 It is now time for oral questions, and I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Thanks so much. Thanks so much, Speaker. Speaker, my first question this morning is to the Premier. Yesterday we received some great news. Pfizer has applied to Health Canada for a vaccine approval for kids that are 5 to 11 years of age. As we all know, parents are very, very anxious to protect their children, to protect their education. And so they're very much chomping at the bit, waiting for the announcement that those kids can get vaccinated. So we now, here in the province of Ontario, have a chance to get out ahead of this. We have a chance to prepare fully for the announcement that is inevitably going to come from Health Canada. And so my question is around the hope that this government is finally going to avoid the chaos, the scramble that has marked their response to COVID-19 thus far. And so asking the Premier straight up, where is the plan for vaccinating our children? And to reply to the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you very much, Speaker. And I could advise the member opposite that our government is ahead of the issue with respect to the immunization of children aged 5 to 11. We are waiting for Health Canada approval, of course. However, we have asked all of the 34 public health units to provide us with their plan, which they have submitted. We are going through those plans right now. We are using a variety of sources in order to vaccinate children of this age. And we will be ready as soon as Health Canada gives it a go ahead. We will be ready on the ground to deliver those vaccines. So parents need not be concerned. Supplementary question. We've been calling for this plan since August. As we all know, British Columbia is already pre-registering their children to get the vaccines. They're making sure that their system is ready. Parents have some certainty already as to what to expect. But here we are still with NADA in terms of information for parents about how their children 5 to 11 can get vaccinated. So the question again is, where is this plan? Why are parents still waiting to hear from this government? Why is it always last-minute information and playing catch-up with what other provinces have already done? Thank you. Well, in fact, we are prepared for the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11. We know this is an issue of concern to parents. And we also know that parents would be concerned that if a child of age 5 is going to be vaccinated, that the parent wants to be with their child. That is only natural, and we are providing for that, whether it's going to be in primary care, whether it's going to be in pharmacies, or whether it's going to be in schools, not necessarily within school hours, evenings and weekends when the entire family can go. So this is something that we are preparing for. We are ready to go. Of course, the circumstances differ in each of the 34 public health units, and one size doesn't fit all. We know that. And so we are working with each of the public health units to make sure that they are ready to go, and we will be ready, and we will have information out to parents in advance of the time when it's prepared to go via Health Canada. And the final supplement, please. There are apparently lots of questions remain, and parents really do need to know. So I hope this government has learned from its inadequacy around previous communications efforts, and they are very clear and very early on letting parents know what the plan is, because, you know, that's something that we need. In fact, the other thing that we need is vaccines to be on the immunization list for schools. We've been calling for this since June. When this COVID vaccine for children gets approved, it needs to go on the immunization list. So my question is, will the Premier get ahead of that, and actually make sure the COVID vaccine is on the routine vaccination immunization list for school-age children? Anne, what is for health? Thank you. In fact, one only needs to look at our success with respect to the vaccination campaign for adults. We now have over 87% of people age 12 and over in Ontario having received their first dose of the vaccine, and over 83% of people with a second dose. This is one of the largest campaigns around the world, not just in Canada, but around the world. We are going to apply the same policies and techniques as we did for the adult campaign for children recognizing that children are different than adults and that there are different concerns that need to be brought to bear. But we will be ready because this is one of the issues that is central to our government protecting the health and well-being of all Ontarians, that of course includes small children. We will be ready to go as soon as Health Canada gives it a go. The next question, once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Thanks so much, Speaker. I appreciate that. And my next question is also for the Premier. But I was asking when COVID-19 joins polio, pertussis, tetanus as a school-required vaccine. I mean, the Minister didn't respond to that. But look, we have a crisis unfolding in Windsor. Auto workers and their families, the entire community is reeling from the announcement of yet more jobs being lost at the plant there, the Autoplantus delantis. 1,800 jobs. That's a lot of jobs, Speaker. And of course, when 1,500 jobs were lost at the very same plant over a year ago now, this Premier had no plan, didn't do anything to save those jobs. These are well-paying, family-supporting jobs, jobs that not only help those families build a great life but really have a very positive widespread impact on the economy in Windsor. So where is the plan? Where is the Premier's plan to save these 1,800 good-paying jobs in Windsor? Well, thank you so much. And great to be here, Mr. Speaker. I had a great visit in Windsor, a great turnout. And you know something, when it comes to slantus, I had an opportunity to meet with Unifor, have a chat with them. And I'm meeting with slantus today as well to discuss how we can twin moving forward with the investment, the hundreds of millions of dollars that we're investing, along with the federal government, to bring slantus back to three shifts. Not one shift. And I'm not blaming slantus, I'm not blaming anyone as semiconductors. And anywhere around the world, we have a problem with these chips. But once we get the chips in, we're going to be able to ramp up. Again, Mr. Speaker, we're investing hundreds of millions of dollars, along with the federal government, and the slantus is investing $1.5 billion to have the Chrysler, I mean, the slantus plant in Windsor ramped up going three shifts, not one shift. We're going to be there for the hardworking people of Windsor assets. Supplementary? Well, Speaker, had this government or, frankly, the Liberal government before them put together a made in Ontario auto strategy, we wouldn't be in this position yet. Again, and that strategy needs to include local manufacturing of parts, things like semiconductor chips that the Premier is talking about. But this Premier