 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the Leader of His Majesty's loyal opposition. Thank you and good morning, Speaker. This question is for the Premier. Speaker, this government is fast-tracking its luxury spa bill, Bill 154. Last week, the opposition tried to find out why exactly the government is trying to preemptively block people from suing them for misrepresentation or misconduct when it comes to the Ontario Place scheme. We didn't get much of an answer from the Minister, so I'm hoping the Premier can shed some light on this. Why does his government need the power to commit acts of misfeasence, bad faith, breach of trust, and breach of fiduciary obligation while building this luxury spa at Ontario Place? And to reply, the Minister of Infrastructure. Thank you very much to the member for the question, Mr Speaker. We've had a successful number of weeks in this House, Mr Speaker. We landed a historic deal with the City of Toronto to provide more supports for the TTC. We had an operations or safety, Mr Speaker. We released the business case, which clearly defined everything that government has been saying for the last year and a half about the fact that it will save $600 million of taxpayer money to move the Science Centre to Ontario Place. And now, Mr Speaker, we're presenting legislation so that we can get on with it and start construction at Ontario Place so that we could bring it back to life and make it a place that families can enjoy once again. The supplementary question. Creative math there, Speaker. And of course, let's not forget, the government is planning to spend at least $650 million of taxpayers' money to subsidize this luxury spa. And, Speaker, Ontario's Environmental Bill of Rights gives the public the right to be consulted and heard on matters that affect our environment. Matters that would include exemptions to the Environmental Assessment Act that are being included in the Luxury Spa Act Bill 154. But in an extraordinary step, Speaker, the government won't even send Bill 154 to committee for public hearings. Why is the Premier so afraid to hear what the public has to say about this bill? Minister of Infrastructure. Mr Speaker, as I've explained many times in this House before, we have issued two Environmental Assessment and Environmental Assessment for the site servicing work that is underway today. And of course, an Environmental Class C assessment for the public realm space, the 50 acres of public realm space that will exist at Ontario Place. As we submitted our development application to the City of Toronto, we also submitted 40 different studies. 40 different studies that cover everything from air to wind to soil to stormwater, conservation plan, heritage impact assessment. Mr Speaker, government believes that we have done our due diligence and now it's time to move on and bring Ontario Place and the Science Centre back to life. The final supplementary. First of all, Speaker, the minister knows perfectly well that the Environmental Assessment is not being done on the West Island where this luxury spa is happening. This government's Luxury Spa Act, Bill 154, is another attack on democracy and basic norms of lawfulness and good governance. It specifically blocks people from suing the government for misrepresentation or misconduct, Speaker. It specifically blocks remedies for people who have been harmed by this government. What's more, it gives a new minister the power to issue ministerial zoning orders, which this government has already, as we know, widely abused. With this government currently under active police investigation by the RCMP Speaker, why is the Premier fast-tracking a bill to give his government the power to ignore the law? Minister of Infrastructure. Mr Speaker, what this bill helps us do is bring Ontario Place back to life. Make it a place that families can enjoy 365 days of the year, which will include a brand new amphitheater that will run all year long, a wellness, a water park facility, and a brand new science centre that will serve constituents and residents for the next 50 years. What this bill also does, Mr Speaker, is provide operational dollars to the TTC for the new transit lines that we are building. It also provides money for new trains. It also provides money so that people can be safe on the TTC when travelling to work. Mr Speaker, we landed a historic deal and we're also making extreme progress out of Ontario Place so that we can once again enjoy the site after years of neglect. Thank you. The next question, once again, the Leader of the Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. We have just two weeks left at most, I think, in this legislature this year and people are counting on us to deliver for them, all of us. Instead of using their majority to bring some relief to people, this government has spent this session reversing legislation that they had just passed and giving themselves sweeping new powers for pet projects like the Ontario Place luxury spa. When the NDP brought forward positive solutions like paid sick days and free contraception, the government seemed to signal some support for those things when push came to shove, though, Speaker. They said no. Speaker to the Premier, don't Ontarians deserve better than a government mired in scandal and focused solely on their insiders? Mr. Speaker, I'd love an opportunity to talk about some of the things that this government is doing to provide relief for families. Number one, the historic deal that we managed to accomplish with the City of Toronto keeping people safe on the TTC, that is a huge priority in the City of Toronto, certainly brings relief to my hardworking constituents in Etobico. What about fare and service integration to make it easier for transit riders to cross boundaries, saving them $1,600 a year? What about building more transit stations in the Greater Toronto Area? I would say we have had quite the productive session, this fall session, and we look forward to continuing on in the next two weeks. Well, this government is mired in the scandal and under criminal investigation by the RCMP. After five years of Conservative government, life is harder for Ontarians. The cost of everything, whether it's housing or groceries or transit, transit, Speaker, are out of control. When given the chance to do something about it, the Premier said no. The NDP put forward a proposal to close the loopholes that let unscrupulous landlords gouge tenants. The government said no. We tabled a motion to invest in desperately needed non-market and affordable housing options. The government said no. To the Premier, why does he keep saying no to solutions that would actually help people keep a roof over their heads? I'll take their seats. The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Government House. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. First, let me just congratulate the leader of the Green Party and the new member of provincial parliament here, the Kitchener. It's, of course, never easy turning a seat that has been historically liberal in NDP, but you were able to accomplish that. So I congratulate the both of you for doing that. I would suggest, I would also suggest to the leader of the opposition that she might want to take a look at the results of the by-election and yet another safe NDP seat has been lost, Mr. Speaker. And you know why that is? Because the leader of the opposition isn't focusing on the things that matter to the people of the province of Ontario. When we reduce costs for people, the leader of the opposition votes against it, Mr. Speaker. When we put more money back in the pockets of the people of the province of Ontario, they vote against it. The Liberals have just nominated, elected a leader who spends more time in the hands of private jets than the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr. Speaker. And it's the Progressive Concerned Party of Ontario. Hello, Speaker. There you go. The leader of the opposition has the floor. She's the right to ask a question. I need to be able to hear it. I apologize to the leader of the opposition for the by-election. Start the clock. Leader of the opposition. Well, Speaker, there you go again, right? Glad to see the Premier finally join us this morning. It's necessary for the Speaker to once again remind the members for the 999th time that it's totally inappropriate to make reference to the absence of another member. Because from time to time all of us might be absent for good reasons. So let's see if we can reach a little higher on that one. Leader of the opposition. Leader of the opposition. Mother. Now, once again we see this government, you know, their priorities are just not consistent with the burden that so many people in this province are carrying right now. Let's take the rising cost of energy, shall we, Speaker? Order. New Democrats proposed a smart solution. Order. To help people reduce the cost of heating. Minister of Education, come to order. At the same time, the Conservatives said no. Their solution? Write a letter to Ottawa. I hope someone else does something. You've been a power for our struggling. There's real issues that people deserve answers to. Speaker, as we head into the holidays, when will this government start saying no to their insiders and start saying yes to regular Ontario? The Minister of Missile Affairs and Housing. This, of course, this is an MP leader who has to battle with her own executive council to retain her job as the leader, who ran unopposed and has just lost the by-election in one of the safest NDP seats in the province of Ontario. And she says, we're not connected with people. Mr. Speaker, we have put 700,000 people to work who didn't have the dignity of a job before us. This is a leader who could call Jack, bring down the... If you don't take away the carbon tax, will she do it? I doubt it, Mr. Speaker, because for the NDP, it's about increasing taxes. It's more regulation. That's what they do best. The people of the province of Ontario have turned their backs on that, like her party has turned their backs on her and like the people in Kitchener did just on Thursday. The next question, the member for Order. Stop the clock. The member for Kitchener, Conestoga will come door. The member for Mississauga Malton will come door. It's usually you. Start the clock. I apologize. Member for Ottawa. Thank you, Speaker. My question this morning is for the Premier. Phil Verster, the million dollar CEO of Metrolinx, missed yet another deadline last week with the Edmonton Crosstown LRT. In September, Mr. Verster told us we needed to give him some space. And he'd get back to us with an update in two months on this failing project. What was that update, Speaker? That we would find out 60 days before the Edmonton Crosstown might open. A simple question, Premier. Were you satisfied with that answer? Members will make their comments through the Chair, not directly across the floor. The Minister of Transportation can reply. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. We have launched one of the largest investments into public infrastructure and transit in the history of North America, Mr. Speaker. In fact, Mr. Speaker, that member and the leader of the official opposition has voted against every single one of those measures, including the Kitchener Line, Mr. Speaker. The NDP has just lost one of their safest seats in Kitchener, Mr. Speaker, and that's because they have voted against the Kitchener Line and the upgrades and investments that we have made into the Kitchener. Every step of the way. It's a no-time that the NDP support public transit and the investments that we are making, $70 billion, whether it's the Crosstown, whether it's the Ontario Line, whether it's all way to a go, Mr. Speaker, whether it's time for the NDP to shift focus and support this government as we build public transit across this province. A supplementary question. Well, thank you, Speaker. Back to the Premier Note. Colleagues, you have to answer. Why aren't we getting an answer to this question that we keep raising? Why is it that Mr. Verster can earn a million dollars preside over a project which is three years late, a billion dollars over budget and just told us that we might get a million dollars before it opens? Why aren't we getting an answer? Why are we hearing a government talk about its aspirational plans while somewhere in this province someone is waiting for the rain for a bus that is late because this government in cities outside Toronto is not funding public transit? Why does Mr. Verster still have his job? Why does he still have 78 executives serving them soaking up the sunshine list? Answer the question this morning. Lean into the microphone. Are you going to fire them like a competent government would? Supply the Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'll respond to the carbon tax king that wants the highest carbon taxing in the entire world. They gouge the people. But I... Premier will take a seat. Now, the Premier has the floor. He has the right to answer the question. I need to be able to hear him. Premier. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I could have sworn, he said, we aren't funding transit. $70 billion is not funding transit. The largest transportation project largest subway project in North America spending $28 billion making sure that we have the Edmonton West Line that's the head of schedule on time, on budget. We're going full steam on the young North, Mr. Speaker. The folks at Scarborough are finally getting a subway that's been waiting for decades and a... Thank you. The opposition will come to her. The next question. I didn't hear who said that. Order. The next question is for Bradford Brandt. