 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Thank you so much, Speaker. Speaker, my first question this morning is to the Premier. On Friday, the Government's long-term care commission confirmed what frontline staff and families of residents have been crying out for months. And I'm going to quote from that report. Long-term care homes were forgotten in the initial provincial plans to control the spread of COVID-19 until residents started dying. Now, just last week, the Ford Government's Minister of Long-term Care was still insisting that the Government had acted immediately and done all it could. No one on that side of the house, not the Minister, not the Premier, is prepared to take any responsibility for the disasters that have unfolded in long-term care. So will the Premier finally do the right thing and ask his Minister of Long-term Care to resign? Mr. Speaker, please take your seat. Minister of Long-term Care to reply. Thank you, Speaker. I reject your premise in your statement. I have been a doctor, physician, family physician for decades. I came to politics because of issues surrounding long-term care that I knew both professionally and personally. And I want to thank the commissioners for their report, this early report, to help us with guidance and to create transparency for the public. This is a very important commission that is nonpartisan. It is independent. It is transparent, and it is publicly facing. And I appreciate it hearing from all of the groups that want to be heard in this. Our government has worked relentlessly with a commitment like no other government in the history of this province for long-term care. A response? Thank you, Speaker. The supplementary question. Speaker, I think it's pretty disgraceful that the Minister is pretending that there is nothing in this report that is problematic. The report says clearly that government didn't plan to protect seniors in long-term care when COVID-19 was hitting our province. And that's a shameful thing to have happened. And somebody needs to take responsibility for it. The report only confirms what residents have been saying and what family members have been saying for months. In fact, for years, on Friday, CBC's marketplace revealed that there is routine abuse and violations that occur in most homes across the province. And there are virtually no consequences, no consequences when those homes break the law repeatedly. Now, sadly, this situation of a neglect and of abuse has become the norm in long-term care, completely unacceptable. If this happened anywhere else, what happened in long-term care with COVID anywhere else, the Minister responsible would be offering her resignation. Why has the Premier failed to do the right thing and asked for that Minister's resignation? Minister of long-term care. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you for the question. We look at the neglect for decades by the previous government and supported by the opposition right here today. When you had the opportunity to deal with the deep, deep issues, the systemic issues in long-term care, you did not take them. Our government is the government that is committed to repairing, rebuilding and advancing long-term care. And I am the Minister who cares so deeply about long-term care that I have come after many years of serving the public, caring every day about patients and families, and doing my very best to serve them. And now I'm here serving Ontarians, and I will continue to be relentless working with other ministries, working across governments. And I would hope that you would be part of the solution in such an unprecedented situation. I will be relentless. Thank you. I'll remind all members to make their comments through the chair. Start the clock. Final supplementary. Speaker, what the Minister hasn't figured out is this is not about... Order. Member for Northumberland, Peterborough South. Come to order. I'll give you extra time. It's about what's happened in long-term care, and if there was that much neglect, she should have known and should have protected long-term care homes from COVID-19, should have protected those residents. She shamefully admits that she knew the system was a mess, and yet they forgot to plan, forgot to plan for protecting seniors in long-term care. Families, residents, frontline staff in long-term care homes were not surprised by the commissioner's report. These are the same issues that they continue to plead with the government, and they were pleading with the government for months and even years to try to fix. The Friday's commission report really did feel compelled to tell the minister to actually take her study that she commissioned and received back in July off the shelf and start implementing it. Stop studying the study for goodness sake. Get some things done. No one's accountable. Nobody is... nothing is changing at all for people. So the premier now has to actually do the right thing, and if she will not resign, if she will not do the right thing and resign, the premier of Ontario needs to fire his minister of long-term care. Stop the clock again. Stop the clock. Minister of Labor must come to order. Start the clock. Minister of long-term care to respond. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for the question, and I would suggest to the member opposite, please don't make it about me. I want it to be about Ontarians, if you continue in the proper... of why we are here. It is about serving Ontarians. It is about repairing, rebuilding, and advancing long-term care. And the actions that we've taken speak for themselves starting very early. The Ministry of Health, the lead on the preparedness plan, making sure that all across the sector there was integration. A group of experts, not only in public health, public health Ontario, but on Ontario health. All the expertise, whether it's in testing, virology, many, many experts in forming this plan. And so I agree with you. This is about Ontarians. It's about serving the people. And it is not about me. The unprecedented issue that we've seen with COVID across the world, looking at asymptomatic spread, something that the world has never seen before. So now our government is... Thank you very much. The next question, once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Thanks so much, Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. Yesterday, Ontario achieved a troubling new milestone as total daily case counts of COVID-19 soared to a record high. It's clear now that the failure of the four governments planned to deal with the upcoming second wave, which we're now in, and make the necessary investments in things like testing capacity, smaller class sizes, staffing and long-term care, is having a devastating effect. Weeks ago, the Premier claimed Ontario was flattening the curve and hitting a plateau. And now, he has to answer the question, is he prepared, finally, to admit that his government's plan for the second wave has fallen tragically, tragically short? Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. We took steps very early on to prepare for the fall. The fall preparedness plan, keeping Ontario and safe with six key pillars. And we've also put $2.8 billion into this plan across the board, making sure that we can respond to surges within our hospitals and public health facilities. Making sure we have the strongest flu campaign in Ontario's history. Making sure that we have the health human resources that we need to make sure that we can have the people that we need working in our long-term care sector and in our hospitals. We've been preparing for this. We've already taken steps in four key areas with modified stage two. We're looking to see for the results. There's a problem in the sense that there was Thanksgiving festivities that happened about the same time as we cut back and modified stage two in four areas. So we still have to wait to see the effects of those provisions. But we are seeing the numbers starting to go down in certain areas. The total numbers are still troubling, but we are starting to see some of the numbers go down. A supplementary question. Speaker, all summer long, the Premier simply ignored experts that were pleading for the government to protect kids in classrooms, seniors in long-term care, and to upgrade our chronically under-resourced lab system. Instead, he's offered direction that is so inconsistent and so unclear that even his own MPPs are publicly calling for clarity. This weekend, two government MPPs wrote the Premier warning that people may start ignoring public health advice. And the member for Niagara West, as we all saw, literally posed for a photo where he violated public health guidelines with over 40 of his friends and family. So why is the Premier's own team challenging and outright ignoring his directions? Government House Leader to reply. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth. The member opposite will know that the members for Milton and Burlington were responding to a challenge that is happening in Halton, Mr. Speaker, where the elected officials there currently disagree with their chief medical officer of health on how this, on how Stage 2, if and when Stage 2 should come into effect in Halton, Mr. Speaker. Of course, we would expect that our members would attempt to intervene when there is those types of disagreements. They did the right thing. I suspect, and I would hope that members opposite would do the exact same thing when their municipalities find themselves in the same situation. Can I ask the Government House Leader to withdraw the... withdraw. The final supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. People have been let down. That's the truth. People have been let down by this government's refusal to prepare properly for the second wave. They've been stuck in long lines, they've seen jobs disappear and businesses close, they've lost loved ones in long-term care. The Premier's focused on saving money. He was focused on saving money when he should have been focused on saving lives. And now his own MPPs are questioning him or outright ignoring health advice. Is he now prepared then? Is the Premier now prepared to admit that his government's planning for the second wave of COVID-19 was tragically a disaster? Government House Leader. Again, Mr. Speaker, as I just said, the members for Burlington and Milton, I know that the member for Oakville and Oakville North Burlington also have some concerns with respect to the fact that in Halton there is a disagreement between elected officials and the Halton Chief Medical Officer of Health with entering Stage 2. As a result, the members sought clarity from the Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health as I would hope that all members would do in instances where there is a clear difference of opinion. Mr. Speaker, with respect to COVID-19 measures, look, this government, we're very proud of all of the work that we have done. We will continue to fight COVID-19 with all of the resources available to us and by doing something extremely different than what the Leader of the Opposition would suggest. By working together with our friends in the municipal... Response? ...and across party lines, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The next question, the member for Tomiskaming Cocker. Thank you. My question is to the Premier. With COVID cases peaking, it's vitally important that we all follow the rules. The Premier and his daily press conferences implores us. You know, social distance, wear masks. Don't let your kids come home for Thanksgiving. And Ontarians across the province followed. Followed his advice. But now we see a picture from one of the Premier's own team with 40 people unmasked. So could you please tell Ontarians why his own team doesn't follow his advice? Mr. Chairman, I'll sleep. Again, thank you, Mr. Speaker, for that question. I'll be clear. The member in question has apologized for the lack of judgment in that instance. I've spoken with him as has the Premier. We accept his apology. And of course, we encourage all members to do everything that they can to help us, help Ontarians to flatten the curve and defeat COVID-19. And the supplementary question. Once again to the Premier. Apology is great, but we need to set an example. You need to set an example. What's even more concerning is that the member from Niagara didn't seem to think that that was a problem. Like, are you really taking this seriously yourselves? Really. So it's a case of do as I say, but not as I do. And it's not going unnoticed. Anthony Dale, CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association said the member should resign from his parliamentary assistant role. That would set an example. Is the Premier willing to ask for his resignation? Mr. Speaker, what the member did was wrong. He apologized to the Premier and myself. We both spoke to him, but when it comes to following the rules and what we do as I say, and not as I do, this is an opposition party that on day one, when we return to this place after negotiating a cohort agreement, on day one, that agreement, Mr. Speaker. So when it comes to listening to all that we can, when it comes to listening and doing this is an opposition, Mr. Speaker, that within 10 hours of an agreement being reached to keep this legislature order, to keep the business of the people being enacted decided to ignore that, break the cohort, Mr. Speaker, and flood this chamber, Mr. Speaker. So I would suggest to the member opposite to take a good long look at the mirror. The Leader of the Opposition come to order. The Member for Windsor West come to order. The Member for Hamilton West and Caster Dundas come to order. The next question, the Member for Oakville. Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Associate Minister of Energy. Mr. Speaker, the COVID pandemic has changed my constituents' lives dramatically by forcing them to work and spend much more time at home. I know we froze the time of use electricity rates and introduced a COVID-19 recovery rate of 12.8 cents per kilowatt hour to help them through a very difficult time. But what happens next? Could the Minister please tell us to let Ontario's choose what's best for their family when it comes to electricity pricing? The Associate Minister of Energy. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for the member from Oakville for his great work and a great question on behalf of his constituents. Because of our decisive action this past summer, insurance benefited from stability and lower electricity bills. We knew that when homes became offices and classrooms that the laundry machine and the air conditioner would need to run more. Insurance have had no choice but to use more electricity. That's why it was critical for us to provide stability and predictability. Starting in November 1st electricity customers in this province will be able to choose a plan that best suits their household and lifestyle with the option of choosing either time of use electricity rates or tiered pricing which will provide a set rate for electricity up to a certain level of consumption. Mr. Speaker, insurance deserve to choose what works best for them and their families and our government will always look for ways to make life more affordable for the people we're giving the privilege to serve. Thank you, Speaker. And a supplementary question. Thank you to the Minister for that answer and I know that many of my constituents will appreciate the option to be able to choose an electricity plan that works best for them. Mr. Speaker, COVID-19 has changed the way people work right across this province. Some may be spending more time working at their home and other essential workers are spending much more time than ever at their workplaces. Mr. Minister, please tell this House how the Customer Choice Initiative considers all Ontarians no matter what their work situation. The Associate Minister. Thank you again Mr. Speaker and through you, the member from Oakville makes an important point. Ontarians consume electricity in different ways and they all deserve the opportunity to save on their electricity costs. Whether you work from home 9 to 5 or do shift work or work multiple part-time jobs customers use electricity differently. If customers use more electricity during weekends like evenings and weekends time of use may be better rate plan for them. But if customers use more electricity during weekday hours, tiered pricing can help them save. That's why we're offering both Mr. Speaker Choice. Mr. Speaker, for all that Ontarians need to do to make that advantage of this program is contact their local distribution system center and they will be switched to the price structure of their choice. We're proud to offer stability and affordability Mr. Speaker when it comes to electricity for the people of Ontario. Thank you. The next question is from London Fanshawe. Thank you Speaker and my question is to the Premier. This week the government's long-term care commission echoed a long standing call from new Democrats frontline workers residents in long-term care to establish a minimum of standard of four hours per day of hands-on care per resident in every long-term care home in this province. This week the time to care act which would establish the standard in law is up for debate for the fourth time. There should be nothing left to debate. This is a long overdue and simple measure that will protect seniors and improve their quality of life. Will the Premier support it? Mr. Lantern care to reply. Thank you Speaker and once again I want to thank the commissioners for their early response. This is something that we had been looking to to the commission for early guidance if possible and so we are very appreciative of that and certainly we've recognized the long-standing staffing issue in long-term care the crisis that was leading into our government's situation when we took in 2019 in the summer as a new ministry understanding what really had not been done by the previous government. So clearly we take the safety and well-being of residents and staff in long-term care as a main priority. There is no doubt about the importance of their safety and the well-being and the care the high quality care that our residents need and their complexity understanding our residents are more complex than ever before. So we understand the imperative to addressing the staffing issue the issues that are long-standing in long-term care and we will continue to work towards improving care for our residents. Thank you. The tragic reality is Harris eliminated the minimum standards of care for over two decades ago government after government has promised action and failed to deliver. The Liberals promise to re-establish the minimum standards in 2003. Before the last election every conservative in this legislative voted to support this bill. The government's own staffing review and now their commission have called for this to be enacted urgently. The government has established a minimum of four standards of four hours of day hands-on care per resident in this province. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the members question with respect to private members business. We'll be debating that if I'm not mistaken on Wednesday when the House will give consideration of her bill. The next question the member for Cambridge. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker for the weekend former employer of the Premier's Chief of Staff the Toronto Sun Tabloid in an active state propaganda mischaracterized a letter signed by two government members as pushback against the Premier when in fact it was written to the Chief Medical Officer of Health and not the Premier. It was another example of this government passing the buck. Six weeks ago during question period I stood here and I asked the government for objective criteria and a framework. Why did the government refuse transparent objective criteria prior to shutting down businesses in four regions across Ontario? Mr. Health. We have been very transparent with the information that we've published with respect to why some of these areas were put into modified stage two. It depends on a number of factors including the number of cases of course the ability of our public health system to be able to deal with that in terms of contact tracing testing isolating and so on in hospitals to be able to manage that access capacity if we have an overrun of patients with COVID-19 and of course we consult with the Medical Officers of Health in all of those areas. It's not just one person that makes this decision it's Dr. Williams it's the Public Health Measures Table but it's also the Medical Officers of Health in those particular areas in the areas that are now in the modified stage two the local Medical Officers of Health in those areas that are now in the modified stage two. It's not just one person that makes this decision it's necessary. The supplementary question. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker. You know this government continues to pass the buck in one breath they say they rely on medical experts and want the public to give them a pass on their botched use of emergency powers because they aren't doctors. In another breath they threaten swift action and that they might bring and this government are they making the decisions or not because if they're not making the decisions and don't want any of the criticism perhaps they should let the Chief Medical Officer who they like to blame serve as First Minister and Minister of Health so I repeat is this government making the decisions or not? Minister of Health Well in every case all of our decisions have been made based on scientific evidence and clinical evidence I'm not sure if you remember through you who she would like us to rely on to make these decisions we have to make decisions based on the scientific evidence based on the recommendations of the medical officer of health on the people on the health command table on the people on the health measures table by number of doctors physicians who have volunteered their time to serve by the medical officers of health and all of the units this isn't a single decision it's made by the political advisors by all of us as politicians based on the recommendations of the medical officer of health and all of the other people that are giving us recommendations that's what we should be making the decisions on that's what the people of Ontario expect us to be relying upon Thank you the next question the member for Whitby Thank you My question is to the Minister of Children and Women's Issues Speaker we sit in this house many times and even more outside of it Ontario's child welfare system is broken it's an outdated system with only minimal changes through its over 125 year history while there have been some improvements small changes aren't enough apprehensions Speaker seems to be the first choice rather than accessing the family issue and providing the right support it's also clear the child welfare system is just protecting children in the home unfortunately Speaker the previous Government helped by the NDP let the system suffer Speaker can the Minister of Children and Women's Issues please confirm with the house that she won't keep the status quo but actually help children in need to respond the Associate Minister of Women's and Children's Issues Thank you to the member for Whitby for that question no child no family member should fear speaking to a children's aid society or asking for help children and youth should not be removed from their cultures, religion, faith or communities and Speaker poverty is not a reason to remove a child from a loving home the culture in Ontario's child welfare system needs to change and that's exactly what we are doing we are moving from apprehension to prevention on intervening early and providing supports to keep children and youth with their families and communities as best as we can when they do need to be removed we are prioritizing family based care over group homes and giving children and youth a stronger voice in the decisions about their care Speaker we know that children and youth who maintain connections to mothers, fathers family, community, faith or culture have better outcomes and that's what we are going to do thank you back to the minister and thank you minister for that response minister makes an important point that children and youth who maintain connections to their mothers fathers, faith cultural communities have better outcomes Speaker the impacts child welfare has on individuals reaches far beyond the home and in his current state those in contact with the system have worse life outcomes changes need to happen Speaker and kids need a modern system that puts them and their families at the center Speaker can the minister commit to modernizing the child welfare system so that children and youth who have been left behind by the Liberals on the NDP will now have a chance at success the associate minister thank you the member for raising this important question the member is correct that child welfare is about so much more than just protection it is about community it is about family supports it is about education and building a strong foundation for success and I can say yes I can commit to changing a system for the children and youth and families in Ontario who need it that's why I am working with my colleagues to create a better integrated system so that a woman fleeing violence doesn't have to worry about being separated from her kids so that children who might have to be removed from their home are getting supports in school and don't fall behind so that Indigenous children can remain in their communities and receive culturally appropriate care and stay with families Speaker redesigning the child welfare system won't happen overnight but we can commit to the long-term work that is needed to achieve success and positive outcomes for children, youth and families future generations are depending on us thank you very much the next question the member for Kitchener Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier Mr. Speaker Ontarians are not pleased to see that this Premier is rewarding Charles McVeedy for his friendship and his political support instead of focusing on helping Ontarians to get through this pandemic the Premier is distracted by his current arts and science degrees at his college today the National Council of Canadian Muslims called on the Premier to distance himself from this man and his bigotry and to reassess whether this Government will proceed with schedule 2 of this legislation and so I ask will the Premier listen to NCCM and all other Ontarians outraged by this decision to support Charles McVeedy's hateful views The Parliamentary Assistant Mr. Speaker and I thank the member opposite for the question Mr. Speaker just to be clear independent review of degree granting has existed for decades under governments of all stripes factually this institution has had the ability to grant degrees up to the PhD level under the previous Government and since the 90s Mr. Speaker the reason we have a high quality of education in the province of Ontario is because parties of all stripes have supported the independent process and review of secondary quality assessment board thank you Mr. Speaker supplementary thank you Mr. Speaker and back to the Premier the Premier should not be doing political favours for his close friends and die hard supporters people like Charles McVeedy I've written to the Ontario Human Rights Commission and I've asked the chief commissioner to look into whether this bill is a violation of Ontario's Human Rights Code or Canada's Charter of Rights given the long standing track record of Charles McVeedy using this college as a platform for discrimination and harm against protected groups and the concerns raised by NCCM among so