 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of His Majesty's Royal Opposition. Thank you, Speaker. This question is for the Premier. Speaker, yesterday the federal government confirmed that Canada is headed into the most severe fire season that our country has ever seen. Here in Ontario, wildfires are raging throughout the province, including in northern and eastern Ontario, where the threat to life and property is very real. Centennial Lake near Calabogi is the latest area to be evacuated. As a fire there grows out of control. We know that natural resources, staff and local fire crews all around the province are working hard to contain the spread of the fire. Can the Premier update the House on what the government is doing to protect people and communities during this emergency? Mr. Natural Resources and Forestry. You Speaker, and I'm proud to say Ontario is an internationally recognized leader in wildfire management and our staff are of course currently working all across the province to ensure the safety of people and communities. Speaker, we know that the investments that we've made in increasing spending in wildfire preparedness have been warranted and we've been increasing spending since we had that opportunity to when we took government. Our aviation and forest fire emergency services crews are in the air with airplanes and water bombers in the air with helicopters on the ground with firefighters and Speaker, I can assure this house that every day in all locations that we are battling forest fires, they are doing one heck of a job. Speaker, we're proud to share our resources with other jurisdictions. Response and we're proud to ask for assistance from other jurisdictions when needed. We work together to assure the safety of people throughout Ontario with our partners in Canada and international. Supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. In Ottawa today, people woke up to an eerily dark sky as the forest fire smoke blotted out the sun. The air quality there is the worst level on Environment Canada's Air Quality Health Index. It's so bad that people are being asked to stay indoors. There are high-risk warnings issued for Belleville, for Cornwall, for Gatineau, for Kingston and for Toronto and all across the Northeast. Speaker, with the most severe season ever forecasted, does this government recognize the connection between this worsening weather and the climate crisis? National sources and forestry. Speaker, again, the preparation that we put into wildland fire season is immense and the investments that we have made to ensure that we can properly attack these fires is considerable. And, Speaker, I want to point out that it's not just the folks that are on the front lines. It's our Emergency Operations Centre in Sault Ste. Marie monitoring the fire situation throughout the province, coordinating response, setting provincial priorities and ensuring that we have an appropriate amount of resources. It's those that are watching the forecast and making sure that we are continuously and carefully reporting conditions and sharing this information again with our partners throughout Canada. We, as I mentioned, share in mutual aid agreements with partners that are our provinces, with countries internationally to make sure that we keep each other safe. Speaker, we are definitely invested in keeping Ontarians safe and I want to thank all the men and women that are doing so right this moment for the people of Ontario. Supplementary. Speaker, you know, I think we're all thankful in thinking of the first responders and all the people that are being evacuated. But what the Minister is missing is that these fires and these air quality warnings will worsen as the climate crisis deepens. And this government is not taking action to help. In fact, their actions are making it worse. One of this government's first actions was to rip EV charging stations right out of the ground. They're carving up the green belt, a massive carbon sink. They blew hundreds of millions of dollars, cancelling over 700 renewable energy projects. This government is taking Ontario in the wrong direction on the climate crisis. So, Speaker, to the Premier, why did this government weaken their own climate targets? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I think it's important for the opposition to know exactly how clean and green and reliable our electricity system is in the Ontario jurisdiction. And that's one that's going to allow us to remove megatons of emissions from our system in the future by ensuring that we have a clean, reliable system in Ontario, one that only emits about 3% of our total emissions in the province by keeping the price reliable and affordable. We are going to see emissions reduced in other parts of our sectors, more emitting parts of our sectors like our transportation sector. It's why we've seen multi-billion dollar investments in our EV manufacturing facilities. It's why we're seeing manufacturers now moving to electrifying their processes in Ontario. That's going to remove emissions from our system. It's why we're seeing our steelmakers moving to green steelmaking with electric arc furnaces, Mr. Speaker. It's ensuring that the price of electricity in our province is affordable. That will move more people to electrify their processes, making our environment here in Ontario even cleaner and greener than it is today at 90%. The next question, the Leader of the Opposition. We didn't hear the words climate crisis there, or climate action again. Anyways, my next question, Speaker, is to the Premier. This week, the Toronto Sun reported that Metrolinx has over 30,000 pages of documents that, and I'm going to quote here, relate to the issue of whether some rails for the Eglinton Crosstown project were improperly installed and need to be fixed. If the Eglinton Crosstown public-private partnership has a defective rail system, that's about as serious a problem as you get. The Minister refuses to take responsibility for the Eglinton Crosstown P3 fiasco, and instead of giving the public the information and the clarity that we deserve, we've gotten only finger pointing and gaslighting. Speaker, does the Premier think that that's acceptable? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I thank the Leader of the Opposition for her question. We have been very clear, Mr. Speaker, our government is focused on building out the most efficient and effective transportation network that Ontarians need and deserve. We've focused on building highways and roads and bridges and public transit to address the infrastructure deficit that was left behind by the previous Liberal government, Mr. Speaker. We inherited a contract from the previous Liberal government that was signed back in 2011, and we are working within the confines of that contract to deliver on the Eglinton Crosstown. Mr. Speaker, the line is 98% complete. Testing is ongoing, Mr. Speaker, and the Crosslink Consortium is now completing all remaining work. And this includes addressing all and any rectifications that are needed so that the line is reliable and safe for transit riders and transit operators to use when it opens for service. Mr. Speaker, our government has been clear from the beginning. We want to make sure that the line is safe for all. We will not rush it. We will not interfere. If you do, Mr. Speaker, when politicians interfere with transit projects, Mr. Speaker, then the problems of the Ottawa LRT ensue, Mr. Speaker. We have been very clear we will get this done. We take responsibility for it. Thank you. Thank you. Speaker, it's not interference. You're the Minister of the Crown. It's your responsibility. It's called leadership. Jesus. Just Ontarians waiting for the Eglinton Crosstown. People across the GTA are fed up. Once again last weekend, go-bus drivers travelling from Brampton to Waterloo were left behind at Bramley Station because not enough buses were made available to meet demand. The Minister of Transportation has been or should have been aware of this problem for months. But again, the Minister refuses to take responsibility for the mess that she has orchestrated to the Premier. Why is he allowing this Minister to leave dozens of go riders stranded in Brampton? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well, I'm sorry the Leader of the Opposition is having trouble understanding when I say that we take full responsibility for the entire transportation network, including the Eglinton Crosstown and GO Rail Expansion. Mr. Speaker, GO Rail Expansion is a key priority for our government and we are committed to delivering on it. Mr. Speaker, GO Rail Expansion, GO Bus Service, all of our GO Transit services, Mr. Speaker, are core element of our transportation network. But Mr. Speaker, when we put forward plans to provide these critical essential services for Ontarians, Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition votes against it, Mr. Speaker. Metrolinx is working closely with mayors, with municipalities, with stakeholders to understand what their needs are. We provide service updates on a regular basis to make sure that we can meet transit riders where their needs are. And we will continue to listen to municipalities and to local transportation stakeholders so that we can continue to deliver the service that they need. North will come to order. The member for Waterloo will come to order. Start the clock. Back to the Leader of the Opposition. Speaker, instead of building transit, what this government is building is a legacy of public money wasted on private companies botching a transit system that doesn't work. If riders don't have confidence that a bus is going to arrive on schedule to get them to their destination on time, they will not take transit. Order. Confidence in the transit system depends on the Minister of Transportation. And so my question is to the Premier who is sitting right there, and I hope he takes this question. Does the Premier still have confidence in this Minister? The Premier. The Leader of the Opposition. I have total confidence in my Minister. I have total push responsible. Push responsible. We're building the largest transit project in North America as you side on your hands, as the Liberal side on their hands, spending $30 billion again, building the largest transit system in North America. As the Minister said, we'll take responsibility of the disaster we inherited. Order. But guess what? The Eglinton West is four to six weeks ahead of schedule on time, on budget. The Young North extension is on time, on budget. Scarborough is getting a subway for the first time in the history of this cottage. Order. Start the clock. The next question, the member for University of Rosedale. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. A new report by the National Bank of Canada shows home affordability in Ontario has reached alarming levels. In Toronto, you need to earn $235,000 to buy a home. In Hamilton, you need to earn $220,000 a year to buy a home. The Conservatives are not fixing the housing crisis. They're making it worse. It has never been more expensive to rent or buy a home. My question is to the Premier. How expensive does housing have to get for the Conservatives to recognise their plan is not working? To respond to the Government, the Associate Minister of Housing. Well, thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the member from University of Rosedale for her question. However, the NDP's fact-free rhetoric does absolutely nothing to help first-time home buyers actually achieve their dreams. While they complain from the sidelines, it is this Government that's taking concrete action. The housing supply crisis and bringing affordable housing within reach for all Ontarians. Order. Speaker, our plan is working. We've seen record purpose build rentals in the past two years. We've had record housing starts. We've doubled the adjudicate to get... And you know what? We're not going to take any lessons from the NDP or the no-development party on building houses in this province because we're going to continue to work hard for all of the people of Ontario. Order. Supplementary. Back to the Premier. This Government has been in power for five years and it's very clear the Government's plan is not working. Not only has a dream of home ownership gone up in smoke, but Ontarians can't even find an affordable place to rent. The latest report by rentals.ca has just come out and rent for available apartments continues to skyrocket. In North York, rent is up 24% year over year. In Scarborough, rent has gone up 30%. In Brampton, it's up 30%. In Markham, it's up 30%. There is nowhere affordable left for people to live. Once again, this is my question to the Premier. How bad does that have to get for the Conservatives to change course and address and seriously address the housing affordability crisis that we have in Ontario today? Order. The Associate Minister of Housing. Thank you for the question. Well, the NDP's sudden concern for housing affordability brings very hollow to us. For years, they did absolutely nothing but talk about these issues from the sidelines. They voted once again against the Housing Supply Action Plan which is delivering the highest number of rental units in Ontario's history, protecting tenants from rent evictions and wrongful evictions. But you know, while the NDP proposes more taxes, study after study, our government's going to cut red tape and build more housing supply and we're introducing real solutions that will make a meaningful difference for Ontarians struggling with affordability. We're not going to be latched by the no credible plan with the track of inaction from the party. We're going to keep working for the people of Ontario. It's time they stepped up and represented their constituents as well. The next question is from the Member for Chatham Kent Leamington. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. All Ontarians are shocked, angered and deeply disturbed by the recent news that convicted murderer and sex offender Paul Bernardo is being transferred to a medium security prison. Bernardo is serving a life sentence for the kidnapping, torture and killing of Leslie Mahaffey and Kristen French, as well as admitting to sexually assaulting numerous other women and truly is the living embodiment of evil. Justice Patrick Lassache, the judge who convicted Bernardo to life in prison, stated that Bernardo is a dangerous, sexually sadistic psychopath and should have no right to ever be released. This is why there is something truly troubling in the discovery that Bernardo has been quietly moved from his maximum security prison to a reported open campus medium security prison. Speaker, Senator Premier, please add his voice and demonstrate strong leadership by standing with all Ontarians and with the families who are victimized by these crimes in raising our concern to the federal government and to the correctional service of Canada. Well, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member from Chatham, Kent, Leamington for his question, but also his advocacy and for being an OPP officer for so many years to come down here and answer my message to Leslie Mahaffey, Kristen French's family, our heart breaks for you. Our heart breaks for you that you have to go through this once again, relive an absolute nightmare and we will always, always have your backs. As per this scumbag, Bernardo, should rot in hell, he should rot in a maximum security prison the rest of his life. This guy doesn't deserve less restrictions, employment opportunities, believe it or not, freedom to wander around. I'm going to quote the Correction Services Commissioner. We want Canadians to have confidence in our decisions. Well, Commissioner, I'll tell you, no Canadians have confidence in your decisions. You should step aside, step down, or should be fired. Restart the clock, the supplementary. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Premier for his sincerity, your strong support and your powerful words. Speaker, once again, can the Premier please provide his support and leadership in calling on the federal government and Correctional Service Canada to take the right action, respect the French and Mahaffey families and hold Bernardo truly accountable for these heinous crimes? Remember again, and as I mentioned, I don't even like using his name, Mr. Speaker, and sorry for the language, but he's nothing but a scumbag. The SOB needs to be in jail 23 hours a day in a maximum security. The crime was the most heinous crime in Canadian history. He tortured, he raped, and then he murdered these two young girls. And the pain the families going through again should never be seen, ever in the history of Canada. When we sentence someone to life sentences, that means a life sentence. In the jail, maximum security, 23 hours a day, matter of fact, I'd go one step further. That one hour he's out, he should be in general population. That's what should happen to the SOB, as I said, never has Canadians ever seen a more heinous crime than what he committed. We start the clock. The next question, the member for Toronto Centre. Thank you very much, Speaker. Five days ago, the Niagara Catholic District School Board trustee compared the flying of the rainbow flag to that of flying the Nazi flag. This hateful comment was made one day after the Minister of Education suggested to the school board to celebrate pride in a constructive, positive, and meaningful way to affirm 2SLGBT students. My question to the Minister is that since the Niagara Catholic Board won't uphold the responsibilities in the Accepting School Act, will he now show the leadership that the clergy here are asking for today and ask that he issue a Ministerial Order to direct all publicly funded schools in Ontario to raise the rainbow flag for Pride Month? The Minister of Education. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I share the member absence deep distress by those vile comments from that public office holder. I think one of the messages that was celebrated I think in all parliamentarians in pride is the context of words and actions. And I think we must hold ourselves to higher standards because young people and students in our publicly funded schools are looking up to us, particularly our school board trustees. And when this issue arose, I commented and condemned it saying I had to draw a parallel to university reviled symbol of hate in fascism is disturbing. We need our members, our trustees, our elected office holders to do better in standing up for human rights for everyone and that includes most especially the LGBTQ community who's facing some of the highest rates of violence and bullying in our schools. I have asked every school board in Ontario, public and family, English and French, to celebrate Pride and the universal message of acceptance and love for all and I expect them to do so this month. Thank you, Speaker. Regrettably, those words are not simply enough. Today we are joined by the clergy from many Christian denominations who have come here today to share a message of unity and love for the 2SLGBTI community. Their Pride Month unity message has been signed by over 500 clergy and lay leaders in Ontario from representing 70 municipalities. These Christian leaders are asking us to be loud and clear and to take decisive action to ensure that 2SLGBT people especially students are safe in schools. The Premier has boasted about marching in your Pride and yet he won't take action to mandate safe school environments for 2SLGBTI students, families and teachers. Does the Premier not realise that by refusing to raise the rainbow flag at all publicly funded schools, his declaration of support and marching in your Pride will be hollow and performative? Mr Speaker, I believe it is so important for political leaders to show up at Pride to be visible at Pride. For all the faults, we live in a pretty special place in this province where it is mainstream amongst our political