 It is now time for Earl questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition Thank you so thank you so much Speaker my question is to the Premier And it's a question that has to do with what looks like it's becoming the weekly billion dollar boondoggle First it was the billion dollar boondoggle in the handover of a billion dollars to the corporation that runs the 407 Now it's a billion dollar boondoggle when it comes to COVID-19 funds that went to businesses That were not eligible Some of them weren't even reporting any COVID losses whatsoever the auditor said and I quote the government Did not make any attempts to recover funds paid to ineligible recipients Meanwhile hard hit businesses that needed the money were literally boarding up their windows So my question to the premier is why is the premier doing nothing nothing at all to get these funds back from the poorly Planned program that he personally launched Thank you, mr. Speaker and I want to thank the leader of the opposition Mr. Speaker when we were in a massive crisis A massive crisis companies were ready to close their doors We saved 120,000 businesses and even if you multiply and being conservative five people per business That's 600,000 businesses And guess what mr. Speaker the leader of the opposition voted against it voted against the 3.4 billion dollars to support the businesses voted against 600,000 families That needed that support well mr. Speaker i can tell you what that did Mr. Speaker it created another 47 45,000 jobs because we lost 1.1 million jobs Now we're above that we've created 45,000 more jobs Well, speaker the premier's priority we will all recall was big box stores over small businesses a year ago As he uh, usually does he boasted about this program that the auditor literally describes as Troubling because absolutely nobody absolutely no one was watching the funds out of province businesses Actually received ontario cash The accuracy of the financial information that was submitted was Literally not even checked speaker Premier short forward shoveled this money out the door in two days of putting together a back of an applicant plan After dragging his feet for 10 months while businesses were going under But with no questions asked whatsoever that money flew out the door How could the premier hand out literally a billion dollars without any accountability whatsoever while struggling businesses Lost everything and shut their doors And the premier Opposition is saying struggling businesses. She didn't care about the businesses She voted no if it was up to the leader of the opposition She wouldn't give a red cent And what the auditor general reported is not a hundred percent accurate mr. Speaker what it is at the time It's a time that one month. They took it was one month And you're telling me businesses only lost money for one month They they lost it throughout the whole pandemic So again, mr. Speaker with a snapshot in time of 225 million dollars. Are we going after bad actors? We'll go after bad actors 100 we're going to go after them But for the leader of the opposition to sit there and criticize when she was against 120,000 businesses And wouldn't give them one red cent We would be short 120,000 businesses if it was up to the leader of the opposition Well, speaker it is a one billion dollar A tax dollar boondoggle as a matter of fact and that's bad enough But the auditor says contrary to what the premier just claimed that it's not going after the money The premier is not going after the money is what the report says 14 500 Ineligible businesses received funds and I quote the auditor general when she her report says the government did not attempt to recover These amounts and subsequently wrote them off as uncollectible in august Just a couple of months ago a billion dollars was wasted that could have gone to struggling small businesses Instead they closed nursing shortages that are Really causing trouble right now in our health care system. Instead. We're still 20 000 years is short smaller class That could have protected our kids Instead the cupboard was bare when was the premier briefed about this billion dollar boondoggle And when did he sit decide not to do a single thing? It's really disturbing when the auditor general Does just a snapshot of one month april Doesn't do the 20 months, but does one single month that again The opposition didn't give two hoots about the small businesses. They didn't care if they went bankrupt They didn't care if 600 000 people lost their jobs. We're a government that cares for small business We take care of the the little guy a little girl running a business working their back off They did not even support the 3.4 billion dollars did not support the 120 000 businesses They would leave them out on the street starving if it was up to the leader of the opposition I'll tell you our government's not going to let anyone starve We're going to support them and I asked the auditor general to make make yourself a lot more accurate and not as uh What you what you mentioned The house will come to order Next question Let's scan the leader of the opposition Thank you speaker. My next question is also to the premier speaker We all know that over 10 000 folks lost their lives Tragically to this pandemic every one of them was a person who was loved Many of them lost left to this world rather completely alone without family Traumatizing loved ones and caregivers alike Frontline workers gave their all some even their lives our healthcare heroes Didn't have access to the ppe they needed and risked their lives thousands of small businesses Business owners had to walk away from their dreams speaker The responsible thing to do is to make sure that this never happens again So my question to the premier is when will the premier be reviewing how ontario handled this pandemic to ensure We are prepared and that this never does happen again To apply for the government the government house leader. Thank you very much miss speaker I actually appreciate the question from from the member opposite We started actually during the pandemic We're one of the first governments that actually undertook a review of the long-term Of the long-term care system and during the pandemic We have been standing up organizations to help us deal with some of the shortcomings that we saw In her question she talked about the inadequacy of ppe during the initial stages and and we saw in other jurisdictions What they were doing and how they were doing it better That is why the minister of government and consumer services has Standed up is standing up a new organization to ensure that we have access to ppe. That's why the minister of economic development Ensured that there were home Based resources to access ppe That's why the minister of education Learned in the early stages of some of the things that we needed to do to ensure that our students could return to to school safely including leading the country with respect to To ventilation minister of health of course increased Testing capacity from 5,000 to 100,000 mr. Speaker, so we have been learning the entire time the pandemic is not over There's still more work to do supplementary question Thank you speaker What we need to do is ensure that the best interests of people and their safety always comes first We have to ensure that we always have an adequate ppe stockpile We have to ensure that small businesses are supported and protected from the very beginning We need to ensure that Our classrooms are Some place where kids can still go safely and not be out of school for inordinate amounts of time We need to ensure Speaker frankly that this never happens again now We know that the liberals had