 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of his Majesty's loyal opposition Yesterday the government finally released its business case for relocating the Ontario Science Centre to Ontario place Science Centre at Ontario place would be double the cost of repairing the existing science centre All the so-called savings come from the lower cost of operating a half-sized science centre over 50 years So my question is for the Premier Why would this Premier force the people of Ontario to pay twice as much for a science centre that's half the size? Thank you to the member for the question Funny that she's speaking about the business case But yesterday she was calling it a shell game and a scam. There is no scam here, Mr Speaker We made the business case public and the numbers are very clear that we would be saving $257 million over a 50-year period and up to $600 million in tomorrow's dollars Over a 50-year period now. I know what the leader of the opposition is doing She doesn't want she doesn't want children to have a science centre for the next 50 years That is what she is saying because she's not thinking about the long-term sustainability of that facility Mr. Speaker the evidence was clear yesterday I was super happy to share with the public and I'm sorry, but they have nothing to say Speaker Scam Shell game, but just don't you know count on me here the globe and mail all spin bogus logic faulty numbers I mean, let's talk about kids Let's talk about children schools from across the province visit the science centre kids and families learn about science and the world around us The government is slicing it in half and reducing its capacity Planning to fire science centre staff. That's how they're going to find savings And making it harder for kids to actually go there So back to the premier at a time when we need people to go into the sciences. Why is this government making it even harder? I would love to talk about the attendance of the science centre in fact Attendance that the science centre has been declining by 40 percent since 2009 Why is that the case? I don't know. It could be the fact that this facility is a 54 A years old, but let's talk about the size of the new science centre less 18 percent of the size of the science centre is actually used for exhibits today The new facility Although smaller in size more energy efficient would actually be more sustainable and will have more 10,000 more Square feet of exhibition space for the children to enjoy I'm going to ask the member for Hamilton Mount and the government house leader to come to order the final supplementary I'll tell you, you know the legacy of disrepair is on this government and the previous government But I'll give them some advice for free here. They can save $650 million right now by canceling the public subsidy for their luxury spa. How about that? The Ontario science centre is a crucial cultural and educational hub as well as an employer for people in east York Including in the thorncliffe park and Flemington park neighbourhoods instead of making the necessary repairs The premier wants to spend twice as much to build a new science centre That's half the size located an hour further away for anybody who doesn't already live in downtown Toronto So to the premier Why won't the premier listen to the people of thorncliffe park of Flemington park and many other communities Saved served by the science centre and keep it where it is Minister of infrastructure So mr. Speaker, there's the leader opposition talking about thermae again. She is obsessed. That is all she cares about She doesn't care about revitalizing Ontario place and bringing it back to life Making sure that we improve the site, but mr. Speaker, let's talk about what she would like to do Okay, fine. So let's provide Millions more dollars to the existing science centre facility. Let's do that this year You know what? Let's do that next year and then let's do that the year after and then let's face a systematic failure Failure and then be forced to decommission the building. Now. I don't think that is the responsible move I don't think that's the responsible move for the hardworking people at the science centre What we're doing mr. Speaker is ensuring that ontarians have a science centre for the future For the next 50 years and we are being fiscally prudent. Thank you Thank you very much The next question once again the leader of the opposition Here yesterday, I asked I asked the premier Why this 650 billion dollar luxury spa is so important to him at a time when ontarians can't make ends meet He couldn't answer me So i'm going to ask again and hopefully he'll answer me this time to the premier Why is this luxury spa so important to him that he is rewriting the laws of the province of ontario to make it happen Minister of infrastructure Thank you very much mr. Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for the question Let's again raise the fact that there may was a successful proponent when we weren't even in government back in 2016 And they were again a successful proponent back in 2019 But I would like to ask the member opposite. Why is she so against fixing ontario plays? Why does she want ontario plays to continue to deteriorate to continue to flood to continue to flood? To the degree where live nation actually had to cancel their concerts in 2017. How is that acceptable? How is that acceptable? Can you answer that question for the people of ontario because I would like to hear it Quite a performance speaker, uh, this bill, uh, this bill the the so-called Order This bill the so-called Rebuilding ontario plays act specifically blocks people from suing the government for misrepresentation or misconduct It specifically blocks remedies for people who have been harmed by government misfeasants Bad faith breach of trust or breach of fiduciary obligation It is unprecedented So speaker to the premier What does it tell ontarians about this government's secret 95 year long deal? That they have to rewrite the laws to protect themselves Minister of infrastructure, thank you very much mr. Speaker Well, let's talk about why people enter into a long-term lease We entered into a long-term lease with the city of toronto when we built the science center facility 54 years ago Why did we do that? Because we paid for the facility and we wanted to know that we could stay there for a while The same circumstances exist at ontario place We have someone that is willing to invest in the site in terms of hundreds of millions of dollars Operate a facility that families can enjoy a wellness and water park facility And contribute contribute to the annual maintenance of the site so that we can