 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My question is a premier. The government is planning to force ALC patients waiting in hospitals to move to long-term care beds far from home, without their consent. This is going to tear seniors away from their spouses, their essential caregivers, their grandchildren, and everything that's familiar to them. Nurses and nurses rarely need to provide medical care for ALC patients. So this won't free up nurses or doctors. This government is sacrificing seniors to free up furniture. Why is the government hurting seniors instead of tackling the hospital staffing crisis? The premier. We can't continue doing the same thing over and over again for 15 years at the NDP and the Liberals have done, and expecting a different result. We're pouring billions and billions of dollars into the health care system, Mr. Speaker. But guess what, Mr. Speaker? The status quo is not working. They feel the status quo is fine. They'd leave everything alone. They'd end up having zero beds. We're building thousands and thousands of beds, Mr. Speaker. We're going to continue focusing on fixing the health care system that they've built for 15 years. The supplementary question. Again to the premier. The government also announced this morning it's expanding surgeries in for-profit private clinics. Same surgeon, same surgical team, just in a for-profit clinic, not in a hospital. For more hours every day, nurses and doctors won't be in hospitals. They'll be in private clinics. And patients will get a bill. Not for your surgery, but for everything from a consult with a nutritionist to upgraded cataract lenses. Why is the government expanding for-profit care and making the staffing crisis in our hospitals even worse? And to apply to Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. Our plan to safely stay open really focuses on five main points. And it speaks exactly to what we need to do, which is we need to shore up long-term care beds. We've done that by an unprecedented expansion in the province of Ontario. We need to make sure that community care is available, get our homes for our loved ones when they need it, because that's what they want. They want to be close to home. They want to be in their own home. And our five-point plan speaks to all of those pieces. Surgical backlogs, absolutely. The COVID pandemic did not stop surgeries. What we need to do is ensure those regularly scheduled surgeries can continue. And we're giving hospitals that expanded opportunity to, in many cases, allowing the surgery suites to be open for longer. We're funding those opportunities because we see that as a way to ensure people get the care they need when they need it, where they need it. The final supplementary. Thank you, Speaker, again to the Premier. Every expert has been clear. The solution to the staffing crisis is to hire more staff, especially nurses. This scheme doesn't hire a single nurse. It doesn't hire a single doctor. It doesn't keep ERs open this weekend. Will the government scrap this scheme and instead launch a plan to recruit, retain and return nurses with better pay, better working conditions, and the respect that they deserve? Thank you, Speaker. A couple of numbers that I think are really important for the members opposite to understand. We're already hiring, having people in community, in hospitals, in long-term care, around 10,000 people. With our expanded opportunities, we're going to have 19,000 new HHR hospital individual professionals who are here. It is exactly why I met with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario and I said you have two weeks. Bring me a plan to show me how all of those individuals who are waiting for accreditation and licensing in the province of Ontario can get expedited through the process. If we've done that, we will continue to work with our partners to make sure that all opportunities are at work and we've done the work. Now join us and be part of the solution. Member for Scarborough South Wales. Speaker, more than a million Ontarians don't have access to a doctor or a nurse practitioner. People are waiting for hours and hours in pain in emergency rooms, waiting for months and years for surgeries. Speaker, more than 1,400 died last year while waiting. There are over 12,000 internationally trained doctors and thousands more internationally trained nurses in Ontario ready to help fill the gap in primary care. Why has this government failed to remove the unfair barriers for these doctors and nurses? I will repeat what I just said, which was two weeks ago I met with the College of Nurses. I met with the College of Physicians and Surgeons and I said you as colleges in the province of Ontario need to expedite these licenses. When people have the qualifications that we deserve, that we expect in the province of Ontario, there should not be a block to get those people in community. We are doing that. That work has been done. The ongoing expansion, unprecedented in Scarborough, in Scarborough, in Brampton. We have two new medical schools. We're doing the short term and the medium term and the short term and the medium term. Supplementary question. Speaker, nothing the minister says actually removes the barriers that internationally educated healthcare workers face in this province. The government says that they're doing everything they can to work with internationally trained doctors and nurses to address the staffing shortage in healthcare. And yet, data from the CPSO shows that only 739 applicants became members in 2020 compared to the 2074 in 2019. My question is why was there a decrease when we're in the middle of a pandemic and we're facing a healthcare crisis? The Canadian Experience Barrier, that ensures practice who are educated and want to work in healthcare because we understand how important these healthcare workers are. We understand that if you want to work in healthcare, we want you to be part of the solution. And we're doing that with our hospital partners, with our long term care partners, with community care, with primary care. All of these things together mean that when people need the help they need, it will be their point. The final supplementary. Speaker, I just want to clarify just in case the government members didn't understand. There were less doctors that came through in their field in 2020 than in 2019. There was a cut made by this government. The practice ready assessment program, this government cancelled, which was standardized, this government cancelled in 2018, is actually working very well in seven other provinces. The model could have been used to implement a similar or even improved assessment process for doctors and nurses in Ontario. We could have had thousands of healthcare workers added to the system in as little as 12 weeks. I want everyone in Ontario to listen to that. In as little as 12 weeks, we could have had more healthcare workers certified in this province. Speaker, will this government reverse its cuts? And why is this government dragging their feet in bringing in the solutions that can save lives in Ontario? Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. We've expanded the residency program in the province of Ontario. We've ensured that the Canadian experience that frankly was a barrier from for some internationally trained nurses and doctors was removed during the pandemic and that has increased the numbers. I get it. I know that there are still challenges and there are people who want to have a primary care physician who have not access to it. But the work that we are doing with the medical schools, with the colleges, with the expansion of the residency program, mean that that is ongoing. We are seeing the expansion. We are seeing those numbers increase. I would love to have them go faster, but we have done the work and we will continue to work with those partners to make sure any barriers are removed as we move forward. Thank you. From Niagara Falls. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. On July 26th, a senior named Shirley, who lives in Fortiery, had a fall in her home. Injured and alone, she pressed her lifeline alert button. Ten minutes later, she received a call from lifeline who informed her they were told she would not get an ambulance for six hours. Workers are doing everything they can, but this government has ignored their pleas for more resources and, in fact, cut healthcare resources. Mr. Speaker to the Premier is a Premier proud that under his watch residents who dial 911 have to wait six hours for an ambulance. Thank you to the member opposite and there is no doubt that when we hear these stories, it only drives our motivation further to make sure that we do everything possible in all continuance. You know, the 911 model of care that we referenced at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference earlier this week has been embraced. Community paramedics that allow community paramedics to go into those homes for individuals who are able, in most cases with very little support, to be able to stay safely in their homes. The municipality that have embraced that 911 model of care have loved it. In fact, our satisfaction rate, I believe, is in the 97 percentile. We are going to ensure that that 911 model of care is expanded further to other municipalities across Ontario because we see it as one of the opportunities to make sure that when individuals like Shirley have a fall in their home, there is a community paramedic program that is in place that can quickly assist them and get them back to their homes. Supplementary question? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And again to the Premier, Shirley was able to get hold of her daughter-in-law who herself is fighting for cancer with a battle with cancer. Thankfully, her daughter came to her house and cancelled the ambulance. Despite this, a taxi showed up at her house five hours later. The taxi was dispatched to take them to the hospital. I raised this issue back in February to the Premier. Just days ago, the Premier said very clearly health care was just fine. Once again, is a Premier proud that under his watch, residents are getting taxis five hours later instead of emergency care this government is supposed to provide and also I want to be very clear. Taxi drivers in the province of Ontario are not paramedics. Thank you. Minister of Health. So again, I will reinforce when we find these successful models, when we work with our partners, whether that is hospitals, municipalities or paramedics, we want to expand those models into other communities. We are doing that with the 9-1-1 model of care. Currently, there are approximately 40 municipalities who are using it, love it, find it a very effective model to serve the people within their communities. Community paramedics in general have been amazing partners throughout this pandemic, in many cases assisting with vaccine roll-outs, ensuring that people were at home and were being able to be monitored safely and ultimately, when we see those models, we're going to expand them. That is the innovation that we're looking for. Those are the kinds of stories that I heard for two full weeks at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario and we will take those best practices and ensure that other municipalities and other communities in Ontario have access to the same opportunities. Next question. Member for Landerl-Landgrove. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. My constituents are hearing about staffing pressures at our local hospitals and they're very concerned. They're concerned that their loved ones are not going to be able to get the care they need when they need it. Under the previous Liberal government, we saw how the healthcare system was neglected, how hallway healthcare continued to get worse year by year with no thought or planning for the future. Speaker, when I hear the government speak about innovation in this healthcare sector, my constituents want to know more about what we are referring to. Is it additional supports and new solutions, ideas to address the problems we have previously faced? Speaker, through you, can the Minister please tell this House how our publicly funded hospital system is innovating to improve the patient experience? The Minister of Health. Thank you very much from the Member for Landerl-Landgrove. The short answer is all of the above. Ontario's hospitals are leading innovation in Ontario to transform our healthcare system and improve the patient experience. Let me give you just one example that you would be interested in coming from your own community. Our government invested over $25 million to modernize and expand the stem cell treatments at Jovinsky Hospital and Cancer Centre in Hamilton Health Sciences. The Centre is one of three world-class hospitals offering all forms of stem cell transplants to adult patients here in Ontario. With this expansion, more patients will be able to access world-class cancer treatment sooner and closer to home. And they get that treatment they need, where and when they need it. That's innovation, Speaker. The supplementary question. Speaker, I know my constituents in the Hamilton region are supportive of these types of healthcare investments. They realize more needs to be done and more supports need to be provided to our frontline healthcare workers and world-leading research centres. Speaker, my constituents have seen the news coverage and have personally experienced surgical delays. Going into surgery is a very difficult experience for many. But in Ontario, we have the best frontline healthcare workers who provide support through the entire process and act with excellence. Speaker, can the Minister of Health share with the legislature how our government is investing in innovation to reduce wait times for my constituents and all Ontarians, giving them peace of mind and access to surgical procedures when they need them the most? Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. You know, we all understood that as the pandemic was at its height, there were going to be challenges related to surgical and diagnostic backlogs. So we proactively, again, work with our hospital partners through a government fund of $86 million. The surgical innovation fund, we are supporting hospitals as they develop the innovative solutions they need to continue to provide high-quality care and ramp up surgical capacity, reducing wait times and improving access to surgical services for patients. I think we all appreciate and understand that when an individual is going in for surgery, it can be a very stressful time. So anything that we can do as a government to smooth that opportunity and make sure that they get access to that surgery quickly is what we are seized at. At Hamilton Health Sciences, they've partnered with Niagara and Mohawk College to successfully develop the operating room assist program. And because of a micro-certification program begun by our government, we will attract more health human resources and they've already recruited the first 16. Thank you very much. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Premier, I want to tell you about Jennifer LeFevre. In 2019, Jennifer signed a contract and put down a deposit for a new home to be built in Stano, Ontario by a Briarwood development group whose CEO happens to be a big donor of the Premier and the PC party. Three years later, Jennifer is still waiting for her home to be built. And now, the developer has told Jennifer that she needs to pay an additional $175,000 for the home or the contract is broken and she won't be getting her home at all. Jennifer is devastated as she describes that these people are getting away with murder and there is nothing that I can do. Premier, can you step in and ensure this developer honours the deal they made to build Jennifer a home at the original price? Thank you very much, Speaker. And thank you to the member opposite for the question. Speaker, our government is promoting trust and confidence for Ontarians when they are investing in one of the biggest purchases of their lifetime, a new home. That is why, Speaker, we continue to enhance public protections while holding builders and vendors to high professional standards. As Premier spoke about it as well, through the new Home Construction Licence Act, HECRA has strengthened regulatory tools for addressing licensees conduct, created a formal complaints process and enhanced the Ontario Builder Directory to reflect disciplinary actions taken by the registrar. Additionally, Speaker, a new mandatory code of ethics for licensed builders which came into effect on July 1st protects buyers and owners even further against bad actors. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Premier. This government and the Home Construction Regulatory Agency, which you refer to, are clearly not doing their job to protect homeowners from developers who are taking advantage of first-time home buyers. Developers continue to break deals and raise home prices because they know they can get away with it in Ontario. This is my question to the Premier. Can you properly strengthen Ontario's laws so home buyers are protected from developers who price gouge? Mr. Republic of Business Service Delivery. Thank you, Speaker. Premier Ford vowed to stop bad developers from trying to make extra money off the backs of hard-working Ontarians, and our government strengthened the regulatory tools available to address this concern. These include much heftier fines for bad builders and enhanced power for HECRA to proactively investigate potential bad behaviour by developers. Altogether, these stronger penalties and approaches would cost unlawful developers very dearly on a single home from hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines to the loss of their builder's license. Speaker, we are making bad builders think twice before trying to take advantage of our home buyers. Thank you. Remember for Perth Wellington. Speaker, my constituents in Perth Wellington have been asking for support for our local land ambulance service because paramedics often have to travel long distances across our rural area. They've heard of the offload delays across the province and have been asking for peace of mind to know service will be there when their family needs it. Can the Minister of Health update this House on how our government is supporting land ambulance services across the province and in my writing of Perth Wellington? Mr. Perth. Thank you, Speaker. Yesterday our government was proud to announce nearly $764 million in funding to assist municipalities with the cost of land ambulance operations. They well received enamel. This represents an average in-piece of 5% provincially compared to last year. Additionally, of course, we are expanding the 911 patient model of care that I recently spoke about so patients can get the help they need in community without having to go to an emergency department. Patients participating in this program received care they needed up to 17 times faster with a 94% of patients avoiding the emergency departments in the days following. By expanding this service, our world-class paramedics are able to provide more care for patients in the right place in their homes in community. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you to the Minister of Health for the response for your leadership and for our government support to ambulance services. Speaker, can the Minister of Health elaborate on the 911 patient models and explain how this investment is supporting our paramedic services and patients on the ground across the province? Minister of Health. Thank you. As you can imagine at the AMO conference there was a lot of interest in the municipalities who do not have the 911 model of care yet, but it allows patients to provide timely access and appropriate treatment in the community from their paramedics and help reduce unnecessary emergency department visits. So, as an example, the Guelph Wellington Paramedic Service, which covers the members' writing, has a partnership with Hospice Wellington. Eligible patients who call 911 with care needs related to palliative care have the option of being able to be treated at home by paramedics for end-of-life care. Once it's time to go into a hospice, they are transferred directly there instead of going through the emergency department first. Patients and families have seen improved outcomes by getting treated immediately in their own homes with their families and by their side and get that help faster. It's working. The communities and the patients and families love the program and we're going to respond. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. In my writing alone, there is 25 residents who are no longer eligible for the senior dental care program for 2022-23. As a result of a 2.8% oA inflation, it is a welcome bump for seniors living on fixed incomes. However, due to an outdated income requirement program, now Ontario has seniors who do not have access to a stable dental care. Thank you, Speaker. Through you, is this government going to commit to increasing the income ceiling for the dental care program to accommodate for inflation? The Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. As the member opposite would know, all government programs, whether it is drugs, seniors, rental, they all have embedded in the program the threshold of income. That has been, frankly, something that we have done as governments to ensure that the people most in need are getting the services that they need. The seniors dental program is clearly one that is embraced and wanting to be expanded in the province of Ontario, but we have to ensure that those most in need with that income threshold are the ones first in line to receive the service. Thank you, Speaker. The supplementary. Thank you, Speaker. To the Minister of Health. It is shameful that seniors have to live in pain, poverty, because they cannot afford basic dental care. I figured the Minister would say what she said, but, however, when looking into this issue for my residents, I received the same response from this ministry. In fact, we were told that no changes to the program eligibility will be made, and citing that there is not a need for it after all. The rollout of the federal dental care plan will be in place by 2025. Through you, Speaker, does this government intend to leave low-income seniors living in pain without basic dental care until 2025 because their CPP was increased by merely $50 to $100 a year? Minister of Health. As the member opposite would be well aware, the federal government is looking at expanding dental. They have not made any determinations of how that pathway is done. In the province of Ontario, we've acted. We have a seniors dental program, which, again, as with every other income-based program, whether it's drugs, whether it's rental, has an income threshold based to it. Is the member opposite suggesting that individuals most in need, most at risk, should not have access to the dental care that we are currently providing in the province of Ontario? The federal government is talking about it. We in Ontario have acted and implemented it. Next question, the member for Don Valley West. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Conservative government often talks about the need to be fiscally responsible. As a chartered accountant, I completely agree. The residents of Don Valley West completely agree. Could the Minister of Health please tell us why she believes it is fiscally responsible to limit nurses' pay to a 1% increase per year, contributing to them leaving the profession in record numbers, to only then have to desperately try to fill those vacant positions and possibly hire back those same nurses through private agencies at an estimated cost that is three times higher than what the hospital would pay if that same nurse were on staff. Thank you. The President of the Treasury Board. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This government has a strong track record in supporting and investing in Ontario's health care and health human resources. In fact, Mr. Speaker, we have added over 10,500 new health care professionals since March of 2020. We've also put forward plans that would create the first new medical school in over 100 years right here in the city of Brampton, sorry, in the city of Brampton in Scarborough, as well as doubling the amount of doctors in the north. Every step of the way, any action that this government has taken to increase the amount of health care professionals in Ontario, the government opposite, the members opposite of all of us, voted against those measures. We will continue to make historic investments into health care and supporting our health human resources across this province. Mr. Speaker, that's your question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In its last fiscal year, ending March 2022, the University Health Network had already spent $6.7 million on agency nurses, a significant jump compared to 2018 and last year when it spent about $1 million as reported Tuesday in the Toronto Star. The Conservative government often speaks about how it is fighting for Ontario workers. Could the Minister of Health please tell us why more taxpayer dollars are being shifted to private agencies, giving those agencies a healthy profit instead of repealing Bill 124 and paying that money directly to Ontario's health care workers in our public health care system? The Minister of Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Congratulations and welcome to the House for the member from Don Valley West. Mr. Speaker, she referenced fiscal responsibility and we completely agree. This province is focused on delivering value for taxpayer money. But let me go back to the 15 years of the Liberal government supported for three years by the NDP. $200 billion of extra debt. $200 billion. Did we get more subways, Mr. Speaker? Did we get more highways? Did we get more hospitals? Did we get long-term care bills? Did we hire nurses? Mr. Speaker, the case, we went to the people of Ontario. They endorsed our plan to build Ontario. You have an opportunity to vote on favour of the budget. Please join us. The House will come to order. Start the clock. Member for Sault Ste. Marie. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Speaker, under the previous Liberal government, we saw how the North was treated and how our region felt shut out of discussions at Queen's Park. After years of liberal scandal, waste and mismanagement within the energy sector and the harmful impact of the carbon tax, the impacts were tremendous for Northern Ontario's economy. Worst of all, a previous Liberal government member actually referred to the North as a no-man's land. Last month, the Northern Policy Institute at Lakehead University released a report on the impact that COVID had had on the state of Northern Ontario's economy, which confirms what many of my constituents have been feeling firsthand, and that is economic recovery is slower and taking longer than what is experienced in Southern Ontario. No longer should the North be treated differently and only be considered as an afterthought when it comes to economic growth. Speaker, can the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development please tell this House what our government is doing to make Northern Ontario an economic superpower once again? Mr. Northern Development and Indigenous Affairs. Mr. Speaker, in making sure that Sault Ste. Marie, like every town, city and Indigenous community across Northern Ontario, Mr. Speaker, is fully integrated to a new and modern supply chain, Mr. Speaker. From mines to motors, earth to electric vehicles, Mr. Speaker, we want to ensure that Northern communities are in, and one of the important ways that we do that is through the Northern Ontario Energy Advantage Program, Mr. Speaker, Algoma Steel and Tenerus, Borden Mine, Resolute, Evolution Mining, Veil Canada and Pala Canada, Mr. Speaker, Green First Forest Products. They all have something in common, Mr. Speaker. In fact, a few things. One, they're rallying behind this program, which under this budget is going to expand from 120 million to 176 million and increase the scope, Mr. Speaker, by which they can access this program. So Northern communities and Northern businesses, Mr. Speaker, are in play for this extraordinary opportunity to build Ontario. Wouldn't it be neat, Mr. Speaker, if the NDP could support that? The supplementary question? Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker, and it's evident that the people of Northern Ontario are seeing the advantages of the work our government is doing. And we have heard loud and clear as well now from our Indigenous leadership across the North that they want to see the same opportunities provided to their youth as the youth are receiving in Southern Ontario. Indigenous youth will be a major part of our Ontario economic success now and into the future, Mr. Speaker. And we know that Indigenous people are one of our fastest population growth sectors across the entire country of Canada. We know that economic prosperity for our Indigenous people is a key component of reconciliation. Speaker, can the Minister please let us know what our government is doing to create opportunities for Indigenous people across the North? And what are the exact policies that will support and foster innovation for our Indigenous youth who will be the future leaders of our province? Minister of Indigenous Affairs. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm sure the Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade would share the view, Mr. Speaker, that we have an incredible Premier who's shown great leadership in Indigenous communities and Indigenous businesses. Mr. Speaker, one of the first things we did with the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund was ensure we had a standalone program, Mr. Speaker, to incentivize businesses to hire Indigenous interns. Young people, Mr. Speaker, who get a chance to work in businesses, Mr. Speaker, for an opportunity to get a job, to keep a job out of the internship program, over 80% retention rate, Mr. Speaker, and support a new opportunity that's emerging from the revamped Northern Ontario Heritage Fund. And that is clear support, Mr. Speaker, for Indigenous businesses. In the last quarter, meeting alone, Mr. Speaker, we saw a significant improvement and amount of resources to help Indigenous businesses across Northern Ontario that will enable them, in turn, Mr. Speaker, to hire Indigenous people. We want to make sure that in this new modern supply chain, Mr. Speaker, Indigenous people have an opportunity for a prosperous job and a prosperous community moving forward, and that's what this government is committed to. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The next question, the member for Toronto, St. Paul. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. A report just surfaced indicating inflation of groceries is sitting at over 9%. The human right to food is moving out of reach along with everything else. Meanwhile, a separate report has shown that while this is partly caused by labour or supply chain issues, grocery store chains are capitalising on it by raising prices even further to up their own profits. My question is to the Premier. When will this government reign in the wealthy few to give working people and families a chance at simply catching up? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the member opposite through you for that question. Many in Ontario are feeling the pinch whether it's at the grocery store or at the gas pumps, and we're committed to putting more money back in their pockets. That's why, Mr. Speaker, under the leadership of Premier Ford and our team, we cut the gas taxes, Mr. Speaker. In Ontario, the inflation rate going down to 7.6%, that was driven by Ontario leading the country in the biggest drop in gas prices right across this country. Mr. Speaker, what I would ask respectfully of the member opposite and all the members opposite is that while they voted against reducing gas taxes for the people of Ontario, join us this time and vote for the budget bill so that we can build Ontario together. Good question. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. Whether it's food on their table or paying their rent, people are literally having to choose between the two. A report from the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario showed that 60% of Ontario rents are cutting back on food to pay for rent. I know this is the case, this is the case in my riding where 60% or more of us are renters and I've heard from folks like Ross Ashley, Lisa and Carla my question, Speaker, is to the Premier. How is it when our economy is on the up basic life necessities are moving further out of reach for working people like the tens of thousands of folks who have signed this petition calling for a poverty reduction target strategy in Ontario. Where are the fruits of people's labour going if not into their own hands? Thank you, Speaker. Mr. Finance. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you for that very important question. Mr. Speaker, we are acting. Look at the record. Look at the 241 pages of the budget. Let me highlight a few things, Mr. Speaker. Minimum wage is going up again in 60 days it's going to go up again to $15.50 that's amongst the highest in the country. But Mr. Speaker, we're doing more. The low individual family tax credit means that 1.1 million people in Ontario are going to pay some of the lowest personal income taxes in the country. They're helping seniors so that low income seniors can live at home longer by providing a tax credit so they can retrofit their home and have home care come to their home. We're providing job training tax credits so that people can get rechained for the jobs of tomorrow. Mr. Speaker, the childcare tax credit we doubled it. Mr. Speaker please join us and vote for this budget bill. Question from the member for Mississauga Centre. To ask my very first question in this 43rd parliament and I am humbled by the trust the voters of Mississauga Centre have put in me for a second time. I have spoken with many women in my riding and across Ontario who have expressed challenges with not being able to successfully enter the workforce and stay employed. We must lift and empower them to excel in business, leadership roles as entrepreneurs and in sectors where they are under presented like in the skilled trades for example. Ensuring that women are economically physically and emotionally safe requires a broad network of support. Our government has taken action in breaking down barriers that exist for women including women who are indigenous black or racialized but more work needs to be done. The associate minister of women's social and economic opportunity please tell us about what investments our government is making to empower women in my riding and throughout the province. Chief minister of women's social and economic opportunity. Thank you through you Mr. Speaker thank you to Mississauga Centre thank you for the question and thank you to the Brenton Centre constituents for trusting in me to see women in Ontario live in a social and economic landscape that they can grow in because when women succeed Ontario succeeds. Us women Mr. Speaker belong in all spaces at every table and in all sectors and that's why under the leadership of our premier and our government we have invested in empowering and supporting women entering and re-entering the workforce. As part of our proposed 2022 budget bill we have announced we are investing an additional $6.9 million Mr. Speaker over three