister please explain what our government is doing to support the hard working men and women of Northern and remote agri-food sector Minister of Northern Development Minister of Indigenous Affairs I want to thank the honourable member for his question Mr. Speaker Northern Ontario Farmers Feed Cities and increasingly our vast region is in play for Canada's agri-food agriculture sector in a meaningful way I could feel the palpable enthusiasm we shared with the people of the Northern Ontario Farmers Innovation Alliance around some of the work that the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund is doing with the tools Mr. Speaker to be a major player in agriculture and agri-food production in Canada Mr. Speaker we're expanding capacity lengthening the ability for seasons with farm technology we're investing in tile drainage in Thunder Bay with the agricultural research group Mr. Speaker we're creating terminals in places like Rainy River in my riding Mr. Speaker which have allowed Rainy River to become the largest canola and corn producer in Northern Ontario these are real developments Mr. Speaker that are putting our agri sector in Northern Ontario at the top of the list is destinations Mr. Speaker for farming thank you supplementary question thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you very much to the Minister for your response it is clear that the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund is providing much needed leadership to the sector in the north under the previous Liberal government many of our farmers from Northern and remote communities felt like they were not respected seeing the Minister engaging so collaboratively with this vital industry is incredibly encouraging Northern agriculture is vital to the strength and success of our province's economy Speaker with Northern farms generating over 230 million dollars in revenue including the number of individuals joining this sector Speaker can the Minister please explain how changes to the NOHFC will better support the agri food industry across the north as well as helping new farmers to enter into this sector Mr. Northern Development Mr. Speaker I got called the exhausting for a heritage fund in their region but anyways Mr. Speaker I want to recognize another important aspect of agriculture and it's very near and dear to me and it's important I know to the member for Kiwetnung and that is food security and food sovereignty for our Indigenous communities whether Mr. Speaker they're in the southern part of Northern Ontario or in isolated communities we're working with no less than four or five Indigenous communities on really serious and important agriculture projects Mr. Speaker I promise to the member from Kiwetnung that we would work with April McKay Weiwen First Nation as she grows out her community gardening capacity Mr. Speaker teaching young people how to operate community gardens the abatung and agriculture technology and storage Thessalon First Nations BioCenter Mr. Speaker and of course we appreciate the work being done in Wequimacung First Nation Mr. Speaker on some other farm we're going to be there for Indigenous communities Mr. Speaker the entire north has a strong presence in the agriculture footprint of Canada Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker and good morning my question is to the Premier nurses across Niagara are braving literally an ice storm to rally in St. Catharines today their message is quite clear it is time to stop calling nurses heroes while supporting unconstitutional legislation that is making havoc on the staffing crisis 60,000 nurses across Niagara and Ontario are negotiating their first contract since working through a global pandemic Mr. Speaker through you to the Premier will you commit to today and direct the Ontario Hospital Association to compensate nurses fairly so Ontario is able to recruit and retain nurses during the staffing crisis Well Mr. Speaker we'll allow the Ontario Hospital Association to continue its negotiation with our nurses Mr. Speaker I think that's the right thing to do at the same time we're not going to stop calling our nurses in front line workers heroes because that's what they are it's not just during a pandemic it is all the time we've always felt that they are we will continue to thank them for their service Mr. Speaker we'll continue to do it by building investing more in healthcare across the province because we think that's the right thing to do because you know healthcare it's not just about people and making our communities better and providing better service for people it's also about building a better economy so when the Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade goes out there to sell Ontario he can sell the investments that we are making in healthcare opportunity another reason why to come to Ontario when we build broadband across northern parts of Ontario it is another opportunity so no we will not stop calling our front line workers and nurses heroes because that's what they are and we'll respect them by investing in those services A supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker again through you to the deputy house leader I guess 600 vacancies in the Niagara health system it was heartbreaking to hear of a nurse who sat and cried at her desk because she was put in charge of a floor over 30 patients in her unit despite only being one year out of nursing school she was somehow the most senior staff member at the time I have heard too many stories like this this is far from normal nurses working in under staffed hospitals right now are counting on us Speaker through you to the deputy house leader can you explain to nurses across Ontario why you are willing to commit public dollars to private for profit clinics commit public dollars to pay lawyers fees to appeal bill 124 before you are willing to compensate nurses fairly so we can end the staff crisis and shorten hospital wait times mind the members to make their comments to the floor and to respond on behalf of the government the minister of colleges and universities Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for that