many others will the government do the right thing and pull this bill while the chief commissioner looks into the matter again the Parliamentary system replied thank you Mr. Speaker again just to be clear enabling legislation for degree granting has existed under governments of all stripes and Mr. Speaker it is reliant on the independent process of the post-secondary education quality assessment board we look forward for the review Mr. Speaker thank you next question the member for Scarborough Guildwood thank you Speaker my question is for the Premier Speaker in March this government announced their COVID-19 action plan which was largely comprised of tax deferrals for businesses instead of the real help that they needed like commercial rent relief just a few weeks ago the Treasury Board President told us that he is planning to collect an astonishing 100% of those tax deferrals despite being businesses being closed with no cash flow and we are now in a second wave shutdown to slow the spread of COVID-19 it is clear that the March action plan failed it is clear that there was no plan for the second wave the Premier was taking a summer victory tour while Ontarians were waiting for back-to-school plans and lining up for hours to get a COVID test Speaker will the Premier's budget include a real second wave plan not just deferred supports will the Premier make investments commensurate with the health crisis that we now face and how will the Prime Minister thank you the parliamentary assistant to reply Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and to the member opposite what the Premier was doing was touring this province engaging with the small businesses throughout this province Mr. Speaker these are moment pop shops and behind every single one of those closed doors Mr. Speaker is a family trying to provide for their loved ones during a very difficult time and I reject the member's statement Mr. Speaker that's been tax cuts employer health tax cuts to the tune of 300 million dollars 175 million dollars to keep hydro rates low 300 million dollars just announced for the regions that are affected by the revised stage to Mr. Speaker and that's going to go help with their fixed cost whether that's hydro whether that's those taxes that we spoke about Mr. Speaker or even with property taxes and so while the member opposite considers that consulting with those hard working response as a waste of time we disagree here on the government and the supplementary question Mr. Speaker you know as the PA lists these figures and they claim that you're committing for support the FAO points out that this government is sitting on 9.3 billion dollars in reserves and unallocated funds which could be invested in programs and supports for Ontarians to keep them safe in fact you've fallen short on long-term care participation on small business and in fact when you look at cutting off the emergency benefits that the most vulnerable Ontarians rely on in OW and ODSP income supports Speaker since March as the PA knows the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs held hundreds of hours of hearings across industries sectors hearing testimonies and witnesses from restaurants to spas to tourism operators tech hubs in fact we have this book of ideas that have been presented why are we still waiting for supports for the much needed supports that have been called for what are you waiting for parliamentary system to reply Thank you very much Mr. Speaker certainly a lot to digest in that question but I want to share with that member a lesson that my parents taught me at a convenience store in Rexdale and that is when times are good you put away for a rainy day and that's what this government did in its first two years of its mandate and that's why we're able to provide that direct relief Mr. Speaker the member opposite mentions the FAO report and I want to remind the member that the FAO's first quarter report is a snapshot in time and it would be irresponsible of a prudent government to spend its entire year's budget in that very short period of time and it would be announced 300 million dollars for the revised stage two those supports are going to continue in a coordinated effort with our federal partners in Ottawa Mr. Speaker to fill the gaps of this joint program that is released and that's why we will have this for the support measures announced in that budget and I look forward to continue to assist the great hard working business of this province through the budget Stop the clock Mr. Labour will come to order the member for Scarborough Guildwood will come to order the next question the member for Perry Solomon Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Energy Northern Development and Mines and Minister of Indigenous Affairs Mr. Speaker we know that this has been a challenging period for many of us but small business and particularly northern small businesses have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic through the Speaker to the Minister what is our government doing to support Northern Ontario small businesses The Parliamentary Assistant Thank you Mr. Speaker and through you I'd like to thank the member for Perry Solomon Skoka for his question As we continue to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak and kickstart the economy in Ontario we know that investing in businesses in Northern Ontario will be critical for our long-term success that's why we introduced the Northern Ontario Recovery Program to support hard working businesses in Northern Ontario that have been impacted by COVID-19 In fact Mr. Speaker the CEO from Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce said they're very pleased to support the Northern Ontario Recovery Program Through many consultations with the governments of Canada and Ontario was evident that many small businesses were unintendedly falling through the cracks of support programs for a variety of reasons The Northern Ontario Recovery Program will help address that issue by supporting the many businesses that are investing in ensuring a safe environment for their employees and customers so we can have a safe, today and healthy tomorrow And the supplementary question Thank you for that response it's clear that our government is listening to the people of Northern Ontario and stepping up to support them Can the Parliamentary Assistant share more details of the Northern Ontario Recovery Program and the type of projects that it aims to support Again the Parliamentary Assistant Thank you Mr. Speaker and again thank you for that question The program is being administered through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and will provide targeted funding so businesses can install the necessary upgrades and adapt to the challenges that they have with COVID-19 Applications will be open until December 31st 2020 and companies can apply for assistance for things like building renovations or adding on new construction to support physical distancing