says no to good jobs. Remember GM, where 2,300 jobs were lost in Oshawa families, rather, and the business community were absolutely devastated at that announcement. What did this Premier say? There's nothing we can do. What did he say? He said, the ship has already left the dock. But the community and the union, they kept fighting. They kept fighting, and no thanks to this Premier, jobs came back to that Oshawa plant. So my question is, when will this Premier stand with workers, fight for their jobs, instead of rolling over and neglecting Windsor and Ontario's auto sector? And to apply the Premier? Here, let me remind the Leader of the Opposition, the reason these plants closed and we're closing all across the province is because of 15 years of neglect and terror throughout the auto sector. We spoke to the CEO and they said this is the worst place in the entire world to do business because of the policies of the NDP and the Liberals with the high hydro rates, outrageous taxes, debt coming through the roof. Guess what, Mr. Speaker, in 18 months we turned this around and we were able to create jobs. We lowered the hydro rates by 16%. We are now competitive against anyone in the world. Ford is going full steam ahead with the investment that we did of $295 million along with General Motors is now booming. Actually booming in Oshawa, saying it's the quickest build they've ever done. They can't wait to get that up and going in Woodstock and St. Catherine. Response? And with Stellantis, we're going to be there for the workers. We have turned the auto sector around. We will be the number one manufacturer of electric vehicles anywhere in North America. Thank you. Stop the clock. Restart the clock. Final supplementary. Thanks, Speaker. Well, you know what this government really has done is seen 5,600 auto jobs in Oshawa and Windsor walk out of Ontario. That's this government's record. The Premier made an Ontario forward-looking strategy what have spurred investment in Ontario already. But this Premier was not interested. The first thing he did is tear out electric vehicle charging stations. He got rid of the incentive for electric vehicles which reduced the sales of electric vehicles by 50% here in our province. So let's not make up the past, Speaker. Let's be clear about this Premier's record. He does not believe or has not believed in the future of EV auto making here in Ontario. So when are we going to stop lurching from prices to fallacy to fallacy and actually put a made in Ontario forward-looking EV manufacturing strategy into our province, an auto manufacturing strategy. Thank you. Premier to reply. He and the leader of the Liberals, they destroyed this province. They lost 300,000 jobs. In 18 months, Mr. Speaker, we created the environment and the condition to create 307,000 jobs. The auto sector has never been stronger under our government than it is today. We're investing hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars into the auto sector no matter if it's Toyota or Honda or Ford or Chrysler or GM. They're all going to be booming nonstop because of our policies of low hydro rates. We took $7 billion of burden off the backs of these companies to create more jobs. Again, Mr. Speaker, this will be the capital of the electric vehicles in North America right here in Ontario because of our policies. I can wait all day long. Start the clock. The next question, the member for Scarborough, South Wales. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, yesterday during a press conference, our Premier made certain comments about immigrants. His comments were callous, discriminatory, dismissive and offensive to thousands of immigrants who came to Ontario for a better future, many of whom have helped build this province. His words undermined the uphill battle that immigrants face when they come to this country, like the struggles my family faced when they came here with the hope for a better life. His words undermined the thousands of new Canadians who have helped Ontario through the past year and a half. So my question is simple, Mr. Speaker. Will the Premier apologize for his reckless comments? Thank you for the question and through you, Mr. Speaker. Let me just inform the opposition. You know, I am pro-immigration. I have been pro-immigration from day one. We are short, 290,000 people. I was the only government that wrote letter after letter to the Prime Minister saying we need more people. But when these more people come here... I'm going to ask the member for Essex to come to order. I'm going to ask the member for Ottawa South to come to order. I'm going to ask the Leader of the Opposition to come to order. And the Premier to conclude his reply. Mr. Speaker, we have 290,000 jobs waiting for people around the world. I don't care where they come from, they're going to come here. But guess what, Mr. Speaker? They need a place to live. The NDP and the Liberals voted against making sure that we have affordable housing moving faster. They voted against making sure we build highways and bridges to make sure people get from point A to point B. They voted against the transit system that people will be on the subway system getting from point A to point B. Thank you. The Premier will take a seat. The Premier will take a seat. The supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the Premier told New Canadians to work their tails off, yet thousands of highly qualified immigrants and he talked about how we need thousands of workers right now. So thousands of highly qualified immigrants, many of whom are doctors, lawyers, nurses, professors and with years of experience are unable to find work in their field because of the barriers to foreign credential recognition. Something I've talked about in this house many, many times. I have heard from thousands of many of these experienced doctors, for example, who in an attempt to use their skills and support the province volunteered on the front lines during this pandemic and after trying to make ends meet with minimum wage jobs have given up to finding work in Ontario and actually left this province, Mr. Speaker. If the Premier is serious about supporting immigrants, will he commit today to addressing the challenges that immigrants face and help foreign trained professionals find jobs in their field and make it easier for them to find work and actively actually contribute to this province? Thank you. And the Premier will reply. Mr. Speaker, last night and this morning, my phone was blowing up on messages. And guess what the messages were from? They were from New Canadians immigrants that came here, first generation. And they told me story after story last night. One story how their parents came over, their father worked in a gold mine to put him through school through university. Another person told me the story about his first job was a dishwasher. But guess what, Mr. Speaker? He owns his own restaurant now and is pouring 30 to 40 people. Another person told me that he came over and he took a job sweeping up and cleaning up at a factory. Now he owns his own factory that employs 100 people. These are the stories that I hear. Mr. Speaker, all you have to do is come to a Ford Fest. You'll see the support from people around the world that come there. And guess what, Mr. Speaker? I'll tell you how Ford Nation was created. They came to this country. They couldn't get a hold of any NDP level leaders. But they got a hold of the Mayor of Toronto. They got a hold of the Premier. We show up to their door. We return there. Thank you very much. Stop the clock. You're welcome. Thank you, Steve. Thank you very much. Member for York Centre will come to order. Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development will come to order. Let's try again. Start the clock. Member for Oakville North Burlington. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction. Small businesses in my community of Oakville North Burlington and across the province have not had an easy year. Through the second, third and fourth waves of the pandemic, they have had to overcome hardships beyond the normal challenges that come with running a business. They have met these challenges and continue to serve their communities. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and our province. And they need to know that their government supports them. Would the Minister tell this House what the government is doing to support small businesses and to create an environment in which they can grow and succeed? The Associate Minister for Small Business and Red Tape Reduction. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the Member for Oakville North Burlington for the question. Speaker, she's absolutely right. Ontario's small businesses are a vital part of this province's economy. And it's why we've supported them throughout the pandemic and will continue to assist them as we combat COVID-19. It's why we've now introduced five high-impact red tape reduction bills throughout the pandemic. And it's why we've invested an additional $10 million in the digital mainstream programme this year to help businesses create or enhance their digital presence and invest in digital tools. And it's why we partnered with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce to distribute rapid antigen testing to any businesses with 150 employees or less to minimise the chance of transmission, distributing more than 2.5 million tests to over 20,000 small businesses and medium-sized businesses. And it's why we'll continue to engage with and listen to the business community as we move forward. Thank you, Speaker. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. It's important to note that 98% of all businesses in Ontario are small businesses. When they succeed, we all succeed. Meeting with small business owners in my community, I've heard how programmes like the Digital Main Street and other measures have helped them during the pandemic. And as this week is Small Business Week, can the minister tell us what else the minister and the government are doing to support small businesses in Ontario? The Associate Minister. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you again to the member for Oak from North Burlington for the question and her advocacy on behalf of small businesses. Our government continues to work hard to help small businesses succeed. We've been monitoring the temporary changes made to support businesses throughout the pandemic and through our fall 2021 red tape reduction package we intend to make some of them permanent. For example, allowing licensed bars and restaurants to more easily create or extend outdoor patio areas and allowing store deliveries to occur overnight, ensuring that goods can be delivered efficiently and non-disruptively. Both of these changes made a tremendous difference to businesses and we want to keep them. This Small Business Week I encourage members on all sides of the house and all Ontarians to support small businesses within their community and shop local safely. Thank you. Member for St. Catharines. Thank you, Speaker. My questions to the Premier. We are seeing a disturbing trend as seniors in our community are being pushed out of Niagara through no fault of their own. Ursula Hudson, a resident in St. Catharines, lives in an apartment building that has recently been purchased by out-of-area speculators a few months back. Now, like clockwork, they are all receiving notices that they have to leave their units because the new landlord, Heisklin Shore Properties, wants to renovate. This building houses only, only seniors. One has lived in the building for almost 30 years and another, a grandmother, is almost 90 years old. Most of them do not have internet. They have no defense of when threatening letters from the LTB forms are sent to scare them. Will the Premier do something to protect the seniors from wealthy speculators, remove incentives to profiteers, so they will no longer try to evict the same seniors that helped build the community in St. Catharines and across Ontario? Member for St. Catharines and across Ontario. Member for St. Catharines and across Ontario. Member for St. Catharines and across Ontario. Member for St. Catharines and across Ontario. Member opposite for that question. We know that keeping Ontarians healthy during these challenging times is provided with safe access to stable and affordable housing. This is an unprecedented time. This is why last fall we passed Bill 204, helping tenants and small business act freeze rents at 2020 levels. We have taken steps through this bill to make sure that landlords are fine If they do not follow the rules and they are putting people out of their homes because of Renovations under false pretenses. We have done more for this for tenants in this province than anybody's done in over 70 years The combined rent increase over the last two years is the lowest since beyond 1970 This province will take no less than the members opposite. We've set up for tenants in this province and we will continue to do The supplementary question Mr. Speaker photo op after photo op in St. Catherine's is not what we have coming into my office I have letters from new owners using the same strategy at buildings on New Street on Welland Avenue on Shirk Street all across St. Catherine's Mr. Speaker It is a crisis and it has to be dealt with now There are no solutions There are solutions and this should be and this should not be partisan issue Speaker to the premier Everyone knows the housing crisis is worse now than when you were elected four years ago It's been long enough and we Mr. Speaker Taxing speculators more rent control removing incentives for no fault evictions Making it harder for the wealthier speculators to outbid our young families coming into our in our areas or out of their for homes Will this premier declare a crisis and affordability for housing today act against wealthy speculators like these or move aside So someone else Can get the job done? Thank You speaker and I reaffirmed The record of this government and the steps is taken to build 204 We've done more we've increased fines on 10 landlords of $50,000 who don't follow the rules and Corporations of $250,000 those are substantial increases over the previous