 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of his Majesty's loyal opposition. Speaker, good morning. Yesterday we kicked off National Nursing Week. Doesn't it say so much that just yesterday this Conservative government passed a law that's going to sell off our healthcare system to corporations who can make money off the backs of sick people? And I want to remind everyone here this is something that the nurses of this province deeply oppose. The Conservatives are going down a path that both Quebec and British Columbia already found was a dead end. It cost everyone more. The government, individual patients, it worsened health outcomes, and in the end it made it harder as well on healthcare workers. Speaker, to the Premier, will you stop the hemorrhaging of nurses out of our public healthcare system when there was nothing in the legislation to prevent it? To reply, Deputy Premier, Minister of Health. You know, Speaker, with the greatest of respect, the NDP could not be more wrong about Bill 60. I will highlight what the Auditor General's report on outpatient surgeries in Ontario emphasized, that the experience in other Canadian jurisdictions that community surgical centres can treat 20 to 30% more patients with the same amount of time. Why are other Canadian jurisdictions doing it and why is Ontario doing it more? Because we want people to get access to surgery and not sit in wait lines. Thank you. The supplementary question. You know, this is how out of touch this government is. If they actually got out of the back rooms and talked to the people on the front line, the nurses, the healthcare workers, they'd know the mess that they have created already in healthcare staffing. Ontario's nurses have been chronically overworked, underpaid and undermined by this Conservative government. And now, Speaker, nurses are currently without a contract. This week we're going to be tabling petitions with thousands of signatures calling on this government to present a fair and meaningful offer to their negotiations. Speaker, to the Premier, will his government give Ontario's nurses a contract that shows how much we value them? Thank you, Speaker. There is no doubt that we in this side of the House understand the very valuable important role that nurses play in our healthcare system, which is frankly exactly why, at the beginning of the pandemic, we initiated a Learn and Stay program under the leadership of the College of Nurses Ministry. It allows nurses who want to practice in the province of Ontario and train in the province of Ontario to have the tuition and their books covered if they are willing to practice in an underserved area for two years after graduation. What did that one program do? It ensured that we had the highest number of students applying for those programs. There are many, many people here, and we're going to enable that through our legislation. Thank you, Speaker. Final supplementary. Speaker, they are leaving Ontario. You cannot recruit into a broken program. With all of their efforts, we're going to be 33,000 nurses and PSWs short in this province, and that's a fact. Speaker, that response does not give me a lot of hope because while this government says one thing in this House, they say quite another thing to Ontario's nurses and their actions speak louder than their words. This government continues to take our nurses to court. It's a fact. They're fighting with them and with other public sector workers over their unconstitutional wage restraint law. Speaker, to the Premier, will he celebrate National Nursing Week by ending his campaign to take Ontario's nurses to court? Thank you. Minister of Health. Another thing that we did when we came back after a larger majority victory in June was in fact talk to and work with our partners at the College of Nurses of Ontario. And we said we have far too many internationally educated and trained nurses waiting in the queue to come and practice in our communities. Would you work with us to ensure that those individuals who are waiting at the College of Nurses for assessment get that assessment review and ultimately approve license faster? What did that do, Speaker? It meant that we had the historic high of new internationally educated nurses practicing in games. Whether it is new nurses being trained, internationally educated nurses who want to come to Ontario, we are doing the work here. Thank you, Speaker. Next question, Leader of the Opposition. Speaker, Ontarians are waking up today to news that expanded for-profit, private healthcare is now the law of the land. And in rural and northern communities they are rightly worried about the impact that two-tier healthcare is going to have on already strained hospitals and community health centres. I was in Thunder Bay last week and like many communities across the north, they're worried that the local hospitals that they proudly support and rely on are going to be closing their doors. As staff are forced out by low wages and private sector competition in the south. Speaker, to the Premier, why is this government putting private profits ahead of the needs of patients in the north? Thank you, Speaker. I want to remind members opposite that in fact we have over 900 community diagnostic operating rooms in 900 operating in the province of Materia right now. What are we doing through Bill 60? We are ensuring that your constituents who are waiting in line, who are waiting for scheduled surgeries have the opportunity to get that faster. We did it at the beginning of the year by announcing three expanded cataract surgeries in Windsor, in Kitchener, Waterloo and in Ottawa. That means that people are back with their families, back on the job, back in community where they want to be. They don't want to be on a wait list. And we're expanding because we want to make sure that your constituents have the ability to get access to the healthcare they deserve in community faster. Thank you. And a supplementary question. Speaker, I want to remind the Minister and the Premier that 2.2 million Ontarians don't have access to a family doctor right now. And in Northern Ontario we know the shortage is chronic and it's going to get worse now. As these for-profit corporate clinics set up shop in more lucrative urban locations, it's going to be even harder or even impossible for smaller rural hospitals to recruit and retain the staff they need. That is what we are hearing from the front lines. You should listen to that. Northern and First Nations communities know that this government's plan to replace community-based care with private for-profit clinics is going to make their access to healthcare even worse. Speaker to the Premier, why are you making it even harder for people in the north to get the care they need? Minister of Health. Now, Speaker, the NDP will continue to say the status quo is good enough. It's not good enough. We need to have people accessing care faster. And one of the ways that we are doing this is absolutely expanding the clinical and diagnostic piece. The other part is actually building out the health human resources so that as an example, because of the passage of Bill 60, we