leaders to be present and to celebrate Pride and honestly, thank God I am a Canadian where we have that sense of unity of purpose and I acknowledge and I appreciate there is more progress to be made. We just heard these remarks from our friends and colleagues across the way. I assure the member in the clearest terms, we have directed and expected publicly funded schools to celebrate Pride meaningfully and symbolically and to stand in solidarity. Every child must be safe. It is our expectation that every child will be safe and prepared to work with all members across party lines to ensure that children are informed, respected and safe in a publicly funded school. Thank you Mr Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Rates. Before our government was elected sadly, Mr Speaker very sadly, our order and manufacturing sectors were in disarray. Hundreds of thousands of order and manufacturing jobs fled the province leaving Ontario unprepared to lead the charge on the future of electric vehicles. Thank you to our government effort Ontario order is back and this generation and next generation of the sector will be catalyst for economic growth. But in order to ensure that this prosperity continue, we will need to focus on training people for the job of the future including those in our growing auto sector. Mr Speaker will the minister please tell us what our government is doing to introduce student opportunities in the auto sector and the way on. Thank you Mr Speaker. And to reply, Minister of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade. Thank you Speaker. Ontario has attracted 25 billion dollars in auto and EV investments in just two and a half years. And now we need to ensure that our future workforce has the skills needed to fill the jobs of the future. Colleges like Canada or college in my hometown of North Bay are opening zero emission training centres because soon you won't need a mechanic you're going to need an EV technician. We're also investing 6 million dollars through Ontario vehicle innovation network that will support 14 innovative education projects connecting kids from K-12 and post secondary students to the provinces EV sector. The future workforce program bridges the gap between students and the EV industry while reducing the stigma of skill trades. Speaker as we continue to grow Ontario's world-class auto supply chain we're now going to need the workers for the jobs of tomorrow. Supplementary question? Thank you Speaker. Thank you Minister for this answer. We know that our government has demonstrated its ability to attract the strength of landmark auto manufacturing investment in just a few short years. It is great to hear that we are setting the stage for the next generation of Ontario auto workers. But we need to ensure that there are also current opportunities for the province auto workers. Mr. Speaker, will the minister explain how our government is creating these type of jobs for the auto workers in Ontario? Thank you. Mr. economic problem. Last week we were very excited to attend the Canadian collision repair academy open house in Milton. This state-of-the-art body repair training center was the result of an industry between Volkswagen, Audi and this academy. Together these companies have established Canada's first dedicated body repair training center for electric vehicles right here in Ontario because before this speaker those specialized EV body repair technicians were all being sent to the US for training. But thanks to our government's success in rebuilding Ontario's auto sector the ERA has reshorred those training jobs right here to Ontario. So now over 750 technicians will be trained and certified annually at its first of a kind facility because our plan to build Ontario is working. Thank you. The next question the member for Toronto Dan for. Thank you speaker. My question to the minister of energy. Last week I asked the minister what he was going to do to protect people from the power outages this summer. That same day hours after the minister told me that everything was fine wonderful and under control 8500 people in Canada Carlton lost their power apparently because the local grid couldn't handle the heat. The minister needs to take action now to ensure we don't face much larger outages this summer as people deal with climate-driven extreme heat events. The minister of energy. Mr. Speaker what happened in Canada last week was a distribution level temporary issue with Ottawa Hydro and the utility there the LDC has indicated that they're going to repair the piece of equipment that was faulty that day so that this type of outage doesn't happen again but I can assure my ambulance chasing friend over there that the provincial grid had more than enough power to meet the needs of the province it was a very very hot day I mean it was a record setting day in Ottawa to be sure Mr. Speaker but we had a lot of excess energy that day I can assure all the members of the legislature of one thing Mr. Speaker if that member were in charge of our power grid we wouldn't have our nuclear supply 8500 megawatts on that day that was there at almost 100% of its capacity Mr. Speaker we wouldn't have the natural gas fleet Mr. Speaker which is our insurance policy because not only is he against nuclear he's against natural gas as well I'll ask you a question Thank you Thank you I want to go back on this I listened to the minister last week I listened to him today I've heard about how wonderful things are how he has things in hand and how no one else can do as well as him while this year he may get the chance to give exactly that same explanation to frail seniors whose air conditioning cuts out because the grid can't handle the demand maybe he'll get a chance to talk to corner store owners who lose freezers full of food because the power isn't there maybe he'll get to talk to seniors who are overheating because the grid can't keep up closing his eyes pointing figures in every direction claiming that he's in great shape isn't going to make the problem go away Speaker I want to thank people this summer from potential outages The member for Niagara West will come door The member for Sault Ste. Marie will come door The member for Brampton North will come door I want to hear the response from the Minister of Energy Start the clock Minister of Energy I need to deliver a response to you Mr. Speaker while the member opposite pledges his pearls and pretends that the world is coming to an end Mr. Speaker I can assure him of our consistent support for our nuclear grid the refurbishments that are underway on time and ahead of schedule on budget Mr. Speaker this member this member