government's legislation so we've taken steps and we we've we've taken steps to increase the Judicators on the landlord and ten board to make sure they're properly heard We we've made it also fair for landlords because it is a two-way street We want to make sure that there's more rental units in this province So handle the increasing population that we've seen over the last 20 years in this province because there's been no no homes no rent and spills and the year we came into power We saw a record increase in rental units in this problem So it's all a goal to lowering the price of rent this government has taken action and again we will take Thank you very much Remember for St. Catherine's come to our The next question the member for York Center Finance will know that the science is different in Ontario It's different than in Far East Asia Eastern Europe Africa Latin America And it's different in at least 30 states south the border But I could never imagine that the science could be so different just blocks away on Bremmer Boulevard home of Raptors Wait for you see MLSC restaurants on Bremmer Boulevard are permitted to operate at full capacity But at hoops a restaurant one block west on Bremmer Boulevard Capacity is limited because of physical distancing because we all know that one is more likely to transmit COVID at hoops Then at hot stove or at the Platinum Club. It's science. This government decimated Ontario's dining industry Lives and families are ruined. Can the Minister of Finance? Please tell the house What is the science or the political science behind this double standard? To reply the Minister of Heritage Sport Tourism and Culture Industries I appreciate the member office this question Obviously the government has been working directly with the restaurant industry as well as all of the stakeholders that have been hardest hit within the sectors of Heritage Sport Tourism and Culture Industries We've been working hand in glove with the Ministry of Health in addition to the chief medical officer of health in fact the restaurant working group that we established has had eight meetings for which I was able to attend and We also invited other ministers such as the Minister of Treasury Board The Minister of Labor and of course the Ministry of Attorney General to see how on outer years and outer months and outer weeks We're going to be able to sustain not only their operations But allow them to thrive in a post-pandemic environment We continue to do that work the Premier myself and all of our colleagues are working hard to ensure that their voices are heard Around the table and we will continue to make that commitment that their voices will be heard And that we will be able to at some point in the near future allow them to see greater capacity limits Speaker my follow-up is to the solicitor general the double standard the hypocrisy of this government is not just shameful It carries the withdrawals on parliamentary comment Draws on parliamentary comment and conclude his purpose not just shameful It carries hallmarks of totalitarian oppression and the stifling of democratic dissent It's completely safe for 19,000 fans to pack every seat at Scotia Bank arena without physical distancing and without masks When drinking beer or peanuts for three periods But holding a demonstration against government measures with 101 people outdoors where the risk of transmission is almost non-existent That's dangerous to public health. That's also science. How does the solicitor general justify? 19,000 screaming fans unmasked and not physically distant indoors while threatening to ticket an arrest 101 peaceful protesters outdoors And is she will she end the irrational restrictions on peaceful assembly outdoors? Mr. Paradich Thanks very much the speaker I can assure the member opposite that we've been working as I said hand-in-glove with the Ministry of Health the chief medical officer of health We've had numerous stakeholder meetings with all of these organizations and groups that he's talking about and I can assure him When you go into a senator's Leafs Raptors CFL game an OHL game There has to be proof of vaccination in order to in order to do there I had the opportunity the other evening to tour the Venue that the Leafs play out of to see the actual work that they're doing with the QR codes And I give my colleague of the associate minister for digital government a lot of credit for the work that he is doing But I will say this with respect to restaurants and I had some troubling information today from Ottawa public health We're 30% of restaurants in the city of Ottawa failed to comply with the vaccination requirements At this point in time So we're going to continue to work with the sectors that we are responsible for whether that is Prosports or whether that is our small businesses with respect to the hospitality sector We will be there as we have been every single step of the way for the past 19 month and I asked the member opposite Thank you very much Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is to the minister of long-term care It is no secret that the front line heroes that work in our long-term care homes are the backbone of this sector Throughout the pandemic. I have been I have seen firsthand all the great work the nurses and BSW is working in my writing of Miss Sugga and Mills have done Despite all this great work. I have here A lot of comments about staffing problems in the long-term care sector. Can the minister please inform this house? What you are doing to address this concerns about staffing And I'd like to thank the member from Mississauga air mills for his question and his fabulous advocacy for the people of Mississauga Mr. Speaker after decades Decades of previous governments Neglecting the long-term care sector. We are making historic investments and a key pillar of that plan is investment in 27,000 New long-term care staff that will increase the daily direct care from 2.7 hours to 4 hours of care Mr. Speaker the leading hours in Canada I was just recently at George Brown College where I announced 270 million dollars for 4,050 new staff this year And Mr. Speaker in Mississauga air mills alone the members writing that will mean 1.5 million dollars this year Mr. Speaker and 8 million dollars across all of Mississauga and by 2024 Mr. Speaker our government will be investing 50 million dollars just in Mississauga Mr. Speaker We're committed Mr. Speaker to making sure that we protect our elders. Thank you Supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister for his and this government commitment to fixing long-term care This newly hired staff will go as Will go a long way to providing high end care to our residents in long-term care and in my riding Mississauga air mills I understand that this 270 million Just is just the first part of our government long-term care plan to invest in long-term care Plan to invest 4.9 billion over four years to hire 27,000 new staff This new staff is needed to provide an average of four hours of direct care The residents birthday this historic investment will transform the way long-term care is delivered