 It is now time for Earl questions I Recognize the member for to miscommunicate My questions to the Premier last week Dr. Peter Juni the science table head called COVID right now in Ontario a tidal wave a wave that's hitting our province heart Public schools are being closed because there are not enough staff to keep them open With the science table best data suggesting we've over a hundred thousand cases per day right now That wasn't what the government predicted would happen So why did the government remove the mask mandate for schools? So early The Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you very much speaker We have always taken a very cautious approach When it comes to protecting the health and safety of the people of Ontario with COVID and we have we are one of the last provinces to lift the masking requirements. I think it needs to be said that Dr. Moore has cautioned Ontarians for Quite some time that as we lifted the public health measures and with the increased transmissibility of the BA to Strain of a COVID that we were going to see the numbers go up We are seeing the numbers going up However, Dr. Moore has also indicated that because we have so many Ontarians. They're now fully vaccinated With the increased use of the antivirals such as Pax Lovid we and the capacity in our hospitals We are prepared to weather this and to continue This is something that was entirely predictable from the beginning. We knew this was going to happen and we're prepared Thank you speaker public health Ontario released some evidence last week They state quote with expected increase infections among children associated with increased transmissibility Transmissibility of BA to removal of public health measures and limited vaccine eligibility and to dose coverage in children less than 12 years The number of children with severe disease is likely to increase This may impact pediatric hospital and intensive care unit capacity and as and also lead to further disruption to in-person learning in Ontario and quote Speaker public health Ontario is calling for bringing back the mask man mandating schools, especially as schools are Now closing if the government won't do that will the Premier and the Chief Medical Officer explain why not Well as I've indicated before the Chief Medical Officer of Health does not believe that that's necessary We knew that the numbers were going to go up But because and I'll just quote Dr. Moore We have tools that we did not have just two years ago Including highly effective vaccines that have changed the course of the pandemic High vaccination rates that continue to improve as more and more Ontarians see the value of getting boosted To protect themselves to their families and their communities Thankfully the people of Ontario have responded to the call for higher levels of vaccination We're seeing higher levels of vaccination in young people as well And so while the numbers are increasing we know that we have capacity in both our adult hospitals as well as our pediatric hospitals The numbers have risen slightly Even as the number of people with COVID increases, however people are not generally requiring hospitalization Or requiring admission to intensive care units Speaking of tools that were supposed to help change the fight against COVID a new investigative report by the star found The rapid test this Premier said would be a game changer didn't end up helping protect hotspot communities In fact the Premier sent 175,000 publicly paid for kits to private for-profit schools That's more than they sent to paramedics child care centers shelters and other frontline services Small businesses who could have deployed these tests to stay afloat weren't offered them Weren't offered what the Premier's friends got Why weren't hotspot communities and frontline staff? Why didn't they get these tests? Why weren't they it from the line? Government House Leader, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker and and again here here it is the NDP Right during the exact same time frame that the member is talking about how many times did the NDP talk about rapid tests? Not once not one time. Mr. Speaker In fact, this government has sent out 150 million rapid tests to the people of the province of Ontario and now all of a sudden The NDP have come to the party, Mr. Speaker. Let me tell you we were sending out those rapid tests The school we were sending out to chambers of commerce the member for Peterborough Ensured that chambers of commerce across the province had access to those tests for our small businesses, Mr. Speaker We were sending it out to hotspots, Mr. Speaker In fact, we were handing them out at subways at shopping malls, Mr. Speaker We were doing everything that we could to get rapid tests out all of the time We said how important it was the Ontario science table said that we shouldn't do it The chief medical officer said that we shouldn't do it But we knew that we had to get those rapid tests out, Mr. Speaker And to date over 150 million of those rapid tests are out more than the rest of the country combined and we're very proud of that Next question Once again the member for to miscommunicate Seem to have touched a nerve the speaker To the to the premier the premier's high cost and low wage policies have hurt People looking to keep a roof over their heads The cost of buying a house in Ontario has doubled since he was elected premier and for renters the average cost up 192 dollars a month Canadian mortgage housing corporation says affordable rent should be no more than 30 percent of your income But if you live in Toronto this year alone, you'd have to work an extra seven and a half hours a month to stay just to stay afloat In London, it's an extra 15 dollars 15 hours a month and in Peterborough It's a stunning 36 hours a month just to pay the extra rent Why has the government done nothing to help Ontarians afford a safe roof over their heads? Minister of municipal affairs I might want to ask the honorable member the same question Why has his party done nothing in the last four years to support all of our initiatives that we've accomplished since being and we know We know there is much more work to do Collaboratively with our federal colleagues and with municipalities But you know, I want to remind the honorable member that when it came to the fall economic statement in 2018 When we we adhered to our campaign promise to protect existing tenants For rent control, you know, it was it was his party speaker who said there wouldn't be You know any increase in purpose built rental in the province and what's happened Three years later We've now seen record purpose built rental being built in the province 13 000 purpose built rental stairs last In 30 years Speaker through the honorable member Why did your party keep voting? No. Why do they keep not supporting all the members all the all the initiatives are? Thank you Supplementary Speaker especially up north Ontarians have no choice to pay for the high prices not just rent but gas Under this premier's watch gas prices are higher than ever When this premier was elected gas Ontario was 133 a liter an average The april average is now 174 liter and even higher up north order. That's 41 cents more liters order 41 cents For a peep for a person who has new choice