would not have those workhorses those dependable baseload emissions free power suppliers that we have in our province every single day Mr. Speaker at the same time we're investing in new technology a small modular reactor that isn't going to just power our grid Mr. Speaker this is an SMR that's going to be adopted by jurisdictions around the world to help them do what we've done in Ontario and that is reduce emissions and provide baseload power on a daily basis 24-7 that the world can rely on this is a great Ontario nuclear thank you The next question Thank you Mr. Speaker my question is for the Minister of Children and the Ontario nuclear power suppliers numerous families including Sarah and her son Felix de Merce in Ottawa are facing unreasonable challenges with the Ontario autism program Sarah started the process to get help for her son three years ago but came across multiple barriers and waitlist as a result her son Felix who is now five years old has aged out of programs in school speakers these children have been left behind what measure has the Minister taken to address the waitlist ensuring timely access to essential support services for children with autism spectrum disorder Minister of Children community and social services very much Speaker and I thank my honourable colleague for the question Mr. Speaker I'd be more than happy to address it unfortunately this member would have to also communicate that to our constituents to say that when their party was in power there were a number of families and few people of this province Mr. Speaker under the previous government 8500 children and youth were receiving services today Mr. Speaker 40,000 are receiving services why is that Mr. Speaker because while they neglected families under the leadership of this Premier he doubled the funding of the Ontario autism program Mr. Speaker this year we increased that funding by an additional 10% to make sure more children and youth continue to receive the services and Mr. Speaker more children and youth are now receiving not just one service under the previous government there have multiple pathways to services Mr. Speaker we will continue to make sure those families are supported so that no one is left behind under the leadership thank you the supplementary question well Speaker Felix is 5 years old and this government for 5 years is not getting any help from you so families face significant uncertainty while waiting for support from the autism program families are receiving no assistance and no communication as to when they might be able to get help Sarah told me we have now been waiting years for help during the most pivotal years of her son's developmental stage and just remain on the OAP waitlist as a generic number Mr. Speaker the lack of communication is distressing and unacceptable the least the government could do to reduce the distress of those waiting families is to establish a user friendly communication platform through which families could at least track the progress of their applications what step will the minister take to ensure that families including Felix's have transparent and timely access to information regarding the status of their application Mr. Children Community and Social Services Mr. Speaker and again I thank the honourable colleague for the question Mr. Speaker I think my colleague would know that since being honoured and appointed to this role I have met with families I have met with groups and organisations every single opportunity that I've gotten why Mr. Speaker because we said from the beginning we're not going to let anyone we're not going to leave people behind the Ontario Autism Program Mr. Speaker was developed by the community for the community that's the program that we've implemented Mr. Speaker 8500 children receiving services under the previous government now more than 40,000 children are receiving services and not just one service Mr. Speaker children as soon as they're transitioned and they have registered on access to OAP they have multiple pathways to service Mr. Speaker specifically like foundational family services caregiver mediated early year support entry to school program Thank you very much next question and member for Brampton North Thank you Mr. Speaker my questions for the minister of transportation Speaker the people of my riding at Brampton North have been negatively impacted for years by the dithering and delays from the previous liberal government when it came to supporting critical transportation projects like the highway 413 supported by the NDP year over year the liberals ignored action that should have been taken to build highway 413 in favour of listening to downtown environmental activists who don't live in Brampton never visit Brampton and claim they know what's best for Brampton the reality is that over the coming decade Ontario is expected to grow by more than 2 million people and the fact is we need to build the necessary infrastructure to keep up with our growing province Brampton is a beautiful place led by its diversity and its people and no matter how much the opposition disagree the people of Brampton deserve a new highway Speaker can the minister please explain what our government is doing to support the people of Brampton by advancing transportation infrastructure with the highway 413 Thank you the minister of transportation Thank you Speaker and I thank the member from Brampton North for the question he is absolutely right Ontario and Peel region spoke loud and clear when they re-elected our government with a historic larger majority Mr. Speaker they want to see highway 413 built and our government is delivering on that commitment the opposition members that continue to oppose this critical project are obviously individuals who do not live in Brampton or quite frankly they just don't care about Brampton Speaker it seems that every time one supports projects that makes life easier for the people of Ontario the members opposite find some reason to say no our government highlighted infrastructure projects like highway 413 in our budget because we know that these are vital to our government's overall plan for job creation and economic growth the people of Ontario can be assured that our government is committed to building important infrastructure and this includes highway 413 the supplementary question Thank you Speaker and thank you to the minister for our response and for her friendship to my community the minister's advocacy and support clearly demonstrate that our government is not content with the status quo when it comes to investing in critical transportation infrastructure highway 413 is essential not only for the people