have a well maintained ontario place Mr. Speaker Again, I asked the member across the floor. Why is she so against bringing ontario place back to life and saving the science center? Gotcha, gotcha So instead of learning the lessons of the green belt scandal This time they're covering their tracks so they don't get caught the next time Okay, we got it Here's another thing that bill 154 does It would give another minister the minister of infrastructure the power to issue mz o's I asked the premier yesterday why he would do this and he answered. Why wouldn't we? Well, I'll tell you why they shouldn't they're under Criminal investigation already by the rcmp and the auditor general for abusing mz o's to benefit their insider friends Already, so to the premier. Is this government expanding mz o powers to make it easier to grease the wheels for more of their insiders? minister missful fairs in housing You know who our insiders are mr. Speaker olivia chow the most powerful nvp leader in the province of ontario That's who our insiders are Right, that's who our insiders are this is a caucus that is going to vote Against somebody who sat in their caucus an nvp leader mayor of the city of toronto You know what this deal does the deal ensures that there is housing in the city of toronto The deal supported by the mayor of toronto brings back ontario place. Yes, it saves the science center Yes, mr. Speaker, but it also provides transit and transportation For the city of toronto mr. Speaker and that is why the city of toronto led by mayor olivia chow are supporting This deal mr. Speaker. She was in this place not two days ago touting the importance of this deal the only one who is against this deal Is the nvp leader of one opposition and why is she against it because they are against everything There is nothing that they want. This is a radical nvp a weakened nvp leader She should take the advice of the mayor of the city of toronto support this deal for the people of toronto Order Start the clock the next question the member for muskegawak james bay. Thank you. Thank you speaker to the prime Premier in the north There's already been two closures for the highway 11 because of snowfall that the government Has an agreement to to put in the hands of the province the responsibility for the gardener Expressway and the dvp have you signed the same agreements with the municipalities in the north as you have in the south What a question to get from the member opposite, right? I tell you what? Why don't you stand in your place and vote in favor of the bill that your leader just said was a scam How can you in one breath say we want you to do more of what you're just doing in toronto? But in the other breath lead question period with we don't like the deal. We're not voting against we're voting against it The member for sake paul's in her member statement said she would be voting against the very same bill That the mayor of the city of toronto is in favor of Order the mayor of the city of toronto is in favor of and now this member Stands in his place and says can you do more of it? Well, I'll tell you what We're going to do more to build on chair. Despite the objections of the ndp Thank you speaker We must be talking about a different bill because that bill just says discussions about the highways And while you're discussing the gardener and adon valley, how about discussing Highway 11 which you already have control of which people play chicken with transports every day Transports passing each other on double lines People being pushed in the ditch in the trans canada highway How about discussing with municipalities like timmins like to miss mingshaws like iraqa falls About the highways that you downloaded to them And how about discussing to upload to them so they can pay for social services so they can pay for for subsidized housing How about doing that? Thank you Please take your seat Minister of municipal affairs and housing It's unbelievable. I almost feel like I should have the sweater vest on again I feel I feel that today would have been a good sweater vest day to hear the ndp Stand in their place now and ask us to continue doing the job that we've been doing for five years And they have voted against it every single time. We're bringing back roads. We're building roads We're making them safer that member votes against it His own caucus has just said they're going to vote against a bill A bill that we're bringing forward to improve transit and transportation in the city of toronto to create thousands Jobs for the people of toronto. I tell you what we will do We will continue to reach out to our municipal partners will continue to make those investments to improve roads Not only in southern ontara, but in northern ontara bring back the northlander expand highway 401 Make our roads safer improve bridges bring jobs hope and opportunity back to what you called a wasteland With the support of the liberals That's the members to put the comments for the chair the next question the member for bradford branch Thank you, speaker. My question is for the minister of northern development and minister of indigenous affairs Municipalities across ontario, especially in rural remote and northern communities face unprecedented economic challenges due to Unforeseen additional costs arising speaker for the carbon tax Increasing costs to heat buildings and rising fuel costs for frontline municipal vehicles create economic and budgetary challenges for our municipal partners This is especially true for northern municipalities and indigenous communities who feel the effects of the federal carbon tax more significantly than other municipalities While the ndp tries to confuse everyone as to where they stand on this punitive and regressive tax Our government's position has always been clear It's time to scrap the carbon tax speaker Can the minister please explain how the carbon tax negatively impacts northern municipalities and indigenous communities? Thank you the minister of northern development and minister of indigenous affairs Thank you, mr. Speaker the federal government made the pitch to the municipalities that this carbon tax would have a net benefit for them and uh, uh an opposition Members here in this place have rallied around that thought but let's test that theory for a second In fact, mr. Speaker 10 percent of tax revenues are used to fund environmental projects for small businesses municipalities hospitals schools And indigenous communities. Wow Meanwhile many municipalities have seen significant increases in their operating expenses because of the carbon tax in canora reigning river The local district service board tells us that their fuel