 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of His Majesty's royal opposition. And good morning, Speaker. This question is for the Premier. As we head into the holiday season, Ontarians are stretching every single penny to try to provide for their families. When I talk with people, their frustrations are very clear. They're frustrated that they have a government that isn't putting their needs first on housing, on health care, or on the rising cost of living. They see a government captured by insiders too mired in scandals and an RCMP criminal investigation speaker to help them. So to the Premier, people expect so much more from their government. When will he start to deliver for them? To apply the government House Leader, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I think it will come as no surprise to the Leader of the Opposition that I look at things a lot differently. I think when I look back at this past year, I see over 700,000 people that have a dignity of a job that didn't have that before. I see billions of dollars worth of investments that have come to the province of Ontario because of the policies of this government, the policies that have reduced red tape, cut taxes. We are investing in infrastructure, Mr. Speaker, to support the investments that are coming into this province. We're investing in transit, transportation. I look at our students and for the first time this Minister of Education has delivered peace in our school system. And I say that quite sincerely, probably in the first time in my life, there is peace in our school system, Mr. Speaker. I look at the work that the Minister of Labor has done to ensure that we improve access to skilled trades. I look at the amount of women that are coming into the skilled trades. When I look back, I see a really good year, Mr. Speaker, and much to look forward to in the years ahead. Supplementary question. Good. Mr. Speaker, after all the investigations and reports, even an ongoing RCMP criminal investigation, the government hasn't learned a single lesson, and working people are no further ahead. A new report by the Auditor General that was just released leaves absolutely no doubt about the utter failure of this government to live up to what they were elected to do on health care, on public infrastructure, on support for Northern Ontario. The Auditor's report shows that people are being left behind while this government is being run out of the back rooms. So, Speaker, my question is again to the Premier. How many times does he have to get caught? How many policies will he have to reverse before he starts to put real people ahead of his own ambitions? Mr. Speaker, please take their seats. What are the government hosts here? What we are doing across the province of Ontario is we're rebuilding a health care system thanks to the Minister of Health. We're rebuilding a health care system that was for far too long ignored by the previous Liberal government, which was supported by the NDP. We are building or renovating or upgrading over 50 hospitals in the province of Ontario. Despite the fact that we had a global economic and health care pandemic, we are making historic investments in health care. We are seeing people come back into the health care system. But moreover than that, we are making significant progress on our commitment to build 58,000 new and upgraded long-term care home beds, which are homes for seniors. We're making progress on that. We are bringing economic development to parts of the province of Ontario that have never had it before. I look at the people in loyalist township who will have one of the largest investments ever made in their community, jobs and opportunity for them. I look at the Minister of Northern Development, the Minister of Mines, the fact that we are opening up the resources of the North to support investments that are coming in the South. The final supplementary. Speaker, they can't repeal their bad decisions fast enough. Government has spent more time flip-flopping on those bad policy decisions than anything else. The only thing that the Premier and his cabinet have done in this last year is manufacture a housing crisis, a health care system, a deathbed and a cost of living crisis. Order. A shameful moment. Order, stop the call. Order. I couldn't hear the Leader of the Opposition. The Associate Minister of Small Business will come to order. The Member for Waterloo will come to order. Research clock, the Leader of the Opposition still has some time. My goodness speaker, let me repeat that. The only thing the Premier and his cabinet have gotten done in this last year is manufacturing a housing crisis, yes, a health care system that is on its deathbed and a cost of living crisis that has Ontarians on the brink. What a shameful moment in Ontario's history that this Premier has put us in and what for. His insider friends, so speaker back to the Premier. I hope he will answer. Was it worth it? Order. The Premier can respond. Well, first of all, Mr Speaker, I can't believe what's coming out of the Leader's most across the aisle about housing when the NDP and the Liberals and the Green have voted against every single housing initiative that we've ever put forward. We can go back five and a half years when people are relieving the province, 300,000 jobs are relieving, but the good news is, Mr Speaker, we've created the climate conditions for 715,000 people to be working today that weren't working under their government. There's three over 300,000 jobs available. We had over 800,000 immigrants show up to Ontario last year alone. That's what's causing the housing crisis, but do you know why they're coming here? This is the engine of Canada. This is the engine of North America. Everyone in North America knows where the hottest place anywhere in North America to open a business, to start a family, to buy a home. That's what the real solution is by creating that environment. But thank you for the question from the Leader of the Opposition. Next question. Once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Speaker, since the 2022 election, this government has had to roll back almost all of its major policy initiatives because they got not rigging the system for their insiders. Now we have reports that show the disillusion of the Peel region is going to be another extremely costly boondoggle for the people of Brampton and Caledon and Mississauga. And as I pointed out yesterday, tax hikes as high as 256 percent. Order. So to the Premier, are you going to reverse this decision too? Pre-American reply. Sometimes I sit back and I look across and I'm thinking, how do these people get elected? No, I really ask myself, how do they get elected? If their constituents actually were here and they saw how they vote and they vote to make sure we have the highest carbon tax, vote against every housing