of Brampton but it's essential for the overall prosperity of Ontario clog roads don't just keep people getting from place to place they trap transportation trucks from getting goods to market they cost Ontario's economy more than 11 billion dollars every single year once completed highway 413 would help goods travel faster too and through the greater Toronto area significantly boosting Ontario and Canada's economy more than 785 million dollars worth of goods per day from Ontario's highways transportation system the backbone of our economy can the minister elaborate on what our government is doing on highway infrastructure to support our province's economy Thank you Speaker and I want to thank the member for emphasizing the real importance of getting highway 413 built and what it means for local communities but really for all of Ontario our government is critically aware of the importance of highway 413 and it will support a growing Brampton and a growing Peel region our roads and our highways are critical for keeping goods flowing across the province an efficient transportation network is key to supporting our economic growth but also to unlocking our economic potential Mr. Speaker we know the consequences of not building highway 413 and we are determined to make sure that we reverse course on this we are going to move forward to address congestion to ensure the efficient transportation of goods Mr. Speaker our government is committed to building the critical infrastructure because it is a solution to accelerate economic growth and our prosperity highway 413 is not only a fundamental piece of infrastructure Mr. Speaker it is a key part of Ontario's success and our future Thank you the next question the member for London North Centre Good morning Speaker my question is to the Premier to me to voice their deep profound disapproval of this government's bill 60 and privatization of our health care system the sisters want government members to stop listen to their conscience learn from history and immediately repeal bill 60 will this government do just that listen to your conscience hit the brakes on greedy profit making in health care and ensure that every dollar spent the government spends goes to patient care and not private shareholder pockets The Deputy Premier Minister of Health Thank you very much I hope when you met with the sisters you also reinforced and highlighted the investments that are part of a $48 billion capital build that includes St. Joseph's Health Care Centre and the facilities also highlighted to the sisters that the London Health Sciences also has a facilities redevelopment plan in the works and we've expanded the stem transplant unit in the city of London we are making the investments with publicly funded hospitals who are showing us that they can innovate and do things differently to make sure that we are serving the people of London and all of Ontario Speaker for you the sisters are sharp they're insightful and they are well aware that it is necessary in Ontario to have publicly funded and publicly delivered health care Sister Mary Giedemann of the Sisters of St. Joseph's provided me a letter when I visited she was worried about how these new private clinics would rob the system of doctors nurses, technologists respiratory therapists and penalize the poor Sister Mary also wrote it also displays Premier Ford failing to keep his promise that privatised surgeries and diagnostic service were not his plan will this government listen to Sister Mary, keep their promises and repeal Bill 60 so that no one makes money off of someone else's illness I have to say as a result of passing Bill 60 we have some of the most innovative programs able to be expanded in the province of Ontario we have surgical and diagnostic centres operating in the province of Ontario but clearly our hospitals need help and to quote Alan Odette of the Ontario Medical Association Bill 60 we believe it will free up hospital resources to focus on emergency acute and complex care cases while relieving some capacity issues that are big and they are real we know that the waiting list cannot stay where they are we understand that status quo is not an option in the province of Ontario and we are making the investments to ensure that we have not only robust hospital capital expansions but also the ability to have surgical and diagnostic centres expand across Ontario thank you Speaker the next question the member for Guelph my question is for the Premier as the climate crisis worsened and smart investors worldwide rushed to renewables Ontario risks being left behind in a cloud of carbon pollution global investment in the clean energy transition hit $1.1 trillion last year $500 billion in wind and solar alone why because they are the lowest cost sources of generation yet over the next decade your government is planning to ramp up expensive dirty gas plants increasing climate pollution by 400% and increasing costs for people to cool their homes and keep the lights on so Speaker at a time when we face a climate emergency why is the government choosing high cost dirty gas plants when smart global investors around the world are choosing low cost wind solar and water power to reply the Minister of Energy thank you very much to the member opposite for the question quite the opposite Mr. Speaker we're investing in clean not emitting generation here in our province like our nuclear facilities which are on time and ahead of schedule those big can do reactors at Darlington and Bruce potentially extending pickering as well where we get 60% of our clean not emitting electricity every day Mr. Speaker we're investing in the largest procurement in Canada's history in battery storage facilities Mr. Speaker these are going to be located across the province to support all of the growth that we're seeing in Ontario right now under the Premier's watch we're seeing multi-billion dollar investments every day on an EV strategy I will point out that the member opposite loves his renewables and there is a role for renewables Mr. Speaker but last Thursday during one of the hottest days the hottest day of the year when it comes to solar 14% of the solar in the province showed up if this member was in charge of our grid we would have brown up Supplementary Mr. Speaker you'll notice the minister completely refused to answer my question of why they're going to ramp up dirty gas plants that will put our climate stability at risk and will put business investment in Ontario at risk but don't take my word for it for economic development's words for it the minister continually talks about the fact that Ontario has a competitive advantage because we have