costs have doubled Since 2020 Mr. Speaker even in the ndp govern british colombia. We're seeing Strong opposition by the municipalities to this regressive tax fort saint john said it best They said carbon tax on home heating and everything else is an unfair financial bonds the residents in northern cities In their profits. We agree mr. Speaker. Let's scrap that tax Supplementary question Thank you speaker. Thank you minister for that response It's and it's clear from your response that the negative impact from the carbon tax continues to be a pressing concern For northern municipalities and indigenous communities Major industries and local businesses across the north are worse off as a result of the carbon tax Every day municipalities and businesses deal with pressures of making difficult decisions because of this ludicrous and punitive tax It is difficult to understand why the independent liberals and the opposition ndp continue to disrespect the north by supporting the federal government's imposition of this regressive tax Speaker can the minister please elaborate on how the carbon tax is making life more expensive and more costly for northern ontario Thank you We can't have a contemporary conversation about northern development without thinking about the costs that the carbon tax Puts on all of the different projects that we do and the industries that drive Our communities the canadian energy centre reports that the forestry and logging sector in ontario alone will see a cost increase Of five percent now a lot of those trees create board foot that board foot Goes to build homes which we badly need so we can see those costs being buried in the very things that we're trying to build For ontario in the midst of a housing crisis the same study suggests that the carbon tax will result in a 4.4 increase in the cost of Creating legacy infrastructure for mining operations and those mining operations, mr. Speaker That's not helpful when we're trying to develop technical minerals Mr. Speaker to transform a green economy and an incredible economic opportunity for ontario. Let's just scrap the tax Next question the next question the member for st. Cath Thank you, uh, just hit it hit it on hit it on the contraception Thank you speaker. I uh Thank you speak speaker. I was just wondering uh, we uh Was in great debate yesterday and the questions to the minister of health. We had a great debate and uh on universal contraception and we had found out that oh hip plus covers oh hip plus and uh, And um the government's uh coverage that they mentioned they said that it was six million people But most of them are men's seniors and children and I'm wondering if the uh, Uh, the speaker the minister can answer that question. Why doesn't it cover the 30 years in between? Well, perhaps the member opposite is not familiar with the trillium drug plan Which is available to all ontario residents who have a financial need to ensure that they have their drugs covered Of course, we've often talked about the oh hip plus pathway for individuals under the age of 25 And the trillium drug plan. Thank you Speaker we all know that when we make access easier We get resolved we get resolved by lowering the demand in the rest of our healthcare system There is an inequity right now for women who cannot gain access to contraception We have an opportunity in a few minutes as legislator to change all of that to make sure that every woman in ontario Who need contraceptions? Will be covered and will be getting contraception through our healthcare system Why is it that after discussion after reading hundreds of letters of women who needs this to happen We are still debating this issue. This is a non-issue speaker This is a service that needs to be covered by the government and of story Will the member of the conservative party stand up for women's right and vote in favor of that motion Absolutely, we will and we do you know the member opposite Should know that we made a very recent announcement last month that will allow and expand mammogram For individuals who are want to self referral from 40 and up Those are the types of Examples of what we are doing, you know a non-binding resolution Isn't going to improve women's health in the province of ontario Actual concrete action is what we are doing whether it's with ohib past with the petroleum drug plan with expanding Access self referrals from mammograms. We're getting the job done Thank you. The next question the member for peter burrow core Thank you, mr. Speaker and first off. I want to say happy scottish heritage day to everyone today My question is for the minister of transportation The people of my riding are telling me that the carbon tax is making life more expensive for them As the cost of everything keeps increasing The rising cost of fuel is greatly impacting individuals and families in every corner of our province I want to point out that when sayers grocery store burnt in abslate That was the only grocery store within 50 kilometers people had to drive To get groceries and the carbon tax increased the cost of gas which hurt everyone Ontarians should not be experiencing financial hardship or having to make difficult choices On whether they can afford to drive to the places they need to go to like the grocery store It's Unacceptable that the federal government is intent on using the carbon tax even more at a time when ontarians are struggling Speaker can the minister please explain what the impact of the federal carbon tax is having on transportation needs to ontario families Good question minister of transportation Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker and thank you to that member for that question The federal carbon tax is hurting ontario's economy and is really hurting Families and making life harder Speaker the federal government does it seem to understand that for parents Filling up their cars in places like peter bro and canora and wawa there are in many cases no alternatives And the carbon tax adds unnecessary costs for families Who need to rely on a car to drive their kids to school to go to work or to visit their doctor Unlike in toronto Communities like canora Peter bro wawa don't have access to rapid transit and subways and we need to recognize this And speaker it's clear that the federal liberals And our provincial and their provincial counterparts are out of touch with the needs of ontario's Families and we urge the federal government to do the right thing Support ontario's families and scrap your carbon tax supplementary question Thank you speaker and thank you the minister for that response The minister is correct The federal liberals are out of touch when it comes