with no choice with the drive to work Stop the clock remember we'll take a seat I need to be able to hear the member who's posing the question Please restart the clock members commiss being conquered for a person who has no choice but to drive to work That's an extra 35 dollars for every tank just to fill up the f-150 speaker This premier promised in 2018 to and I quote have a frank discussion with the oil companies End of quote and said he'd be watching their every move putting them on notice if they gouge consumers But instead he's let them gouge drivers every time they fuel up Why is the premier sat back in his hands while gas prices shot up 41 cents a liter while he's been premier Mr. Speaker the minister of finance recently brought a bill into this house that would lower The gas tax for the people of the province of Ontario For every single person who drives and not only for the people who drive but everybody who relies on a product that is delivered to a store Because of a fuel consumption. Mr. Speaker and how did the NDP vote? They voted against that they voted against putting more money in the pockets of people of the province of ontara More money in the pockets of small business people, mr. Speaker That's how the NDP voted and we're not even talking about the carbon tax, mr. Speaker a carbon tax that they fought for Mr. Speaker and after we eliminated the carbon tax in the province of ontara and saw gas prices come down Mr. Speaker one two three four five cents They fought to put it back onto the people of the province of ontara mr. Speaker and now recently we saw he talks about driving Well, it was then under their watch with the liberals that they got rid of the ontario northland making it even more difficult For people to get around the north But it was this minister of economic development job creation and trade this premier Who brought it back under their watch they closed things down on our watch. We unleashed the power of the ontario economy Every ontarian knows buying food the prices are skyrocketing When the premier was elected that canadian families spent just over just under a thousand dollars a month in food But these prices are projected to jump by 21 percent this year Or 3 000 more a year for a family of four just to see eat the same meals. They always have And it's not all supply chain issues because one study found that food prices are up because of Corporate profits Why has this government ignored the high cost of living for ontarians when it comes to putting food in the table And let companies get away with charging consumers so much. Thank you Well, mr. Speaker, thank you to the member through you to the member opposite for that question, mr. Speaker You know as the the house leader just highlighted, you know, this government has been working To reduce the costs of living for many ontarians and let me just Highlight another area where we focused on putting more money back in the pockets of of the people of ontario and in 2012 As I note here, uh, the cost of the license plate sticker went from 82 dollars to 90 dollars, mr. Speaker in 2013 To 14 it went up to 98 dollars Mr. Speaker who supported the liberal government at that time it was this member's party that supported those increases And then mr. Speaker in 2014 the minister of transportation and the now leader of the liberal party increased it Again up to 108 dollars and mr. Speaker on 25th september 1st 2016 Again up to 120 dollars, mr. Speaker. That was this party supported by that party We're putting more money in the pockets of the hardworking people of ontario And we have a lot more that we are going to do mr. Speaker Morning, mr. Speaker this question is for the premier Well, that was quite a report in the toronto star this weekend a bombshell investigative report Confirmed that many of us what many of us already knew anecdotally that the distribution Of rapid antigen tests was anything but equitable, especially when it came to ontario's schools In the fall as cases were rising and schools were closing yet again Parents were forced to crowdsource rapid tests for their local public schools Until this government this government mr. Speaker forbid them From doing that saying they weren't recommended. I stood here in this house on october 5th And I asked the government. Why are you stopping parents from sourcing those tests? And this government said they're not recommended They're not necessary speaker through you to the premier if those tests were not recommended Why was the government shoveling nearly 200,000 of them to private schools at the same time? Thank you very much mr. Speaker now you will recall at the time mr. Speaker the the ontario science table Did not recommend the distribution of the rapid tests the chief medical officer of health Did not recommend the distribution of rapid tests nor did ontario public health But you know what and my colleagues will know this despite those recommendations We got over 50 million rapid tests out to education and child care centers despite those recommendations because we knew how important it is Now how many times did the leader of the opposition colleagues? How many times did the leader of the opposition get up in her place and ask about rapid tests? Not even one time one time Welcome welcome to the importance of rapid that is why we've got 150 million rapid tests out to the people of province of ontario Thanks to the hard work of this minister of health Thanks to the hard work of this premier and thanks to the hard work of this caucus Every single day to ensure that all communities in this province were safe from covid mr. Speaker and that our schools were the safest in canada Yeah Thank you, mr. Speaker well despite all that The star report showed that private schools received more tests government side come to our medics Then daycares then shelters and jails combined mr. Speaker This government forced women's shelters to bake For rapid tests You know you told public schools. No, you don't get them yet. It's not necessary And then we're still over the 10 months after these publicly funded rapid tests were made available only 20 percent of them Went to those covid hotspots that were designated They made schools. They made schools break down Kits of five into two meanwhile in august in august st. John's Kimarnock school Got 14,000 rapid tests Break some hall where you have to pay 30 000 dollars 36 000 dollars a year to get your kid into that school question got 9600 tests on august 26 and this government would not put those tests In the hands of our public school students let alone our shelters our jails our paramedics Mr. Speaker knowing this how can the premier? Possibly justify a rapid test rollout that saw the wealthy and the well connected get first dibs on an essential public health tool Well, of course mr. Speaker when the NDP think that they've got you they start asking questions about it One day they want mass the next day they don't want mass one day They want closures closures the next day they don't want closures one minute They want more money in your pocket, but in the next minute they're voting to take it out of your pocket Where was this member? Where was this party? Where was this leader of the opposition when we were distributing 150 million tests? Including over 