years into enhancing the investing in women's futures program. Mr. Speaker this constitutes the largest investment in the IWF program since its inception. Mr. Speaker we are making sure that women and girls of Ontario have well-paying stable jobs that align with their passions and I'll say that again with their passions and their skills. The supplementary question we start the clock supplementary Thank you Mr. Speaker and I thank the minister for her response. I would also like to congratulate her on this appointment. It is so wonderful to have so many strong voices in the room. Mr. Speaker as a result of COVID-19 women and girls have faced additional challenges such as increased economic insecurity greater burden of caregiving responsibilities and arise unfortunately in the incidents of domestic violence. Women across Ontario were disproportionately impacted by the personal effects of the pandemic including increased needs around responsibility with children staying home during closures. Our government established the Ontario task force on women and the economy to ensure that women would not be left behind in a post pandemic economy. Speaker can the associate minister please highlight some of the initiative that have been launched as a result of the work of the task force. The associate minister will reply. Thank you again member from Mississauga center Mr. Speaker I do want to acknowledge the leadership taken by the minister of finance and my predecessor minister of colleges and universities in establishing the Ontario task force on women and the economy. Mr. Speaker that program and that task force resulted in leading initiatives that we are taking action in to see women's full economic participation. For example implementing the largest agreement in Canada $13.5 billion to lower the cost of childcare. Mr. Speaker that is going to unlock a skilled trade strategy we are investing several initiatives that support women and girls entering the world of trades which aims to get more women and girls good paying jobs. And Mr. Speaker we are also modernizing our schools science and technology curricula to better prepare students for the jobs of this future in STEM, science, technology engineering and mechanics Mr. Speaker we are supporting the economic empowerment of women because again when women succeeds Ontario succeeds. Thank you very much Mr. Speaker CUPI's Ontario school board council represents 55,000 education workers these are the early childhood educators, the min workers the bus drivers custodians the maintenance workers speaker and despite being the back one of the education system they pay a solo that many of these full-time workers have to work part-time jobs just to make ends meet it's a shameful speaker my question to the premier the OSBCU contract expires on August 31st I'm wondering will the conserved government ensure these workers can keep up with the rising cost of affordability by providing them with a pay increase that keeps pace with this rising cost of living Thank you CUPI, the Minister of Education Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member officer for the question we do agree that we value these frontline workers in our schools they play critical roles from custodians to EACC and that's why we brought forth a fair deal that we have tabled before them that ensures we achieve the number one priority for this government which is stability for children we want them to return to normal schools and have a more enjoyable start this September and that starts speaker with keeping them in school what we're asking of CUPI and all unions is to be reasonable when you aggregate the asks made by that union which sets the four for the negotiations for every other union negotiation it is a 52% increase akin to the combined budgets of Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and BC it is larger than the minister of college and universities entire budget and so we want to be fair for taxpayers a good deal for these workers one that keeps kids in class and that's exactly what this government will deliver Thank you speaker and back to the premier as the minister of education knows the majority of these workers are women I met with charity one of these workers and she told me that despite having a full-time job she goes to food banks on a regular basis to feed her children education workers like charity keep our community safe and running they put their heart and soul and their health and safety in line to protect their children they should earn enough to be able to feed their families while going to food banks all workers deserve dignity my question is will the conservative government commit to a pay increase for education workers like charity won't have to rely on food banks to feed their children Thank you very much we've offered a deal up to 8.24% over the course of a four-year program we've indicated our preference for a four-year deal providing an additional year of stability for our children and for the very workers that the member opposite speaks of we want kids in school it has been two difficult years for families I have not met a parent in this province in every region we have toured that has said to me that they don't want to see their kids in school in September and that they stay in school right to June normal, stable, enjoyable that is the policy commitment of this government and we will do whatever it takes to achieve that for the children of this province Thank you Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and when we took government we inherited a health care system that was badly neglected by the previous liberal government that was consistently supported by the NDP because of their chronic mismanagement scandal and once in a lifetime pandemic our government needed to take immediate action to bolster all aspects of our frontline health care system in my writing people are hearing reports about concerns regarding the health human resources needs and staffing for hospitals and emergency rooms Speaker can the minister of colleges and universities please elaborate more on what the government is doing to continue to educate more health care workers to help combat the shortage of nurses and doctors that we face here in the province Mr. Colleges and Universities Well thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for the question our government understands that a high quality health care system starts with a high quality post secondary education system and our government is working to support students in all health care fields at Ontario's strong post secondary institutions I was very excited to announce our innovative learn and stay program earlier this year as a first step the government is investing $81 million to support the expansion of the community commitment program for nurses targeting newly graduated registered nurses registered practical nurses and nurse practitioners the program shows our commitment to working for workers by helping newly licensed internationally educated nurses and nurses returning to practice over the next four years 3,000 nurse graduates can receive financial support to cover the cost