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs. Speaker, the carbon tax is essentially a tax on everything. And the residents of northern, remote and Indigenous communities feel the effects of this tax most severely. For more than a year, the Chiefs of Ontario have been calling on the federal government to consult with them on the effects of this harmful and regressive tax on their communities. Sadly, the federal government has failed to consult with Indigenous communities to address their concerns. The Chiefs of Ontario have recently filed for a judicial review into the application of the carbon tax in Indigenous communities in Ontario, calling this tax both anti-reconciliatory and discriminatory. Speaker, can the Minister please comment on the judicial review process of the federal carbon tax for Indigenous communities in Ontario? Thank you. Minister of Northern Development Mr Speaker, in an effort to take the grin off of the Leader of the Opposition's face on this question, it's actually shifted to a very serious tone. We saw a federal government choose, hand-pick a region of Canada for relief from the carbon tax. For weeks we've been talking about how the hardship of this tax is on all Ontarians, but particularly vulnerable populations in regions of Ontario. Premiers across the country have chimed these solutions to address this tax. Now Mr Speaker that debate is moving into a courtroom. Last Thursday the Chiefs of Ontario said in their statement that Canada has refused to enter into good faith conversations to resolve the harms caused by the carbon charge. The federal government of course responded by saying we are pledging 0.7% relief from the carbon charge to indigenous populations in Canada. Mr Speaker, that is a mere pittance the people of Ontario, including our indigenous communities, deserve relief from this. The Prime Minister must now scrap the tax before the court does. Supplementary. Thank you Speaker and thank you Minister for that response. It is difficult to witness the federal government place this punitive tax in Ontario. The carbon tax negatively impacts affordability and increases the cost of living in northern and indigenous communities. It is sad and unfortunate that the federal government is ignoring these critical concerns. First Nations communities across Ontario are having to endure higher operating costs, higher fuel bills, higher heating bills and out of control food prices. That is why it is so disappointing down placed the crippling economic impact that the carbon tax is having. The reality is is that Canada's carbon pricing regime disproportionately impacts First Nations communities. Can the Minister please explain how our government is supporting First Nations in responding to the negative impacts of the carbon tax? Thank you. Minister of Indigenous Affairs Last week Mr Speaker we saw an extraordinary action taken by the Chiefs of Ontario and it is one that we strongly support and I hope that the member from Q8 will stand in solidarity with the indigenous leadership from across the province in fact who have filed this injunction. Grand Chief Abraham Benedict of Aquasocene said on Thursday that Canada should be working with us to confront the climate and crisis and close gaps on reserve instead of creating policies in an ivory tower that exacerbates the issues our citizens face. It is an incredibly insightful comment Mr Speaker. We know that our government has worked to reduce the cost of fuel for planes flying into the north for people operating vehicles across the province Mr Speaker building electrification projects to a scale never seen before okay thank you Mr Speaker we just hope that the federal government will finally get the message that the government is working to reduce the costs before the court. The next question the member from London West Thank you very much Speaker my question is to the Premier Speaker since this government came to office the post-secondary sector has seen a 12% decline in operating grants per student funding now accounts for less than one-third of university operating revenues of government and student mental health housing and other supports has never been greater. Last week the Council of Ontario universities released a report on the extensive efforts already being made by the sector to find efficiencies and cost savings Speaker how can this government possibly think that the funding crisis they created can be magically solved by universities just finding more efficiencies and to respond the Minister of Colleges and Universities Mr Speaker and thank you to the member for that question we are taking our time reviewing the 31 recommendations from the blue ribbon panels report we're working very closely with colleges Ontario and the Council of Universities of Ontario as well we're putting working groups together to work directly with my ministry on those recommendations but we launched the blue ribbon panel because we wanted independent and expert driven advice to help form a practical and principled for the sector. I'll tell you if we wanted to waste tax dollars we would have called it the orange or the red panel but while the Liberals and NDP blew their chance to prioritize students when they held the balance of power our government will always put the needs and future of students first. Unlike our blue ribbon panel that focused on a shared approach to supporting post-secondary education on Ontario the Liberals and NDP previously partnered in blowing off the needs of students and blowing off their responsibility to the taxpayers of this province. That is why our government struck a blue ribbon panel to ensure that the student experience and access to education Thank you Supplementary question Speaker the Council of Ontario Universities warns that changes to tuition in 2019 coupled with the reduced operating grants and rising inflation have created a perfect storm for the sector Eight universities are reporting deficits including Queens and the University of Waterloo. More universities may face insolvency At the same time Ontario University tuition fees remain among the highest in Canada. Students should not have to make up for this government's failure to properly fund universities especially during an affordability crisis. Will this government commit today to a sustainability plan for the sector that increases operating grants without increasing student tuition Minister of colleges and