in Ontario Speaker would the minister break down what this investment will mean for a typical long-term care home in Ontario The members right Mr. Speaker we talk about dollars a lot 270 million dollars this year 4.9 billion dollars over four years But Mr. Speaker let's put it into into terms about people because that's what long-term care is about 160 bed home like so Silverthorne care community in Mississauga air mills will get $595,000 just this year Mr. Speaker by 2024 that's 3.4 million dollars for more PSW's and nurses In terms of people in terms of care that means six more registered nurses that means six more registered practical nurses And Mr. Speaker that means 23 more PSW's to support our valued elders Mr. Speaker It's going to be more people more staff more care for seniors in Ontario Thank you Mr. Speaker my questions to the premier auto insurance companies have made record profits during the pandemic as claim payments dropped by half It will be fair to assume that our auto insurance premiums were reduced by similar margin Instead my constituents have told me they've seen increases in their auto insurance premiums throughout this pandemic These Ontarians have been doing their part Mr. Speaker They've been staying home traveling when necessary They've even had clean driving records but they are still being price gassed by auto insurance companies because of their postal code This is not an issue that we can that we can't fix Mr. Speaker This price gouging could have easily been stopped if this government mandated auto insurance premiums lower auto insurance premiums The official opposition introduced bills to provide Ontario drivers relief from sky high auto insurance rates But this government voted them down time and time again In a time when Ontarians are struggling and need relief the most Why has this government allowed auto insurance companies to keep charging high premiums and rake in record profits Thank you very much Speaker and I thank the member opposite for the question Speaker since the start of the pandemic our government has been closely watching to make sure that insurance companies are treating the people of Ontario fairly Prior to our intervention insurance companies were prohibited by legislation from offering rebates to consumers Our government took action to allow insurance to offer rebates and look for ways to provide meaningful relief to consumers province wide By removing these barriers all of the 14 largest auto insurance companies in Ontario who control 97% of the market have provided some form of relief In fact speakers the amendments that we have made have enabled auto insurance to provide premiums rebates for 12 months after this state of emergency Mr. Speaker in June 2020 FISRA announced that 685 million in consumer relief benefiting 70% of insurance customers was provided And in April of 2021 FISRA provided an update to the government that almost a billion dollars Thank you very much Thank you Mr. Speaker the member opposite talks about fairness My writing of Brampton North we pay over $3,000 in auto insurance there is nothing fair about paying that much in your auto insurance These auto insurance companies are gouging all Ontarians and that includes our truck and taxi drivers These folks are essential workers and they make up a big part of our economy not just in Brampton but right across Ontario Their auto insurance rates have skyrocketed and many of them have chosen to park their vehicles on their driveways But they continue to pay their operating expenses These folks Mr. Speaker need relief and they need relief now The current auto insurance price gouging is killing small businesses They've tried reaching out to this government many times but each time their concerns were ignored I've raised concerns as well as a member here from Brampton East about the government not doing enough to help Ontarians lower their auto insurance So I'd like to ask the Premier whose side is the government on? Our small businesses that are being price gouged or the auto insurance companies that are raking in record profits Thank you very much Speaker and again I thank the member for their question Mr. Speaker let me make it very clear We will always stand with the people of Ontario every step of the way Mr. Speaker I want to just remind the member that it was our government the first jurisdiction in Canada to amend regulations That posed barriers for auto insurance and kept them from being able to provide Ontarians with support when they needed it during these unprecedented times I referenced Fraser's update to the government which provided almost a billion dollars of relief to Ontarians during the pandemic But that's not where we started Mr. Speaker it's important to point out that we started as government we identified that rates were high in the province of Ontario We started looking at the people of Ontario prior to this where we had 51,000 people stakeholders, Ontario drivers to come in and to work with us to reduce rates for Ontarians Mr. Speaker the last government didn't do anything the NDP completely supported them every step of the way We will fight for Ontarians every single day to make life more affordable for them every single day Mr. Brampton North come door start the clock the member for Ottawa venue Thank You Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier since the government cancelled the previous autism program and introduced its own program back in 2019 Access to care for children with autism has been reduced significantly across the province Early childhood development is a key factor in determinings once held for the rest of their life We know that the earlier that children with autism are diagnosed and receive evidence based therapy tailored to their needs the more likely they can achieve their full potential and try Right now families with children with autism are left to fend for themselves in trying to somehow find the money and the resource for treatment for their children My question is will the Premier follow the recommendations from the Ontario autism program advisory panel and fully implement a needs based system and remove the age based gap on funding Thank you so much speaker and thank you to the member opposite for this important question Our government is proud that we've doubled the Ontario autism program budget from $300 million to $600 million the largest amount spent on the Ontario autism program in Ontario history On top of that speaker we're proud that we brought together a group of experts parents agency heads clinicians self advocates brought together on our Ontario autism panel to design a program made by the community for the community We are currently implementing this plan there has been incredibly exciting work done to date on foundational services on early intervention on the launch of core services Or they're going to continue moving forward on this plan again designed by the community for the community with the largest budget for Ontario autism program The member for Hamilton Mountain will come to order supplementary question Mr. Speaker more than two years ago the