and measures Installing employee and customer safety installations like plexiglass shields sneeze guards Equipment purchases including PPE and marketing for new business initiatives and restructuring of business operations so that they can thrive during this COVID-19 challenge This has been a challenging period for many of us but I know that with this investment the resilience of Northern Ontario from this crisis stronger and better than ever The next question is from Winslow West My question is to the Premier On Friday the Conservative Government's own long-term care commission recommended that given the physical care and psychosocial support that caregivers provide long-term care residents must be provided consistent safe access to family members and loved ones I couldn't agree more since the first wave of the pandemic families, experts and the official opposition NDP all sounded the alarm about the mental, physical and emotional suffering among isolated residents It motivated me to table the More Than a Visitor Act which this government supported but has not moved forward Will the government follow their own commission's recommendations and pass the More Than a Visitor Act to allow for safe, consistent, meaningful caregiver access Mr. Long-term Care Thank you Speaker and that is exactly what we've done with the essential caregivers the dedicated, the designated essential caregivers each resident is able to designate two care providers that will be allowed into the home if there's an outbreak in the home one caregiver will be allowed in they will be trained in the appropriate necessary equipment that they are required to use and the the putting on and taking off of this equipment we recognize the absolute necessity to support the mental well-being of our residents in long-term care and this has been a difficult decision early on to limit but that was done through the chief medical officer of health to limit visitors into the home but each resident I want to reinforce this point can designate two people who will be allowed into the home and one person, one caregiver in the case of an outbreak so even in the situation of an outbreak these people will be allowed into the home Thank you This government has a responsibility not only to keep people safe from COVID but from the harm of isolation as well they're failing miserably on both fronts and it's important that the minister listen to this so she knows the reality of what's going on as opposed to what she wants to think this weekend and wrote to me she said that she has been fully shut out of her mom's retirement home even with no outbreak Joan also sent me an email concerned about her husband who lives in long-term care she said quote I don't want another six months of not seeing him due to spread the situation needs to be improved now speaker I have hundreds of other emails exactly the same as this will the premier fast-track the more than a visitor act and provide the staffing levels PPE and training to actually facilitate and force safe access for caregivers long-term care as I said Mr. Speaker and to the member opposite this is a situation that already has been addressed we will continue to take additional measures if you want to provide the names and the home the homes of which you speak then I would be happy to take that back to the ministry to fully understand order I would be happy to address that thank you the next question member for Ottawa thank you Mr. Speaker and my question is for the Minister of Education this government has repeatedly mentioned the importance of providing mental health services in Ontario especially in the middle of this crisis to that effect we need to be aware of the incredible pressure that education workers of all categories are going through whether it's teachers, bus drivers principals, administrators staff in schools and in school boards I was told that right now education workers of all kinds are feeling the exhaustion as if it was the end of November with no relief in sight before the holiday season which is a whole two months away and on behalf of all these exhausted workers what support is the Minister offering for education workers that are working in this extremely challenging environments the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addiction thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you for that question as you know the roadmap to wellness was established back in the early part of March and as a result of COVID we had to look at finding resources that would help the children in the schools but also help the instructors and we invested in virtual care we invested initially $12 million in additional $14.75 and we created help lines both for students kids help phone we established lines for the frontline workers and first responders and we created a network of supports in a difficult time when face-to-face services were provided in addition to that we also ensured that in school there were additional resources invested and the additional resources brought in additional mental health care workers to assist the teachers in the work that needed to be done with the children thank you supplementary question thank you and again to the Minister of Education on the same question education workers are working tirelessly in normal hours to be responsive to public health requirements in addition to their workloads there is added work and stress from having to react to public health notice of an outbreak within very short time frames and I'm sure you're very well aware of what they need to do another example for the secondary schools with the hybrid model is the fact that school calendar has not been adjusted to provide teacher with any preparation time to prepare for the second quadmaster so a consequence of this is also the cancellation of the exam which gives no gap in between the first quadmaster and the second so they have to jump into the second subject with no time to prepare these workers at a risk of burnout and they need some breathing room will the Minister work with all parties involved to give education workers and students some breathing room to protect their mental health and supports to parents and teachers and make sure that it is included in the budget Thank you Minister of Education I want to build on the message for the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions as the member opposite will know and I appreciate the question realizing full well the stress that the pandemic has imposed on our staff and these are people who work very hard who have families themselves and I think who really are trying to do their best to make sure that it is in the right way and that is the basis for why in June when we announced the grant for student needs we invested an additional $15 million in mental health supports but since then we have announced 30 million more to support mental health for children and likewise for staff boards have the latitude to utilize those funds to support