universities Thank you Mr. Speaker and do I need to remind the member as well as the Liberal caucus as well that they voted against tuition decreases in 2019 My ministry has already begun working with institutions on a financial accountability framework that will allow for early detection of financial challenges to require immediate action to correct Brad practices. In order for our sector to be sustainable for the long term, institutions need to take leadership and review their operations from top to bottom. From government's practices program offerings, day to day operations, everything in between colleges and universities across the province need to become the best possible version of themselves. This is not a change that will happen overnight but it is one that is in place and of course the taxpayers can have confidence in every dollar that is being allocated appropriately and with complete transparency. Thank you. The next question the member for Richmond Hill Thank you Mr. Speaker My question is for the minister of long term care. Our government must ensure that Ontario seniors receive the quality care that they need by building 30,000 long term care beds and upgrading 28,000 beds. Seniors in the communities across the province will receive the care that is close to their home. Speaker, seniors and families in Richmond Hill are relieved. However, our government must continue to make an investment that will expand programs and provide the specialised services to our seniors. That's sad. In order to implement special services and increase the number of direct care hours per day, there must be sufficient staff. Speaker, can the minister please explain what steps our government is taking to deliver high quality care to residents in long term care homes? The minister of long term care. Thank you Speaker. That member's question has been very well timed because last week on November 23 alongside General Jones we announced $300 million in provincial funding to help recruit thousands of PSWs in the long term care community. That's $25,400 in incentives to PSW students and recent graduates. Here's how it breaks down Speaker. $10,000 to those who commit to working in a long term care home and community care for at least 12 months. Plus a $5,400 allowance to students while they complete their clinical placement in a long term care home or community care. Speaker, by recruiting thousands of new PSWs into the sector, we are ensuring that people who need care in the long term care setting have the best care available to them working towards that 4 hours of daily care for residents. The supplementary question. That is great. It is great to hear about a government's investment to recruit more PSWs. We know that PSWs are essential in providing care to our seniors living in long term care. Each and every day. However, it takes an entire team to care providers to ensure that our residents receive the care and services that they need. This includes nurses who are vital in order to meet the growing needs of Ontario's seniors. By recruiting investment in additional staff, our government is ensuring that our seniors receive the high quality of care they deserve. Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on how our government is supporting long term care homes to deliver care? Minister of long term care. You know what Speaker, beds are furniture. We're building homes for our great seniors in this province. And that means it takes more than just the 58,000 spaces we're creating. It takes more than the $4.9 billion we're investing into health human resources. We need to give hope to these workers who do the work for our loved ones that many of us cannot do, Speaker. That's why we are investing in recruiting more PSWs. We are also providing $5 million to help PSWs who want to become practical nurses and advance their careers. And practical nurses who want to become registered nurses to do the same. An opportunity to scale up and to continue to prosper and succeed while they help our seniors, Speaker. Our efforts are leading to results. 2000 new nurses to the long term care sector will be added by 2025 which will ultimately help reach our goal, as the member said, of four hours of daily care per resident. Let's remember, Speaker, seniors built our communities. We have a moral imperative to take care of them. That's exactly what this government is doing by investing in them, Speaker. We're getting it done for seniors. Thank you, Speaker. Last week the government presented a so-called business case to justify its decision to build a half-sized Ontario Science Centre on top of a public funded parking garage the Premier wants to build for a luxury spa company. The business case actually showed that the cost of building a new Science Centre at half the size is twice the cost of repairing the existing heritage building. Not only that, according to the province's lease, Speaker, with the City of Toronto, the province is already required to make these repairs regardless of what happens to the Science Centre. So my question is to the Premier and hopefully he answers today. Why does the business case misleadingly present the choice as relocators to repair when the province is already required to make these repairs no matter what? I heard the comment. Thank you very much for drawing my attention. The member must withdraw her unparliamentary comment. Withdraw. And conclude her question. Order. And conclude her question. My question to the Premier. So why does the business case interestingly present what? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I don't know where to start. It was the NDP that's been crying for months to make the business case public and we have. And do you know what the business case says? That taxpayers will be saving $257 million over a 50-year span in today's dollars. But $600 million over 50 years if you take into account inflation. We are building a brand new science centre, one that will be modern, one with new exhibits, new technology and one that will have 10,000 square feet more of exhibition space for the children to enjoy. Thank you, Speaker. The only way the province can legally avoid its responsibility for repairing the Ontario Science Centre is by negotiating the decommissioning of the existing building with the City of Toronto. This is a heritage building, even if the City of Toronto was willing to negotiate its destruction, the minister responsible for the Ontario Heritage Act would need to approve. Turns out right after the last election, the premier transferred this responsibility to his nephew, the minister of citizenship and multiculturalism. Question back to the premier. Did the premier put his nephew into the Ontario Heritage Act? Because he was already planning the destruction of the Ontario Science Centre. And this will take their seats. Order. Minister of Infrastructure. Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. Mr Speaker, the results of the business case were very clear. The Science Centre is 54 years old. It is end of life. The business case. Order. The business case was done by third party experts in the field. In the business case, it said we had to start a future options. Now I know what the NDP would like to do. They would like to just leave the building and let it continue to fall apart until they are forced to close it. Order. I would like to do, Mr Speaker, is be responsible and provide a long term solution. We want to stop to 100 years. And we will have one at Ontario Place. Next question, the member for Beaches East York. Thank you very much. Good morning, everyone. Congratulations to our new leader, Bonnie Cromby. I'll start with that. Mr Speaker, my question is to the premier. The people of Ontario are sick of deceit. They deserve transparency. Going to ask the member to withdraw the unparliamentary command. Good draw. Serve a trustworthy government that sticks up for them instead of wealthy insiders. Might I mention the RCMP criminal investigation into the 8.3 billion dollar green belt land swap again. Speaker, it's been over 12 years to delay, delay, delay. It's been over 12 years of construction on the Ellington LRT. Where are the answers? There's no timeline for its opening and Metrolinx announced last week that there will be no announcement with just three months of opinion. My question to this speaker, when will he step up and demand accountability from his friend Metrolinx CEO Phil Verster and finally get an address to the public? Order. Minister of Transportation. Mr. Speaker, that former Liberal government was responsible for signing that horrible contract. They were the reason this project is so delayed. We're going to deliver it just like we're delivering our 70 billion dollar transit plan. When the Liberals had a chance for 15 years to build transit in this province, they did absolutely nothing. They ignored the people of Scarborough but this Premier under his leadership is building the Scarborough subway extension, Mr. Speaker. Under the leadership of this Premier we're building the Ontario line. The former Liberal government ignored the concerns and the support that transit needed in this province. The Ontario line will take 28,000 cars off the road. The Liberals have voted against the 70 billion dollars in public transit investment in this province every single time that they've had a chance with them in their budget, whether it's been in the FES, Mr. Speaker. They did absolutely nothing for this province. Thank you to the Premier of this province who's building public transit across the country. A supplementary question. As a public sector entity, Metrolinx has an obligation to be transparent, fair and honest with Ontarians. Instead, they hide valuable information from all of us. Even their organizational structure is a mystery. Why does an agency of the Government of Ontario get to conceal who their highest earning employees are and how many executive level staff they employ? My team and I have searched their website and asked our Metrolinx contacts for this information. But apparently it's not available to be shared publicly. What? Pardon me? A public sector agency not sharing their information publicly? Who can get away with this kind of conduct? It's acceptable. Speaker, to the Premier, will you commit to requiring Metrolinx to post an entire organizational chart publicly and show the people of Ontario that you actually care about transparency and accountability? Minister of Transportation. Mr. Speaker, we took our plan to build Ontario to the people of this province on December 2nd and we received a resounding response to that plan to build. Did absolutely nothing to support or have done absolutely nothing to support transit in this province. Let's take a look at the projects that we're doing across Ontario. The Ontario line, the Scarborough subway extension, the Young North subway extension which we just announced a huge milestone on this past Friday, the Eglinton West Crosstown extension and the Eglinton West project, the Finch West LRT Mr. Speaker, the Hazel-Milkallian line, the Hamilton LRT Mr. Speaker and let's talk about our highways. Highway 413, the Bradford Bypass, we are building this province Mr. Speaker and the Liberals when they had a chance to do anything to support public transit, to support highways, they did absolutely nothing for the people of this province. Under the leadership of Premier Ford we are changing the face of transportation in this province building highways. The member for Thorn Hill. Thank you Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Associate Minister of Housing. When the previous Liberal government took office in 2003, Ontario was registering 85,000 homes starts per year and after 2004, Ontario never hit 80,000 housing starts until the Liberals were removed from office. The NDP record was even worse. In fact, based on their policies it would take 50 years to build 1.5 million homes. The housing crisis that we've inherited was a result of the failures of previous Liberal governments supported by the NDP to plan ahead for the future needs of Ontario. In contrast, our government must be focused on helping Ontarians find homes that meet their needs in budget. Speaker, can the Associate Minister please explain how our government is increasing housing supplies? The Associate Minister of Housing Thank you Speaker and thank you for the well researched question from the member from Thorn Hill. Last week on November 27th, Ontario held its first ever housing forum at Exhibition Place. It was a great event. We had home builders there, modular home builders there. The great knot for profit sector was represented municipalities, councillors, mayors and wardens were there, planners and obviously all industries take over. It was a great event and everyone shared their expertise and experience and what happened we had great cross-pollination of ideas ideas and solutions came forward and these solutions speaker are going to be incorporated into our next housing supply action plan by the way which is working because we've seen record housing starts in the last three years, record rental starts in the last three years, the plan is working we know there's headwinds, we're going to work hard to challenge those that might even be responsible for inflation and maybe the carbon tax, maybe maybe not. At the end speaker, we're building thank you and the supplementary question Thank you speaker and thank