have as of right in the province of Ontario. First Canadian jurisdiction to do so, which means that a physician practicing in British Columbia today can tomorrow start working in Ontario. Because we know that we want to eliminate the barriers, eliminate the red tape to make sure that individuals who want to come here, who want to practice, who want to be in our world-class medical facilities have that ability without the many, many red tape barriers that we've seen in the past. The final supplementary. Speaker, the minister doesn't want to talk about the north, I guess. Let me introduce a concept to you. Highway health care. Highway health care is what happens when this government forces northerners to travel long distances, sometimes thousands of kilometres away from their families to receive the health care that they need. The Northern Health Travel Grant gives them $100 for a hotel. Well, good luck finding anything for that price anywhere. And worrying about that when you're sick, just great. Speaker to the Premier, if he's focused on destroying our health care system and more northerners are going to have to travel even farther to get the care they need, will he at least enhance these supports? Minister of Health. Is the leader of the NDP suggesting that when we expand MRIs into new facilities, new communities in the north, in the south, in rural communities that have never had an MRI in their hospital before, that that is status quo that you're happy with? It is not. Our government is making the changes that will ensure that people will get access in their communities. And one of the ways that we're doing that is actually integrating the health care system. Instead of having individual hospitals, individual organisations, we're making sure that those partnerships ensure that individuals who are on wait list, whether it's for cataracts, hips or knee replacement surgeries, can get it in their community. That is what Bill 60 is about. It is about challenging the status quo, ensuring and engaging in innovation that is frankly happening across Ontario. We're empowering hospitals to do that. Thank you, Speaker. The next question, the member for University of Rosedale. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Attorney General. The Ommonspins damning report called out the Ontario's landlord and tenant boards failure to provide justice to thousands of Ontarians. And the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario has been sounding the alarm for years that tenants have been struggling to participate in the LTB's online hearing process. We read in the Ommonspin report about a woman who waited 10 months for a hearing only to have trouble logging on on the day, and as a result her case was dismissed and her access to justice was denied. To ensure everyone gets a fair hearing, experts are calling for in-person hearings to be easily available to people who request them. Can this government implement that recommendation? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I appreciate the report from the Ommonspin, and one of the things that he did say was that when we took government in 2018, the previous government supported by the NDP, and I'm paraphrasing what the Ommonspin said, of course, but he said that the technology was redundant, that it was broken. And we have invested $28.5 million in cutting-edge systems so that people can access justice, Mr. Speaker. In terms of in-person hearings, people can request in-person help. They can go to locations in London, Ottawa, Toronto and other spaces. We also have a mobile service to help people that don't have the technology. So we are doing things to make sure that we're doing digital first, but not digital only, and I look forward to the supplementary question where I'll talk with some of the other investments that we've made, Mr. Speaker. Yes, thank you very much. There's only been less than 1% of actual hearings that were actually in-person. My question to the Premier on the same specific issue is the Ombudsman's scathing report included many heartbreaking stories. A tenant's home is so unsafe that it made her ill. So in December 2020, she then applied to the LTB. Her case was then hurt only 16 months later after she already made the difficult decision to leave the home that she could afford. This all happened under this government's watch, where the caseload blew up from 20,000 in 2022 to 38,000. You can't blame the Liberals for everything. They broke it, but you made it worse. There's still no relief in sight. When will the government actually own up to their failures and actually table a detailed report with timelines to clear the historic high backlog of the LTB? Remind members? Members may take their seats. Remind members to make their comments through the chair. The Attorney General. Mr. Speaker, and in fact the backlog did grow because there was a pandemic. When we chose to protect tenants and put a freeze on evictions, of course the backlog grew by a little bit. But Mr. Speaker, we've invested. If it was left to the NDP, who knows what the number would have been, because we pivoted very quickly to online hearings. We made sure the people had their day in court and we moved very fast. We made investments in staff. We made investments in technology. We made investments. We doubled the number of adjudicators, Mr. Speaker. We have done so many things. And let me tell you, Mr. Speaker, what the NDP have done, Mr. Speaker, they've said have hearings. Don't have hearings. Have them in person. Have them quick. Mr. Speaker, I think I'm going to start calling it the party of turnstile. The next question, the member for Brampton North. Thank you. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Transportation. Like many communities across Ontario, the city of Brampton is rapidly growing. Every day, new families are calling Brampton home. And along with this rapid growth comes the need to build new transportation networks. For 15 years, the previous Liberal government stuck with the status quo and ignored Brampton's growing transportation needs. Rather than making urgently needed investments into large-scale transportation infrastructure, the Liberals are more focused on building bike lanes. It's true. You did that. Now, the people of Brampton, the region appeal, and the surrounding communities are counting on our government to make the critical transportation investments and upgrades to keep Ontario moving. Speaker, could the Minister please explain how our government is expanding public transportation networks in my community and beyond? The Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Speaker. I thank the member for the question. Well, Speaker, unlike the previous government, we're focused on getting results for the entire province, including for the city of Brampton. Our government is making incredible progress to improve transportation infrastructure that was neglected in Brampton for far too long under the Liberals and the NDP. This includes upgrades to go transit stations in Brampton, one of the busiest stations along the Kitchener GO line. Speaker, the upgrades at Brambley GO station will support two-way all-day GO service along the Kitchener GO line and will make travel easier for the growing Brampton community. The enhanced Brambley GO will include a new bus loop, more parking, and an improved platform that is connected by tunnels and elevators. Speaker, this government is focused on making life easier for the people of Brampton, and I look forward to providing an update on the Brambley station in the near future. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for that answer. Speaking from experience, I take the Kitchener line most days I took it this morning. Those trains are packed. What a great investment by this government in the Kitchener line. And it's great to learn about the upgrades at the Brambley GO station. These improvements will make travel more convenient for individuals and families who rely on this very busy GO line. The previous Liberal government failed to plan ahead for the growth and transportation needs of Brampton. Even now, Liberals and NDP are out of touch with reality, and they take every opportunity to oppose the transportation solutions that Brampton needs, including the Highway 413. I guess they didn't learn their lesson from the last election. As a result, many residency commuters are delayed every day with the endless traffic congestion and gridlock, which causes frustration, but it's also a threat to our province's economic prosperity. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how our government is addressing the urgent transportation needs in Brampton? Thank you. Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Speaker. Well, I share the members' frustration. The NDP and the Liberals think they know what's best for Brampton residents. But if it were up to them, nothing would get built. Order. And that is unacceptable, Speaker. You lost order. Speaker, we have a balanced approach that expands public transit like Bramaleego and that builds new highways like Highway 413. Speaker, in the last election, the people of Peel and Brampton spoke, and our government is listening. Speaker, I hear your first hands from residents in Peel region that the impact the gridlock is having on their lives, on their economy is unacceptable. We won't stick with the status quo, Mr. Speaker. We are building Highway 413. Speaker, now is the time to act, and now is the time to build. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question to the Minister of Health. Speaker, last week the Canadian press received Freedom of Access of Information's document from the Minister of Health that said, and I quote, Ontario's lack of a long COVID strategy has led to fragmented clinics that offer little to no support to patients. Ontario does not have a coordinated approach to care for patients with post-COVID condition, the Health Ministry Strategic Policy Branch wrote. So my question to the Minister, aside from billing codes, can the Minister of Health tell the 750,000 Ontarians living with long COVID where they can access the care they so desperately need? Deputy Premier, Minister of Health. Well, with the greatest of respect, Speaker, the member opposite is dismissing the fact that we've actually worked with the Ontario Medical Association to make sure that there is appropriate billing codes for our primary care practitioners who are treating and assisting individuals with long COVID. It is an important piece to make sure that individuals with long COVID are not left abandoned by our health care system, which is not going to happen under this government. So to suggest that this is a dismissive, not important piece to ensure that individuals who are suffering with long COVID have the support that they need in the province of Ontario, I think shows a great deal of disrespect to those individuals. The supplementary question. Since there was no money, several hospitals have established long COVID clinics, but they have mostly relied on redeployed resources from other areas of the hospital. Again, I quote from briefing that the Minister received. While some providers are responding to the immediate demand for post-COVID care, these offerings are insufficient, fragmented and unsustainable without dedicated funding. This model is not sustainable and could result in level to no support for Ontarian with post-COVID need. The briefing warned the Minister. These clinics are currently at risk of closure due to the lack of funding. The Minister Briefing's documents said, and everybody agrees, a provincially coordinated approach would be most effective. Minister, where is the dedicated funding for a provincially coordinated approach to care for the 750,000 Ontarians with long COVID, like BC, Alberta and Quebec, already fund? Thank you, Speaker. You know, our Premier and our government has always been there for the people of Ontario. When and as we experience whether it is pandemic insuring that our public health units, our primary care docs, our hospitals had sufficient resources and we will continue to do that. There is excellent work happening in both our research hospital facilities as well as in our universities to study and assess the impacts of long COVID. And as we develop and see how those outcomes continue, we will be there as we have been through the entire pandemic to make sure that they have the resources to continue to serve these important long COVID patients. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. Next question, the Member for Peterborough Court. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I have a question for the Minister of Energy. I know that individuals and families in my community along with people across Ontario are looking for relief on their home energy costs. While natural gas rates are gradually coming down, the cost remains high and people are still feeling the financial impact of the global economic instability is causing to everyone. When our government was first elected in 2018, we made a commitment to make life more affordable for Ontario's families. We must make every effort to deliver on our commitment by providing more ways for Ontarians to take control of their energy bills and encourage energy conservation. Can the Minister please explain what actions our government is taking to make home heating more affordable and cleaner? Minister of Energy. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thanks to the member from Peterborough and congratulations to his Pete's on advancing to the OHL final against the London Knights. You know, since day one, our government has been working hard to make sure that life is more affordable for the people of Ontario, particularly on the energy file, Mr. Speaker. And that's why last fall I was pleased to announce $4.5 million for the Clean Home Heating Initiative, where members of his community in Peterborough and members in London, home of the Knights and members in St. Catherine's, home of the ice dogs and members in Sault Ste. Marie, home of the Greyhounds, can apply to get a hybrid home heating system. Just last week I was pleased to join the Attorney General and I was pleased to join the member from Barrie Innisfil in Barrie, home of the Colts, Mr. Speaker, to announce that our government is bringing that investment up to a total of $8.2 million, so that we can offer this additional program to another 500 homes across the city. This is great news for energy bills, Mr. Speaker, but it's also great news for the environment. Wow, supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I can confirm that all of Peterborough is energized for the pizza right now. It's encouraging to hear that our government has introduced yet another way for consumers to keep costs down, save money and take control of their energy bills. Here, here. Well, this is positive news. Many individuals and families across our province are struggling with energy costs because of ongoing global economic instability. Our government must show respect for the people of Ontario by continuing to implement programs that offer choices and will help reduce the costs. Speaker, can the minister please explain how the people of Ontario can benefit from the Clean Home Heating Initiative? Minister of Energy. Thanks, Speaker. Thanks again to the member and good luck to his pizza. Our government's excited to provide this opportunity to more communities and more homeowners across the province to lower not just their home energy bills, but also do their part for the environment and reduce emissions. The Clean Home Heating Initiative is going to allow households to leverage Ontario's world-class green energy, clean energy grid that we have to both heat and cool their homes with a hybrid heat pump that switches between electricity and natural gas. Switching to hybrid home heating could save you about $300 a year, Mr. Speaker, on your energy bills. That's a significant amount, and they would also be cutting their emissions by a third, which is great news for the environment. So we know that people across the province want to have more choice, Mr. Speaker. We've been providing that response. The province want to have more control over their monthly costs, especially on their energy bills. And, Speaker, I'm proud to say that the Ontario government is delivering on that. Next question, the member for Windsor-West. My question is to the Premier. The Conservative government's Bill 124 was ruled unconstitutional by the court. Health care workers, the union representing hundreds of thousands of workers, and the general public know that Bill 124 is not only unconstitutional, it is disrespectful and specifically targets women-led professions like nursing. Nurses in Windsor-Essex are leaving my community and going to work in Detroit, Michigan, when they are better paid and more respected. Bill 124 continues to push more Canadian nurses to leave Ontario for work. Speaker, it's National Nursing Week, and nurses want to know why the Premier is targeting them and other women-led professions by suppressing their wages and appealing the Bill 124 court ruling. Thank you. Colleges and universities. Well, thank you, Mr. Speaker. And thank you to the member for that question. And I would like to wish all nurses happy nursing week. I was actually at Centennial College yesterday, and that was a class. It was their first day of nursing. Order. It was related to all those new students who were entering the profession, and we're seeing a record number of students entering into the nursing field because of some of the incentives that we're offering, like the new Learn and Stay program, which the Minister of Health was acknowledging early on. This is 2,500 students will have the opportunity for free tuition to enter into the nursing profession, paramedic, lab tech, all their education covered for with a commitment to stay in their communities for two years. But another interesting incentive we're offering is the Community Commitment Program for Nurses, which was launched in June of 2022 at Selective Hospitals in Ontario to address nursing shortages. And in fact, in about 10 months at Windsor Regional Hospital, has signed up over 200 nurses in this program. $5,000 to sign up and it's served at least two years in a designated community. Thank you. The supplementary question. There's hundreds of nursing positions in Windsor that go unfilled every single month because of Bill 124. We have a shortage of nurses and taking them to court to continue to suppress their wages is not the way to make them feel appreciated or respected. The Premier posted a video for National Nursing Week and he said, I quote, Nurses are the foundation of our healthcare system and I encourage everyone to take time this nursing week to thank our wonderful nurses for everything they do. End quote. Speaker, to celebrate National Nursing Week, will the Premier stop fighting nurses in court and will he prove his proclaimed gratitude for them by repealing 124 today? Or is he just full of it? That's the member to withdraw. I withdraw. To reply, Mr. College of the University. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I think the member failed to hear me. 200 nurses signed up at Windsor Regional Hospital. And I have a quote from the CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital. It has been hugely successful. These government programs have really benefited us with recruiting, said Karen Rizal, Windsor Regional Hospital's Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Executive. We have another 111 graduates starting this summer. That's a significant number. It's a promontating our workforce. This is from Karen Rizal, Windsor Regional Hospital in your riding. And once again, I'll remind members to make their comments through the chair. Start the clock. The next question, the member for Orleans. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Mr. Speaker, climate change is beginning to have a real and measurable impact on how we live our lives. In 2017, the City of Ottawa and communities along the Ottawa River were hit with flooding events that had not been seen in 50 years. Hundreds of residents were impacted, including in East Ottawa. Many lost their homes. In 2019, record levels of water returned and this time only worse. Thousands of residents across the region were affected. The City declared a state of emergency and the Army had to be called in to protect critical infrastructure like water treatment facilities and neighbourhoods. After a few years of reprieve, generational flooding has returned to Ottawa, Mr. Speaker. If not for the most recent events, this year would also be the worst flooding in 50 years. Three generational floods in seven years. Homeowners are tired, volunteers are burnt out and this can't keep on happening. So Mr. Speaker, what actions is this government going to take to understand exactly what is happening and more importantly, what are they going to do to stop it and protect residents from its impacts? The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Thanks, Mr. Speaker and through you to the member. The City of Ottawa staff contacted our municipal service office yesterday regarding the spring flooding and requested that a provincial disaster assistance team be deployed to assess the impact. City staff noted that to our ministry that the damage is localized but it's significant in some of the neighbourhoods around the Ottawa River. According to municipal staff, they've requested that the PDAT team come up. A meeting is scheduled with the City tomorrow and as all members know, in the spring there are going to be situations like we're experiencing in Whitewater in the member for Renfrew-Nippison-Pembroke's writing. My ministry office is available in all regions of the province to reach out when a provincial disaster team is required. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In 2017, after the flooding, affected homeowners were able to apply for disaster recovery assistance for Ontarians to cover the costs of cleanup, repair essential property and their basic expenses. After the flooding in 2019, residents were also afforded that opportunity and I know it was greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, after the devastating Dureco in 2022 that blew down church steeples, ripped off barn roofs and damaged homes, this government did not offer Ottawa residents that slain level of assistance. Many farmers are still reeling from that abandonment, Mr. Speaker. Now that the floodwaters are slowly but surely starting to recede and apparently the disaster team from the provinces in Ottawa, will this government ensure that affected homeowners in the national capital can apply for disaster assistance relief this time? Minister of Municipal Affairs. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. According to the members' own municipal staff, the majority of the permanent homes located in the flood plains appear to have insurance that would cover any losses they receive. I want to remind all members that the disaster recovery assistance for Ontarians program is not to replace insurance. It's a program that provides the minimum basic requirements as part of it. The member knows that. As I said, a meeting is scheduled with the ministry and the municipality tomorrow. And media reports to date suggest that it's approximately 130 properties that may be impacted largely in the West Carleton March ward that includes the Constance Bay Area. So this is something we're going to continue to monitor. Response. Mr. Speaker, I want to assure the member that ministry officials have boots on the ground. Thank you. The next question is for the member for Carleton. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Labor, Immigration Training and Skills Development. Ontario is currently facing a historic shortage of skilled workers across nearly every trade. Simply put, Ontario needs more workers. The numbers are staggering, Mr. Speaker. It's projected that 72,000 workers will be needed by 2027 in the construction sector alone. However, with so many unfilled jobs, it's concerning that the average age of an apprentice is 29 years old. Young people need to be provided with the opportunities to launch into these well-paying and lifelong careers. Speaker, through you, can the minister please explain how our government is supporting young people in gaining the skills they need to address our province's overwhelming demand for skilled tradespeople? Thank you. Minister of Labor, Immigration Training and Skills Development. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member from Carleton for being such a champion of those in the skilled trades. I remember being with the local iron workers at the Iron Workers Training Centre in her riding, meeting two young female apprentices who really advocated for the government to improve washrooms and improve PPE for women. So I want to thank the member again. Speaker, as the Premier and I often say, a career in the skilled trades is truly a career for life. That is why our government is investing $1.5 billion over the next several years to get more young people into the trades. Today, Speaker, I'm pleased to be joined by Sir Jan Kapal, Malik DeCruz, Alden Patterson, and Abraham Bellisario, who are starting their careers in the skilled trades thanks to the innovative and game-changing future builder scholarship powered by Scotty Barnes in partnership with the Skilled Trades College of Canada. Working with community leaders and role models like Scotty Barnes, we're going to continue to get more people into the skilled trades. The supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank you to the minister. Mr. Speaker, when speaking about getting more people into the skilled trades and that the labour shortage is hurting Ontario's economic potential, we need to remove barriers for those who don't currently have jobs but who want to work. Most people who are unemployed or receiving social assistance want to work. Currently, there are nearly 700,000 people in Ontario who are on social assistance, many of whom are seeking employment. However, for some of these individuals, they may need assistance with retraining and other supports so that their skills better match the jobs of today. Our government must focus on implementing programs that provide practical help for individuals to secure a fulfilling career to support themselves and their families. So through you, Mr. Speaker, can the minister please explain how our government is supporting Ontarians in securing gainful work? I want to thank the member again for that question. Mr. Speaker, this is why we're changing our employment Ontario system for those on social assistance to ensure that we're now buying work boots, we're buying uniforms, we're buying transit passes, we're sitting with those on social assistance to ensure that they're writing resumes properly, that they know how to enter interviews to ensure that they can get meaningful employment. Speaker, we've made a lot of changes to employment Ontario throughout the province in the three regions where we brought forward these changes. I'm proud to announce to the House today that 63,000 people have now gained meaningful employment across the province, filling labour shortages, but most importantly, Mr. Speaker, ensuring that people are providing more income so they can build families around these careers. I want to continue every single day working for those on social assistance by lifting them up, removing barriers to get into in-demand careers. Question, the member for Scarborough, South West. Last week we heard of a massive tragedy where an eight-year-old girl died after a hidden run outside a school in Burlington, Ontario. The girl was trying to cross the driveway to get to the school's entrance when she was hit by a car leaving the parking lot. Speaker, the issue of pedestrian fatalities and severe injuries has become a growing concern for residents and communities with 22 deaths and 77 severe injuries reported in Toronto in 2022. Alone, the lack of meaningful action in Ontario to ensure safe streets for all is concerning. We here in this House need to do much more. So my question to the Premier is what does this government take to prevent these fatal pedestrian accidents? Minister of Transportation Thank you Mr Speaker and I thank the member opposite for her important question. Mr Speaker, since we were elected in 2018 road safety has been a top priority for our government and I just want to underline the