to understanding that the carbon tax is leading To soaring fuel prices that make life unaffordable and difficult for everyone And anyone sitting in this chamber that agrees that the carbon tax is good for the people of ontario Is out of touch exactly the reality is that ontarians are already struggling with the high cost of goods Groceries and gas because of that carbon tax the carbon tax adversely affects Every business and negatively Impacts our economy and every single worker in ontario That's why our government must continue to call on the federal government to do the right thing and eliminate the tax completely Speaker can the minister please elaborate on how future carbon tax increases are going to negatively impact the people of ontario The minister of transportation Thank you, mr. Speaker At a time when canadians are seeing costs go up everywhere The federal liberals supported by their provincial counterparts are raising taxes on families across the province Speaker the federal liberals will increase From 65 dollars per ton to 170 dollars per ton by 2030 If we think gas is expensive now It's going to get a lot worse It's going to get harder for families to take their kids to soccer practice It's going to get even more expenses for us to afford the food It's about time that the federal liberals and the provincial liberals stand up for drivers and appreciate the unique needs of those And communities that don't have rapid transit response Families cannot afford higher taxes We have to be serious about reducing emissions and addressing affordability and they need to take leadership and scrap the carbon tax Thank you. The next question the member for rada was center. Thank you speaker my questions for the premier Nice to see him here this morning Unfortunately, I hasten to inform the members of this house speaker It is against the rules of the house to make reference to the absence of a member And it creates disorder in the house I would remind members not to make reference to the absence of any member order Restart the clock member for rada was Thank you speaker. I hastily and sadly informed the members of this house that order in a question to the premier metro links has Missed another deadline We were supposed to hear two months ago according to their failed ceo Mr. Verster that we get an update on the edenton crosstown project But two months has passed and the only thing that has happened is that mr. Verster has apparently earned another $160,000 thanks to the ontario taxpayer and his army of 59 vice presidents and 19 c-suite executives Are probably doing very well. So my question to the premier through you speaker Can we expect an actual update from mr. Verster on the status of the edenton crosstown lrt? To apply The minister of transportation here. We are launching the largest public transit expansion In the history of this province and this country and in fact in north america 70 billion dollars over the next 10 years that includes mr. Speaker Historic projects like the ontario line Which that member voted against and their party voted against the scarborough subway extension a project mr. Speaker That the provincial liberals spoke about for 15 years did absolutely nothing Ignored the people of scarborough under this premier and his leadership. We're building the sarbo subway extension mr. Speaker We look at the lrt's across this province the hazel mccallean line We were just there with the premier the hard-working Our construction workers on the line making sure it's ready to go mr. Speaker We're going to change the face of transportation across this province. We're going to change how people are moving We're going to build highways. We're going to build public transit And we'll take no lessons from the official opposition on that Speaker i do know back to the premier i hope that this government is building something It's not transit. They're building the bank accounts of consultants and executives that serve mr. Verster That's what they're doing This government seems to be confused speaker rather like the federal government They have great ideas about aspirational transit transit that might come one day transit That is a billion dollars over budget in this particular project and three years late So my question to the premier why are you continuing to tolerate an executive who apparently earns a million dollars a year Thanks to the ontario taxpayer who presides over failing transit projects who have spent at least 500 million dollars in court Fighting the company buildings project and why are you not? Respecting the women and men all across ontario that operate our transit system And paying them the salaries they deserve and giving them municipalities the money they deserve operational transit That's what we might Relying members to make the promise to the chair the premier to reply mr. Speaker through the carbon tax king That wants to increase taxes on absolutely everyone Absolutely everyone i'll follow up what the minister has just said We're building the largest transit expansion in north america We're doubling the size of the Toronto transit system As he was mentioning for years and years under decades under the liberals they forgot about the people of scarborough They forgot about the people in otobicoke going west, which is by the way Is six weeks ahead of schedule in on time And and we're doing the young extension as well And he mentioned all the lrt's going in the great hazel mccallion line out in mississauga The line going along finch We're making a difference here for the people in Toronto and the gta and right across this province We're going to continue building transit as you vote no against every single transit project. We're going to keep moving forward Thank you for the question The member for ottawa south questions for the premier Four years ago last week We passed bill 141, which is a defibrillator Registration and public access act second reading Now this bill Let's us know where defibrillators are across the province. It also lets us know that they've been maintained So We know they work There were three bills Actually a member from nicklebelt myself the member from agonium warrants And we asked the new house leader at the time to say pass this bill take its committee. Let's travel We did that it received royal assent in june 2020 We're all pretty excited Change we did something good. We're going to save lives Since then crickets The bill's not enacted It hasn't been enacted three and a half years later a bill that will that will help people Keep people alive So could the minister question premier, please tell us Exactly what's happened with this bill And to apply the deputy