you to the associate minister for that response and thank you for his hard work for the people of Ontario. When the associate minister was appointed, the premier identified the importance on focusing on solutions to increase the supply of affordable housing. Speaker individuals and families across Ontario deserve an opportunity to find a home that meets their needs this includes modular homes that could increase the speed of home construction on Ontario, helping to make home ownership attainable for more people. Innovative construction techniques like this could allow Ontario to use manufacturing skills to build factory made homes more efficiently. So speaker can the associate minister please update the legislature on what progress has been made on modular housing constructions. The associate minister of housing Thank you speaker. In fact last week as the member will learn here, one of the four breakout sessions was totally dedicated toward the modular building sector for the province. The modular home framework is being developed again part of our housing action supply. We're working with our municipal partners. In fact speaker a couple of weeks ago I was joined with a great member from Scarborough Centre along with the mayor of Toronto Olivia Chow and we visited 39 Dundalk Drive in Scarborough where they put up 57 supportive housing units all modular and I would point out that modular construction was built here in Ontario built in Cambridge, Ontario and Ontario made solution that will continue to succeed. Scale and speed is what this is about speaker. Modular housing is another tool in the toolbox it will support our housing supply action plan, our homelessness prevention plan. Everyone deserves a roof over their head. The job is getting done. Thank you. The next question the member for Niagara Falls. Thank you speaker. My question is to the premier we have an affordability crisis in the province of Ontario and people in my community in Niagara are suffering. We have historic increase in the use of food banks in Niagara Falls project share food banks serve more than 11,000 people. That's one in every eight residents. Think about that and it represents a 71% increase from the year before. Despite these challenges the premier thinks we should be spending 650 million of hard-earned tax dollars on a private spa. Speaker, when is the premier going to take real action to address the affordability crisis? Thank you. Mr. Children Community and Social Services. Thank you very much speaker and I thank my honourable colleague for the question. Mr. Speaker affordability for the people of Ontario has been our primary focus from the day we got elected. Just recently I joined the minister of education, the wonderful minister of education in increasing the street nutrition program in the province of Ontario which provides $5 million to help families. We have either reduced or eliminated the lift tax credit which helps the lowest income earners in our province. The child care tax credit the resilient communities funds which provides $96 million of funding to non-profits in our communities including to food banks as well as increasing the minimum wage. We have reduced gas tax for the people of Ontario. We have removed tolls and removed license plate stickers. The only one problem here is Mr. Speaker do you know the one thing that we have in common here? We've done all this to reduce costs for the people of Ontario NDP has voted system. Thank you Speaker, back to the premier minister 25% of children in the province of Ontario are using food banks. Rated across the province of Ontario and in Niagara people are dying on the streets. This government can continue to point fingers unless they're superficial affordable accomplishments but it doesn't change the fact that real people are suffering. The feed Ontario report was clear Mr. Speaker the driver of food bank was precarious employment legislated poverty and housing and the high cost of living. The premier has refused to raise social assistant rates and he wasted a year on his green belt scandal instead of building the houses we need. When is the premier going to stop the handouts to developers private interests and instead deliver for Ontarians and stop the dying on the streets in the province of Ontario? Thank you Mr. Children, Community and Social Services Mr. Speaker I will remind my colleague and everybody in the house here that it was this government that provided over $1.2 billion of social assistance social services relief fund to our communities across the province Mr. Speaker the member referenced social assistance. We increased ODSB rates highest in the history of the program by 5% indexed to inflation which as a result is now nearly 12% in less than one year Mr. Speaker when it comes to the cost of living I will remind my colleague and everybody across there Mr. Speaker we have said from the beginning that there is one thing that is rising the cost of everything in this province the government house leader has been so gracious in even providing phone numbers to the opposition to call their colleagues in Ottawa to stop the carbon tax which is adding the cost to everything in this province and it's hurting our most vulnerable Mr. Speaker it's time for them to stand up. Thank you. And the next question the member for Peterborough Comortha. Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs Monterio has a robust agriculture and food industry that contributes over $48 billion to our province's GDP and economy and it represents more than 800,000 jobs and I'd like to point out Mr. Speaker that is about one in ten of our jobs are in agriculture but I guarantee you that ten out of every ten consume what comes from agriculture that's why it's so vital that this sector continues to grow and produce more food for Ontario's growing population and expanding export market the agriculture and food industries must continue adopting new processes and implementing new equipment and technologies to expand production and efficiency that's why our government must do all that we can do to strengthen our province's vital agriculture and agri-food sector Speaker can the Minister please explain how our government is supporting the growth of Ontario's agriculture and food sector the Minister of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs very much and I appreciate the question coming from the member for Peterborough because he actually has an innovation cluster in his riding in the city of Peterborough that really is all-encompassing including food production I very much appreciate the opportunity to visit that with him recently and I want to touch on the fact that we are not resting on our laurel speaker we're continuing