a 94% clean grid but sadly sadly speaker I couldn't hear the Member for Guelph restart the clock Member for Guelph Thank you Speaker I think the members want a clean grid but unfortunately under this government our grid is now below 90% clean and it will get dirtier with their plan to ramp up expensive dirty fossil gas plants which will destroy the province's competitive advantage with having a clean grid putting job and investment at risk in making the climate crisis worse so will Speaker through you to the minister will the government maintain Ontario's clean grid competitive advantage by abandoning their scheme to ramp up dirty expensive gas plants and commit to a clean grid by 2030 Minister of Energy Thank you Mr Speaker what we're committing to is keeping the lights on in Ontario and the same cannot be said for the member opposite from the Green Party nor the member opposite for the NDP and we remember the mess that the Liberals made in the file Mr Speaker according to our system operator and I asked them last year what it would mean if we were to phase out gas in our system they said it would be $100 extra per family per month that's more than a hydro bill and it would result in brownouts and blackouts in our system that is what the member opposite is advocating for Speaker we're not going to be doing that we're going to make sure we've got the power that's there so we can continue to see the Minister of Economic Development and the Premier are bringing home to Ontario from other jurisdictions they're doing it because we have a clean grid Mr Speaker we are going to ensure the power is there when residents go to turn on their lights in the morning and manufacturers are set to build the cars Thank you very much My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development Speaker June 1st March the start of National Indigenous History Month a time to celebrate rich traditions heritage and the contributions of First Nations Inuit and Métis peoples across the province and across the country we look forward to many cultural activities and events planned for this month and with 133 First Nations in Ontario there are many vibrant communities that are located from Windsor in the south to the northern shores of Hudson's Bay Indigenous communities contribute significantly to Ontario's economy with many thriving businesses across a variety of sectors that's why it's vital that our government remains committed to building and maintaining strong relationships with First Nations and Indigenous partners Will the Minister please share how our government is working with Indigenous communities to build a stronger Ontario and Indigenous affairs I thank the member from Hastings Lenox Addington for the question It is also Mr. Speaker National Indigenous History Month and yesterday we were reminded that by the member from Kuwait Nung and his member's statement and I appreciate his reflections there's always more work to do but over the course of this month we'll have an opportunity to reflect on some of the painful legacies in this country's history and to reflect to Indigenous people but also focus on the opportunities Mr. Speaker those are the things that this government has been focused on over the past five years we've made progress and that was reflected in our discussions yesterday with the Premier and a number of my cabinet colleagues and parliamentary assistant Mr. Speaker there are a number of events across this province for us all to participate in I've sent out a caucus package so feel free to reach out to me and we'll be happy to provide those to you Thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the minister with so many activities planned for this month that we'll provide opportunities to learn about the diverse histories, cultures and experiences of Indigenous people who helped shape this province Just two weeks ago I was honoured to attend the landing celebration at the Tainta Naga Mohawk territory We all benefit from being involved As we continue to build partnerships with our Indigenous communities our government must strive to acknowledge, understand and address their concerns Our province has enriched because of the accomplishments of Indigenous leaders and communities First Nations and Indigenous communities deserve only our best and respect when it comes to working together as part of the reconciliation process to ensure a prosperous future for everyone Mr. Speaker can the minister please explain what actions our government is taking to engage in meaningful reconciliation with Indigenous peoples Mr. Indigenous Affairs Thank you Mr. Speaker We start out by addressing the opportunities by focusing on the opportunities that exist for young Indigenous peoples from communities across this province to gain important and meaningful job opportunities to help build their communities to work effectively with Indigenous leaders on things like settling land and flood claims at a historic pace sitting down with the Chiefs of Ontario and setting up a prosperity table led by Indigenous political and business leaders matching the funding through the Indigenous Economic Development Fund for them to do things like supply chain mapping to encourage access to capital Mr. Speaker for Indigenous owned and operated businesses In the past business quarter Mr. Speaker response 19% increase in the resources going to Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario Mr. Speaker to ensure they have the tools moving forward for a prosperous Indigenous community Thank you The next question Mr. Speaker Good morning My question is to the Minister of Transportation Speaker we have a transportation network as well in Kiwetno There are 24 airports in Kiwetno and these airports are owned and operated by the Ministry of Transportation airports are critical in the north critical infrastructure especially during medical police and evacuation emergencies there are actually lifelines but if you ask your carriers say that flying in the north is like flying in the 1950s because we still have gravel runways and that's not acceptable they're only 3,500 feet when is this government going to improve the safety standards of Northern airports in Kiwetno Mr. Transportation And I think the member opposite for his important question Northern remote and regional airports provide a vital transportation link in Northern Ontario and our government has been focused since day 1 to support transportation in the north we're committed to making sure that airline carriers and passengers have safe and reliable operations available to them and that's why our government provides millions of dollars every year to support remote airport