50 million to our schools to our child care centers. They were They never even knew about it. We had them at GO train stations We sent every student home with a Member for Davenport come to order the member for hamilton mountain come to order the member for emfrew nipissing pembrook come to order The next question is the member for nagra west Thank you much speaker My question today is about ontarius electricity supply and it is to the minister of energy the rapid growth of the greenhouse Not amount of sectors in southwestern ontario under the leadership of premier ford has been nothing short of remarkable For 15 years we watched the liberals and NDP work together to drive good paying manufacturing jobs out of this province But under our government we're bringing forward policies that ensure these jobs are coming back to our province And we're working to make our energy grid more competitive However, this record level of growth means that the demand for power is also greater than ever before So my question to the minister of energy Is what our government is doing to ensure southwestern ontarius economic boom has access to the electricity it needs Speaker and The member is absolutely correct after years of seeing jobs and investment flee this province We knew into something needed to change That's why we've been hard at work restoring ontario's clean energy advantage and providing the stability that job creators rely on And we are seeing the results just a few weeks ago Our government announced the five billion dollar stilantis lg e s electric vehicle battery plant Which is the largest automotive investment in the history of this country creating 2,500 jobs in the region But speaker these jobs need power And we need to be ready to support these job creators That's why last week I announced that our government is taking action to facilitate the timely development Of five new transmission lines in southwestern ontario so that we can power southwestern ontario's economic boom The supplementary question Thank you very much to the minister for that answer And of course we know that the nuts and bolts of ontario's economic engine are energy And we've had a fantastic track record when it comes to delivering on much needed reforms in the electricity sector to ensure that we have clean green energy That's uh produced for all of the growth that we're seeing across our region since our government first came to office We've been working every day to make ontario open for business and open for jobs I know that ontarians across nagra and southwestern ontario expect their government to understand that economic growth benefits everyone And that by creating the conditions for new investments in our province We are creating opportunities and prosperity for all could the member Speak a bit about how these transmission projects will enable even more investment and economic growth in ontario And thank you again to the member for the question with new projects often facing lengthy development times We've taken action by declaring these transmission infrastructure projects as priorities To ensure we are meeting the needs of southwestern ontario's economic boom Our government knows that ensuring transmission capacity is built in a timely and efficient manner Gives business confidence to expand or invest in operations and create new jobs while these measures will create efficiencies I do want to be clear that they do not remove the obligation of hydro one To meet requirements of the environmental assessment act This will ensure each line is planned responsibly and in consultation with indigenous and local communities By working hand in hand with job creators and communities Under the leadership of premier ford. We are enabling economic growth and more jobs for the people of southwestern ontario Thank you the next question the member for london north center My question is to the premier Omicron is spreading like wildfire To london schools closed last week because they couldn't even cover the absences Times valley district school board chair lori pizolato writes that 400 education positions remain unfilled every single day That's 400 each day 400 My constituent mary wrote to the premier and minister elliot What are you doing to address this six wave of covet 19 on ontario? I don't want to hear about your hospital beds Which are very difficult to staff as more and more health care workers become infected every day I want to hear how you're working to keep people out of those hospital beds Especially elders children too young to be vaccinated people with disabilities Immunocompromised people people with cancer or with organ transplants indigenous peoples people from underserved communities who have been hit the hardest Speaker why did this government accept that children will be left unprotected when they made masks optional? And said safety was optional Thank you very much speaker and thank you for the question We have every step along the way Taken every possible Step that we could take to make sure that the people the health and well-being of the people of ontario is protected The best way to protect yourself is with the vaccination We recognize that some can't be vaccinated yet although there are some very promising developments up Working their way through the system for approval But we recognize that we were going to see an increase in cases But that doesn't mean that people should Because we've dropped some of the public health measures. That doesn't mean that people should just Ignore all the other benefits that there are precautions that should be taking wearing a mask, of course is optional now It's not mandatory But it's up to every person to assess their own level of risk And so we are recommending of course that people continue to wear masks and crowded public spaces like public transit and so on Continuing with the usual measures of mask wearing frequent hand washing and all the rest It's not mandatory But it is something that everybody needs to assess under their own personal circumstances To determine whether a mask continues to be in their best interest Respectfully speaker masks are tools tools this government has left gathering dust on the table children need help Assessing risk. They need They need direction from this government. They need leadership The science table back to the premier the science table kids sick kids hospital and numerous school boards fought for masks to continue So kids would stay safe in school But leading experts were undermined by this government whose reckless politically motivated decision made masks optional in schools Speaker this government ignored science ignored their own expert table and threw caution into the wind when they should be protecting children My constituent Kathy wrote me a letter urging me to help the government understand the change to their previous decision regarding masks Is all about protecting us and keeping us to stay healthy When will the premier call the chief medical officer of health and make him answer the growing number of parents Who want their kids to stay safe will the premier and the chief medical officer of health Answer the growing flood of parents and families who are terrified about the dangerous amount of illness in our schools Yes Every decision our government