government promised to reduce long wait times and provide funding for children diagnosed with autism Since then the wait list has more than doubled and the most recent numbers say that more than 50,000 children are registered and waiting to enter the autism program Parents have reached out to me and shared their despair about the negative impact the online learning has already had on their children The wait for support is taking an increasing toll on their mental health and urgent action is needed I don't know what to tell these parents to give them hope is help on the way What is the government plan to address the the Ontario autism program wait list Mr. Speaker as we know the Ontario autism program has been a challenging file for governments of all stripes for a number of years When we look at where this program was three years ago we see that it was a program that was underfunded We see that it was a program with a long wait list with no support provided to those individuals on the wait list We see that kids couldn't receive a range of clinical services beyond behavioral therapy and we see a program where behavioral therapists weren't regulated Now today speaker we see that folks on the wait list are receiving interim support as we roll out the new core services program designed by the community We see program funding is the largest in Ontario's history with our doubled six hundred million dollar budget We see a range of clinical services being offered through core services expanded from behavioral services to speech language pathology Occupational therapy and mental health services and we see behavioral therapists being regulated for the first time in Ontario history Tremendous progress has been made lots of work still to be done The next question member for Eglinton Lawrence My question is for the associate minister of transportation in the last decade home prices in Toronto have exploded rising a hundred and twenty percent Making it very difficult for many in particular young people and young families to get on the property ladder My constituents in Eglinton Lawrence bring this issue up all the time in conversations and in correspondence And I know our government is committed to increasing housing supply in several ways including by building vibrant neighborhoods around transit Could the minister please explain the work that he is doing on transit oriented communities? Thank you Thank you very much speaker and thank you to the member from Eglinton Lawrence for that very important question I know that keeping housing accessible for generations to come is a top priority for that member so I appreciate this question The concept of transit oriented communities is quite simple speaker build transit and then build a vibrant multi-purpose community around it We're talking about housing retail stores libraries restaurants pubs parks core services all within walking distance of transit These are new neighborhoods speaker 20 minute communities if you will and it's time we evolve from just planning for asphalt deserts like parking Parking lots around transit station and bring people closer to the station stops This is about smart city planning and it means increasing the supply of housing throughout the GTA so that more people in our province have places to call home We're excited we're going to make progress on this and we're going to keep the dream of home ownership alive for generations to come Miss supplementary question I thank the minister for his response under the previous liberal government short-sighted thinking and band-aid solutions caused the skyrocketing housing prices So it is refreshing to hear about the minister's long-term planning on this issue I know that our government has shown true leadership on transit by committing 28.5 billion dollars the biggest investment in transit in Canadian history And this includes funding for the Ontario line which will add over 15 kilometres to Toronto subway system finally Can the minister update the house on the transit oriented communities that will be anchored by this historic project Thank you very much speaker and the members correct this is a very historic project and consultations are ongoing on the transit oriented communities or TOCs along the Ontario line We're talking about East Harbour station, Corktown, Queen Spadina, King Bathurst and Exhibition And we've reached out to tens of thousands of residents and received great feedback on these proposals through these open houses And the feedback has been very positive At East Harbour alone speaker there will be 5,000 housing units for families to live Office space that could support up to 50,000 jobs It would be an economic engine for Toronto's downtown East End 15 year speaker the Liberals and the NDP MPPs who represented Toronto had an opportunity to help with the housing crisis There was no action on transit, no action on the housing supply Speaker this is what happens when the people of Toronto vote for progressive conservatives Transformative projects that will house more people and get more people from point A to point B The next question, the member for Waterloo Much Mr. Speaker my question is to the Premier Our community was shocked to learn that the Ontario government is planning to cut funding for the provincially funded medical interpreter program in Waterloo Wellington It is unacceptable that you would stop funding medical interpreters for doctors while we welcome refugees from Afghanistan including those who worked for the Canadian military This program was launched by the former Lynn as a pilot program three years ago In collaboration with organisations that work directly with newcomers But rather than invest in the expansion of this program to take it from a successful pilot in Waterloo Region to the province wide The province is inexplicably citing equity as the reason to cut the program because it doesn't exist everywhere Speaker through you to the Premier Can you please explain how newcomers are going to navigate Ontario's healthcare system without access to medical interpreters There are a variety of ways that medical interpretation can be provided not necessarily with as a result of this pilot study You're absolutely right it is important because there are many people for whom English is not their first language But there are other programs that we are investing in and the creation of the local Ontario health teams is going to identify those needs Because with the Connecting Care Act we are dedicated to making sure we have an inclusive policy That ensures that all people in Ontario who require healthcare services will be able to receive them So the local Ontario health teams are going to be key to this interpretation in the future Making sure that wherever they are and whatever the needs are that those teams will be able to address them Speaker my colleague from Kitchener Centre has correctly pointed out the great inequity in refusing to provide language interpretation services 800 appointments a month, 120 medical professionals using the service Using trained interpreters is the only way we can provide equitable service and obtain