of their tuition in exchange for committing to practice for two years in an underserved community Well thank you very much speaker and I will say health human resources shortages goes far beyond nurses and is impacting doctors as well here in the province many Ontarians don't have access to a family doctor and that quite frankly Mr. Speaker is unacceptable I'm curious as to what is being done by our government to support medical education in order to support our future doctors and address the doctor shortage Speaker can the minister please inform the house what she is doing to support medical students to ensure a more resilient health care system here in the province of Ontario Mr. Colgers University Well thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for that great question our government understands that in order to keep Ontario safe and open we need to ensure we have a high quality and resilient health care system and that requires Ontarians pursuing medical studies have access to world class post secondary education right here in the province of Ontario 2022 has been an exciting year for aspiring doctors with current and future medical school students earlier this year our government outlined our transformative expansions of medical school education as we continue to build a stronger more resilient health care system especially in growing and underserved communities our government is proudly adding 160 undergraduate seats and 295 postgraduate positions to six medical schools over the next five years this is the largest expansion of undergraduate and postgraduate education in over a decade and this is in addition to the expansion which will include a new medical school in Brampton and Scarborough Question, the member for London North Centre My question is to the Premier Speaker, Ontario is in the midst of a health care crisis Dr. Mark Andre Blyer in intensive care an internal medicine physician with LHSC has observed a steady uptick of nurses leaving intensive care and explained they are the life blood of a critical care unit. He told me about multiple cardiac cases being cancelled and noted many bays with no nurses to staff them In his letter he asked the Premier and the Minister of Health to repeal Bill 124. Will this government finally listen to frontline experts and repeal Bill 124 President of the Treasury Ward Mr. Speaker, this government has an unprecedented record of investing in health care and health human resources across this province We have added over 10,500 health care workers since March of 2020 and every step of the way the members opposite have opposed that We have added over 3100 new beds into the system since March of 2020 that is almost the equivalent of 5 new hospitals increasing capacity across the province We have also put forward a bold plan to invest over $40 billion to build over 52 capital projects across this province Mr. Speaker every single one of those projects have been rejected by the members opposite they voted no to each and every single one of those We will continue to support health care and health human resources across this province by investing in our nurses, investing in our doctors and investing in health human resources across this province Any supplementary questions? Back to the Premier Investments in health care is not just about buildings and furniture, it's about people Dr. Blyre just listened to the doctor who has seen empty bays while urgent surgeries are being cancelled Wake up! According to frontline experts like Dr. Blyre the obvious reason is that the 1% raise orderly does not match the inflation rate Our health care professionals are worth it My question is simple Will this government be fair? Show frontline nurses that they are worth it and repeal bill 124 Yes or no Good question Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you the member for that question I'd love to expand on all the things we are doing for nursing education right here in Ontario As I mentioned earlier we have a new learn and stay program which will come into effect of the fall of 2023 and this will ensure that we have nursing opportunities across the province at some of our underserved areas This will ensure that students who will make a commitment for two years in an underserved area will have their tuition and educational costs covered to serve in those communities Something I am particularly excited about We've also included access to standalone nursing programs in Ontario in my own community of George and college Lampton College and Sarnia Loyalist College 14 colleges in Ontario are now able to offer standalone nursing program This will ensure that we have more nurses added to the system and ensure that we have access to nursing at our underserved communities across Ontario Next question Member for Hamilton Mountain Thank you Mr. Speaker My family has come to my office looking for help Their son has autism He received $20,000 under the Ontario autism program March of 2020 Unfortunately COVID-19 hit and this government could not get their act together and they were not able to use that money Their son was five at the time Now services are open once again but they're still not able to use that money The child is now eight and this government is asking for them to pay the money back This is supposed to be a needs based program There is no age cut off at five yet this government is asking for the $20,000 to be returned back Can the government explain why they're asking for this family to return $20,000 that they need for their child services Minister of Children Community and Social Services Thank you for that important question I am unable to address an individual case in the chamber but if you provide that information to me I'd be happy to look into that I will say that we're making historic investments in the Ontario autism program This is a world leading program We doubled the funding We have five times as many children receiving services through the OAP and under the previous government we have approximately 40,000 children receiving services under a multiple layered program with multiple pieces including the core services program in which we are bringing 8,000 children in through the fall we already have over 6,000 invitations out we are getting positive feedback with our initial pilot and we are moving forward implementing a very, very important program that young children and youth have gone and their families and that's why we have been receiving the positive feedback we are creating the access OAP program and creating resources to help people navigate through that program we are implementing a world leading program and we will continue to do that Thank you Thank you I don't think the minister actually understands what's happening with her own program There were 6,000 letters sent out but there have only been 30 children who are actually enrolled into the program they have hardly no uptake when it comes to the letters and they have no idea why ask the government they have no idea of why this is happening when you talk to families they have zero trust in this family there are letters that were sent out in the 6,000 that are