has made since the beginning of this pandemic has been based on clinical evidence based on science Based on recommendations from dr. Moore our chief medical officer of health and his advisors This has been the course that we have always taken in the course that we will continue to take with respect to the overall view of whether masking should be mandatory or Optional at this point as dr. Moore has said on a number of occasions We are at the stage now where we need to learn to live with covid We're not going to eliminate it in the next short while We will still have cases, but it's important that people continue to be vaccinated We have increasing numbers of antivirals that are coming into the province Dr. Moore is going to be speaking about that this afternoon and we do have capacity in our hospitals But we know that people will are following these measures We are making these recommendations based on what dr. Moore and the epidemiologists have told us We have always done that in the past and we will continue to do that in the future Thank you very much speaker my questions for the premier After being kept under wraps by the premier for more than a month dr. Moore is giving a briefing today And here's what we've known for a few weeks We're at 100,000 cases a day. So the sixth wave is a tidal wave People who need packs love it They can't get it And vaccination rates installed which is leaving way too many people unprotected. There is No plan for testing local medicals officers officers of health public health ontario the science table is called for masking indoors Yet this government is still planning to lift masking mandates in long-term care hospitals and public transit on april 27th So speaker will the government do the right thing and not remove masking into lgc homes And hospitals and public transit And also return today to require masks in essential settings Like schools, thank you As i've just indicated our government is going to continue to follow the recommendations made by dr. Moore and his colleagues with respect to masking with respect to Taking of antivirals dr. Moore himself is going to be available for questions and to discuss the increasing use of the pack of pack slova to another antivirals both in terms of eligibility and Availability because we are receiving larger quantities now And we know that there are many more people that will want to take these antivirals to avoid having to go into hospital To avoid having to be in intensive care So any questions with respect to those issues can be put to dr. Moore He is going to make himself available and we continue to follow his advice and guidance the supplementary so There's a six-year-old at chiou in Ottawa And he has something called orbital cellulatus And had some other symptoms. We don't know what it is That's our grandson And he's not the only one in the province who's in hospital. That's a child or anyone across the province And we know that lifting the masking mandates Has created greater spread. It's not anecdotal public health ontarius told us the science table has told us So Last week in Ottawa all the hospitals And all the medical officers that helped in the area said we need to return to mask mandates They called for return to mask mandates. So my question is really simple Really simple Will the chief medical officer of health Allow local public health units To issue masking requirements in their own communities Will he do that a section 22 isn't good enough You know the restrictions that are with that They should be order able to order a letter of instruction. It's either that or dr. Moore has to do it. Thank you speaker Us members to make their comments through the chair minister health to reply Thank you speaker. We'll look first. Let me say i'm very sorry to hear about your grandchild And I hope that he will be well Secondly with respect to the wearing of masks As dr. Moore has indicated in the past It's who we need to learn to live with covet that said it is It's not compulsory anymore, but every person has to do their own risk assessment Many people are choosing to continue to wear their masks and they don't feel comfortable not wearing them in crowded public spaces With respect to what's going to be happening in hospitals and long-term care homes And other places where there's higher risk. That's something that we are constantly assessing With dr. Moore's guidance and the guidance of the other epidemiologists are advising him and That will be up to we are waiting dr. Moore's recommendations But as I said before many people are refusing to continue to wear their masks That is their own preference and the local medical officers of health I know we're conferring on a regular basis with dr. Moore as well So that is something that we will await their guidance on and if it's a requirement that They recommend that we return to mask wearing We will but it will be based on the Thank you Thank you very much. The next question the member for Perry sound the school cut. Thank you, mr. Speaker My question is for the minister of economic development job creation and trade Over the past week. There's been some exciting news for northern Ontario Announcements have been made that would secure the economic future for the north and provide them with the critical infrastructure To remain prosperous for years to come Can the minister please provide an update to this house on how the government is supporting good jobs in northern Ontario? Mr economic development job creation and trade speaker 10 years ago the previous liberal government Only with a hand from the NDP got it Northern Ontario by putting Ontario northland railway up for sale and canceling the northlander train service While that all changed now For several years our government has been funding the plans for the return of passenger rail and yesterday Premier Ford minister Mulroney announced 75 million dollars to bring our train back This funding will replace the tracks and stations that are needed as well as provide the passenger rail cars 10 years ago the union leaders called it the darkest day at ONTC Well, the sun is shining today on a bright new and hope filled future to thanks to our government returning passenger rail to our north We start the clock the supplementary question Well, thank you minister. It's great to hear that our government is supporting the workers and jobs for people all across the province including the north Our government understands the importance of regional economic development and announcements like these short commitment to local communities in Ontario Back to the minister. Can the minister please inform this house? How else we are supporting people in the north Minister of economic development 10 years ago when the liberals announced that they were selling off Ontario northland The NDP did not stand up to support the north. They sat on their hands So the liberals with the NDP support dealt the very first blow to Ontario northland They shipped a hundred GO train cars to Quebec to be refurbished They knew there was no way they could shut down Ontario northland if they were given that valuable contract The one they'd held for years speaker and to add insult to injury It cost more taxpayer dollars to ship those rail cars to Quebec to have them done Well that