fact that road safety is not a partisan issue. Our government has worked closely with members of the Opposition Caucus on these important measures because we want to do to protect our vulnerable road users. Since September of 2018 we implemented important changes that will protect vulnerable road users. We've increased penalties for drivers who failed to yield for pedestrians at crosswalks, at crossovers at school crossing, at crossovers and at school crossings. We've increased the maximum fine penalty for all general offences under the Highway Traffic Act and we've introduced a new offence for careless driving causing death or bodily harm including fines, license suspensions and imprisonment. Mr Speaker, this offence carries the longest prison term of any penalty in the Highway Traffic Act. But Mr Speaker, this is not a one and done issue Mr Speaker. It's an ongoing priority and we're going to continue to work with us. The supplementary question. I agree with the Minister on one thing. Road safety is not a partisan issue and we have also introduced a solution, Bill 40, the Moving Ontarians Safely Act which will enshrine measures to prevent more lives from being impacted by unsafe roads. And I think of my friend right here the member from St. Catherine's whose mother was hit by a driver on March 24th as she crossed the street in front of another elementary school. She was knocked nine feet in the air and hurled for 20 feet. She's still in hospital. So I ask this government commit to making our roads safer by passing this bill. Thank you Mr Speaker. Thank you Mr Speaker. Any form of aggressive and distracted driving is unacceptable and it will not be tolerated by this government. Mr Speaker, our government introduced community safety zones around schools for this specific issue to make sure that drivers take extra care when they are driving around our most vulnerable our children Mr Speaker. And we are doing everything we can to support community safety zone implementation across Ontario. Mr Speaker, we understand that in last year alone, sorry in 2021 alone over 250,000 tickets were issued to vehicles that are captured by speed cameras who are noticing speeding in these community safety zones. Mr Speaker, we are going to continue to support our municipalities as they take the measures that they can to support vulnerable road and protect vulnerable road users Mr Speaker. And we are going to continue to do what we can to keep our roads make sure that our roads are on the safest anywhere in North America. Thank you. The next question the member for Hastings-Lenning-Sinan. Thank you Mr Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development. Speaker, for so long under the previous Liberal government so many opportunities to foster economic growth across Northern Ontario were lost or ignored. The strengths, the assets and the abilities found in so many of our rural, remote and indigenous communities were ignored. And as a result their full potential has never been realized. Our government must respect the people of Northern Ontario and we must implement solutions that will allow all Ontarians to have more opportunities to create and expand their economic potential. Our government must continue to invest in programs and projects that will help Northern Ontario keep it competitive and current. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how our government is supporting prosperity and opportunities in Northern Ontario? Minister of Northern Development Thank you Mr Speaker. I'm going to try but first I want to thank the member from Hastings-Lenning-Sinan for his amazing job and the important contributions he makes to our caucus. It's that time of year Mr Speaker Spring is finally here across Northern Ontario and leaders from across our vast region meet for an opportunity to discuss best practices and every year Mr Speaker especially for the past five under the leadership of this premier and the commitment from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to join municipal leaders and talk about the opportunities across Northern Ontario. That was in full display in Thunder Bay Mr Speaker. What a line-up Minister Serma, Clark, Dunlop, Leche, Peary, Minister Smith and of course fondly the what I like to call the Minister for Thunder Bay our amazing parliamentary assistant Kevin Holland. Mr Speaker we made a direct importance of business expansion and development and 179 job replacements to the tune of $7.8 million we're on fire up. Thank you very much. The supplementary question. Thank you Mr Speaker I think I just heard $7.5 million. It's encouraging that our government is supporting common sense measures that will continue to build prosperity across Northern Ontario. Many communities across the north are eager to take advantage of these opportunities that will help create jobs and expand business operations. Our government must continue to work with our northern partners to build a stronger Ontario. Speaker the people across the north are counting on our government to deliver on our commitment to invest in key priorities that are relevant and important to their communities. Speaker can the minister please expand on how our government is continuing to invest in projects that will strengthen communities in Northern Ontario. Mr Northern Development Enough about Northwestern Ontario let me shift to northeastern Ontario where yesterday I and my colleagues helped to kick off Phenom the Federation of Northern Ontario municipalities conference Mr Speaker a phenomenal agenda Mr Speaker and note there we were again several cabinet ministers making important announcements about what's going on in northeastern Ontario. I made a bit of a pivot Mr Speaker there's so many beautiful little small towns up there in northeastern Ontario and they appreciate our community development tranche that we put into the NOHFC when we modernized it to the tune of five million dollars Mr Speaker we talked about Blind River and rehabilitating their curling club the township of Saint Joseph's rehabilitating a children's library Mr Speaker and in Gore Bay upgrading the harbour front in more accessible these are the things that matter Mr Speaker to young families and retirees in our communities good hardworking families who want a great quality of life and we remain committed to jump. Thank you very much. The next question the member for Humber River Black Creek. Thank you Speaker Paul attending in my riding was saved from homelessness thanks to the Canada Ontario housing benefit this subsidy was supposed to last until spring 2024 but after the government has slashed funds to this program the funds are now set to run out by the city of Toronto will this government properly fund this program to keep individuals and families from ending up on the streets apply the Minister of Minister of Affairs and Housing again Speaker I just I can't believe some of the lines of questioning we get from the new Democratic Party given the fact that we've increased our homelessness prevention program by 202 million dollars and in the city of Toronto by an 182 million dollars we continue to work with our service