operations and this includes funding to facilitate improvements of runways the replacement of garages as well as terminal buildings and Mr. Speaker we're continuing to work with the federal government to provide additional funding over 5 million dollars through phase 3 of the remote air carriers support program which was announced in April of last year Mr. Speaker this issue is national in scope we work closely with the federal government to take steps to address the challenges that remote airports face and I thank the member opposite for the question because it's an important one with local members as well as with the federal government to address the challenges the supplementary question Mr. Speaker it's not an understatement to say that our community members lives depend on reliability and timely service and access to goods example if you go from Casablanca lake to Winnipeg return you know how much it is it's $3,200 return and in Webequay last week someone contacted me about the cost of gas Speaker a leader of gas in Webequay is $4.59 Speaker $4.59 per leader the high price of gas is related to the type of planes that can deliver gas we need better runways to improve delivery of goods when is this government going to make the runways improvements needed for delivery of goods for delivery, better delivery of goods I colleague mentioned moments ago we are there with investments to ensure that those runways I've landed on every single one of them are safe Mr. Speaker for cargo and for people but I might say to the member opposite a couple of important points it was his party that decided to support a carbon tax Mr. Speaker and fuel surcharges that are driving up those costs it's that member opposite who voted against our initiative Mr. Speaker to reduce the cost of fuel for planes flying into the remote communities and Mr. Speaker so far he has been encouraged by the member opposite or his party to build the kinds of corridors that would provide reliable road access in to many of our northern communities now if that member opposite wants to run around that planes cannot take in the kinds of infrastructure that would put those communities in a better position from a perspective of health, social and economic development thank you the next question Mr. Speaker my question is for a fellow member of the committee the minister of energy last week the minister announced the peak perks program an energy efficiency initiative brought forward by our government this initiative program provides families with the opportunity to lower their energy bills while also receiving a cash incentive however beyond households looking for relief on energy costs affordable energy remains a serious concern for businesses and municipalities across our province in order to support the continued economic growth of businesses it's vital that our government continues to provide measures that will help them to conserve energy reduce costs and improve productivity Mr. Speaker can the minister please explain how our government is supporting businesses in Ontario minister of energy thanks to the member opposite for the question it was great to be at ecobee on Toronto's waterfront last week to announce the peak perks program to talk about it here in the house as well this is a program Mr. Speaker that's going to save residents even more money by saving more energy and it's also going to save the equivalent of $650 million to our Ontario electricity grid but that's not the only program we announced last week Mr. Speaker to make that $342 million expansion to energy efficiency programming in Ontario we're launching three new and enhanced energy efficiency programs for businesses and municipalities that are also going to help them save energy and drive down their costs and save the grid some dollars as well you'll remember Mr. Speaker a lot of jobs out of the province and they raised electricity prices considerably during their time in office Mr. Speaker we're saving businesses and families money thank you Mr. Speaker it's great to hear about the many energy initiatives and supports brought forward by our government they're helping Ontario's hardworking families, municipalities and businesses Speaker back in 2003 when the previous Liberal government came to power Ontario had one of the lowest electricity rates in North America and by the time they were kicked out of government their legacy was Ontario having one of the highest electricity rates in North America and that destroyed Ontario's energy advantage I know our government has been working hard to rebuild our energy sector and is committed to bringing jobs back to our province and to make life more affordable that's why our government must deliver results please elaborate on the benefits and advantages of these energy efficiency programs provided by our government and the minister of energy thank you very much Mr. Speaker we're also supporting targeted programs like our greenhouse program there's a lot of expansion plan for greenhouses in southwestern Ontario which is incredibly important we're also saving money on energy bills for other businesses hospitals as well can take advantage of these cost saving programs this includes the save on energy retrofit program over $200 million of funding is dedicated there up to 50% of energy efficiency retrofit programs in this latest program through the ISO these programs are going to mean annual electricity savings equivalent to powering approximately 130,000 homes every year and reduced cost for consumers as I mentioned by $650 million by 2025 these programs are very important Mr. Speaker they're a win for the people of Ontario they are a win for the climate thank you very much next question my question is for the premier youth correctional workers and transfer payment agencies under ministry of children community and social services are not receiving the same rights and protections as their counterparts in OPS these workers are not covered under WSIB but OPS workers are these workers are not covered under the Ontario first responders act or have the same protections and tools that OPS workers do even though they handle the same youth both groups of workers receive government funding and do the same job yet they are not being treated so can the premier commit today to eliminating systemic inequities and ensure all youth correctional workers receive the same rights, benefits and protections the government house leader thank you Mr. Speaker I think the member opposite knows that the government is always looking at ways of improving conditions for the people that work for us thank you that concludes our question period for this morning