changed on friday speaker the province announced 109 million dollar contract to refurbish 56 GO transit rail coaches in north bay That's work for a hundred women and men in north bay for three years and vindication for those hardworking teams at Ontario northland Thank you speaker and my questions for the premier Speaker this week is the one-year anniversary of massive cuts larynx universities programs and staff The parliament assistant asked me when I was going to start for the north every single day for the last four years The speakers have been one year since hundreds of Siberians were fired without severance without notice It's been one year since these workers had to tell their families this devastating news It's been one year since the students learned that their programs have been eliminated It's been an hour that the minister to the federal francophone It's been a year since the minister of francophone affairs has neglected Our region regarding the french language services act a process that was never intended for a university Created a black box of secrecy that continues to this day to devastate my community It's been one year of waiting for hope and being ignored from the parliamentary assistant Waiting to begin to rebuild Speaker one year ago The premier failed to provide the funding needed to avoid the process that led to these devastating cuts at larynx university Will the premier Finally end the chaos of the cca process and protect what remains at larynx university and provide the funds to help rebuild it Thank you, mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for that question And you know I had the opportunity to meet with a member as well as the member from nickle belt to discuss the situation at larynx Which we are obviously it's a priority for for all of us to ensure that there's Successful post-secondary education in the north and that's why this government stepped forward on december 16th And took over the dip loan for the the university That was a 35 million dollar loan that the university has we also took additional measures to provide cost saving measures By providing a six million dollar covet grant for larynx university And the suspension of recovers reductions reductions including those linked to enrollment targets My priority as the minister of colleges and universities is to ensure success for the students at larynx university Which is why this government stepped forward with financial assistance of up to four thousand dollars to students who needed to transfer to publicly assisted post-secondary institutions where their Programs were caught in these situations. We will continue to work with the larynx university the board administration to ensure success. Thank you Dr. Mentley question the member for nickle belt Thank you, speaker also to the minister of college and university larynx university is a world-class institution In part because it is surrounded by freshwater lakes Conversation conservation lands cross-country and hiking trails world class green spaces At larynx any larynx university students or community member can tell you the added value of the green space to their quality of life And to their education 15 local organization included hsn's physician all four school boards have written to the minister As the deptored in procession the government has the right to larynx's property The government has to agree and can oppose the sale of any of larynx university asset Including its green space Can the government reassure my community now by making it clear that they will use their powers as dip lender to oppose And stop the sale of any green space at larynx university Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for that question And I know larynx university is a priority for you in your community as the government understands as well You know a post-secondary education In the north that is very important not only to the community to the local labor needs but also to the local sectors in the North that offers some remarkable program Programming as I said my priority at this time is to monitor the process with the CCAA that the university is going through right now But to ensure that there's support given for the students and that Students are Supported during this difficult time. I did have the opportunity to meet with some students and discuss the situation I know it has been difficult on students as well as the community But we'll continue to monitor to work with the larynx university faculty staff administration the board Response as we work through the CCAA process and the work that the government has done to step in and help move forward Thank you the next question the member for or they are Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker last spring and summer every health leader every teachers union every school board every parent Was begging the government for a safe back to school plan in the fall When that plan eventually came late in the summer, it was lackluster There was no rapid testing for anyone in in public schools The rollout for vaccines for teenagers was slow because they didn't use schools as vaccination centers There was almost a late rollout for for younger age children as you know Mr. Speaker and as a result the fall was interrupted with vaccine or with the covet exposures missed class both for teachers and for students and A very disruptive session As it turns out mr. Speaker there was money available for rapid testing 175,000 rapid tests to private schools Mr. Speaker while parents of public aged public school children were forced to buy their own and spend hundreds of dollars or go without Why did this government choose to prioritize kids in public school? Over the millions of ontarians that send their kids to public school mr. Speaker The government house leader mr. Speaker the liberal party, you know, what can you say about the liberal party? They do one thing when the cameras are on and another when the cameras are off, right? We've seen this from them before so when the cameras are on mainly in the legislature now they mask up But when nobody's watching mainly at a liberal convention All crowd around the leader no masks on the next day They say that we have to wear masks then they say that we shouldn't wear masks open clothes It's all they're all over the place mr. Speaker all over the place Now when we were shipping 150 million rapid tests throughout the province of ontara What were they doing? Nothing mr. Speaker as a matter of fact The liberals handpicked candidate dr. Nate install. What did he say about the about uh rapid tests? Well, he said testing with rapid antigen testing is not recommended the liberal medical advisor the candidate and say calls It's not recommended. He went even further. We don't have evidence to support and the risks are high come to order So what is it mr. Speaker? Is it the liberals handpicked medical officer advisor thoughts? Or is it not mr. Speaker they can't even agree amongst themselves on the appropriate path Thankfully a strong stable progressive conservative majority government is getting ontara through it better than any other Supplementary question member for ottawa south Well the premier the premier quarter rapid test game changers But and he managed to send the game changers to private