policy, vote against the $184 billion of infrastructure, vote against all our great health care initiatives, they would never be voted. Matter of fact, Mr. Speaker, I know this is a little fantasy. Imagine if we stuck them in one part of the province and the rest of us there. They'd go bankrupt. The businesses would leave. People would be moving out. They'd be having 10 cities all around their little region there. It'd be an absolute disaster. And that's the reason, Mr. Speaker, they will never get elected to be running the government. The opposition will come forward so that I can hear the responses. I think the opposition wants to hear them too. Supplementary question. Speaker, they're folding faster than a deck of cards over there. Just like the green belt grab, the decision to dissolve the Peel region was also rushed to advance the Premier's personal and political interests. While the people have caught on to this government's pattern of preferential treatment and decision making that puts their own interests over and over again ahead of real Ontarians. So I'm going to ask the Premier again, will he admit that the disillusion of Peel region is a $1.3 billion political game? The government side will come to order. The government house leader can reply. I think the questions from the leader of the opposition really highlight the dramatic difference between the NDP and the Progressive Conservative government. Mr. Speaker, she calls the investments that we've made in Windsor. Historic investments in Windsor, she calls them a waste of time. Historic investments in Loyola, she calls them a waste of time. We have the largest investment probably in Canadian history in St. Thomas. Thousands of jobs coming to the province of Ontario. This is a leader who in the last election brought her and her party's disagreement with the 413, an important piece of infrastructure to support the people of that region, voted against it. And the result of that, Mr. Speaker, the result of that was that the entire caucus that was elected from the NDP was wiped out and Progressive Conservatives replaced them. So we're going to double down over the next year to improve on all of the things that we've brought for the province of affordability, infrastructure, jobs, opportunity, a bigger, better, bolder Ontario. And the final supplement. Well, I share hope for the people of Peel Region. That includes a reversal of that terrible policy decision. Both the Mayor of Brampton and the Mayor of Caledon have spoken out against the disillusion of Peel Region. They too are calling for this government to reverse their decision because the reality is this backroom deal that was concocted by the Premier and the new Liberal leader have left people in Peel so distressed about how this will impact their public services. Everything from garbage collection and sewers to children's programs and, in fact, shelter services. So back to the Premier of this province, why should the people of Peel trust him when he has continued to use them as a pawn in his 4D chess game? Mr. Speaker, why would the people of Peel trust us? Well, I'll tell you a couple of reasons why they could trust us. People of Brampton, people of Brampton now, we've saved the Stalantis plan. The people of Brampton are now getting a university that they never had before to create more doctors into the system. The people of Mississauga, they're seeing the Great Hazelman-Calian line right across the Peel Region. They've seen tremendous growth. They've never seen more in Peel Region. We're supporting them, making sure that they have more commercial, industrial and housing for people in Peel. And I could go on and on not to mention Trillium that we're building the largest hospital in Canada, Trillium. We're building the largest long-term care homes, I mean homes, yes, in Peel. So the list could go on and on and on. If I had a half an hour, I'd keep going, listing them all off. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Scarborough, South West. Thank you very much, Speaker. Speaker, my constituent Tracy Christopher is currently being evicted from her building that is getting demolished, forcing her out in the bitter cold this winter. Tracy pays $1,076 for a two-bedroom apartment, but rental rates in the current market are about three times higher. Her son suffers from severe mental health issues, which has only deteriorated severely since the eviction notice. Despite relentless searching as a part-time PSW and single mother, Tracy is denied housing due to her low income. Some landlords even demanded the applicants earn $100,000 just to rent. This is the alarming reality of Ontario's housing crisis. Ontarians are unimaginably struggling right now due to the rising cost of living, Speaker. How is this government going to address this so that Tracy and others can end up on the street in this bitter cold winter? Thank you. The Premier. I really like your member from Scarborough. She's a very nice person, works hard. But why do you vote against all our housing initiatives? Why? If you want people in Scarborough to have a better life, vote for housing initiatives. You voted no every single time. You voted no against the subway that people wanted in Scarborough. They voted no for the new hospital that people wanted. They voted no to the long-term care homes. So please, I beg you, you're such a nice person. Start getting on side with the people of Scarborough and start supporting them. Start voting for the housing initiatives that we put forward. And the members, please make the comments through the chair. Order. The supplementary question. Speaker, Tracy might lose her home and be on the streets. And I have another tenant in that building who might also be evicted. Karen Azukur shared that the offered rent gap compensation runs $1,000 low if we look at the current rental market. For a low income renter like her, it's pretty much impossible to rent an apartment. Speaker, 32 units in that building in my riding and I welcome the Premier to come and see what's happening. Because these buildings are getting demolished and these are the only affordable places people have left right now. So 32 units are being demolished and all these families are asked to find new homes while demands of the current housing markets are completely unreachable for these families. Is this government and the Premier going to prioritize Ontarian's desperate need for affordable homes? Or are they too preoccupied with evading accountability in an ongoing RCMP investigation right now? Thank you, Speaker. Members, please take their seats. From the House Leader. Mr. Speaker, I think we'll agree on one thing, that there is a need to build more homes faster across the province of Ontario. And more homes at all levels, including affordable housing. That is why we introduced legislation to expand the definition of affordable housing and make it not consistent but allow each market to drive what affordable housing is. It is why we have, I'm excited by the fact that we have 15,000, the highest level of purpose built rental starts in the history of this province. But more than that, Mr. Speaker, it is why I continuously am calling in this House for the federal government to come on board with us so that we can put more infrastructure in the ground. The federal government has a $15 billion program across the country right now, Mr. Speaker. That program is estimated to bring over about 200,000 homes online. $15 billion worth of infrastructure across this country would be millions of homes. So I need the members' opposite support to help us get the federal government to make those investments in infrastructure so that we can build millions of homes so that there's more opportunities for the people of the province of Ontario. Thank you. And the next question, the member for Bradford Grant. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Speaker, when the Liberals were in office, they actively implemented policies that were intended to cripple our auto sector. They knew the electric vehicle revolution was underway, but they didn't believe our auto sector could compete with China and other U.S. states. As a result, they looked on with the NDP as automakers and good-paying jobs fled our province. Thankfully, our government quickly reversed course as soon as we took office. We know Ontario has everything to be the leader in electric vehicle production, and that's why we have worked to secure more than $27 billion in EV investments over the past three years. Speaker, can the Minister please highlight any recent auto investments that are strengthening Ontario's position as a leader in electric vehicle production? Thank you. The Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Thank you very much, Speaker. Well, we are building an end-to-end electric vehicle supply chain here in Ontario. We are certainly a complete difference from what we saw with the NDP-backed Liberals. We now have Dana in Cambridge investing $60 million, hiring 105 new people with $2.5 million in support. They are making components for EV batteries and electronics. We have the Ontario Automotive Modernization Programme. 26 Ontario companies are investing $10 million, 111 new jobs being created by those companies with $3.5 million in support. Speaker, with investment like these, we are making sure that Ontario continues to be the global leader in electric vehicle and parts productions. And the supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for his response. It's always great to hear about investments that are creating good-paying jobs across the province of Ontario. Under the previous Liberal Government's Watch, 300,000 manufacturing jobs left Ontario. Now the new Liberal Leader wants to do it all over again. The Liberals and the NDP want to put up mountains of red tape, raise taxes and crush our manufacturing sector. Under our Government's Watch, that will never happen. By reducing costs for businesses and for workers, Ontario was once again a manufacturing powerhouse. Speaker, can the Minister highlight any recent manufacturing investments that have created good-paying jobs in the province of Ontario? Thank you. Mr. Economic Development, job creation. Speaker, the member is absolutely correct. Under the Liberal Government, we lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs. Under our Government, we've created the climate for 700,000 jobs to return. And I will say that this year alone, 30,000 new manufacturing jobs were created in Ontario. That's 65% of all manufacturing jobs that were created in the country. We are, as the Premier said earlier, the economic powerhouse. TNR Doors in Oro Medante. $40 million investment. 30 new jobs. $5 million in support from the province. German manufacturer PWO. $10 million investment in Kitchener. 27 new jobs. $1.5 million investment from the province of Ontario. Speaker, we will always support Ontario's manufacturers, and that's why we are leading the EV revolution. The next question, the member for Waterloo. Thank you very much. Speaker, just days ago, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brand released new numbers that showed that this government's plan to dissolve peal region could cost local taxpayers an extra $1.3 billion over 10 years. This updated report noted that the added cost would require taxes to increase by 17% in Mississauga, 34% in Brampton and 256% in Caledon. This is the equivalent of a 38% one-time tax increase across the region. Speaker, the Mayor himself says that they never asked for the region to appeal to be dissolved. Previous independent financial analysis clearly shows, this is a quote, the net result would be a financial disaster. It would result in the largest tax increase in peal region's history. This is just another one of this government's billion-dollar boondoggles that will cost taxpayers and citizens. Can the Premier explain why, despite these numbers and the financial analysis that all portion of his plan being a financial trainwreck that he insists on pushing through with the dissolution of peal region? Mr. Speaker, I can assure the Honourable Member that this government will not allow any municipality to raise their taxes to a point where it is unaffordable to the people who are living there, just the opposite speaker. What we are trying to do across the province of Monterres is ensure that people have more money in their pockets. With respect to peal, as you know, Speaker, the transition in peal is not scheduled to take place until 2025 so that we can undertake a thorough review of what the consequences of any change in peal region would be. And when there's more to say, I'll let the Honourable Member know. Supplementary question, back to the member for Waterloo. Thank you very much, Speaker. So we do know that this government is now contemplating another park in reverse on the dissolution of peal. You'll remember that the Premier himself made this promise to the former Mayor of Mississauga. In fact, he named the legislation after her, the Hazel McCallion Act. Now we know that the government has seen the numbers, perhaps for the first time, and are looking to reverse this decision. Now this is a pattern of this government. They lurch from crisis to crisis from bad decision to bad decision. We saw the Greenbelt scandal and the forced reversal. Then all the MZO's came under fire and now we have the potential for backtracking on the plan to split up peal. Actions have consequences and they have costs. And this Premier, lurching from crisis to crisis, self-made crisis, I may add, is a costly endeavor for the people of this province. So my question is to the Premier, which promise was true? The one that he made to Mayor McCallion as she was dying or the decision to dissolve peal region? Is there a response? The next question. Back to the member for Grantford Grant. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Minister of Northern Development. The carbon tax is making life more expensive for everyone and especially speaker for those living in Northern Ontario. Unlike other parts of the province, the North faces unique barriers when it comes to fuel costs. Clearly, neither the federal government nor the NDP or the Liberals understand, respect or care about its negative impact on individuals and families. In rural and remote areas in the North, running any kind of errand, a trip to the grocery store or attending a medical appointment can be a half days drive or more away. Speaker, can the Minister please explain more about the negative impact that increasing taxes, high interest rates and burdensome red tape is having on the quality of life for the people of Northern Ontario? Thank you. Member for Thunder Bay Attic Open and Parliamentary Assistant. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you to the member from Brantford Grant for that question. Our government is working hard to make life more affordable for Ontarians, including Northerners like my constituents in Thunder Bay Attic Open. We are taking action to help hardworking families keep more of their paychecks by keeping taxes low and to make life more affordable like removing our portion of the gasoline tax. We understand that Northerners are affected greatly by the carbon tax and we echo the calls of governments of all stripes across the country and from groups like Chiefs of Ontario to scrap the carbon tax. Our government recognizes the enormous opportunities in the North in places like my writing of Thunder Bay Attic Open. We are taking action across the board to ensure that we are well positioned to capitalize on those opportunities. More than $288 million has been provided to improve the health, economic and social well-being of hardworking families in Thunder Bay Attic Open in 2023 alone. We have made record investments in supportive, transitional and affordable housing, tripling the HBP funding for Thunder Bay DSAB. Mr. Speaker, we will continue to invest in the North because we recognize its potential and we will continue to fight to keep life more affordable. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the parliamentary assistant for that response. Speaker, the previous Liberal government supported by the NDP drove jobs out of our province and failed to unlock Ontario's full economic potential. As a result, many opportunities were lost to foster economic growth across Northern Ontario because of high taxes and burdensome red tape. In contrast, our government recognizes the value and potential that are present in rural, remote and Indigenous communities. However, the sad reality is that businesses and community organizations are struggling to address the negative impacts of the carbon tax. That is why our government must focus on addressing opportunities that will advance prosperity in Northern communities, create jobs and contribute to the overall quality of life. Speaker, can the parliamentary assistant please explain how our government is building a stronger province by supporting Northern Ontario? Thank you. Member for Thunder Bay Attic Open. Mr. Speaker, I'm proud of our government's commitment to Northern Ontario, including my writing of Thunder Bay Attic Open. While members of the opposition question the value of the numerous ministers' visits to Thunder Bay, our government knows that given the complexity of issues in communities where previous government approaches have been ineffective, unmeasured and lacked credible vision, our community engagement enables better understanding of our needs and aspirations, thereby leading to more desired outcomes and driving social capital transformation. This mindset has enabled increased awareness of our community's capacity to advance solutions and building resilience, and moreover, stimulated how we may tap into the underutilized potential of our people and our natural resources. Overwhelmingly, I'm hearing from my constituents at roundtables and out in the community that affordability and inflation is a top issue. I've heard members of the opposition state several times during QP and debate, they don't understand. Thank you, Speaker. Fortunately, this government has a deep understanding of what Ontarians need, and we will continue to get it done for them. Thank you very much. The next question is for Austria. Thank you very much, Speaker, and my question is to the Premier. Speaker, this government has fast-tracked three important bills at once, limiting debate and excluding the public. The Luxury Spa Act has flown through making sure the minister gets her legacy, Megaspa, the power to issue fast-pass MZOs, and all this impunity while they wreck Ontario Place. No one trusts anything this government is doing, and why should they? In her recent Empire Club speech, the Minister of Infrastructure referred to the CEO of Infrastructure Ontario as her, quote, partner in crime. It is a weird thing to say, Speaker, especially when they are literally passing legislation to put themselves above the law, and when this government is under active criminal investigation by the RCMP. So I want to know who does this minister think she is, and why does she think she's above the law? To reply, the Minister of Infrastructure. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and I enjoyed myself at the Empire Club yesterday. We had close to 400 people attending in person, and thousands of people viewing our government's update on our P3 pipeline, which is $185 billion worth of investment. It was an important day for the infrastructure on Ontario who helps us execute all of those contracts for the most complicated projects in the province. We're talking transit, young north. We're talking hospital expansions, highway expansions. Mr. Speaker, by your right, we've had a very successful fall session. We have a deal with the City of Toronto in terms of making sure we provide supports for operational funding for the TTC to keep riders on the TTC safe, for more trains on the TTC, and, of course, a brand new Science Centre at Ontario Place. That's a question. A number for Stadina for York. Thank you to the Minister of Infrastructure. I don't know why you call it a successful fall session when you've had to repeal the Greenbelt Act. You may have to repeal the appeal dissolution as well, but we have advocates in the House today who are strong advocates for Ontario Place, and they are deeply concerned about the project's environmental destruction, the waste of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars. And it's even more alarming now that the government has passed the Luxury Spa Act, which allows the Minister to commit misfeasance, breach of trust, breach of fiduciary obligation, and to act in bad faith. On the same day that the Conservative Government jammed through the bill with no public hearings, no amendments, and no third reading debate, the Minister of Infrastructure appeared at the Empire Club and introduced the CEO of Infrastructure Ontario as her partner in crime. To the Minister, what laws has she broken, or is she planning to break, which made it necessary to pass the Extreme Luxury Spa Act? Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. What I'd like to say is just express my complete gratitude to Michael Lindsey, who is the President and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario, who I've had the pleasure of working with over the last five years. Whether it was to negotiate and work with the Minister of Transportation at the time, negotiate the subway expansion plan deal. Again, great benefit to the GTA and the City of Toronto. And then when he came on board as the President and CEO of Infrastructure Ontario and I, the Minister of Infrastructure. I've had a very productive relationship, working relationship with him. But Mr Speaker, when we're talking about the work that has been done at Ontario Place from an environmental perspective, two environmental assessments, one Class C. We've completed over 40 different studies. Our boris report, a heritage impact assessment. A stormwater report, Mr Speaker, all in compliance with the City of Toronto development application process. Thank you. The next question, the member for Ottawa Vanier. Thank you, Mr Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Health. I cannot stress enough how importantly writing needs solutions for access to primary care. Multiple groups of health care professionals have responded to the Minister's call for interest and submitted proposals to open more primary care clinics in Ottawa Vanier. That was six months ago and people feel abandoned as they remain without proper health care services. Yet, there is no response from the Ministry. Speaker, I showed the Minister a map showing the void that exists in my writing when it comes to health care services. I've also written providing evidence as to the need for help to fill that void in Ottawa Vanier. We have professionals ready to help relieve the strain on our local hospital. All they need is for this government to step up. Can the Minister please tell these health care professionals when they can expect a response so they can get to work providing much needed health care services to the people of Ottawa Vanier? The Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Mr. Speaker, while I'm pleased that the Liberal member is finally interested in expanding primary care because respectfully this is the first expansion of primary care teams since multidisciplinary primary care teams were formed in the province of Ontario. So clearly there is a great deal of interest and the member is right. We have had an expression of interest proposals come in from literally across Ontario. Hundreds of proposals that we are now assessing, reviewing making sure that the investments we have committed to through our budget and the member opposite and the other members of the NDP and the Liberals voted against is going to happen in this term under our leadership. Thank you. The supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, health is not a question or medical question. There are several factors that have an impact on the people's health especially our children. The Vanier Social Pediatric Hub with its multidisciplinary esteem serves the children and the vulnerable youth offering them some support and support that they need for their physical, mental, social, emotional needs and also we offer French language services for small children to adults and that's enough to respond to their needs in mental health. Those two organizations certainly need a new financing that will offer an offer for services and one does will see an undertaking from the government to support organizations like Carrefour the Pediatrics Social that give essential services. In particular as pediatrics you will remember last year we had the triple threat with COVID-19 with RSV and with the flu season all impacting our pediatric hospitals at the same time. We invested $330 million in pediatric funding in the province of Ontario and the Ottawa hospital CHEO has actually reached out and communicated how those investments have already made a difference. They are seeing the same number of patients as they saw last year the difference speaker there is no decrease in the surgeries and access in the emergency department that are happening on the ground those are the investments that are making a difference in Ottawa and across Ontario Thank you The next question the member for Peter Burrow-Coritha Thank you speaker My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry The forestry industry is a major driver of our economy and generates billions in revenue every year and if it wasn't for the Ontario forestry industry we wouldn't be able to build 1.5 million homes that we need over the next decade the forestry industry in Ontario is one of the biggest drivers in our housing industry with an abundant supply of forest biomass products in our province it is of critical importance that we support this emerging industry and its innovators Our government must continue to explore all options to address untapped economic growth from the north and unlock the full benefits from Ontario's biomass potential Speaker, can the minister please share how our government is doing everything we can to support job growth attract investment and secure the long term future of our forest industry Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry Thank you very much speaker and thank you to the member for the question and the great work he does for his constituents every day we are very proud of the providing of Renfrew Nipissing Pembroke on Friday with the great member from that area and if anyone saw the pictures we were standing in front of a giant pile of wood chips we are Laverne Heidemann and the Sun's a great mill operator in the Eganville area and that was to announce multiple projects being supported by our biomass action plan we are not receiving dollars but companies all throughout Ontario receiving dollars through this program to make sure that we are growing the forestry industry and the forestry sector we are looking towards the future of what forestry can be the previous government didn't know what to do with the forestry industry we know exactly what to do with it grow it create jobs use biomass as a future to make chemicals other things that we need energy here in Ontario fertilizer projects the potential of biomass is unlimited and these projects and these