premier and minister Respectfully the member opposite is Not quite up to date We have absolutely been working with our paramedic partners and other municipal leaders to make sure that we get this right But you know, i'm going to give credit where credit is due and that is my amazing parliamentary assistant Remember from agonium warrants talk about how our government has a plan and it's working This is a beautiful example of something that the member from agonium warrants saw Brought forward a solution and now we're working through those regulatory details to make sure we get it right And i'm incredibly proud of the work that she's been doing Supplementary question respectfully uh speaker three and a half years Three and a half years so the fibrillators save lives The person sitting next to me is living proof And if they couldn't find The defibrillator Or it didn't work That chair be empty right now All right So 7 000 people have cardiac arrest in Ontario every year 7 000 people and we know that if defibrillation is applied within three minutes Most of them survive Every minute after Guess worse Three minutes Three and a half years Three minutes Three and a half years minister Will you commit Will you commit to making sure that this bill is enacted before we return here in february? It's important to want terrio families Because they don't want any empty chairs Mr. Hal You know, I respect the member opposite. I really do I think he's been doing an excellent job as the interim leader You will of course transition to a new role But I want to give a bit of a history lesson You know you had a liberal member when the liberal government was here in control in the province of Ontario who brought forward Very similar legislation. That was ted mcbeacon. What did your government do with it? What they did with its speaker is they ignored it We're actually passing this legislation. We're passing the regulations and we're putting it in place While you had members in your own party that you turned your back on and said we're not interested in that registry We are doing it. Thank you speaker Again, I'll remind members to make the comments through the chair Not directly across the floor those the next question the member for whitby Thank you speaker. My question is for the associate minister of small business The federal liberal government has already raised the carbon tax on gasoline five times And they intend to raise prices another seven times in the coming years The carbon tax adversely affects our businesses and negatively impacts our economy and speaker Ontario workers That's why it was truly shocking to hear that the liberal member for canada carlton actually stood up In the legislature and praised the carbon tax as beneficial for interiors While the opposition ndp and independent liberals continue to believe that increasing taxes is the best solution Our government realizes that's wrong and unfair to hardworking interiors Speaker can the associate minister please explain the negative impact of the carbon tax on the province's businesses. Thank you The associate minister for small business Thank you speaker, and I really do appreciate the member from whitby for raising such an important question speaker The continuous increase in the carbon tax poses significant challenges for these businesses and the broader economy Fuel is a significant expense for the trucking and logistics industry And the continuous rise in the carbon tax directly translates into higher fuel prices These higher costs have a cascading effect as they are passed on to small businesses through increased transportation costs for goods This means less money to expand their operations or even worse potentially laying off staff With the fall with the recent fall federal economic statement. Ottawa has made it very clear It's only up from here for the carbon tax Speaker, I know the liberals are busy deciding who gets to drive the minivan next but If they have some time They should pick up the phone and do their jobs by telling the federal counterparts to scrap the tax A parliamentary question But thank you speaker, and thank you to the associate minister for that response According to the parliamentary budget officer By 2030 Ontario households will experience a decline in their quality of life Due to the additional cost resulting from the carbon tax A financial loss of two thousand dollars per household will bring even further hardship to individuals and families Who are already struggling to make ends meet Speaker increasing the carbon tax will negatively impact the people of Ontario And yes our economy Contrary to claims made by the liberal party the carbon tax adversely affects our businesses and negatively impacts our economy And Ontario workers Speaker can the associate minister please elaborate on the impact of the carbon tax on small businesses And communities across our problems The associate minister small business Thank you speaker and again to the member from whip before the question speaker Let me tell you what i've heard from members of the canadian federation of independent business and from a small manufacturer I quote the carbon tax increasing each year is crippling our ability to do business outside of our local area We used to have a large province wide presence with some of our product in major retailer and online delivery But now shipping costs are too high to make a profit doing that We've had to pivot our whole business model because of that and from a construction business and I quote The carbon tax is simply an added cost to our small business We need trucks to move our equipment and fuel costs are through the roof I feel there are better ways to help fight climate change Speaker the opposition have failed to recognize the impacts this tax has on Ontario small businesses and the communities that rely on them It is high time for the n dp and the liberals to stop grandstanding tell Ottawa scrap the tax Question the member for thunder bay superior north speaker to the premier Seniors in my riding of thunder bay superior north and the neighbouring riding of thunder bay atta koken Are telling me they cannot afford to pay for the rsv rsv vaccine that the government is only providing under OHIP to seniors in long-term care People over the age of 60 account for 80 percent of deaths from the virus Yet the ministry has erected financial barriers to adults seeking the vaccine who live in their own home Will the premier end this discriminatory practice and provide full rsv coverage for all people over the age of 60 Mr. Bell Thank you speaker. Well, I'm I'm very pleased that you have constituents in your communities who are so excited about A vaccine