schools, but not to public schools But since the member brought up masking Here's the point. I was trying to make Trying to get across All right, it's not funny. It's actually not harder In hospitals across ontario right now There is a crisis because of absenteeism and you all know it. We all know it the hospitals tell us And that's why we should be masking that's why we should be worried about everyone who's in hospital That they they're able to have the people they need to be there to care for them And we can joke about all this stuff and we can point fingers and quote things But at the end of the day right now we need to go back to masking keep it in ltc Keep it in hospitals keep it in public transit and for god's sakes do it in schools and places where people have to go Because you know why people are getting sick People are out there for work and there's going to be a state where people aren't going to get the care that they need And you know it so please do it. Thank you As the members to make their comments through the chair government house leader to reply Under the 15 years that he had the opportunity to govern Then we wouldn't have had the lack of icu capacity in this province We wouldn't have had the health and human resource issues that we're having in this province We wouldn't have had old outdated hospitals that need to be rebuilt had only he had the passion then We wouldn't have went into a warehouse of PPE that was expired. Mr. Speaker That is the record of the liberal party That is the record that saw us have to endure Lockdowns longer than any other jurisdiction because they do not prepare the province of ontario However, mr. Speaker because of a strong strong stable progressive concerta majority We are making PPE right here in the province of ontario. We have 90 of our population vaccinated, mr. Speaker We have the safest return to school program in north america. We are building long-term care They built 611 homes. There's more than that being built in my own riding. Mr. Speaker and in his community 30,000 the speaker had only they had passion for anything. We wouldn't have been where we are now, mr. Speaker But we're getting through it better than any other jurisdiction because of the heart Restart the clock the next question the member for flamboros Thank you and good morning speaker My question is for the minister of government and consumer services Minister last week he was joined by the president of the treasury board secretariat to share a message with ontarians About what our government is doing to ensure that they have the PPE needed to keep them safe Speaker after two difficult years ontarians want reassurance Their government is doing what is necessary to ensure we never let our guard down when it comes to public health And as such speaker i'd like to ask the minister what measures his ministry And our government are taking to secure the future of ontario's health and safety Mr. Government and consumer services Well, thank you, mr. Speaker, and I thank the member for flamboros Glamour for for her question Last wednesday. I had the privilege mr. Speaker of joining our president of the treasury board and visiting a One of our warehouses in in the city of Or my apologize visiting a warehouse and it was under the personal protective equipment and supply and protection act Which is the first piece of legislation of its kind and through that act Mr. Speaker our government is ensuring that we have a very robust and healthy stockpile of pp And critical supplies that are available at all times and that we are always ready to tackle any future Emergency that we may face Unlike the previous liberal government who left behind a hollowed out stockpile, mr. Speaker of our critical emergency Supplies warehouses like the one that the president of the treasury board and i visited last week stood empty and quiet To this failure premier ford and myself and our entire government have one thing to say mr. Speaker and that is never again A supplementary question Thank you, speaker covet 19 has taught us many different lessons including how we can better prepare for any future threats to public health and safety Even more so as the government house leader has so passionately argued We've learned what not to do when it comes to being prepared Thanks to the previous liberal governments and their ndp allies who are responsible for the sorry state of our ppe stockpile When the pandemic first struck My question through you speaker is again for the minister of government and consumer services Now more than ever ontarians are looking for leadership and confidence In our ability to protect public health for now and in the future So speaker through you to the minister How is our government setting the stage to ensure that ontarians can continue to feel safe And confident when it comes to our ppe supply and domestic production capability Thank you again, mr. Speaker and again to the member for her question and for her outstanding advocacy for the people of flamborough flamborough Speaker and a premier ford's leadership We have been working relentlessly behind the scenes to boost the supply of our ppe and our critical supplies exponentially Under this new piece of legislation It is a bold step in ensuring a plan to protect ontarians to ensure that we can stay open and to ensure that that continues to be a reality We're ensuring that we have a robust stockpile by harnessing our domestic production Strengthening our supply chain and our source of critical materials. In fact over the next 18 months over 93 Percent that's 93 percent of all of our procurements of ppe are coming from ontario and canadian based manufacturers We're doing this openly. We're doing it transparently without the veil of secrecy that plagued the former former liberal government This is going to bring much needed transparency and trust to ontarians in their government and let them know that they can rest assured Be rest assured that our stockpile is full and in good condition Thank you very much, mr. Speaker My questions to the premier over the weekend We did learn through the freedom of information report via the toronto star That this provincial government was giving preferential treatment to private schools over public schools when it comes to access to rapid antigen tests In waterloo region, for instance, one private school received 14,000 free rapid antigen tests from the government Last fall that's enough rapid antigen tests to screen their students twice weekly through to christmas break Now christmas break, mr. Speaker is when the government finally got around to giving four rapid antigen tests per family to To families across this province that was that was the state of affairs right there Meanwhile when I reached out on behalf of countless constituents that were struggling to find these tests Before christmas the ministry of health wrote in a letter to me that there were limited supply of tests A direct quote, I'll send it over so they had the tests Mr. Speaker Why didn't the government of Ontario allocate sufficient rapid antigen tests to public schools to libraries to daycares? To anyone who needed them so that they can actually screen themselves for covet and prevent the transmission of covet Which actually quite shameful mr. Speaker is