staffing and to support the mental health resilience of our frontline workers it is also why in September we funded the grant for health and safety for COVID for permanent teachers as well as occasional supply teachers as well as for mental health we appreciate how the impact of COVID has had on our frontline people and all Ontarians and will continue to be there for them for students and for all families in Ontario Member for Hamilton West and Ambassador Dundas My question this morning is for the Premier Today the Hamilton Spectator reported that Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph's Health Care are in 24 staff in the middle of a pandemic hospitals in my community are in dire need of nurses, lab technicians psychologists, PSWs the list goes on and on Mr. Speaker the workers on the frontline of this pandemic need support so my question, what is this government going to do to provide the relief to these hospitals that are so understaffed Mr. Health I thank the member very much for the question and this is one of the key strategies in our fall preparedness plan keeping Ontarians safe is having the health human resources that we need in order to deal with COVID-19 we have already put money into the nursing guarantee program for new nursing graduates we've also given a temporary increase in page of March 2021 for personal support workers and have also increased their salaries for the people that are working there and bringing people back to provide them with benefits as well so we're very cognizant of the issues we're in regular contact with the hospitals as well as with the hospital association and we will make sure that the necessary staff will be there to serve the patients in your community the supplementary Mr. Speaker I find this answer disturbing because these hospitals are understaffed right now I mean they need help now and if that wasn't disturbing in its own right we've also learned that as of October 15th 113 staff have tested positive for COVID-19 and I would just like to add the majority of these are women Michelle LaRue the VP of Hamilton Resources at Hamilton Health Science had this to say the pandemic is taking a toll on our staff and physicians both at home and at work despite this they continue to show up every day and simply go above and beyond to care for our community so my question what is this government going to do today is get the support they need to stay healthy and to continue the fight against COVID-19 well we're all very grateful for the work that our frontline healthcare workers have done since the beginning of this pandemic they have come to work each and every day that's physicians, nurses, PSW staff everyone has come forward and we are very grateful to them for doing that but we know that they need to be able to have the resources to stay safe themselves and keep their families safe because at the end of the day they go home and they're concerned about passing on COVID-19 to their families so we have provided them with the personal protective equipment that they need we've increased the supplies dramatically we've come forward and worked with Ontario companies who've come forward to produce some of the PPE on us as a sideline to their regular businesses they've been preparing the gowns the masks they've been preparing the face shields that people have the supplies that they need we've also made changes to allow for people to be moved around within hospitals if there are some people that aren't there because unfortunately they've become ill we can move people from other parts of the hospital we didn't have this ability before this is a temporary measure thank you, thank you very much the next question, the member for growth good morning Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier last week when I asked about the conflict at 1492 Lambak Lane the Premier referred to indigenous land defenders as bad apples he went on to suggest that he knew exactly what people in indigenous community wanted, broadband there's no doubt Speaker we need better rural broadband but if the Premier took the time to listen he would know that indigenous land defenders are talking about treaty rights and a resolution to outstanding land claims Speaker, I will acknowledge that I'm not in a position to speak for indigenous land defenders but I am in a position to ask the Premier if the government will agree to enter into land claims negotiations with the traditional Haudenosaunee Confederacy Chiefs and the Six Nations BAM Council to seek a peaceful and respectful resolution thank you for raising this important issue the issue that is happening right now in Caledonia is deeply disturbing to many of us we are now in the 98th day of basically a community that is in upheaval and I have great faith in the judicial system when they made a ruling on Thursday I have great faith in the OPP in keeping that peace but I will accept and respect your call I do believe that the federal government does have to step up and start having some true conversations about how to resolve these issues because it is incredibly disruptive to the community to the individuals who are protesting and ultimately to the public thank you the supplementary question I appreciate the solicitor general's response and I do agree the federal government does have a role to play but I believe the provincial government has a role to play as well this is not the only ongoing conflict that is happening right now multiple First Nations are suing the government over bill 197 and the fast tracking of the environmental assessment process Chief Solomon of the Mushkovic Council said and I quote sadly they are using COVID as a decoy to restart the economy at the cost of the environment the waters, the animals and our livelihood Speaker First Nations across Ontario are raising serious concerns that their treaty rights are not being respected they are rightful and constitutionally guaranteed input on decisions about their way in and resources the federal solicitor general will the government settle with First Nations around the environmental assessment process rather than dragging this through the courts the parliamentary assistant to reply thank you very much Mr Speaker and thank you very much for that question Mr. Rickford has formed a round table to add to the consultation with respect to this he's brought in a number of the chiefs from Ontario to make sure that we have a full consultation around 197 and all of that information will be fed back to the rest of the ministry thank you Mr. Speaker The next question Member for Toronto Danforth Thank you Speaker to the Premier the Ontario Energy rebate is going to be removed for common areas of many condo and apartment buildings as of April 30th next year that means that hydro bills for power used in those common areas will be revised by over 30% one condo in Toronto is calculated the impact on their residents would be $140 per unit per year why Premier are you dramatically increasing