to invest so that farmers and processors are like understand that they finally have a government in Ontario that is working with them to continue to increase production investing $25 million in partnership with the feds through the sustainable cap program but the total results are going to be driven by Ontario farmers and processors through the agri-tech innovation initiative and this is going to just reap incredible returns and I think we need to recognize that all of our sectors are increasing production and now we need the food processing to continue to innovate and match what the farmers are doing on the land. Thank you very much Supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker and from the minister's response it's clear that adopting new innovations and technology processes is crucial to ensuring the continuous growth of our agriculture and food sectors and she's absolutely correct the innovation cluster in Peterborough does a fantastic job of promoting it but beyond that I'm going to take a second and say Trent University has an experimental farm it's absolutely fantastic I invite everyone to come down and see it at a time when food security is paramount meeting the goals of the grow Ontario strategy remain a top priority all Ontarians deserve consistent and reliable access to affordable and nutritious food and that's why our government must continue to make investments that will support our farmers and food producers to enhance food production Speaker can the minister please elaborate on how the Kentucky innovation initiative will help to strengthen Ontario's agriculture and food sector Mr. of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs very much and I think it's safe to say that we appreciate very much that farmers are early adopters of new technologies and best practices to drive production numbers and our processors stand beside them in that regard and you know I read recently that research are forecasting an increase of 12 billion USD to be invested in information technology robotics and sensors that are going to continue to drive innovation and it's important that our legislation here provincially in Ontario matches what is happening on the ground and so that is why it's very important that in tandem in tandem to investing in significant processes that lead to innovation we need to make sure that we catch up our legislation as well and that's why I was very pleased to present Bill 155 last week so we can amend the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario Act and make sure it's modernized and supporting farmers and processors alike so we continue to stay on the forefront Thank you very much Next question, the member for Toronto Centre Thank you speaker my question is to the premier last week there were at least two overdoses in the corner of Church and Wellesley in broad daylight just three city blocks from this very building the community members were horrified to learn that getting someone into an addiction treatment recovery bed takes at least a year when we all know that mental health and addiction services are provincially funded this government has been making one-off announcements for one-time funding and it's clearly not meeting the basic needs can the premier explain to this community and to those across the city that mental health and addiction is supposed to get help when there's no shelter and the wait list for basic recovery beds are at least one year long Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you for that question as the member opposite knows this government, the first government to make such substantial investments in mental health and addiction supports in the history of this province is making a difference by building a continuum of care in the communities what does that mean just recently in February of this year we opened up 400 new treatment beds 7,000 new treatment spots to support individuals both with respect to withdrawal management to support individuals with addiction treatment and of course the support of housing that's necessary in that continuum of care Mr. Speaker we are serious about the investments that are making to ensure that every Ontario gets support they need wherever they are in the province of Ontario Thank you Mr. Speaker Thank you Mr. Speaker maybe the minister didn't hear my colleague two people died just last week three blocks from this building whatever you are doing is not enough is not enough Speaker back to the premier people wait months for detox beds wait again for withdrawal management and then again for rehab unless of course they can pay tens of thousands of dollars to get into a private clinic in that time many relapse or die the Windsor Essex County Health Unit has shown that Windsor Safe Point CTS is safe and effective hundreds of visits from people in need of care referrals to addiction treatment mental health support, social services have occurred in addition to primary care wound care and foot care on site it will close at the end of this year due to the lack of government funding the Conservatives haven't provided a timeline for a provincial review that was declared in August will be completed and the longer it takes the more people will die Speaker when will this government finally treat mental health and addictions as a public health crisis and properly fund wraparound supports that will actually save lives Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you again for that question and again if the member opposite was listening our government is investing in a continuum of care ensuring that we build a system of care for individuals wherever they are in the province of Ontario with respect to the CTS site the member opposite should be familiar at this point that it is under review as a result of the incident that occurred in Leslieville and that review is ongoing and it will determine the best course of conduct within the province of Ontario public safety is a priority for this government and to ensure that individuals are safe not just individuals that are using the consumption of treatment sites but also the people that reside in the areas where they are located is a priority of this government and until that review is completed and we will await that review the member opposite has the ability to also determine and to also participate by contacting the individual at Unity Health through their email address and perhaps engaging with them Thank you very much next question the member for Burlington thank you speaker my question is to the associate minister of small business under the previous liberal government supported by the NDP businesses left our province in droves in contrast under the leadership of the premier our