this ours commission and we clearly didn't learn what we should have from it The government must learn from the mistakes and the things that went well Ontarians deserve that kind of accountability speaker So my question is when will the premier launch an open and public trance and a transparent review of how Ontario handled the pandemic Thank you very much the speaker. Look, obviously there are going to be lessons to be learned from From how the the government held or dealt with the pandemic I do agree with the leader of the opposition There was the sars sars report in the previous liberal government Did absolutely nothing to learn from the lessons of sars. That is why we were faced with ppe short Shortfalls that is why we had a testing capacity of only 5 000 Tests per day. That is why we had an icu capacity where 800 people in icu in the province of ontair One of the wealthiest jurisdictions in north america was brought to its knees longer than any other jurisdiction Because the previous liberal government failed to make the investments in icu capacity They failed to make the investments in critical care capacity. They failed to make the investments in education They failed to make the investments in long-term care, mr. Speaker. So there is a lot to learn There is a lot to learn I hear the member from ottawa south upset because he was a parliamentary assistant in that government that failed the people of ontario So badly, mr. Speaker Well speaker, that's a very disappointing response from the government house leader because this is not a partisan issue Ontarians know how hard this was and how hard it still is we can and must learn from it all of us We can and must Do better That's what ontarians deserve. We have to be ready for anything else that's coming our way The uk promised a public inquiry last may the federal government says a review is warranted Any responsible government will call a public inquiry into the pandemic and how it was handled So that the lessons can be learned this time. That's what ontarians deserve Will the premier therefore do the responsible thing and commit to calling a full independent public inquiry Into how the covet 19 pandemic was handled here in our province of ontario Again mr. Speaker, I can appreciate that the member opposite doesn't want to talk About the failings of the previous liberal government, but I think it is important Mr. Speaker there was a time of course when the leader of the opposition worked hand in hand with the liberal party And helped facilitate the failings that we had but I will say this mr. Speaker Obviously, it is very important that we look at the lessons from covet. What happened? Uh, there were a number of short shortcomings with respect to ppe supply There were a number of shortcomings with respect to icu capacity. There were shortcomings with respect to Infection prevention and control measures. There were shortcomings on the in the school system But these are things that we knew about as we came to office in 2018 That's why the premier had a focus on rebuilding the province of ontario from the ground up. Mr. Speaker more hospitals 30 000 long-term care beds expanding icu capacity Reopening some of the 600 schools that were closed by the previous liberal government. Are there lessons to be learned? Obviously there are but once we are out of the pandemic then we can start to learn those lessons not in the middle of it Thank you the next question remember for brampton center Thank you speaker. My question is to the premier Speaker a new report from the auditor general shows that the ford government has made almost no progress on the recommendations To improve long-term care to make matters worse speaker The auditor general's report also shows that the meals being offered to residents don't even contain Enough nutrients to keep people healthy We all read the horrific stories from the canadian armed forces report of how Residents in long-term care were being forced bed And that the meals had too much sugar too much salt not enough fiber But the government isn't doing a thing to improve the conditions for ontarians and loved ones in long-term care When will the ministry take the long overdue steps needed to guarantee that residents in long-term care homes Are provided safe and appropriate meals in accordance with their plans of care Well, the member will know that of course there is very important legislation in front of this house right now With respect to improving conditions in our long-term care homes, which includes A focus on on inspections, mr. Speaker, which includes ground groundbreaking North american leading Standards of care four hours of care Mr. Speaker it is something that has been talked about for years It is something that this government is finally delivering on mr. Speaker, but in order for us to do that We have to hire 27,000 Additional psw, which we're doing right now. We're working of course with our community colleges to ensure that we can Bring on these 27,000. That's why we're hiring 2000 new nurses mr. Speaker Also, we have to build that capacity I talked about this a little bit yesterday that we were housing seniors in in our acute care system in our hospitals Mr. Speaker that's completely inappropriate That is why before the election we knew that we had to rebuild long-term care And it starts with the 27 or 30,000 additional beds There's not one community across this province that won't have access to a new state of the art long-term care facility With 27,000 additional psw to ensure that our seniors get the thank you Supplementary questions Speaker with all due respect to the government house leader. It's one thing to hire psw It's another thing to pay them fairly for the work that they do with a permanent pandemic pay Speaker the government can try to blame the pandemic for their failures to act on the auditor generals past recommendations as well But while they were sitting on their hands non-profit leaders like advantage, ontario quickly stepped up to make sure their member organizations Made progress towards targets outlined in the auditor generals report For example advantage ontario delivered four webinars related to food and nutrition And offered their members strategies to help direct care staff access and implement resident care plans Speaker advocacy groups shouldn't be left up to Left alone to implement all of the recommendations from the auditor generals report It's actually the ministry's job to do that When will the ministry take these reports seriously? Help long-term care homes build the capacity they need and improve conditions for vulnerable residents in long-term care Well, mr. Speaker we started working on that from day one. In fact before we were even elected We highlighted the need to improve long-term care, mr. Speaker We highlighted the need to work on hallway health care, mr. Speaker and we are doing that by hiring 27,000 additional psw's by building 30,000 new long-term care beds, but it is more than that Mr. Speaker it is about the ontario health teams that the minister of health is bringing it It is about World-class leading investments billions of dollars for a new ottawa hospital and just Yesterday in the members own region of peal One of the largest investments in health care in canadian history Now mr. Speaker you will know as i've said on the number of occasions Our two members from brampton have been working extraordinarily hard to improve health care in their own community By bringing a new hospital for the people of brampton and i can congratulate those two members Disappointed that the member opposite and the rest of her colleagues voted against all of these investments, mr. Speaker But we'll