that is literally For the first time ever available for rsv As soon as health canada approved that vaccine Ontario was and continues to be the only Canadian Jurisdiction that is providing rsv vaccines for free in our long-term care homes and our high-risk retirement homes It is a very strategic decision to make sure that the individuals who are most vulnerable living in those congregate care settings Have access to what truly is a lifesaving game changing vaccine Access to the shingricks vaccine is also a problem for seniors between the ages of 65 and 70 The vaccine is covered by OHIP But anybody older than 70 has to pay $300 to get the vaccine Even though the risks of getting a severe case increase with age My mother who turns 96 today She was not offered the vaccine and came down with an excruciating case of shingles a year ago And is still experiencing pain to this day Will the premier stop this discriminatory practice? Remove the upper age limit and provide shingles coverage for all people over the age of 65 Thank you and happy birthday to your mother I want to say you know Ontario does leave Canada in terms of the number of drugs and access to vaccines that we have on the formulary Again, we are very strategic in making sure that we have And ensure access to the people who are most vulnerable You know when I think of the changes that we've been able to make because we have 19 vaccines in our community because we have Thousands of pharmacies and pharmacists who are on a daily basis providing vaccines to our residents It really is taking a very different approach and making sure that we are Protecting as many Ontario residents as possible We'll continue to do that work because we see that this is yet another protection to ensure people in Ontario Response Thank you. Thank you. The next question the member for dawn valley north Thank you speaker. My question is to the attorney general Speaker my constituents both landlords and tenants often express their frustration with the delays at the landlords and tenants board Speaker we currently have the national housing crisis the long-term rental surprise plays a vital role in tackling this issue Suddenly we are seeing financial financial disaster caused by line paying tenants Would result in landlords have to either sell their property or move into short-term rentals Speaker the LTB is the backbone of a functional rental community And provides a legal framework of how landlords and tenants so governs themselves It is intended as a means of resolving dispute between both parties in a fair and timely manner Speaker my question is What step is the government taking to ensure that LTB is fair and fast for everyone. Thank you The attorney general Mr. Speaker and I want to thank the member from dawn valley north He's clearly in touch with its constituents because we're hearing it from our constituents as well Mr. Speaker the landlord tenant port is an important part of our system And I can tell you we're making progress because this government made investments last year that the NDP opposed They made investments this year that the NDP opposed We have doubled the number of adjudicators, mr. Speaker by the end of today There'll be 69 where there were 40 in june, mr. Speaker full-time. We're adding more will be at 86 Very shortly now mr. Speaker. I sat down with sean. We're the executive chair and we are making progress of our 13 tribunals 11 are hitting their targets and landlord tenant port is next mr. Speaker of urgent matters reviewed and processed september of last year 964 september this year 2356 mr. Speaker a hundred and forty percent improvement mr. Speaker in terms of scheduled hearings in last year 49,000 scheduled hearings this year so far 70,000 40 percent increase mr. Speaker i'll have more than supplementary Supplementary question Thank you, and thank you for attorney general for his response Speaker since the pandemic the issues of fraudulent rental applications and nine payment of rental rent have searched to historical high level Fake identities job letters employment income bank statement and forced credit reports have become more common in Applications without the offense facing any consequences Speaker those are not just hurting landlords The impact of their behavior extends to honest Paying tenants as well when landlords start to withdraw from long-term rentals Enimage their choice of housing and increase the cost of living speaker Can the attorney general tell us what can be done to make sure those who break their law Intentionally are held accountable to help restore public confidence in our justice system. Thank you The attorney general Speaker and again, thank you to the member from dawn valley north We when we looked at the system and and how it had developed through covet. We have frozen fees, mr. Speaker We have added resources. We have changed systems. We have Put a whole new backbone into it, mr. Speaker We want to make sure that the landlords and when we say landlords we're talking about not just large landlords We're talking about your neighbors who are trying to rent out part of their house or or or an investment property that they have Mr. Speaker So we looked at where the choke points were in the system and one of them was the orders Once the hearing had happened the orders weren't getting out fast enough the l3s and l4s mr. Speaker In february of this year. There were a thousand waiting to be processed as of early october of this year There were 75 mr. Speaker. We are taking progress and we will get there And we will make sure that the landlords and the tenants have a fair and responsive system. Thank you, mr. Speaker question The member for thornhill My question is for the minister of finance You know when meeting with local businesses in my riding of thornhill They consistently tell me about how the federal carbon tax is so detrimental to our local economy And making their businesses more expensive to operate Speaker our government is very clear that local businesses are essential and serve a vital role in driving our province's economic prosperity Local businesses in all communities need to feel supported not penalized It's not fair or right that our businesses are being punished because of this regressive tax Forced on them by the federal liberal government. Speaker. Can the minister? Please explain how a carbon tax negatively impacts our local businesses The parliamentary assistant and member for oakville. Thank you speaker and thank you to the hardworking member from thornhill They are absolutely right Local businesses are a pivotal part of our economy and this government continues to ensure they are getting the supports that