that the Opposition are now suggesting that if you happen to send your kids to a private school somehow You don't deserve to get the same treatment as the kids in our public school now here mr. Speaker is the difference Here's the difference not only did our private schools get it But so too did 50 million other people in the province of Ontario in education and childcare In fact, we are the only order province that sent home rapid tests with kids over the holidays Mr. Speaker the only province to do that and on every single occasion They either said nothing or did nothing to assist mr. Speaker 150 million rapid tests went out across the province and you know who else got rapid Our small businesses in her own community got rapid tests mr. Speaker That's who got rapid tests education health care Essential essential industries mr. Speaker over 150 million tests more than any other province In fact mr. Speaker more than all of the other province combined. It is a great record and we should be proud of that I know we are on the side So I would just say that facts matter in this regard on this side of the house We were asking day in and day out why ecs did not have access to tests Why public schools did not have access to tests why why when people had to line up at the lcbo They were gone in 20 minutes But certain people had easy access. We're asking for equal access And and that answer that the minister just gave is completely insufficient But we do know that rapid rapid antigen tests would have helped curb the amount of absenteeism We are currently seeing in waterloo region public schools and schools across the province Because of a surge in sickness due to covet 19 this past week for instance This was the worst week for waterloo region district school boards in terms of fail to fills with 99 fail to fills across 16 secondary schools This impacts learning. You should care about that COVID spread in our schools impacts the overall community People should not have to scramble to find staff to staff our schools Why did this government fail to ensure that public schools would have had sufficient access to rapid antigen tests and equal access? That's what we want to know Mr. Speaker it is under our premier's leadership that we are sending 7 million rapid tests to publicly funded schools every single month 40 000 additional HEPA units to our publicly funded schools 9 000 additional HEPA units to our child care centers, mr. Speaker. We continue to provide free pp We're the only jurisdiction in this federation to send n 95s to child care and education staff Well before the members opposite raised this issue mr. Speaker We have over 200 school-based vaccination clinics to the province of entero We were the only province as the house leader rightfully said to send millions of rapid tests home over Christmas The only province to have the foresight to do so ahead of omicron hitting our shores The only jurisdiction in canada to send families home would take home pcr tests This was a proactive plan designed to reduce Opposition going to learn it in school with this government And our progressive conservative government understands is so consequential to the mental health of children We're going to continue to invest with 300 million dollars for more staff more pp More rapid tests to keep our kids safe speaker My question is to the premier last week the financial accountability officer of ontario Released its report comparing ontario's fiscal results with the other provinces after the first year of the pandemic Despite ontario's tax revenue being 13.7% of GDP which was higher than the average of other provinces Ontarians are not seeing that translate into its programs and services in fact The FAO reports That when it comes to health spending Ontario Is last In fact, they found that the health spending is 10 below the average of other provinces It is alarming that this government has consistently Spent when it comes to health care starting with cutting 284 million dollars in planned cuts to public health Pre-pandemic so speaker. Why does this premier feel that ontarians should be paying their taxes but not getting the same results in health spending? minister finance Well, uh, mr. Speaker. Thank you to the member opposite for that question You know, mr. Speaker. I sit here and listen to to the member opposite talk about investments in health care When the previous government supported by the NDP from 2011 to 2014 order clearly Clearly did not remember for Niagara Falls Come to order remember for what i'm sure come to order for health care for long-term care for housing for high speed internet For highways for public transit. So mr. Speaker. Let me tell you what this government is doing in during the pandemic $51 billion in supports were made available to fight covet 19 and to support and promote the economic recovery in fact Since the financial economic update that i tabled here on november 4th We put in additional 2.3 billion dollars to support our health care system, mr. Speaker That side of the house Didn't invest in infrastructure and health care this side of the house is the supplementary question Because i have a lot to say Mr. Speaker back to the premier You know when it comes to taking a deep dive into the FAO's numbers and comparing where ontario ranks in its per capita spending in 2020 Based on its program spending with other provinces. We are not number one in any category in canada In fact, mr. Speaker when it comes to general public service We are last when it comes to health care We are last when it comes to housing and community services We are last when it comes to recreation and culture We are last when it comes to the environmental protections that we need for the future of this province Mr. Speaker government Nine out of ten, but we are nowhere leading the pack So my question mr. Speaker question that it is clear that this government does not want to invest in ontario's future Will the premier Will the premier continue on his programs of lack of investments or will he invest in the future of this province? Mr. Panitz Well, mr. Speaker, it's interesting that the member opposite talks about being last I'll let others draw their own conclusion for the few members over there Mr. Speaker You know, let's look at some of the facts mr. Speaker Which part which side of the house didn't go out in front of the public every 90 days to tell the people of ontario How they spent their money that side of the house Which side of the house came out 16 quarters in a row over the last four years to tell the people of ontario How they were spending their money this side of the house Which side of the house did not get a clean opinion from the auditor general for the public accounts That side of the house which side of the house for four straight years has got a clean public opinion from the auditor general this side of the house Which side of the house put tools on the 412 and the 14 418 making it more expensive for the people of Durham region Where I represent mr. Speaker that side of the house Which side of the house is providing Support for the families have not just turned all around on terrace of the cost of living Continues to be supported by this governor. This is the government that says yes. This is the cover that's getting