get the job done The next question the member for scarborough rouge park Thank you, mr. Speaker Speaker my question is to the minister of citizenship and multiculturalism Speaker as we all know ontario benefits from a remarkable diversity. It is truly one of our province's Great strength diversity has been shown to increase innovation Reduce risk and open new opportunities for economic development and growth However, there are people in our province who are impacted by systematic barriers that limit their potential Limit their employment potential and that is why addressing these barriers is not just the right thing to do It is good for jobs and it's good for businesses So speaker can the minister of citizenship and multiculturalism please tell this house What is our government doing to make ontario more inclusive for everyone? Thank you mr. Speaker To reply the minister of citizenship and multiculturalism Well, thank you mr. Speaker I want to thank the member from scarborough rouge river for the question and also for his hard work on behalf of His constituents It's always an honor and a privilege to rise in this house and to speak about the tremendous work Our government is doing under the leadership of our premier mr. Speaker to build a stronger and more inclusive Province for everyone by investing an additional over eight million dollars in a recent fall economic statement Our government continues our commitment to working with our community partners to bring real programs That deliver real change mr. Speaker as a former small business owner myself I know firsthand the challenges that some of our black indigenous and other racialized communities face When trying to find work or to start a small business mr. Speaker to support their families response This government will continue to fight for equal opportunities for all of us in our province of ontario. Thank you Speaker I would like to thank the minister for his answer I'm pleased to know about the remarkable progress our government is making for the people of ontario These actions are an important step forward for building even more inclusive province for everyone as our government focuses on recovery We know that addressing systematic and complex issues like discrimination and intolerance is critical to ontario's economic success Speaker through you to the honorable minister What is this government doing to ensure that our recovery includes all ontarians from all walks of life? Thank you mr. Speaker Thank my colleague for that important question again, mr. Speaker our government is absolutely committed to identifying And taking immediate action to addressing anything that might limit someone's potential in this province That is why we said yes to 1.6 million dollars For business resources to help employers diversify their workforce mr. Speaker and we said yes to five million dollar in business grant To help racialize entrepreneurs start or grow their business mr. Speaker I want to thank of course the premier the minister of finance and all of my colleagues for working with me to build these programs That will go to help ensure greater economic inclusion and build an even stronger province. Thank you mr. Speaker Thank you speaker This question is for the premier for three years viber who can no longer speak has been a resident at chelton m care community A for-profit long-term care home operated by sienna senior living on october 2nd Pamela britain noticed that her 74-year-old brother Vibert had developed a bed sore on his side on november 5th more than a month after pamela discovered it Vibert's wounds got so bad that pamela could smell rot through his bandages Fearing for her brother's life pamela had to fight the home to have him taken the hospital With the home telling paramedics that it was a non-emergency Vibert had gone septic when he was first admitted to hospital He was put on 17 iv bags of antibiotics a day The doctor at north york general told pamela that if vibert had gotten to the hospital any later he would have died I'm asking a page to deliver this envelope to the premier within it is the horrifying image of the gaping wound Larger than a fist that vibert has endured while unable to speak This image is an embodiment of all the wasted time to fix long-term care in ontario while so many are there right now suffering In pain and on death store Premier after all that has happened now. How can this still be allowed to happen in ontario? Replies in the government. Thank you very much, mr. Speaker and Not knowing the case and I appreciate the the honorable gentleman for bringing that forward Obviously this uh an incident like this has no place in the province of ontario We are one of the richest jurisdictions in north america, mr. Speaker despite the challenges that we have faced during covid Mr. Speaker there is no Excuse for people not being treated properly both in our health care system and in our long-term care system Mr. Speaker that is why we are making the immediate investments to increase care to four hours a day to bring on 27,000 new additional psw's to bring on 30,000 new long-term care beds in all Parts of the province mr. Speaker. We knew that this was an issue before we came to office I suspect all members knew that this was an issue before they came to office as we were campaigning We heard it when we went door to door that something had to be done with long-term care now Mr. Speaker Before we leave this place the members opposite will have an opportunity to help build on that by voting in favor of a Bill that we brought forward to improve long-term care for generations to come and I hope that they will do that Thank you speaker fast forward to today Thankfully the hospital saved his life But nearly a month after he was first admitted Vbert is still in the hospital and receiving six bags of antibiotics a day to treat his infection Now Pamela his sister said that the hospital has told her that vbert must go back to the private long-term care home So he doesn't lose his spot at chelton hem Pamela told me that she does not want him to go back there and she is worried that if he does he might not survive Premier what will you do right now to help this family in desperate need? Mr. Speaker I've not spoken and I'm I'm sure if the I doubt that the minister he's spoken with the minister and in advance of this But I appreciate that he would he would bring this this question for it. It's an important thing for an important question I think it has its place in question here because it does highlight the challenges that we are facing in long-term care We have never said that long-term care shouldn't be a priority in the province of ontaria In fact, mr. Speaker, we have been disappointed that for far too long long care long-term care was not a priority Of the four previous liberal administrations, mr. Speaker They had four different administrations over 15 years to help us move into a better direction on long-term care It is no secret that our population was aging. Mr. Speaker That is why we are moving so aggressively the minister of municipal affairs and housing is bringing forward mzo's to ensure that we can build new long-term care beds They're against that. Mr. Speaker. They're against 27 000 additional psw's They're against all of the investments that we're making to improve the system But he has an opportunity to vote fail the new bill. Thank you The next question the member for girl Good morning, speaker my questions for the minister of health As stated in the throne speech for this parliamentary session the pandemic has exposed the failure of successive governments both provincial and federal To provide adequate funding to our hospitals