they need That's why during covet we took action early and provided grants to small businesses To ensure that they would come out of covet and continue to thrive across this province But speaker local businesses owners in the members riding are also right when they say the carbon tax is driving costs and making life more expensive For the people of ontario. It's not just driving up the price of gasoline speaker But it's also driving up the expenses of supply chains our housing grocery prices and of course inflation It's not fair for the people of this province And that's why we continue to fight the carbon tax and call on the federal government to end this regressive tax Will the opposition join us on our call or continue to sit on their hands? Thank you speaker Speaker and thank you to the member from oakville for his dedicated work Um, you know when it comes to the negative impact of the carbon tax Everyone shares the same message of concern from the governor of the bank of canada to the parliamentary budget officers Academics economists business leaders and even premiers of all political stripes agree that the carbon tax is making life more challenging And unaffordable for everyone the carbon tax is also increasing prices And is creating unfavorable conditions that weaken our competitive economic advantage Local businesses are struggling and this regressive tax is only making their work more difficult During this time of economic uncertainty and affordability concerns ontarians should not be taxed more Speaker can the parliamentary assistant, please explain how our government is supporting ontarian businesses and families Thank you again speaker and thank you again for the question from uh to the from the member from thornhill And as the member clearly outlined the carbon tax continues to drive up prices and make life more unaffordable And i was disappointed to see here in our chamber the liberal party of this province Show their continued support by voting against our motion on the removal of carbon tax on all home heating fuels They did this in spite of the evidence highlighting the damage it's doing to local businesses throughout ontario But that's why speaker while our party continues to vote to increase prices for ontarians We are working to make life more affordable from removing double transit fares Ending tolls on highway 412 and 418 to eliminating the need for license stickers We are continuing to take action and put money back in the pockets of the people of ontario at a time when they need it the most Thank you The next question the member for toronto st paul My questions to the premier speaker 62 women and children were lost to femicide in the past year according to awaits 2023 femicide list We know these numbers with each passing day arising Yesterday i met with owaith and spoke with workers women on the front lines of gender-based violence and intimate partner violence Working hard to help save the lives of women and children exposed to violence You refuse to listen to our countless calls for you to name gender-based violence as as an epidemic in this province of ontario This sector hasn't seen real investments Deep investments to its operational funding in 15 years and counting My question is to the premier You keep talking about a national plan to address gender-based violence national dollars As premier of ontario, what is your plan? What is ontario's provincial plan to address gender-based and intimate partner violence? Let's not pass the buck. Thank you speaker members will take their seats Members for storm on dundas, so clan gary and parliamentary system The government will always be there to protect women and their children escaping violence We backed that up. We backed that work up with investments Supports to victims of violence has increased by 6.5 million in this year's budget over last year And we have flowed 6 million to support initiatives and supports in rural and remote communities We invested 18.5 million over three years to enhance The transitional and housing support program to help victims of domestic violence and survivors of human trafficking Find and maintain housing and help transition to independence And those are on top of approximately 240 million we invested for victims of violence and 10.2 million for violence prevention initiatives Just two weeks ago We negotiated with the federal government to implement the national action plan to end gender-based violence That will see an additional 162 million invested over four years in ontario Speaker our government has and will continue increasing investments across the board to end violence against women And we are going to keep doing whatever it takes to protect women Premier shelters and transition houses are bursting at the seams speaker many children and women have nowhere to go The sector is facing critical stopping shortages and turnover as wages in this sector have been brutally shut down And stifled because of this conservative government's bill 124 While they should be expanding programs to meet and to meet the demand They're struggling to keep their doors open on shoe string budget budgets that are not tending to their operational needs Yesterday our frontline workers shared how they're fundraising for food for their clients Another spoke how their organizations funding expired Reversing progress made for women and children fleeing violence Again, my question is back to the premier Will he commit to ending gender-based violence today by creating a sustainable needs-based funding model for this sector? Will he support these workers and can bill 124? Thank you And again to apply a member for storm on Dundas So clean gear Speaker it's crucial that women and children fleeing violence have the supports they need to start new lives That's why we're working to increase access to safe and affordable housing for women escaping violence and human trafficking Order investing 18.5 million over three years in the transitional housing support program to support victims Of domestic violence and survivors of human trafficking find and maintain housing to help transition to independence It also connects them to socially and culturally responsive wraparound community supports like Safety planning counseling health and wellness education legal and immigration services financial resources and child care services Speaker every single ontario and deserves to have a safe place to live Especially women fleeing violence and their children and our government will ensure that St. Paul's come going The next question Remember for London fanshaw. Thank you speaker. My question is to the premier families Families and advocates from across the