question and we are making record investments in healthcare in Ontario and that starts with a high caliber education at our world class education facilities here and we are ensuring that we have more nurses now as a stand-alone nursing program as well as multiple colleges across this province are now able to offer nursing programs closer to home to ensure that students who are practicing and learning at those universities and colleges are also working in those communities we are making investments that you continually do not support us record investments in more registered nurses more PSWs stand-alone programs our new program to again ensure that we have students who will learn and stay in those communities but it's we are seeing record numbers of students who are wanting to get into the profession and that's because of the investments being made in new health in new hospitals in new long-term care centers we have our new Brampton medical school our Scarborough center government ensuring that more students are wanting to get into the health human resources field thank you yes and once again I'll remind the members to make the comments through the chair the member for Halliburton Quarthier Lakes Crop my question is to the associate minister of transportation many people in northern Ontario know the difficulties of winter weather and how they can create travel conditions that make it hard to travel to Toronto from rural remote and northern parts of our province in the past many individuals and families in northern Ontario relied on this service provided by the north lander train system to help them individuals would use this service to visit their families attend medical appointments conduct business trips and for work but unfortunately the previous liberal government that was supported by the NDP party did not believe this service was important and cancelled passenger rail service between Toronto and our government needs to demonstrate leadership and restore this vital transit system speaker can the associate minister of transportation please provide an update on how our governments progress to resume the north lander is going to reply the associate minister of transportation thank you speaker that was a great question from a great member I'm very happy to inform this house and that member that on December 15th just before the holidays I announced our government's 140 million dollar purchase of three beautiful new trains for the restored north lander speaker make no mistake we're bringing the north lander back and we're delivering the trains the north deserves after the liberals cancelled this vital transportation link to the north these trains will feature spacious seating and modern amenities wifi audio visual announcements built in wheelchairs food services and fully accessible washrooms speaker this is a huge milestone in restoring the north lander which will provide economic opportunities for the north and make it easier for people to access work health care education and other critical services speaker after the NDP propped up the liberals when they wrongfully ended the north lander our government is bringing the north lander back and the supplementary question thank you to the great minister of transportation for that wonderful update I want to take a ride right away but this is for the individuals and families from our provinces rural remote and northern communities and people and businesses in these communities rely on safe convenient transportation network to get where they need to go and to keep our goods moving passenger rail supports families tourism manufacturing jobs innovation and economic growth all while keeping the people of Ontario connected even to wifi that is why it is so vital that we as a government ensure the essential transit service is restored so speaker can the associate minister please explain what further measures our government is taking to ensure that the north lander service is fully restored associate minister of transportation thank you speaker and I'm going to buy that member dinner on that train trip all the way up the cockpit speaker our government is working tirelessly alongside Ontario north land to resurrect this vital link future implementation activities include local development local consultations station and track improvements just last winter Ontario north land performed important schedule testing by the north lander for using existing polar bear express equipment speaker to the members point the revamped north lander will deliver tremendous benefits the plan service route between Toronto timmins connecting to Cochrane will provide passenger rail access for 176,000 residents in northern communities deliver up to $132 million in economic benefits and by 2041 speaker reduced 4400 tons of auto emissions annually and generate up to 60,000 in annual ridership speaker unlike the opposition who call the north a no man's land this government disagrees the north is a valuable partner in our prosperity we're bringing the north lander back the next question I'll say miss if it is that my question is to the premier James Bay coast do not have access to adequate health services these flying first nations must travel from one community to another or even further such as timmins or Kingston for adequate care their travel as we know is very costly for the province and poses a burden on these family for help for Albany has space for such a department in their hospital and has many patients that require daily support my question what will this government do to get adequate dialysis care for these flying first nations reply the member for Eglinton Lawrence thank you very much Mr. Speaker when it comes to health care we know that the status quo is no longer acceptable that's why we're taking bold action to eliminate surgical backlogs reduce wait times publicly funded services and procedures increased and make sure that services are available to our residents across Ontario like in the members riding Ontario now has introduced their three-step plan the your health plan that better integrates the use of community surgical diagnostic centres and their state of the art