the clear consequence was a health system ill-equipped to handle a crisis Not only do we need to continue to do short-term planning for surge capacity through the winter But also continue to build our long-term health care capacity The minister has recently announced moving forward with a number of expansions in peel region My question is when will the bowmanville hospital expansion move to the next stage of approvals? Why the minister of health Speaker and thank you very much to the member opposite for the question I am very pleased to provide an update on the lake ridge health redevelopment project at its bowmanville site Lake ridge health redevelopment project in bowmanville aims to renew infrastructure And expand facilities for programs and services such as the emergency department Inpatient units diagnostic imaging and some ambulatory services and support services The project is included in the government's multi-year infrastructure investment plan And is currently in the early stages of the ministry of health's capital planning project The ministry is continuing to work closely with the hospital to advance this project through planning to implementation Our government is committed to making investments in the health system based on system needs and priorities As well as sound fiscal planning and ensuring these investments are carried out efficiently. Thank you Thank you, speaker the previous government didn't do much beyond sign off on a news release on this project I'm thankful for the money the ministry of health has put on the table during my term to support the expansion in the form of a planning grant As well as financial support to create a new temporary helipad at a safe location for the course of the redevelopment The hospital is eager to move to the next stage of the planning process and get this project closer to construction The minister has shown more support Than any other minister for this project Will she be the minister that is more than talk and takes action to get this expansion built Minister of health Well, thank you again for the question and I am pleased to say that as part of lake ridge health's major redevelopment project At their bowmanville site that the interim helipad relocation project has been approved This involves the construction of a helipad at a site made available to the hospital Through a leasing arrangement with the municipality of clarrington in derm region The use of an interim helipad once completed Will enable orange and the hospital to resume the transfer of critical patients to or from the bowmanville site Were required via air ambulance and ensure patient safety and operational efficiency while the bowmanville site is being redeveloped Our government will continue to invest in hospital capital projects To ensure that our hospitals can keep pace with patient needs And increase access to high quality care for patients and families across ontario. Thank you Question the member for bruce creo and sound Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker my question is to the minister of children community and social service I want to commend and thank her for the stellar job She's doing in this very important ministry and the people of canada carlton There's a growing demand for services for children youth with special needs when children in entero begin school almost 30% That could pose a risk to their lifelong health learning and behavior Due to this there's great need for support for children youth with special needs Mr. Speaker last year over 110,000 children youth received rehabilitation services including occupational therapy physiotherapy and speech language pathology pathology through children's treatment centers and community based settings across entero So my question through you speaker to the honorable minister is what is our government doing to make it easier for children With special needs to gain access to the care they require Mr. Children community and social services Thank you speaker and thank you to the member from bruce great owens sound for such an important Contribution to his constituents and for that Very important question Our government recognizes the importance of accessibility to services and I hear the needs of families Who have children with special needs in my hometown of Ottawa? And that's why this government is increasing accessibility By investing in a new integrated treatment center at the children's hospital of eastern Ontario A pediatric health and research center in Ottawa the new multi-story building called one door for care Will reduce the need for families to travel to multiple facilities to gain access to important treatment and rehabilitation services Such as occupational therapy physiotherapy speech and language pathology and autism services We promise to support children with special needs and one door for care treatment center delivers on that promise. Thank you speaker supplementary question Thank you very much, mr. Speaker and thank you again to the minister Children community and social services for her answer and her work the government recently announced an additional $240 million in funding over four years To reduce wait lists and build additional service capacity for early intervention and rehabilitation services for children and youth with special needs This government's actions are addressing the critical needs of children and youth with special needs Such support for children with special needs and actions like this investment sets up these children to have the best outcomes For their health and happiness. So speaker through you my question for the minister is can the minister Please elaborate on the benefits and services this new treatment center will provide Mr. Children community and social services Thank you speaker and once again, thank you to the member for the question For children with multiple or complex special needs one door for care will bring together teams of professionals Under one roof to support children with special needs through a coordinated plan of care She'll currently provides these services in eight locations Across the region which can make it difficult for families and providers to coordinate services and to support children and youth As they grow into adulthood So we're making special needs supports more accessible with one door for care One door for care will help reduce wait times for services So more children and youth can receive services on an annual basis address capacity issues So there is more space available for service delivery and bring together teams of professionals working together under one roof To support children's special needs. Thank you speaker Next question Number four Ottawa center. Thank you speaker my questions for the premier Speaker tomorrow marks the international day for persons with disabilities It's a time to celebrate the contribution that people with disabilities and the disability rights movement have made this province But there's a painful sadness this year for the first time in a letter to the leaders of ontario's political parties The aod a alliance has acknowledged with frustration that the ontario government will fail to meet its obligation To ensure that ontario becomes fully accessible to the 2.6 million ontarians with disabilities By 2025 which is what the statute here requires This is due to years of stalling and broken promises by liberal and conservative governments Since the legislature unanimously passed the aod a in 2005. So my question to the Premier speaker through you will this government lay out what specific steps this government is prepared to take During its last remaining months in office to fulfill its duty to make ontario