informed consent with limited English speakers This program actually saves money I want to make that point Reducing readmissions to hospitals, reducing unnecessary tests, ensuring appropriate use of medications Without access to medical interpreters we know that children will have to translate medical appointments for their family members That is simply not fair. We know that folks will end up needing care in emergency rooms or even worse They will not seek medical care at all Speaker, why is this government dismantling such a successful medical interpretation program As our community anticipates the arrival of more refugees from Afghanistan They deserve the best from Ontario. We need to deliver it to them So the one thing I can agree with the member opposite is that every person on Ontario deserves access to high quality medical services And to make sure that they can be provided in their language of their first language However, Speaker, the member is referring to a pilot project that does not mean that there is no medical interpretation services available They certainly are and they will continue to be provided and they will be provided with the assistance of the local Ontario health teams We want to make sure that across Ontario not just in one specific location that these services can provide That is what we've indicated through the Connecting Care Act that we will provide and that's certainly what we're going to do And the next question, the member for Chatham Kent Leamington Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker My question is to the Premier for the past seven weeks I've been receiving phone calls, emails and letters from hundreds of distraught Ontarians Who do not want to receive the experimental drugs or vaccines as some would call them These people will be fired because from their jobs if they don't get the jobs That means no severance or EI benefits, nothing Families are desperate and in danger of losing not only their jobs but their homes, their marriages They can't even watch their kids play hockey in an empty arena because they aren't faxed Sound a bit crazy? Vaccination must be about freedom of choice and people must be respected for their choice Workplaces were safe before, what changed yesterday to today? Premier respectfully will you introduce legislation denouncing mandatory vaccination policies in the workplace If you don't, you will be creating a crisis to help EMS, firefighting and shortages of both private and public sectors You were for the people, now you have a chance to save the people And to reply, the Minister of Labor, Training and Skills Development Great, thank you very much Mr. Speaker And I do want to thank the member opposite for that question And before I answer I want to say on behalf of all of the people in our region And South Western Ontario, thank you to the member for serving the residents of Chatham County, Lamington for many years Mr. Speaker, I do want to remind the member opposite and everyone out there that vaccinations are available to those people that want them In fact, we're proud that more than 22 million vaccinations have been given out to date That's why as a province we've come so far together In fact, more than 87% of people have had at least one dose More than 83% have had a second dose Mr. Speaker, we continue to urge employers and employees to work together I know locally in South Western Ontario the overwhelming majority of residents have received the vaccination And we do know because of the science that it is the best way to defeat COVID-19 once and for all And the supplementary Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier You speak about safety and you've spoken in the past about not wanting to implement vaccine passports even after I was removed from caucus Now we talked about how these vax passes would cause two separate societies causing people to reveal their confidential medical records to strangers There's nothing confidential about that Although now most people know of my status due to a leak from the Premier's office after I had told that individual specifically that my status was confidential You've stated that vax passes will only be temporary despite the fact that PM Trudeau in Tice provinces with one billion dollars in total of taxpayer money to help offset the cost He's simply free-wheeling That's not right No, is it responsible? What change causing you to reverse your decision to have vax passports? Minister of Labor Mr. Speaker, we've come so far together as a province We don't want to go back to the days of locking down businesses That's why we continue to encourage everyone to get vaccinated We're doing so well. I mean the case count today was literally around a few hundred people less numbers in ICUs and hospitalizations from this disease So we encourage everyone get vaccinated, get a shot We want to congratulate and thank all of those public health units that are working every single day to improve the lives and the health and the well-being of the people of Ontario And I do believe it's a responsibility of every member of Provincial Parliament to encourage people follow the science, get vaccinated The next question, the member for Yorkshire Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier Back in August I met with Ontario Association of Optometrists and hurt their concerns of having adequate funding to perform their valuable services I care is health care and families in Ontario now no longer have access to OHIP coverage I care I exams Mr. Speaker, I am asking the government to negotiate in good faith with optometrists in providing the funding needed so children and seniors receive their care they need now To apply the Minister of Health Well thank you Speaker and thank you very much to the member for the question First let me say that all OHIP funded services for both children and seniors are available This government is continuing to pay for those programs however we are disappointed that the Ontario Association of Optometrists has refused to come back to the table to come back to mediation with us As I've indicated before you can't mediate when there's only one party at the table So we are asking the optometrists to come back to the table for the association to do that We are interested in working with them besides the $39 million payment for past losses that have already been paid We want to look at future losses we're back to April 1st we've indicated we're prepared to pay increases at 8.48% We also want to understand about their overhead expenses but we won't learn more about it if they won't come back to the table So would you please urge the people that you're speaking was to urge the association to come back to the table so we can get working together My question back to the Premier My office has been flooded with letters and calls from families whose children and elders are suffering right now from no access to vision care This is an acceptable situation and it is started back in 2004 when the Liberals delisted routine eye exams from Ohib This government has continued the legacy of Katz and optometrists now trail the rest of