province are taking action today to call for an end to the severe shortage of licensed child care spaces Thousands of families are stuck on wait lists Centres are raising concerns about the ballooning cost of operating an underfunding system A shortage of workers threatens the program And while federal funding has increased provincial provincial child care funding has decreased in 2018 Speaker during an affordability crisis Why is this government underfunding the child care system and delaying the implementation of affordable child care across this province? the minister of education Let us not forget that the NDP and liberals urged ontario to sign the first deal with the federal government That would have omitted every single for-profit child care family and operator They would have denied flexibility They would have left three billion dollars at the table and they would have had no review mechanism The federal government to get more funding as the member opposite urges us to deliver for the sector You can't have it both ways you propped up the liberal party that increased child care fees by over 500% and here we are a progressive conservative government under our premier's leadership that cut fees by 50% Building 86,000 more spaces and the NDP voted against that progress for families and for working people We will continue to build spaces. We'll continue to cut fees. We will do so without the support of the NDP And that's regretful because families this problems would believe want to believe We can come together to provide affordability for the people we represent I want to ask you a question I don't think children should be used a political football So Speaker experts are saying that the majority of ontario's early childhood educators and child care staff Don't qualify for the government's recent announced wage supports We have workers here today who say they can't afford to make a living working in child care The ymca of greater, toronto has just 16 000 kids enrolled in its 35 000 licensed spaces because they don't have enough people to staff the spaces Will the minister commit to a salary scale starting at 25 per hour for all child care workers and 30 per hour for registered ecs today? Yes or no The minister of education Yes, we will continue to raise fees for our workers notwithstanding the opposition of the NDP You voted against a 19 percent increase for workers starting this january You're voting against a one dollar increase every hour per year thereafter That's on you on this government. We're increasing fees career laddering opportunities professional development We're launching an app program and in the words of the co of the college of early childhood educators And I quote we are encouraged that the strategy seeks to address some of the long-standing systemic challenges That contribute to attrition the profession and the current workforce crisis in child care end quote Mr. Speaker, we're going to keep increasing fees or increasing spaces decreasing fees Support the workers increase their wages every single year and do better to support all families and the people in the province Thank you the next question the member for brantford brant No, thank you speaker my questions for the minister of energy An increasing number of constituents for my writing have voiced their concerns about the carbon tax and its harmful impact on their lives Speaker we are already in a cost of living crisis here in ontario and people are especially fearful about how the carbon tax Will make things more expensive Most ontarians are already feeling the negative impact that the carbon tax is having on their lives and sadly The federal government does not care The carbon tax adversely affects our businesses and negatively negatively impacts our economy and ontario workers Speaker can the minister please explain how further increases to the carbon tax will hurt ontarians. Thank you Member for glen gary prescott rustle the parliamentary system Thank you, mr. Speaker and thank you to the member of brantford brant for the excellent question It's a topic that needs to be addressed for sure I do not want to be the bearer of bad news But if the carbon tax persists the parliamentary budget officer has confirmed that by 2030 the tax will cost families $2,000 a year And that is after the federal government's climate initiative program incentive program. I mean Speaker it's important for the federal liberals to understand that our government has shown time again Through the through our programs that we do not need the carbon tax to cut emissions We are currently looking at the expansion of the ch hi program the clean home eating initiative and to to Cut the eating emission by a third and ontario already has one of the cleanest energy grid in the world, mr. Speaker Speaker it makes no sense for the federal government to keep increasing the stacks on the backs of families You Thank you speaker and thank you to the member for glenn gary prescott rustle for the response The carbon tax adversely affects our businesses and negatively impacts our economy and ontario workers For people living in rural remote and northern ontario communities the negative impacts of the carbon tax are truly devastating For many individuals the carbon tax is creating additional hardships and challenges for all sectors of the economy The carbon tax harms hardworking individuals businesses and farmers by taking away money from them The delivery of every single consumer good in our province Particularly fresh and processed food is being affected by one of the most economically harmful taxes Speaker can the parliamentary system? Please elaborate and how the carbon tax negatively impacts all ontarians. Thank you Remember for glenn gary prescott rustle Speaker i couldn't agree more speaker my constituent have told me how this tax have made their life worse But that they have to endure this as fuel is too integral a part of their lives for them to find another option Manufacturer pass the increased cost of distribution to food depots who then pass it on to supermarket Who makes the consumer absorb the tax by increasing prices? That's why everyone should care about eliminating the carbon tax The increased fuel costs for a farmer in my riding in glenn gary prescott rustle Prescott rustle makes the food they deliver to a trotto supermarket more expensive Which in turn affects the buyer Speaker in this case one person affected by the carbon tax is felt by another person who lives across the province from them That concludes our question period for this morning We have a deferred vote on private members notice of motion number 36 Call in the members. This is a five minute bell