accessible to people with disabilities To apply to the government the government house leader Thank you very much, mr. Speaker. I do appreciate the question from from the member opposite and I know that he has been a very powerful critic in the role and also in many instances a partner with with the minister and helping him understand Issues of importance to the to the communities mr. Speaker look I acknowledge that there is still a lot of work that that needs to be done Across the province of ontario and and we are continuing to work on that There are a number of reports that have highlighted highlighted that mr. Speaker and both Both I would suggest federally and provincially and with our municipal partners. So Look, there's a lot of work that has to be done Why I suspect that it's something that we will begin to focus on right here at home in our own legislature over the next Little while Speaker, but I don't want to Give the member an answer that Spots doesn't be fit how important this issue is it is very important to the minister It is something that we are working on and I do appreciate the urgency of it Thank you, speaker. I appreciate that answer but Acknowledging that we're falling short on accessibility for 2.6 million people in this province And that we won't hit the target we're required to hit by 2025 I'm just going to say to this government to any government that comes after that doesn't mean we shrug our shoulders and give up This acknowledgement that the aodia alliance has made does not mean we can't stop pursuing vigorously the things we need to pursue What we have seen since the honorable david onley has given this government a report A thousand days ago speaker more than a thousand days ago and in this report. Mr. Onley describes Soul crushing barriers facing people with disabilities in Ontario in health care in school and employment In their usage of public space We don't have to reinvent the wheel speaker Mr. Onley and people before him have shown us the way What we need is a plan in the last six months of this parliament I've risen in this space as the house leader mentioned I've offered my own plan my question is will you embrace it or will you propose your own? Because that's what that's what people with disabilities and their families want and we need an answer Again, I do appreciate that We have started obviously with with aging in place and ensuring that at home people can make Retrofits to their own homes that will allow Persons with disabilities or persons who need assistance at home can make the retrofits at home so we can start there speaker. I know that the minister in charge of Trillion foundation is also ensuring that there are significant investments that That go to community organizations across across the province and the minister responsible for seniors and disability is also a number of programs To help kick start in a number of ways this very important work But as I said look I acknowledge there is more work to be done Many of the new long-term care is obviously all of the new long-term care homes that we are bringing Into the province are going to be completely Accessible are going to have all of the features that you would have expected many years many years ago I acknowledge there is more work to be done. The only report highlighted it our minister responsible is is getting that work done And I'm sure we'll have more to say very soon Next question remember from one gary tresscott russell. Thank you, mr. President mr. Speaker yesterday the auditor general revealed that this government sent almost one billion dollars to businesses that weren't eligible for the small Business grant or were given more than their losses warranted She found a troubling absence of controls that resulted in the approval of suspicious applications Including from businesses with addresses outside ontario Mr. Speaker this government is basically a terrible version of oprah and with taxpayer money You get the grant you get the grant outside of ontario. You get a grant as well You're not eligible. Whatever you get the grant anyway. Everybody gets a grant Oh, but you in the back and sectors that we singled out at the outset You obviously don't get a grant too bad We get to decide which ineligible business gets the grant mr. Speaker. This is unacceptable When will this government stop making gaffe after gaffe after gaffe that is costing hardworking ontario taxpayers billions of dollars The minister of finance to reply. Thank you, mr. Speaker through you to the member office it for that question You know what's unacceptable is the premise of that question, mr. Speaker Does the member opposite not think that supporting small businesses in this province is the right thing to do The member opposite not realize that the auditor general is talking about a point in time That businesses have suffered for over 21 months And that since the beginning of this pandemic that we have Supported small businesses starting in march of 2020 when we launched 19 billion dollar action plan, mr. Speaker I don't think the member opposite would want to go to those small businesses and say you've struggled You've had hardships and we want your money back. They applied in good faith They're Hardworking people of this province and this premier and this government will continue to support the small businesses in their families in this province Thank you, mr. Speaker The premier is saying that the problems in the small business grant were because he rushed so quickly to get the funds out the door Well, well the program was launched in january 2021 10 months after the pandemic began 10 months, mr. Speaker. What's more the premier said and I quote Unfortunately, you're going to see some fraud now shifting the blame onto businesses when actually it was their system Who couldn't even filter out businesses that don't qualify or that aren't even in ontario? Mr. Speaker this government has betrayed ontarians betrayed our trust betrayed our confidence in this administration Almost at the end of their mandate. Is it even worth asking the question? When will the premier get a functional administration? Mr. Fadance I don't know where to start with that question the problem with the uh The problem with the member opposite is that maybe the little lapse of memory from all the members in terms of This government in march of 2020 billion and billion dollars of rent relief for small businesses Billions in wsib premium relief billion dollars in tax deferrals in cash flows deferrals in march of 2020 And we continue that order so are you going to go to those small businesses? Many of the ones that i've met in my riding a pickering oxbridge who said that this small business grant Okay, the opposition has to come to order Apologize to the minister of finance Thank you, mr. Speaker many of those small businesses who said the difference between our supporting them In their time of need was the difference with keep keeping the lights on and turning them off for good Mr. Speaker this government will support those families and those small businesses all our main streets in ontario The next question the member for haliburton court the lakes brawl. Thank you, mr. Speaker my question is the minister of transportation Speaker after 15 years of liberal government in ontario life got harder for people living in northern ontario The previous liberal government failed on winter road maintenance. They cancelled passenger rail And they failed to make meaningful targeted highway investments the region so desperately needs Ontarians are counting on this government to be different when it comes to the north So speaker through you to the minister of transportation Please