the country in receiving fair compensation for their professional services When is this government going to make a serious attempt to put an end to this unnecessary situation and act with urgency that is required Mr Speaker Thank you well certainly one thing that I can agree with a member upon is the fact that the previous contract for the optometrists expired in 2011 And nothing was done by the previous government for many many many years That is something that this government is trying to work on and to restore That is why we have been asking the optometrists to come back to the table We are continuing to fund those OHIP services for children and for seniors But we want the optometrists to come back to the table so we can understand all of their issues We have already dealt with the funding losses that they've had since 2011 to the present We have gone retroactively to increase payments by 8.48% from April 1st of this year We want to establish a working group to truly understand what their overhead costs are We are more than willing to come back to the table We urge the Ontario Association of Optometrists to do the same That we can restore these issues and make sure that everyone has the eye care Thank you very much Next question under for Glenn Geary-Prestall Russell Thank you Mr. Speaker The Premier boasts on television for always saying yes When we all know very well that in real life with him He's constantly saying no In Ontario we have the most expensive daycare fees in the country The Premier continues to say no to an agreement with the federal government That would allow us to offer daycare at $10 a day $10 a day Mr. Speaker This agreement families would save over $10,000 each year Much more than any other province Why does the government continue to deny exactly what our families and our economy needs? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker And thank you to the member opposite for the question I think we can both agree child care is too expensive in this province That is an inherited legacy of the former Liberal government Where child care rose by 40% That is just an objective fact I think any observer would agree that is indefensible Now what we also know is that child care is inaccessible in Ontario So the Premier of this province invested a billion dollars to build 30,000 new spaces We've actually already approved 20,000 of them 10,000 will be within new schools With respect to affordability the first budget under our government's leadership We introduced a tax credit It was enriched to represent roughly 90% of eligible expenses for child care But we know that's not enough It's why we have been negotiating with the federal Liberal government I will note those speakers that the federal government is not acknowledging The 3.6 billion dollars that this province funds for all day kindergarten A unique reality for Ontario unlike most provinces of the Federation Who do not provide care for child care H4 and 5 within our schools We want a better deal and we hope the Liberal Party will stand up for Ontarians Join this government Thank you very much Do you have a question? Thank you Mr. Speaker The Minister knows very well That the income tax credits are for those that are the most well off Affordable day care was essential before the pandemic And will be even more critical to Ontario's recovery in a post-pandemic world Other provinces are benefiting from $10 day care And Ontario needs to join them and strike a deal with the federal government That is offering that to them on a silver platter Mr. Speaker, why does the Premier continue to say no And deny Ontario families affordable day care This is completely unconscious Thank you very much Mr. Speaker We are absolutely committed to getting a good deal for the people of Ontario But as you can appreciate in negotiation We want to make sure that we extract the largest investment Over a long period of time so it is sustainable I think what we're trying to avoid is a short-term investment by the federal government That does indeed reduce costs for families And then there is an end date where those costs rise sharply That's what we're trying to avoid That's what I would argue all of us should seek to avert in a negotiation We want a long-term commitment from the federal liberal government And what we also want, unlike many of the provinces who have agreed to that outcome Is we want a recognition that this province, unlike the overwhelming majority in the Federation Funds all day kindergarten at a quantum of $3.6 billion per year of investment We want that recognized And we want members of the other parties The response? To stop costs and with Ontario families And get a better deal from this federal liberal government The next question is for the Premier The opioid crisis has hit all of our communities hard during COVID-19 According to the science table The province has seen a 60% increase in fatal overdoses From opioid use since March of last year Hamilton saw 88 emergency room visits in one week From October 4th to October 10th In one week, 88 visits to the emergency room And we have seen in Hamilton alone 75 deaths this year This government has continued to cap the number of safe injection And is dragging its feet on reducing harm in our communities I'm happy to say that the Hamilton AIDS Network Is working with community partners to apply for a new safe consumption And treatment facility in Hamilton And they already have the space to fill this need This is more urgent and ever with this crisis continuing to grow Speaker, why does the Premier refuse to save lives By creating more safe injection sites And will they look at this site in Hamilton And ensure that the proper facilities are in our communities To save the lives that are so necessary And the Minister of Health I can assure the member opposite that our government takes the opioid use situation And crisis very, very seriously That is why to begin with we set up the consumption and treatment services We have funded 16 so far There is still room for more to be approved If the city of Hamilton has already submitted an application Of course we will take a look at it We want to make sure that we can have these sites in locations across the province of Ontario But as I indicated there is still room for more And we will of course be looking at it But we have also invested another 32 million dollars just recently To deal with the situation to make sure that we can create that continuum of care Throughout the entire system So what we have done is we have added 2.5 million dollars to export Expanding the rapid access addiction medicine or RAM clinics We have also expanded to make sure that people can have the residential services If they need them we have invested in 30 million dollars to provide 30 more spaces For at the Pine River Institute for young people And we have just received further to a request for proposal Applications to provide more adult inpatient rehabilitation beds We are taking every step necessary to make sure that people can get the help they need Thank you very much My complete third question for you for this morning