facilities to speed up how quickly people are able to get their surgeries we know that taking innovative steps like this is the way to improve our health care system to make sure that we can have services across Ontario in Ontario thank you Mr. Speaker how can we be so disconnected from northern communities that are isolated the answer stated it quite explicitly we're talking about people that need dialysis treatment that don't have it in the community they have to go to Kingston they have to live all year round in hotel rooms try living in such conditions and see if you appreciate doing that I think we have a responsibility listen to these patients and what they're asking from us in those isolated communities they need services Ford Albany can accommodate, can help us provide a solution don't cause them to have a life sentence for those patients so I'd like to ask you the question once again what will this government do to get adequate dialysis care for these flying First Nations thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thank the member opposite for the question our government obviously is doing everything we can to ensure services are available across Ontario in every community and that's what our initiatives are about we've been making record investments $14 billion a year and we'll continue to invest in health care to make sure the services are available when and where people need them and that's why we're proceeding with our Your Health Act which we hope the opposition is going to support us and thank you next question the member for Sousa Marie thank you Mr. Speaker under the previous liberal government the concerns of the people of the Northward ignored when it came to jobs, the economy and our environment and park system the liberal government focused on the concerns of the big cities while Northern families felt ignored in their own province as part of liberal budget cuts many of our Northern provincial parks faced staff service and program reductions these decisions led to job losses program cancellations and the removal of overnight camping services were disrespectful to all people of the North and diminished the value of our park system Speaker, can the Minister of the Environment Conservation and Parks please explain how our government will protect and strengthen our Northern park system Mr. the Environment, Conservation and Parks Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member for that question I value his friendship mentorship leadership and most of all I mean he's been a true champion of a long voice for the North I recently he spoke to me of visiting flying communities in the North and it's in that spirit that I recently visited the North and the beautiful community of Elliott Lake and I cannot thank my host enough for the incredible warm welcome that they extended to me it's true Mr. Speaker Northern Ontario hospitality is second to none and Speaker they're glad that in these members from the North they now have a government that's listening and championing their needs Ontario has signed a historic co-partnership agreement with the Mississaugay Park Foundation who will maintain and operate Mississaugay Provincial Park under this agreement parks operation will be shared between Serpent River First Nation led by Chief Brent Mississauga First Nation led by Chief Bob and the municipality of Elliott Lake led by Mayor Andrew and I had the opportunity to sit down with all of them and there's so many more thank you thank you very much the supplementary question Speaker I thank the minister for his response it's great to see all that enthusiasm working on behalf of the people of Northern Ontario it's so encouraging to hear that our government is correcting the mistakes that were made by the previous Liberal Government when it comes to supporting our park system under their leadership Mississaugay Park was one of the parks that was slated for closure this park remains open today thanks to the leadership and the advocacy of our strong municipal partners and Indigenous community as a government we must continue to support and respect our Northern community partners and protect our Northern park system and the environment Speaker can the minister please elaborate on how this new agreement to ensure that Mississaugay Park continues to thrive for many many more years to come Mr. Environment Thank you Speaker and you know we share in a commitment with the North to build Ontario build a prosperous Ontario and sometimes you just have to listen so I was honoured to have the opportunity to learn from those Indigenous leaders to learn from that municipality who have signed a historic agreement we're getting the job done and I'm pleased member opposite acknowledges we're getting the job done with this parks foundation this historic agreement this groundbreaking agreement will allow the foundation to participate in the management and operations of this beautiful park a park the previous Liberal Government let go a park you know they called that park and the people up there no man's land well we say Mr. Speaker that this is an incredible land partnership that's exactly what's happening with this incredible partnership this is a win for all residents of Elliott Lake especially Serpent River Mississauga First Nations and most importantly Speaker for all Ontarians for our next generations who are going to learn from the Indigenous teachings and participate in the great outdoors for generations to come Thank you Thank you Speaker Speaker one third of housing in London are real estate investors who scoop up entry level properties away from first time home buyers this is on top of the 86% of condo apartments already owned by investors 86% that's more than twice the provincial average Speaker this government is telling people of this province that they're building new homes it remains to be seen whether these will be truly affordable homes what is this government doing to ensure the first time home buyers can actually get into these new homes Thank you very much Speaker and I thank my honourable colleague for the question we're in a housing supply crisis all over the province