tell us what the government is doing to make up for over a decade of neglect and deliver much needed Transportation to support the north Sure transportation Thank you speaker and thank you so much to the member from haliburton court the lakes brawl for the question I was very pleased to be in thunder bay earlier this week to announce an investment of 171 million dollars to refurbish 94 go transit by level coaches at the allstem plant located in thunder bay Speaker this is a deal that's good for transit and good for the hardworking people of thunder bay These refurbishments on top of our partnership with the federal government and the ttc to purchase 60 new streetcars in may will maintain according to the president of allstem 400 good manufacturing jobs at the facility Speaker this pc government will always have the back of hardworking northern ontarians After years of neglect by the previous liberal government We are supporting good local jobs and ensuring that metro links has the fleet required to support Go expansion across our rail network Member for Ottawa south come to order The supplementary question Thank you very much Mr. Speaker and thanks to the minister for her response and her hard work to help northern ontario This is great news for northwestern ontario and go expansion And I understand the minister is also leading work that will benefit the northeast Following the liberals irresponsible decision to abandon passenger rail Many in the area are desperate for change and are looking to our government for support So speaker to the minister of transportation through you What is the minister doing to right the wrongs of the previous liberal government and bring back passenger rail to the north? Mr. Transportation Thank you, speaker And thank you again to the member for the question as the member rightfully put the deluca liberals let down the people of the north When they abruptly cancelled passenger rail service Last year our government invested five million dollars into the necessary track audit to bring passenger service rail back In this year's fall economic statement We announced that the terminus station for the north lander will be in timmans One of the largest hubs in the north and two weeks ago The ontc ran the first passenger rail test train from north bay to toronto This is a huge step towards completing the updated business case for the project and making this return to service a reality Mr. Speaker I am pleased that our work to get passenger rail train rail back on track is being so well received We made a promise to the people of northern ontario and our government is keeping that promise The member for london west. Uh, thank you speaker. My question is to the premier Speaker alexandra lind lives just a two minute walk from sir arthur curry public school A school in my riding built four years ago that now has 22 portables on site Chronic overcrowding means that when alexandra's 18 month old daughter starts jk She will very likely be bust out of the neighborhood to a school on the other side of the city alexandra told me to say i am panicking would be an understatement Speaker when a new school opens in their neighborhood Surely the students who live in that neighborhood deserve to be able to attend Will this government confirm today that the funding requested by the tems valley district school board will be approved for the new schools that london families urgently need To apply the minister of education Thank you very much mr. Speaker and thank you to the member ops for the question I recognize there's fast growth in london specifically. I've spoken to the member Uh, mpp. Jeff urick as well about this issue and the mayor mayor holder some months ago about the growth I can commit that we will continue to invest in capital improvements in new schools and expansions in london specifically in this round Of the capital approvals which will be unveiled in short order. We've invested roughly Roughly 14 billion dollars over 10 years this year alone We announced in conjunction with the minister in partnership with the minister of infrastructure renewal and an expansion of 26 new schools 20 permanent additions and over 3 000 affordable and accessible child care spaces within our publicly funded schools I know there's more to do in london and across Ontario and the premier and our government is committed to getting the job done Speaker sir arthur curry public school was at capacity almost the day it opened four years ago Now the school is bursting at the seams with double the number of students It was built for in fact the thames valley district school board is planning for two new schools To accommodate northwest london population growth Karris martin has one child at sir arthur curry school and another at the child care and is concerned about their safety and learning She says the government funding for schools that are too small from the start is quote short-sighted Fiscally irresponsible and would end careers in any other industry Speaker will this government commit to new school funding that will accommodate both current and projected capacity in rapidly growing northwest london Thank you very much mr. Speaker We can absolutely commit to continue to invest in new schools and expansion of schools in the region of london in the city of london We know how important it is for children to have access to safe local Quality educational facilities within their communities and that's exactly why we've invested over half a billion dollars on an annual basis to build net New schools in sharp contrast to the 600 schools closed under the former liberal government mr. Speaker It's not just the closure of schools It's the the actual standard and the maintenance of those schools when we came to power and we were given the privilege to serve Roughly 15.9 billion dollars in a repaired backlog 16 billion dollars in our schools that should have been done under the former liberal government that wasn't But our premier is investing 1.3 billion dollars on an annual basis to bring down that backlog And we're spending and investing with the minister of infrastructure What's in here and our entire government to make sure children and families in london get the schools that they deserve Thank you the next question the member for york centre Good morning speaker my questions to the minister of health Six weeks ago the science table suggested that ontario should pass a mandate for healthcare workers The government pretended that it opposed mandates But with very few exceptions ontarius hospitals imposed their own mandates Resulting in the suspension and termination of thousands of healthcare workers Three days ago the science table issued a report saying that new restrictions may now be required because of staffing shortages Not only did the government fail to stand in the way of suspension and termination of thousands of healthcare workers It's utterly incapable of growing the number of ontarius hospital nurses to meet demand My question to the minister of health is a math question. I'm asking for a number not for talking points How many net new nurses have been added to ontarius hospital roles since march 2020 Or did the number of total nurses working on ontarius hospitals actually decrease? Is it more nurses? Is it less nurses and how many? government house leader As we had said right from the beginning we thought it would be important for local healthcare Authorities to to make those decisions based on the needs in in their community mr. Speaker that is why we made the decision we did with respect to vaccine mandates across the province ontario and our healthcare system supplementing question Speaker it's remarkable that