managers and we continue to work with the federal government it's interesting that this member asked a question about a cost shared program under the Canada Ontario housing benefit as part of the national housing strategy where this member and his party refuse to stand up for tenants and citizens in asking for our fair share of $470 million by the federal government and the NDP continue to sit on their hands the supplementary question thank you Speaker aside from the very fascinating spin we just heard now the government has responded to this in the media and simply blamed the cost of skyrocketing rents but the government must take responsibility for the cost of out of control rent right now because there is an immediate solution and it's called rent control tenants don't have time to wait for a market adjustment they need relief right now will this government support the NDP's call to bring back rent control right now you know Speaker two days in a row and the NDP continue to talk about failed policies right again we put a plan in place that has seen around two years a record amount of purpose built rental construction in our province something that every community no matter what corner of the province you're in we need more purpose built rental what have we seen last year 2021 15,000 new purpose built rental starts the year before over 13,000 the highest we've seen since the early or since the mid-80s again we continue to work with our municipal partners we continue to put a plan in place but again Speaker I want to remind this member you know the NDP have when they come to the house here's a party that continues to vote against all of the housing support that we give they want high fees high taxes on our nonprofits and our affordable housing thank you the next question thank you speaker and my question is for the minister of colleges and universities Ontario's labor shortage is at a crisis point particularly in the skilled trades the impact that the shortage of workers is having on our province is reflected in the number of job vacancies as well as in the supply chain challenges and higher prices for services we know that building a stronger Ontario where people and businesses can thrive starts with our youth by strengthening and investing in our skilled trades and apprenticeship system we can ensure that Ontario's younger generation will be best prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow Speaker can the minister please explain what our government is doing to increase the number of trade workers Minister of colleges and universities thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for that great question growing up in a family of plumbers I witnessed firsthand the importance of trades people and the value that they contribute to local communities our government is committed to addressing labor shortages head on and that starts with post-secondary education that is why we continue to advocate and promote our Ontario colleges skilled trades and apprenticeship programs to further enhance opportunities for college students to enter the workforce with job ready skills our government expanded the degrees that colleges can offer to now include new three-year degrees and more four-year degrees in applied areas of study our government also invested $60 million of funding to support Ontario's first micro-credential strategy and expanded OSAP to ensure that they are eligible to help workers retain and upgrade their skills Ontario faces a growing labor shortage in the skilled trades we are making the necessary adjustments for students to enter skilled trade programs because Mr. Speaker when you have a job in the trade you have a reliable career for life the supplementary question thank you speaker and thank you to the minister for that response $60 million for micro-credentialing is amazing now while it's great to hear how our government is prioritizing the skilled trades it's important to recognize that opportunities have not been equal for all Ontarians who are interested in this sector the stigma that has developed around being a trades person remains a barrier that many individuals particularly young women have encountered in trying to pursue a career in this field in 2021 women represented less than 4% of workers in automotive and construction skilled trades our government must address the ongoing labor shortage across our province by recognizing and supporting the vital role that women have in building a stronger Ontario Speaker can the minister please explain how our government is creating better conditions for women to enter and succeed Mr. Colches the university thank you speaker and the member is absolutely right for years we have seen a real stigma around having a career in the trades especially directed towards women speaker this has to end not only our trades a great way to get into an in demand and high paying career but trades are essential to ensuring Ontario's future economic prosperity having grown up in a skilled trades family I know firsthand the best way to get someone interested in the trades is to expose them to it at a young age that is why I was proud to attend the Jill of all trades event at Centennial college last year and see all of the young women who attend similar events across the province this is a one day event at various college campuses where high school girls are able to experience rewarding career options in the trades and teaches them that the trades are an option for them speaker it is projected that one in five new job openings in Ontario are likely to be in the skilled trades occupations by 2025 I'm proud that our government will continue to give women and all learners flexible thank you very much the next question from the speaker of James Bay thank you Mr. President the STEM scholar thank you Mr. Speaker we have a lack of teaching staff and the quality of education has actually is important because we need actually qualified teacher so how can we make sure that we can face the need for more teachers the councils that are actually put in place are very important and after the pandemic the situation has gotten worse so we know in north of Ontario the situation for example with the Laurentian University has become worse and worse the question is for the premier when are you going to organize and put in place the recommendations that were given to this government thank you very much the minister just first off note we brought forth legislation to this house the better schools and soon outcomes act in that bill responding to the concerns cited by the members opposite we have required the answer of teachers to certify educators from the Franco for example by at least 50% faster we are requiring better processing times of the college one of the principal concerns french language education stakeholders in addition to that we are requiring new educators to be better trained on literacy on math on special education on leadership and on literacy promotion now if the members opposite want to work with government on this they will vote for that bill we just brought forth the budget a commitment to hire 2,000 more teachers our catholic, our