investments will support the forestry sector support our forest sector strategy we know that forestry is important in Ontario thank you and the supplementary question thank you speaker and thank you the minister for his response it's reassuring to hear that our government is working to put the forest sector on the ground of new economic opportunities under the previous liberal government supported by the NDP the valuable contribution of Ontario's forest was neglected they actually referred to the north as no man's land they wasted billions of dollars between scandals and called it a wasteland unlike the previous liberal NDP coalition our government continues to secure forestry jobs across the north and drive the industry towards sustainable growth can the minister please share what our government is doing to support a strong forestry sector for future generations minister of natural resources and forestry thank you again speaker and thank you for the question and it certainly isn't a wasteland it is a land of opportunity in northern Ontario this government recognizes that opportunity this government is creating jobs and opportunities in northern Ontario and I'm very very excited about that Mr. Speaker one of those opportunities is working with an indigenous led company called infinite carbon corporation and they said they're committed to sustainability infinite carbon is immensely grateful for the essential support for the ministry of natural resources and forestry the funding through our biomass action plan has been key to laying the necessary groundwork for meaningful ecological change within our forest sector speaker we do not want to find solutions elsewhere for the challenges we have in Ontario we want to use our forestry sector to continue to grow northern Ontario again previous governments didn't know what to do with the forestry sector we know exactly what to do with the forestry sector grow it every thank you next question to members of Saint Catherine thank you speaker my questions to the minister of health after Niagara has lost access to two of their urgent care centers after 8pm I looked at the ER wait times at Saint Catherine's general and it was five hours the longest wait times across all Niagara Hamilton and Brant with Niagara's significant senior population physicians doctor shortages and staff crisis worsening by bill 124 it is deeply problematic to see continual defence of regional services cuts reported by the Ontario health coalition minister you hold the purse strings to adequately fund hospitals why not put a stop to these closures and increase funding to hospitals for the seniors in Niagara the most right now just a gentle reminder to the member opposite that in fact hospital based budgets were increased by an average of 4% in our last budget we invested $44 million in every single hospital this is unheard of never happened before we invested $44 million to make sure that those hospitals including smaller hospitals across Ontario had sufficient resources to ensure that their emergency departments remained open we have invested in our paramedics with dedicated offload nursing programs that ensure paramedics can quickly be able to transfer their patients to a nurse a respiratory therapist or paramedic who is stationed in the emergency department to make sure that those paramedics get back out into community quickly we have so many programs that have made an impact in hospitals across Ontario and we will continue to work with our hospital partners the supplementary question the member for let's talk about the minister's record there have been 20 emergency room closures in eastern Ontario so far this year some of them for multiple days every time this happens it means chaos and long drives for patients in need of urgent care and it means longer wait times for Ottawa emergency rooms contributing to offload delays for paramedics in Ottawa and over 1400 level zeroes for Ottawa ambulances this year alone why is the minister of health breaking our public health care system with no regard to the patients who are paying the price for the hospital respectfully I'm not sure how you can say an 80 billion dollar annual investment is breaking anything other than ensuring that we have a robust public health system in the province of Ontario 50 new capital builds including South Niagara of course so we are talking about investing not only in people but in the infrastructure that they need 49 new MRI machines collected in 2018 what does that mean speaker it means that people who had to wait who had to be transferred to other hospitals now have an MRI machine in their community and allows those physicians to get that diagnostic piece that is so important to make sure that we have health care close to home we'll continue to make those investments and unfortunately if your history is any indication you will continue to vote against it Remind the members to make their comments through the floor the next question the member for Orlean's Well thank you very much Mr. Speaker good morning everyone and Merry Christmas Mr. Speaker Christmas is of course the season of love and hope and last week the Premier professed his hope for Toronto the city he grew up in and the city he loves Mr. Speaker I grew up in Ottawa and I love my city and our city has problems just like Toronto we have problems with homelessness we have problems with transportation we have problems with our city running deficits so Mr. Speaker in recognition of the season of love and hope when will this government show some love for the city of Ottawa Mr. Speaker Thank you very much Mr. Speaker I can assure the honourable honourable member that I've actually been meeting with the Mayor of Ottawa on a weekly basis since I became the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and we are working with him to address some of the challenges that he is indeed facing in the city of Ottawa Mr. Speaker so I can assure the honourable member that we are working very closely with the Mayor and his team to address some of those those challenges that they're facing Supplementary question Well I appreciate that Mr. Speaker of course one of the major concerns in the city of Ottawa is the cost of Highway 174 since being downloaded by the province this highway this regional trans jurisdictional urban expressway has cost taxpayers tens and tens of millions of dollars it has been the political promise of every party in this house except for the NDP because as we know they're against everything to upload Highway 174 back to provincial responsibility now that there is a precedent to upload highways to the province will the government commit to uploading Highway 174 back to provincial responsibility so the city can spend that money improving local roads investing in public transit and reducing commute times for Orleans