the hydro bills for almost a third of condo owners and tenants in Ontario the Associate Minister of Energy Thank you very much Mr Speaker and let's just start off by answering this by saying that that government is reversing the liberal policies that created the hydro mass we are stabilizing our electricity system and keeping electricity bills affordable through a 33.2% Ontario electricity rebate had we not done that Mr Speaker rates would have gone up an additional 30% under the watch of the Liberals and the NDP the Liberals spent 15 years adding billions of dollars to our electricity system to give us the highest energy rates ever in our history and the highest level of debt from billions of dollars to our electricity system by signing contracts for power we did not need and could not afford we are rebuilding an affordable electricity system that prioritizes the electricity customers Speaker in the meantime materials don't deserve to pay for the mistakes of the Liberals that is why our government will continue to subsidize and ensure that we keep the bills as low as possible and support families and businesses of this great province and a supplementary question Speaker the Premier promised to cut hydro rates by 12% in the last election and since then rates have gone up almost 4% and many condo and apartment dwellers will be seeing big hikes in their hydro bills next April why did the Premier break his promise and why is he gouging so many apartment and condo dwellers Associate Minister Thank you very much Mr Speaker last response we cannot fix 15 years of mismanagement by the Liberals supported fully by the NDP in opposition overnight Mr Speaker please be assured we are working on this if we continue down the Liberal path as I said earlier 30% more on those hydro bills is that what you want to support is 30% more of your first error I don't think so Ontario has paid $37 billion extra for electricity from 2006 says Auditor General Bonnie Isaac Mr Speaker we are doing what we can to ensure that we keep those bills affordable that we keep those bills for business and seniors and people across our province as low as possible and we will not forget that the Liberals and the NDP caused the mess that we are currently trying to fix and ensure again affordability reliability and a system we can be proud of Thank you Mr Speaker Thank you the next question member for Eglinton Lawrence the next question is for the Associate Minister of Transportation last week the government brought forward the Ontario Rebuilding and Recovery Act now is not the time to delay delivery of priority infrastructure projects including public transit and highway projects it is the time to accelerate the building of key infrastructure projects to create jobs and build a strong foundation for a strong economic recovery can the Minister the Associate Minister please advise us will commit to accelerating rebuilding and growth in this province the Associate Minister of Transportation DTA Thank you very much Mr Speaker and to the member thank you for the question and I cannot agree more of course safety will always be our priority particularly during this very difficult time but our government needs to play a dual role in making sure that we stimulate our economy in the months to come this legislation will make sure that we extend the tools that were previously designed to building our subway projects to extend to other transportation projects other healthcare and other long-term care projects it is incredibly important that we make sure that goods continue to move efficiently throughout the province of Ontario that people can continue to go to hospitals for the surgeries and services they need and that we continue to build capacity in our long-term care sector the supplementary Thank you Speaker and thank you to the Minister the proposed legislation would reduce barriers in the planning, design and construction of major infrastructure like highways and public transit networks and support growth of transit-oriented communities which are very important in my area can the Minister please elaborate on how the Ontario Rebuilding and Recovery Act will help the people of Ontario and we'll call on the opposition parties to support this bill Associate Minister absolutely and again thank you to the member opposite, Mr Speaker in this legislature we heard countless times from the members opposite about how important it is to invest in public infrastructure Mr Speaker in this legislature we've heard countless times about how important it is for us to provide funding and to accelerate the building of highways that are in their respective writings Mr Speaker and Mr Speaker every single day during question period the members opposite always inquire about the status of healthcare as well as long-term care capacity this bill will help us achieve this it will help us invest in our critical infrastructure so that we can make sure that Ontario prospers in post-pandemic world Mr Speaker The next question the member for Nickel Belt Thank you my question is for the Minister of Health we have seen through the first wave of the pandemic that many non-urgent surgical procedures were cancelled through the first wave of the pandemic this has led to 129,000 patients added to the already long list for surgery and procedures in our hospital we've also seen that many people are diagnosed later for cancer or other diseases which will require even more interventions from our hospital to hopefully bring them back to health my question to the Minister is I am curious as to the last stats that were shared it was at 129,000 backlogs for surgery could the Minister update us as to how many people are now waiting Mr Vell Well I thank the member very much for the question this is a serious concern it's an issue that we did address in our fault preparedness plan keeping Ontarians safe is reducing the backlog it was at about 189,000 procedures and surgeries that we were behind we have been dealing with that as part of our fault preparedness plan in creating the extra space in our hospitals to allow for both COVID patients to be treated as well as patients who need to have these surgeries because as much as it's terribly sad that we've lost patients to COVID but it's equally sad if we lose people because their cancer surgery has been delayed or their cardiac surgery has been delayed we want to make sure that we can take care of all of those patients in a timely way so that they can recover so we have dealt with that as a very serious matter we're approximately 95% of our orthopedic surgeries right now about 87% of cardiac and COVID surgeries so that's compared to where we were this time last year there's still work that we need to do but we are taking a new approach to this which I'm pleased to discuss in this supplementary answer fortunately that concludes the time we have available for question period this morning there being no further business this house stands in recess until 1pm