english and french school systems but those measures those investments that additional staff has been opposed systematically by the NDP I really do hope in good faith you will vote for this bill so we can work together to resolve a long standing national issue of a french teacher shortage of dispensaries supplementary question Mr Speaker the minister must believe what he says because actually what he is saying is not true we have catholic school boards which say that the programs at the curricula are not working we have seen in June 2021 the fact that the government has put in place a new strategy which was actually not based on the expert advising so we need to solve the problem of lack of teachers in french then a new strategy has been put in place but two years later we are still waiting for a new solution so Mr Speaker I would like to ask the same question when this government is going to put in place the recommendations given by experts in order to put an end to the lack of teachers in the french language and to be able to have a continuity in the french education system brought together unions, school boards and the french language community in conjunction with the minister of frankophone affairs for the first time to resolve an issue that has preceded our government it's a long standing national issue of access to french language educators and we responded with a 13 million dollar investment and a commitment to attract the best and brightest teachers from the broader frankophonie community and we are seeing the results in Ontario schools to attract as a consequence of that action and that investment but I understand fully we understand the need to continue to work together to resolve this issue we brought forth legislation designed to certify those individuals, those teachers faster we brought forth a plan to better train them and support them and Mr Speaker in addition we have a plan to help hire over 350 certified french language educators we've increased the budget for french language education to the highest levels we'll continue to invest and work together to help french teams succeed the next question is for Brantford Grant thank you speaker my question is for the minister of education speaker today my son is working in a trade he's 18 years old and he's learning how to be an electrician that's so exciting for me but Ontario continues to experience the largest labour shortage in a generation there is tremendous need for skilled trades workers across Ontario including in my communities in Brantford and Brant unfortunately for 15 years the previous Liberal government ignored the importance of equipping students for the jobs of the future as a result Ontario has seen a decline in the completion of apprenticeship certification and trades diplomas that is why our government must do all that we can to encourage students who are interested in pursuing a career in this vital industry speaker can the minister please explain how our government is empowering students with early exposure to technology in the skilled trades thank you very much Mr. Speaker the member from Brantford for this question for his passion on this issue we are working together to make sure that we have a talented next generation of young people who are prepared to enter the skilled trades to get good jobs and create good lives and opportunities for themselves it's why speaker we follow the advice of skilled trades professionals for the next generation before the house to allow more mid-career certified professionals who work in the skilled trades space to work within our schools to leverage that experience that you just can't duplicate in an academic space we need these hands-on workers we're doing that in the bill we're allowing new skilled trades graduation coaches for the first time leveraging people in the private sector in the trenches working to build this country in this province to work with kids and to develop Mr. Speaker we also most recently required every student in Ontario to take at least one technological education course for the third of girls that take that course creating pathways for all of them to succeed we know this is going to make a difference to build the economy supplementary thank you speaker it's great to see that our government continues to make progress in helping students gain the skills necessary for rewarding careers in fact it was about a year ago that the minister came to Brantford and Brant and we announced the new Catholic High School and I'm working with the Catholic Board to make sure that that's a trade focused high school but we need to do more in my writing of Brantford Brant Patriot Forge is a leading employer that needs more skilled trades workers so they can meet their growing demands expand operations and provide financial opportunities to their employees it is outstanding companies like Patriot Forge that are helping remain competitive and further our economic prosperity their success is a local business and our success as a province depend on a highly skilled workforce this starts with students getting interested in the skilled trades from a young age speaker can the minister please elaborate on the actions our government is taking to ensure that employers in Ontario can attract and retain the workers that they need to succeed and thrive thank you thank you very much Mr. Speaker in the house today we have Beaver Works the FRC team 2609 with us today congratulations these young people these amazing young people are part of the winning alliance to win the first robotics world championship in Texas and I will note they were the only Canadian team to compete it is that type of excellence in this province we want to harness and we want to make sure more soon to succeed in the new curriculum in math students now is a requirement to learn how to build a robot starting in grade 1 is required to learn how to code the robot we are giving young people competitive advantage when you compare Ontario to the rest of this country we are leading and we are investing with a modern curriculum relevant to the job market giving young people the life and the job skills they need to succeed we are going to continue to increase investment Mr. Speaker over 690 million more dollars continue to modernize the curriculum and continue to stand up for these young people and have a successful time a couple of members have informed me they have points of order I recognize the minister of children community and social services first Speaker I would like to invite all members and guests to tonight reception hosted by the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Society and the Children's Aid Foundation of Canada I want to specifically thank CEOs Nicole Bonnie and CEO Valerie McMurtry the reception starts at 5.30 in room 228 hope everyone joins us thank you Thank you very much speaker I hope everyone will join me in also welcoming more community members from Scarborough here with us today Fazila, Wettemeyer, Karim Wettemeyer Nielos Wettemeyer Dayton Wettemeyer and Amrik Wettemeyer welcome to your house no further business this morning this house stands in recess until 3pm