I asked a question about how many net new nurses have been added Or lost since the pandemic and the minister of health would not take my question It was the government house leader that just took a question about the amount of net new nurses So maybe the minister would like to take that into supplementary Speaker a week ago the head of the science table was talking about canada's reassessment of the way the virus transmits Contrary to what we were told for the last 20 months transmission of the virus is not droplet its airsoul Of course that was known since early summer 2020 The head of the science table therefore said that plexiglass does more harm than good because it disrupts ventilation The minister always said that they're listening to the science Last week she responded to this question by saying that she's listening to the chief medical officer Well, then maybe she on the science table and the chief medical officer can have a zoom call to discuss plexiglass Why won't the minister listen to the head of the science table? Acknowledge that plexiglass is harmful and recommend that businesses and school boards do away with plexiglass government house leader Yeah, the member will recall on a zoom call that we had in January a second zoom call that we had in February and one in March and in April and May and June and July and August September the multiple calls that we had which facilitated A number of the decisions that this government made with respect to the measures that he voted in favor of From the beginning of the pandemic to the time he decided he wanted to change his mind The things that he's talking about he actually voted in favor of mr. Speaker. He voted in favor of Of the closed order he voted order Member for york center will come to order government house leader will conclude his answer I suspect I know I hear the member shouting that that's why he's not sitting here I suspect his behavior is why he's not sitting here and not His his true belief in the policies that he voted for time and time and time again mr. Speaker And the next question the member for kitchens center, thank you mr. Speaker my question is for the premier It's no surprise that over a decade of poor policy choices has led to the affordability crisis that we're experiencing today In kitchens center food bank usage has increased by 26 percent Those experiencing being unhoused has more than tripled in three years And one of our shelters the house of friendship had to close temporarily while they look for space that they can afford Through you mr. Speaker and to the premier Can the premier please tell the people of kitchens center what he is doing to ensure that all of our neighbors are housed Have access to healthy food and have a sustainable living wage so our communities can recover Equitably Thank you, through you mr. Speaker to the member opposite for that very important question and You know affordability across the province is an issue not just here in Ontario across the country food insecurity rising prices Housing shortages are all issues that we take very seriously And that's why mr. Speaker that we've taken certain actions to To make life more affordable for ontarians not least of which is working on the housing supply side of the equation making sure that We take actions more rental purpose built houses were built last year since 1992 Working on the lowest income and people hurt the most in terms of wages the minimum wage 760,000 people during a pandemic got a pay raise mr. Speaker We'll continue to take action and I appreciate the question from the member opposite Thank you mr. Speaker and back to the premier People in my community are struggling It's near impossible to find safe and supportive housing and it's near impossible to get by on od sp or ontario works Yesterday's auditor generals reports stated and I quote Ministry funding is outdated and based on old modeling My constituents deserve a government that puts their needs first in every policy decision that's being made So through you mr. Speaker back to the premier. Will this government commit today to increase and properly fund o w and od sp So that people can finally stop being forced to beg this government simply to survive Speaker and I just want to reiterate the importance that our government has focused on to getting vital services To our most vulnerable people and delivering on those services When we look back, uh, od sp and o w during this pandemic They are application based Because of the supports that were being put out by the federal government. We saw a drop in applications to our programs However, uh, we are starting to see an uptick now We understand the importance of of providing the services. We we have Brought in 8.3 over 8.3 billion dollars on an annual basis and increasing to provide this these services We have increased the rate for o w and od sp And and we are putting out a billion dollars of social services relief funding That has been done. So we are continuing to put out the dollars to support these Vulnerable programs the vulnerable people in these programs and we will continue To to make sure that the accessibility to these programs is available. Thank you Thank you. My question is to the minister of health Speaker yesterday I tabled my private members bill the safe and healthy communities act addressing gun violence This bill will amend the health insurance act allowing insured Services to include prescribed hospital and community-based violence intervention programs This change will also allow trauma-informed counseling for victims and their families affected by gun violence through ohep gun violence is a public health crisis A crisis that leaves trauma ripping through families and communities and causes intergenerational pain This year in the midst of kovat. We have had the worst Incidences of homicides in ontario due to gun violence In october alone. There have been 11 homicides all Are devastating to families and to people Bill 60 speaker is about healing that trauma by providing a public health lens and approach to the trauma that is caused So i'm asking this minister Will you support this bill by incorporating into the work that you're doing? right now government house leader Mr. I appreciate the question the member will know how seriously this this side of the house takes Private members business. We will of course endeavor to To review that bill like we do every every bill mr. Speaker, but at the same time The the issue with guns and gangs is is is really a very important one that That we have struggled with for a very long time I know the government has making the solicitor general in the premier making significant investments in guns and gangs I think over 180 million dollars to to tackle this This mr. Speaker, but it's it is a multifaceted approach. It has to include not only Interventions on the ground with supports for our police. It has to include increased security at our borders It does have to include community services and the work that the minister of mental health and addictions is doing The work that the minister of municipal affairs and housing is doing to ensure that there is a continue of of care and outreach Mr. Speaker, so I do appreciate The member's question, but as I said, we'll take a look and endeavor to review the bill. Thank you supplementary question Speaker back to the minister of health This is not a problem that you can arrest your way out of the former police chief of toronto mark saunders said that and I quote speaker Our communities are hurting In my riding of scarborough guildwood guildwood. There were eight shootings in the month of november eight shootings Last night. I attended a round table