now 7 years old from the time of the program started those kids are now some of them are 17 years old of course there's no uptake for the program the government needs to actually understand what they are doing and if you think this is a one time spin off of your government asking for this $20,000 back then you really must be completely out of touch this is obviously a systemic issue within the program this minister needs to understand her file ensure that families are not being clawed back for their government's failure of providing an OAP program for the global pandemic that is not the fault of a child make sure that the child receives thank you thank you premier for your work on creating and doubling the program funding to get more children into the program who supported the previous government the program that will bring in your children no to our children's treatment center no to historic investments in the well-being of children with autism I will not take any lessons from the opposite start the clock the next question the member for Sault Ste. Marie thank you Mr. Speaker we watched as our government went through this last election cycle and the people of Ontario on June the 2nd clearly saw that the policies of our government were getting it done for the people of this province getting it done so much so Mr. Speaker that the official opposition was reduced to the tiny caucus that we see before us today Mr. Speaker I'm wondering now if the government house leader can please explain to this house and to the people of Ontario his thoughts on why they felt it was so important to elect such a strong majority government for the people of Ontario thank you Mr. Speaker thank you very much Mr. Speaker I want to thank the member for the question I think it's become very clear why the people of the province of Ontario elected a strong, stable, province-wide conservative majority government it is to continue the good work that was started in 2018 the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation Trade has been very very aggressive in helping bring jobs back to the province of Ontario we have lost those 300,000 manufacturing jobs under the Liberals supported by the NDP we went backwards in health care under the Liberals and the NDP we didn't build long-term care homes we didn't build transit and transportation we talked about an argument well not us the Ontario line subways for years but this premier this caucus these members on both sides represented their community in the right direction we are creating jobs opportunity investment we are the envy of North America and we will continue to do all that we can concludes our question period for this morning I understand the government house leader has a point of order thank you Mr. Speaker just rising on standing order 59 just to outline the status of business for next week and to once again congratulate members on all sides for what was a very productive week here in the house saw a lot of members at the AMO conference it was a wonderful conference and again congratulate the minister of municipal affairs on Monday August 22nd just to note again for colleagues that the house will return at 9am and on both the morning and the afternoon we will be dealing with government motion number 3 on Tuesday August 23rd in the morning we will be dealing with government motion number 3 and in the afternoon we will be moving over to a government bill that will be introduced later today that work on that bill will continue on Wednesday in the morning and afternoon and on Thursday August 25th we will move on in the morning and afternoon replies to the speech from the throne and continue to hear what have been wonderful maiden speeches from a lot of our new colleagues in the process thank you Mr. Speaker on the motion for closure on the motion for second reading of bill 3 an act to amend various statutes with respect to special powers and duties of heads of council call in the members this will be a 5 minute bell Mr. Clark moved second reading of bill 3 an act to amend various statutes with respect to special powers and duties of heads of council on August the 17th 2022 Mr. Harris moved that the question be now put all those in favour of Mr. Harris' motion please come at a time and be recognised by the clerk Mr. Harris Mr. Landry Mr. Fidelli Mr. Jones Mr. Bethan Mr. Clark Mr. Downey Mr. Rickford Mr. Tobolo Mr. Thompson Mr. Pachini Mr. Fullerton Mr. Williams Mr. Cho Willedale Mr. Rashid Mr. Kersner Mr. Cho Scarburno Mr. Amano Mr. McCarthy Mr. Kersner Mr. Hogarth Mr. Scott Mr. Bailey Mr. Barnes Mr. Koh Mr. Crawford Mr. Dixon Mr. Harderman Mr. Sabawi Mr. Liardi Mr. Flack Mr. Smith Thornhill Mr. Quinn Mr. Byers Mr. Osterhoff Mr. Jordan Mr. Anon Mr. Skelly Mr. Saunders Mr. Sander Mr. Gimari Mr. Babikian Mr. Jones Mr. Gallagher Mr. Riddell Mr. McGregor Mr. Dowie Mr. Smith Mr. Gray Mr. Harris' motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk. Mr. Vanta Mr. Tabbins Ms. Begum Ms. Shaw Ms. Armstrong Ms. French Mr. Kernahan Mr. West Ms. Andrew MPP Wong-Tam Mr. Rikosa Ms. Pazma Mr. Fraser Mr. Schreiner Ms. Bowman The ayes are 72, the nays are 22 The ayes being 72, and the nays being 22 I declare the motion carried Second Reading of Bill 3 and act to amend various statutes with respect to special powers and duties of heads of council Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? All those in favour of the motion will please say aye Aye and those opposed will please say nay My opinion the ayes have it Calling the members This will be a 5 minute bell This is the same vote August 11th, 2022 Mr. Clark moved Second Reading of Bill 3 and act to amend various statutes with respect to special powers and duties of heads of council All those in favour of the motion will please rise one at a time and be recognized by the clerk Mr. Clark Mr. Lecce Mr. Mulroney Mr. Caland Mr. Fidelli Mr. Ford to Tobacco-Norris Mr. Jones Deffrin Callan Mr. Bethlenfall Mr. Tobolo Mr. Lumson Mr. Peary Mr. Thompson Mr. Pachini Mr. Fullerton Mr. Parsons Mr. Williams Mr. Cho Willardell Mr. Rashid Mr. Dunlop Mr. Kersner Mr. Kersner Mr. Ramanon Mr. Trianthophilopoulos Mr. Coe Mr. Martin Mr. Crawford Mr. Coussendova Mr. Tannegasso Mr. Dixon Mr. Hardiman Mr. Sabaou Mr. Leardi Mr. Flack Mr. Smith Thornhill Mr. Quinn Mr. Payne Mr. Saunderson Mr. Sander Mr. Bama Mr. Kanapathy Mr. Gamari Mr. Babikian Mr. Jones Chatham-Cantlimington Mr. Gallagher Murphy Mr. Riddell Mr. McGregor Mr. Dowey Mr. Grewell Mr. Ray All those opposed to the motion will please rise. Mr. Vanta Mr. Tabins Mr. Begum Mr. Bell Mr. Armstrong Mr. Taylor Mr. French Mr. Kernahan Mr. West Mr. Steven Mr. Gates Mr. Andrew Mr. Rikosevek Mr. Vojois Mr. Bowman Mr. Shue The ayes are 72, the nays are 25 The ayes being 72, and the nays being 25 I declare the motion carried. Second reading of the bill. Second reading of the bill. Shall the bill be ordered for third reading? Mr. Mispel-Verzenhausen For the bill to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy It's referred to the Standing Committee on Heritage, Infrastructure and Cultural Policy Being no further business at this time This House stands in recess Until 1pm