residents Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Mr. Speaker let me just defend my colleagues in the NDP against that vicious attack by the member of the Liberal Party they're not just against everything now they've been consistently against everything right so but let me just say this I'm working very closely with the Mayor of Ottawa also with the members of the provincial parliament from that area on our side we're meeting very closely with them we're identifying some of the challenges that they're having we'll continue those discussions with them and we will make sure that we continue to support the city of Ottawa we know how important it is not only to Ontario's economy but it is a very very important tourist jurisdiction I had the opportunity to live in Ottawa for a number of years Mr. Speaker it's an important university town it's so important to the economic development and growth to build a bigger better bolder stronger Ontario we need Ottawa and we'll make sure that we're there for them thank you very much the next question the member for Burlington thank you speaker my question is for the minister of tourism culture and sport great just recently many of my constituents from Burlington joined fans from across the country to watch Canada's biggest sporting and cultural event this year's great cup did not disappoint including the lively festivities following the game multiple outlets have reported it was a great cup for the ages the great cup is more than just a football game it plays a critical role in fueling Hamilton's local economy and tourism sector drawing over 28 thousand people in attendance speaker can the minister please share how events like the great cup unite communities and bring Ontario economic prosperity the minister of tourism culture and sport Mr. Speaker I'd like to thank the member for the question and for all the work that she does and her friendship and I'd also like to wish everyone a healthy and happy new year and holiday season and a Christmas by the way this year's 110th great cup and no Mr. Speaker I have not been around for all of them was a week long experience well there's an occasional quip from either side also helps a few of them yes I have and I'd like to identify the Hamilton sports group because they took the great cup which is a game and activities and turned it into a festival a regional festival Mr. Speaker and the great cup isn't just about a party in a pregame party it started in Hamilton on Wednesday night and that experience went all the way through to game time there were player awards and that regional piece meant we went to Niagara and Niagara hosted a sport tourism summit that I'll talk about in a minute but player awards a concert afterwards free shuttle service for people back and forth from Hamilton Mr. Speaker it was a great experience and I'll tell you a bit more thank you very much supplementary back to the member for the question thank you Speaker and thank you to the minister for his response I understand that our minister has some experience winning great cups it's encouraging to see the positive effects sporting events have on Ontario's tourism sector Speaker our tourism sector attracts visitors to the area boosts local businesses and creates jobs many people in my riding in Burlington rely on tourism for their jobs and they have appreciated the various investments that saw them through times of lower attendance at their venues and activities as we see the ongoing strength in Ontario's tourism our government must continue to take the lead in supporting its development to unlock our province's true economic potential Speaker can the minister please elaborate on our government's effort in building the tourism industry Minister of tourism culture and sport Mr. Speaker again thanks for the question people are still talking about the 110 years around here I just don't know Mr. Speaker I can't go without saying the thank you the mayor of Hamilton the Chamber of Commerce both in Niagara and Hamilton for really stepping up and supporting sport tourism because it was about a game but it was about bringing people together I think most people know certainly football fans know that CFL fans travel really well to the great cup across the country not just a couple hundred but thousands and thousands from every market and because of our support CFL fans had a better experience this time again thanks to Hamilton sports group and the chambers and everyone who were part of the stage in the great cup in Hamilton Mr. Speaker I can't tell you how important it was to make a massive impact in the city not about the game not about just today before but the full week the people of Hamilton benefited the people of the region benefited Sport tourism is a big driver of our economy especially in a national level not just about the local hockey and football tournaments that travel around that support all our writings Mr. Speaker the next question the member for Mishki Gawak James Bay Mr. President to the minister of colleges in universities Madam Minister the other Frank Terry who is a good it's in the report on education post college education the assembly of Francophonie in the University of Earth and University of French on Terry expressed in disagreement with the solutions offered by the report by the expert Anglophone expert group institutions for by and with Francophones and my question for the minister what means for you for with and by minister of colleges and universities thank you Mr. Speaker for that question and might I remind the member that this government under the leadership of this premier has done more for Francophone education in Ontario than any other government we established not only one but two stand-alone Francophone universities governed by and for Francophones the University of Ontario France and the University this year alone we provided 73 million dollars in dedicated funding that supported more than 320,000 post secondary students enrolled in 381 French language and bilingual language programs across the province in fact this fall with my colleagues the President of the Treasury Board as well as the Minister of Education we were thrilled to announce an additional 110 French language education spaces for the academic year as well as stand-alone nursing programs for Boreal University College in Sudbury as well as Toronto we are standing up for Francophone education in this province thank you we do not wanted for a question we do not hear I have another question in the 60s an Anglophone group said we could not have a secondary school for Francophones it was too expensive but we have it in the 80s another Anglophone expert group said we could not have a Francophone College it would be too expensive but we have them in the 90s another group of experts said we could not have school boards Francophone school boards it would be too