government has welcomed record levels of investment job growth and businesses it's both unfortunate and sad that the independent liberals and opposition NDP continue to sit on the sidelines criticizing our businesses and voting no to measures that help make things better small businesses in my writing have been vocal about the negative impact that increasing taxes and expanding red tape will have on affordability for all Ontarians speaker can the associate minister please explain the negative impacts of increasing taxes on our small businesses to apply the associate minister of small business thank you speaker and thank you to the great member from Burlington for her unwavering support of her amazing job creators speaker I know that so many of our small business owners are trying their best to keep their businesses alive they're working long hours paying their bills and doing their part to create opportunities in their communities businesses simply can't pass the cost from the additional taxes to the red tape onto their customers many in their community are already feeling the pinch on gas on groceries on heating and much more the reality that the liberals and the NDP refuse to acknowledge are the tough choices business allow are making due to higher costs like having to scale back staff or reduce inventory speaker higher taxes increase costs and negatively impact every single aspect from the main streets to the farm houses we're calling on Ottawa to give our entrepreneurs a fair shot at success thank you speaker supplementary question thank you speaker as we heard in the minister's response high taxes, rising interest rates and ongoing international supply chain challenges negatively impact our provinces economic growth that's why our government must continue to advocate for the people of Ontario particularly our small businesses to provide them with the support they require speaker entrepreneurs need opportunities not obstacles to drive innovation and growth while the Ontario liberals have doubled down on their claims that families and businesses are better off with less money in their pockets we know that couldn't be further from the truth speaker can the associate minister please elaborate on the consequences of increasing taxes high interest rates and burdensome red tape will have on our small businesses associate minister of small business thank you speaker and again to the member from Burlington for the question speaker I've been talking to entrepreneurs and business associations across the province and the consensus is clear and it's not just our government that is speaking out the Canadian federation of independent businesses and small businesses have seen their overall energy cost increase over 10% in the last year 60% of small businesses cannot pass the increase in energy cost to consumers leaving them to either reduce operations or reduce staff speaker it gets even worse the 2022 report from the parliamentary budget officer showed that the carbon tax will reduce real GDP across Canada by 1.3% that is a whopping 200,000 jobs nationally by 2030 speaker that is what this opposition needs to start thinking about the people of this province start making life more affordable and join us in calling Ottawa to scrap the tax now next question the member for Subway thank you speaker for two years and four months the spot has been waiting here for provincial funding for Subway's consumption site last year Subway averaged 9 opiate over to best a month and less than a month the spot will run out of municipal funding and their doors will close forever more people will die in Sudbury my question speaker is will the premier finally help to save lives in northern Ontario and fund Subway's supervised consumption site the associate minister of mental health and addictions thank you once again for that question Mr. Speaker we are presently in a review of the consumption and treatment sites we all know what happened in Leslieville we all know that we need to ensure public safety we have an independent individual that's reviewing the consumption and treatment sites to ensure the public safety as well as the safety of people using the sites is taking care of and Mr. Speaker until that decision is made the decision is on pause as to what will occur in addition Mr. Speaker to the concerns I've mentioned that there is the possibility of contacting the individual doing the review and providing them with your views with respect to the issues but Mr. Speaker one thing that I have to say is that you know the situation we have when it comes to addictions and having a treatment continuing this government is the one government that understands the need and is building the continuum of care to ensure that the needs of individuals are met wherever they are in the province supplementary question frankly no one believes that nine people a month for two and a half years no one believes this crosses for changes memorial and Sudbury for people who have died by overdose three years ago there was one cross now they're nearly 250 of them last Thursday there was a rally in support of Sudbury's Supervised Consumption site and we marched to the process speaker and people were asked to speak but no one can find the words because they couldn't choke past the tears those aren't crosses those are people their best friends their work friends their neighbors their sons daughters their mothers and fathers speaker how many more people will have to die and how many more crosses will Sudbury have to rise before the premier fund Sudbury's Supervised Consumption site Associate Minister of Mental Health members of the please take your seat Associate Minister of Mental Health and addictions can reply to Mr. Speaker and as I said the decision is on pause until a decision is made and it is being looked at from the perspective of public safety and ensuring that the places are safe for individuals as well you know Mr. Speaker I listen to the questions being raised by the opposite side and I ask myself why did we get to where we are in the province you should look at your own record and the reckless nature of the record that you have when you are in government and supporting the Liberals in the past you cut the number of beds in the province of Ontario by almost 10,000 beds you cut the funding to mental health spending there was never a commitment by anyone on that site to invest in mental health this government has been increasing investment to the $525,000 each and every year the question period has come to a conclusion next we have a deferred vote on the motion for second reading of bill 148 an act to amend the Auditor General Act and members integrity act 1994 call on the members this is a 5 minute bell