in scarborough with many mothers and members of my community who have been affected directly They have lost Their loved ones evlyn lost her son to gun violence. Tamisha lost her brother And what they're looking for speaker is not just one half of the solution in which Um, the government just talked about they're looking for a whole community solution and approach a public health Lens will allow The issue at its root to be healed and that intergenerational trauma that is affecting the communities To be resolved We know that we can't just rely on hospitals to stitch people up and put them back in the very same Environment in which the injury occurred. So speaker my question to this government Will they work with public health officials to create a community-based response to gun violence now Come on. Let's do it. Well, I agree mr. Speaker. That's why the uh, the the task force in the in the uh, The significant funding that we put in place is uh, is a three-prong approach for prevention Uh, intervention and enforcement I think the member would agree that all three pillars are very important if we're going to uh, to tackle this once and for all Mr. Speaker, but it is also important to recognize that a number of these guns are illegal guns Which are making their way across the border. So we have to include that if we're talking about this We have to include community services. I know that the boys and girls club In her community does some very good re good work on outreach and early intervention Mr. Speaker, it is a leading organization when it comes to outreach in her community I'm very familiar with the scarborough gildwood Area and all of the important community services that are going on there That's why we're making significant investments speaker But I do appreciate that the honorable member the focus of the honorable members of the question But as I said, we'll take a look at her however private members bill a historic number of PMBs have passed under under this government And if it's a good bill, of course, we'll pass it The next question the members for hamilton west and pastor gundas Thank you speaker. My question to the minister of the municipal affairs Yesterday's auditor general report raises serious questions about land use planning in ontario in hamilton Our city council just voted overwhelmingly to eject this government's costly sprawl agenda Concerned with loss of farmland and a worsening climate crisis The minister has used heavy-handed tactics to short circuit democratic processes including writing an unprecedented Op-ed in the spectator hamilton tonians were aghast Former pc cabinet minister and now hamilton city councilor Brad clark said of this minister He should stop meddling in hamilton politics given this government's clear bias in favor of land speculators I have to ask will this minister reject respect The democratic decision of hamiltonians to meet our housing demand and protect our farmland Mr. Minister of Affairs and housing So thanks speaker Speaker young families seniors hardworking hamiltonians Need to have an affordable place to call home Ontario is in a housing crisis Driven by a severe shortage of supply. We've asked our municipal partners To look at their official plans and plan for growth as all members of the house will know Many many months ago. We sent a clear signal to municipalities We wanted them to get their official plans done on time and we wanted them to project And forecast over the next 30 years what they're going to need in terms of housing affordability Regardless of that exercise speaker Regardless of the fact that we want councils like the city of hamilton to look long range on what they're going to need We're in a housing crisis right now Housing is unaffordable for too many ontarians and we need our municipal partners to do what they can to help us speaker Speaker there's nothing that this minister has done that will guarantee that any of these homes will be affordable Absolutely nothing. So it's hard to trust what we hear from this minister And frankly my constituents have had enough of the bullying coming from this from queen's park Responding to this minister's inappropriate meddling hamilton's mayor stated I don't care what the minister says A survey of hamiltonians showed that almost 95 percent of all responded Respondents wanted to protect our farmland hamilton has sent a clear message Yet this minister has a track record of running over local democracy The auditor general said as much regarding this minister's frivolous use of mzo's to benefit the premier's developer buddies So I ask again, will you respect hamiltonians democratic decision Order Mr. Miss poll fairs to respond No has spoken again Economic if the member doesn't want to take my word for it Let's let's look at some of the other experts economic consultant frank Clayton Co-founder of Ryerson university's center for urban research and land development Warns that hamilton will fail to produce enough detached Single family homes to meet market demand and that buyers will end up Order real estate booms in places farther afield such as woodstock or brantford Let's be clear on the facts hamilton is forecasted to grow by over 236,000 people By 2051 hamilton's existing urban boundary Does not have enough land to support the 60,000 new single family homes that the city's own land needs assessment says It's the city's own planners who have told council that this is what they need speaker All options around the table speaker. We're going to work with our municipal partners. We're going to continue Thank you very much I'm going to call the minister of government and consumer services to order and the member for hamilton west and castor dundas to come to order Point of order member for scarborough gildwood Thank you speaker. Um, I seek unanimous consent from this house to pass bill 60 the Government house leader has said that the contents of the bill Warranting that that he would support that so I seek unanimous consent to pass bill 60 the And violence a public health issue in this province and to end The devastation that is happening to communities as a result of this issue Just a second point of order Yeah, speaker I think if the member goes back and answered she'll see that I said that we will take a look at the bill We will review it and if it is a good bill then we would pass the bill Speaker we haven't had a chance to do a fulsome review. I think she just introduced it yesterday I don't believe the bill has even been printed at this point Speaker and as the member will know we do not unanimously pass It's been my practice not to unanimously pass bills in one stage at any point They have to go to committee and they have to have a proper sound. Thank you. Okay Member for scarborough gildwood is seeking the unanimous consent of the house to immediately pass bill 60 agreed Heard some notes Question period has concluded Pursuant to standing order 36a the member for york center has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer To his question given by the government house leader concerning the number of net new nurses This matter will be debated Tuesday following private members public business We now have a deferred vote on a motion foreclosure on the motion for third reading of bill 13 An act to amend various acts November 30th, 2021. Ms. Mrs. Tangry moved third reading of bill 13 an act to amend various acts On December 1st, 2021. Mr. Miller Paris on muskoca moved that the question be now put The bells will now ring for 30 minutes during which time members may cast their votes on Mr. Miller Paris on muskoca's motion that the question be now put I'll ask the clerks to please prepare the lobbies