it done Question the member for york southwest Thank you. Speaker. My question is to the premier youth unemployment numbers across the province and in particular In my riding of york southwestern troublesome Well, we are still feeling the economic effect of the pandemic A clear strategy and youth unemployment initiative needs to be in place I recently had a pleasure of having some meetings with the first work ontarius youth employment network First work programs of vital service in providing a range of employment services This government changed the delivery model From the children community and social services to the ministry of labour in 2019 We are seeing the effect of that change With its curse public dollars. I'm concerned about them the use for profit service providers With the cutting of the programs that really help those most at risk and vulnerable young people What is this government doing to ensure an employment model remains well funded and a strategic youth employment plan is in place Government house leader Hello, mr. Speaker. I think The member knows full well that when we came to office in 2018 many of the programs to support people who are looking for For work just weren't working for the very same people who are seeking to access that work That is why we modified the system entirely to make it more of a results based System we looked at those best providers mr. Speaker We supported them so that people in the community could have access to jobs Now the good news is this mr. Speaker not only are we looking for people who are in the workplace today That's why you know 550 000 people I believe have the dignity of a job that did it when we took office in 2018 But for those young people the people on his youth council They have to look forward to a system of education that is better There are more schools that are open We have a better curriculum because of this minister of education our colleges and university are firing on all cylinders Preparing people for the jobs of tomorrow the minister of labour has ensured that skilled training and the trades are back Are back in the province on chair before you could not get a skilled trade in this province Now you can and the minister of economic development job creation and trade has delivered the jobs of tomorrow Mr. Speaker and that is what the youth of this province have to look forward to under stable strong conservative majority government Thank you Back to the to the premier I'm ordered to have gasses in the public gallery this morning from our york southwestern youth council They know firsthand this struggles young people face and know that a very important service was lost in the government's changes of delivery And that is through the youth job connection program This program assisted those young workers that really needed the most assistance and have pushed them Into the hard to navigate an intimidating adult system This policy shift an overhaul of social services is being piloted in three test regions Young people have already been hit by the pandemic economic damage and young people facing many barriers Are now being neglected by this government Will this government look to youth employment services that raise up all young people Reject for profit models and devote their energy to helping those most vulnerable youth Thank you again, mr. Speaker What the minister of labour has been focusing on right from the beginning is ensuring that the youth the people who will Fill the jobs of tomorrow have access to programs that Wait for it Actually work because the system that we inherited from the liberals was not working for the very same young people who are in the gallery today Who are looking for jobs mr. Speaker? It was not working Our education system had let them down our colleges and universities had let them down a system of Of training had let them down apprenticeship was almost closed in the province of ontario because of the policies of the liberal supported by the NDP now We reignited the ontario economy right from day one mr. Speaker building for the jobs of tomorrow The jobs of tomorrow that is what we have been doing since day one so that the members of your youth council Those who are sitting in the gallery have access to the highest Paying jobs that we can offer and that is why will we deliver five billion dollars For new technologies in the province of ontario mr. Speaker and the thousands of jobs come with it It is not for us. It is for tomorrow that we do it and I hope the member will support us on that journey Thank you, speaker to you to the minister of health You know the creation of a vaccine usually requires 10 to 15 years of research before the vaccine is made available to the general public Which includes several years of identifying an antigen That can prevent a disease Now many ontarians chose not to get vaccinated because of a lack of reliable clinical data related to adverse side effects Accenture trials are conducted on human volunteers to test vaccine efficacy to determine Appropriate dosage and to monitor adverse side effects Dr. Moura stated we have to learn to live with covid and I agree Just like we have to learn to live with the cold or flu virus It's been proven that with every shot one's immune system is further depleted leaving people with greater susceptibility to other illnesses Now new science data has come forward. Pfizer was court ordered Speaker to reveal what they knew all along thousands of adverse effects So minister you and a science table were misled So what do you say now that new data has come forward? And to respond on behalf of the government the government host leader I want to see the question speaks for itself doesn't it like we could re-evaluate a 15 20 30 years and the member opposite still would not believe in the effect efficacy of Of the vaccine mr. Speaker we could let it go for 100 years He would still be getting up in his place and saying and people like him saying that vaccines do not work They do mr. Speaker that is why billions upon billions of people worldwide have gotten a vaccine That is why in Ontario the 90 percent of ontarians who have gotten access to a vaccine Mr. Speaker and we have seen the results our economy is coming back Mr. Speaker we are on fire yet again, mr. Speaker because of the work of our health care professionals because of vaccines So look I completely disagree with the member opposite He has the right to get in his place and ask these questions But I completely disagree with him And so do 90 percent of the people the province of ontario who've rolled up their sleeves and got vaccinated If concludes our question period this morning the member for orleanne has a point of order. He wishes to raise Just mr. Speaker on a point of order. I'd like to correct my record during my question I said that the government prioritized public schools when of course they prioritized private schools over public schools Thank you, mr. Speaker Thank you very much. It is a valid point of order to rise and correct your own record. Thank you Next we have a deferred vote on the motion for second reading of bill 103 An act to amend the insurance act to prevent discrimination with respect to Automobile insurance rates in the greater Toronto area Call in the members. This is a five minute bill