including in the members riding I'm glad that he's raising this concern because we're the only party that has been talking about it if you go back and I'll just tell you the housing crisis that we're in the supply crisis that we're dealing with right now the minister of finance addressed this by making sure that the percentage that has been added to 25% is across the province Mr. Speaker not just the portion to make sure that there's more supply in the province of Ontario for Ontarians Mr. Speaker but we need to do more if you look at the work of the municipal affairs and housing this minister the last two years we've seen record housing starts in the province of Ontario do a comparison Mr. Speaker to when the previous government was in power and they held the balance of power the lowest housing starts response it's not enough we need to build more homes all across the province including in that members riding we're going to get it done Mr. Speaker Speaker this government didn't answer the question you know they talk about record housing starts and the reason for that is that you've removed rank control you've created a power imbalance between the owner and between renters Professor Diana Mock from western states interested in housing used as an investment tool likely spiked in Ontario after the province removed rent controls on new bills after 2018 again this has led to an unfair power imbalance where landlords can jack up the rent in between when someone completes their tenancy because there is no rent control you did that you did that to renters young families are being completely left behind the housing stability bank a local program that helps renters get out of arrears is reporting a 35% increase in demand for their services people are sinking even more underwater each day will this government close the loophole that allows foreign investors and real estate investment trusts to stockpile rental properties across Ontario Mr. Speaker thank you very much Mr. Speaker we've done that we're not going to stop there we're going to continue going forward as I mentioned Mr. Speaker we're in a housing supply crisis I'm glad the City of London adopted the targets that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing have put forward because they know these are attainable targets but I'll tell you this when it comes to rent control through bill 184 when we put in measures the measures that this government has put in place no government in the past 70 years has provided more protection for tenants than this government and I'll tell you this every single protection that we put in bill 184 for tenants guess what the opposition did they voted against that Mr. Speaker so only one stands up for tenants and makes sure that they're protected while we increase housing supply for all Ontarians across the province and that's this government, this Premier and this Minister next question the member for Thunder Bay Attic Oakley thank you Speaker my question is for the Minister of Seniors and Accessibility it was with sadness that we learned of the passing of the Honourable David C. Onley Ontario's 28th Lieutenant Governor Mr. Onley was appointed Lieutenant Governor in 2007 and faithfully served our province for seven years Mr. Onley was an advocate for advancing accessibility rights for Ontarians after contracting polio as a child Mr. Onley used a motorized scooter throughout his life however he was not deterred in any way working for more than two decades as a city TV reporter his legacy of service and advocacy for equal rights for people with disabilities should not be forgotten Minister please explain how our government will uphold Lieutenant Governor Onley's important vision of a more accessible Ontario Minister of Seniors and Accessibility I'd like to thank the hardworking member from Thunder Bay Attic Oakley for such an important question David Onley is dear friend of mine and I miss him greatly I will never forget the time I met him at his home to discuss the importance of accessibility for all Ontarians Mr. Onley is friend leader and champion when it came to the all things accessibility I spoke with him regularly and the number one thing he said to me was to find a meaningful job for people with disabilities accessibility is an ongoing effort we will continue to work towards improving the lives of Ontarians with disabilities Member for Ottawa has a point of order I am seeking unanimous consent of the House that not withstanding order 40e 5 minutes be allotted to the independent members as a group to respond to the ministerial statement this afternoon on the Russian invasion of Ukraine Madam Collard is seeking unanimous consent of the House that not withstanding order 40e 5 minutes be allotted to the independent members as a group to respond to the ministerial statement this afternoon on the Russian invasion of Ukraine agreed? agreed I understand the government has a point of order thank you to outlay business for next week again all members for a wonderful first week back in the service of the province of Monterre on Monday February 27th we will be continuing debate on bill 63 in the afternoon we will have opposition day on Tuesday February 28th we will have further debate on bill 60 in the afternoon we will return to bill 63 and in the evening there will be a private members business standing in the name of the member for Don Valley West which is bill 50 on Wednesday March 1st in the morning we will have further debate on bill 60 in the afternoon debate on bill 63 and in the evening we will have private members business standing in the name of the member for Peterborough Quartha which is bill 31 and on Tuesday March 2nd in the morning we will be debating a bill which will be introduced soon and in the afternoon we will continue to debate on that wonderful bill and in the evening with the member for Niagara Falls private members motion number 22 thank you very much next we have a deferred vote on the motion for second reading of bill 47 an act to amend the residential tenancies act 2006 and the condominium act 1998 to require emergency power generators call in the members this is a five minute bell