expensive but we have them then a few weeks ago an Anglophone group of experts wrote to the minister that we could not have a secondary school for Boreal University it would be too expensive what does the minister think Mr Apologies thank you Mr Speaker thank you again for that question I have been clear and the report also confirms that the focus today needs to be on addressing existing institutions and programs and not on creating further duplication in the sector the long-term financial sustainability for our post-secondary institutions is a top priority moving forward but as I mentioned before the sustainability and viability of our sector is a shared responsibility as was also stated in the report and I have been clear that institutions need to review their spending and operations for any increases in funding to be considered we need to ensure that money is being spent wisely my job as a minister is to ensure that post-secondary is viable for generations to come and that is what we are doing with our institutions and working with the sector currently and I look forward to those continued conversations thank you the next question the member for Mississauga Erin Mills Mr Speaker let me start by wishing everyone a merry Christmas Happy Save Holidays my question is for the minister of long-term care for far too long seniors in Ontario were neglected by the previous Liberal government more than 40,000 Ontarians including my residents of Mississauga and Mills left waiting for a bed and they needed to wait an average of 123 days to be placed in a long-term care home that's unacceptable speaker our seniors deserve a government that works for them and help them live comfortably and with dignity our seniors we must do all that we can to build more homes and more beds across all communities to create better future for our elderly residents speaker can the minister please share with the house how our government is ensuring that seniors in Ontario are getting the quality of care and quantity quality of life they need and deserve thank you Minister of long-term care thank you very much speaker the member highlights several important problems that our government inherited and when you have a problem you have to look at where that problem originated from and take steps towards fixing it that's what this government did in 2018 speaker one of the problems the member highlights is a capacity issue under the last government over 15 years 611 net new long-term care spaces were built not nearly enough for a growing population with record immigration and seniors moving to this province this government decided to do things differently a $10 billion investment the largest capital investment in this country's history to build an upgrade 58,000 new spaces for our seniors and that plan is bearing fruit speaker in fact I was just last month with that member in his riding to announce 160 new spaces in the Ivan Franco home part of 18,000 spaces we have built or have shovels in the ground since 2018 we're going to continue to invest in our seniors I want to thank that member and Merry Christmas to you supplementary thank you speaker and thanks for the minister for this response it is great to see our government deliver on the commitment to add more beds and upgrade existing homes of our elderly residents speaker seniors currently compose 17.6% of Ontario's population and the share of the province's population will continue to grow the Canadian Institute for Health information reveals that over the next 20 years seniors population in Canada is expected to grow by 68% our government must continue to address the growing numbers of aging Ontarians and their additional care needs speaker can the minister please share how our government is ensuring that every senior in Ontario has fast and convenient access to the services they need minister long term care you know speaker I heard it from the premier for the first time and I agree I said it yesterday I'll repeat it beds are furniture we are building homes for our great seniors in this province in fact we're building 58,000 of them but to make those homes it has to be more than just the physical space we have to talk about the health human resources that's why this government is investing about a billion dollars for long term care homes this year to hire to retain thousands of hardworking frontline health care workers who do the job for our seniors that frankly many of us cannot do part of a larger plan of 4.9 billion dollars to make sure we hire 27,000 PSW's to hire thousands of nurses to provide programs for those PSW's for those nurses to scale up and to stay within the sector because we know that our seniors need them in fact we're establishing a nation standard of 4 hours of daily care per resident in our homes for our great senior speaker seniors built our country we have to take care of them thank you very much the next question thank you speaker my question is the premier speaker families across this province are languishing on child care waitlist because this government has yet at every turn refused to take steps required to address the workforce crisis the YMCA of greater Toronto area has just 16,000 kids enrolled in its 35,000 spaces because they don't have the workers to staff them reports indicate that waitlist can be up to two years to get access to a space in the $10 a day child care program the government's own experts say that Ontario could be short 8500 ECE's by 2026 workers say they can't afford living, working in child care will the minister finally admit he needs to listen to experts commit to a salary scale starting at $25 per hour for all child care workers and $30 for REC to ensure the government can deliver on the promises to the spaces that the parents are waiting for their child care to access Minister of Education thank you speaker I want to thank the minister of long-term care for this opportunity to speak today let's just take stock of where we're at we came to office in 2018 child care was prohibitive for so many families it increased by 400% under the former liberal party this government comes to power we cut fees by 50% we commit to build 86,000 spaces we commit to a historic increase of salary for our hard-working ECE's and yes we commit to go even further down to $10 we make a record that is leaving a legacy of affordability for the working parents of this province, though we all as parliamentarians should be proud of we worked across party lines to do what's right to enable higher rates of women's economic participation under the strong leadership of the minister of women's economic opportunities we're working together to make life affordable to cut fees, increase spaces and give hope to parents that they do not have to make a choice of raising their kids and no longer in this province concludes our question period for this morning