 It is now time for oral questions and I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition. Before I start, I want to wish everybody a happy Canadian Agriculture Day. It's a day that we celebrate our farmers and farm families for not only providing the food on our table, but great jobs and great fuel to our economy. Celebrate egg more than ever. My first question this morning is to our Premier. We know that residents of Ottawa particularly have lived through terrifying three and a half weeks under siege in our province and in our country's capital. Thankfully things are finally turning around, but we definitely need now to focus on moving forward. And I think the first step in doing that is to have this government acknowledge their role in letting that hate fester for three and a half weeks in the city of Ottawa and dividing this province. So my question to the Premier is he went out of his way to apologize to the occupiers. Will he now or has he yet had the opportunity to apologize to the people of Ottawa and the people of Windsor and if not will he do that today? Thank you, Speaker. Appreciate the opportunity to talk about what has been a very challenging time for many individuals in Ottawa, in Windsor, in Niagara and numerous other communities. It speaks to the value of working together and the fact that Chief Bell and the OPP and the RCMP and numerous other police agencies have been able to remove the illegal operation in Ottawa safely, carefully to ensure a minimum of injuries, speaks to the integrity, the professionalism of what we have seen with our frontline officers. It is incredible to me to see how well these officers have worked together from different agencies, from different police departments, and I am proud of the work that they have done and I am proud of the work that has happened as a result safely being able to deal with these illegal operations. Thank you. Supplementary question? Well, Speaker, the reality remains that this Premier had the tools to end this occupation much, much sooner and I think we are all grateful that it is over and for all the people on the front lines that helped to make that happen, we are all very grateful but this government could have acted sooner. We and others repeatedly called for the government, for this Premier to step up and revoke commercial vehicle operating licenses but the Premier said he couldn't and of course we all know that that wasn't accurate. It took the dump truck association to provide the proof that that wasn't accurate. This government could have protected our communities and protected our economy much, much sooner but they chose not to do so. So my question is why did the Premier not use the tools that he had to stop the occupation sooner rather than let them fester in Ottawa and in Windsor for three weeks? Mr. General. So again, Speaker, I will remind the member opposite that in fact the tools that the police have been using safely, professionally, carefully have been working. If there is anything that I regret about this instance is that a member of this parliamentary legislature was encouraging people to block 911 calls. If you want to talk about how we can do things better, we can make sure that individuals respect the rule of law, understand that there are opportunities, they were given multiple warnings, they were asked to leave, they were encouraged to leave, they were told what was going to happen if they did not leave, that has happened and again I will say it has happened safely. It's shameful that the government is not acknowledging that they had an important role to play here and they absconded when it comes to their responsibility. They were completely, completely MIA. But the bottom line is Ottawa is still going to need support and we know that the federal government is providing some financial support to businesses that were impacted and all businesses that I met with in Ottawa were very, very worried about the thousands of workers who are also impacted, who have also lost wages because of what happened for almost four weeks, over three weeks. In Windsor, uniform members were talking to me about the impact of the workers in the auto sector, manufacturing parts and other supply chain workers. The bottom line is they lost hours and they lost wages as well. So my question is, will this government step up now to support those workers who lost so much because they didn't move quickly enough and make sure that they are made whole because the Premier decided to sit on his hands and could have ended this sooner but chose not to. Mr. Penaes? Well thank you Mr. Speaker and it's nice to see everyone again in this house. Hello to all my colleagues. Mr. Speaker, many have been impacted by these numerous blockades and measures that Solicitor General mentioned were at various points illegal. Mr. Speaker, the families, the people who wanted to go to their jobs, the people who have the small businesses like in Ottawa have been impacted. There's no question about that. And that's why since day one we've been there to support the small businesses. We've been there with the small business grants who they are eligible for. We've been there with the property tax rebates and the electricity rebates which they are eligible for. We've been there for property tax and various provincially administered tax deferrals up to seven and a half billion dollars Mr. Speaker. But we recognize these are very unique circumstances and that's why I will have more to say in the very near future about supporting those businesses. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The next question, once again the Leader of the Opposition. Thanks so much Speaker. My next question is also for the Premier. We all know that everything costs more than ever here in the province of Ontario. Folks are having a hard time making ends meet. Inflation is running at 5.7% but nobody's wages are going up like that. In fact the Premier has decided through Bill 124 that he is going to keep wages as low as possible. Fact folks, as was mentioned earlier, are going to be on the lawn today to protest that wrong-headed decision. But when it comes to gas prices Speaker, this Premier said regarding a $1.50 gas price that was happening in the election. He said and I quote, I can tell you that's not going to happen under our watch. Well, the government's own gasoline price tracker is showing that gas prices are in fact $1.59 in most of Ontario. In the north $1.63 is the price of gas. And in the meantime oil companies are flush with cash. So my question is why did the Premier break his promise to keep the price of gasoline below $1.50 a litre? Speaker, it is really rich to hear the Leader of the Opposition talking about affordability for the people of the province of Ontario when on every opportunity the Leader of the Opposition and her colleagues had the opportunity to vote with Ontarians, to vote with this government when we have reduced taxes for the people of the province of Ontario to put more money back in their pockets. Now when we said colleagues, you'll remember this, when we said that the carbon tax would cost the people of the province of Ontario too much, they fought against us, Mr. Speaker. We said it would cost too much. We said it would cost everything too much. The produce in your stores, Mr. Speaker, driving your kids to sports, Mr. Speaker, everything would be more expensive because of a carbon tax. They said that that wouldn't happen, but we're seeing that today, Mr. Speaker. We're seeing that today. Now over the next few months, as we have done over the last three years, we're going to work harder to put even more money back into the pockets of the people of the province of Ontario, Mr. Speaker. Some great announcements with respect to a val tax for the Minister of Transportation, removing tolls, Mr. Speaker, from the 412 and the 418, putting more money back on the people of the province of Ontario's pockets. And I'm sure... Thank you. Thank you. Supplementary question? Well, Speaker, the Premier said that he'd lower hydro bills by 12% as well. And of course, we all know that that hasn't happened. I quote, he said he was going to do that without shady accounting tricks. The FAO report, however, Speaker says that hydro has gone up every year since this Premier has been in office, including during the pandemic. The FAO says, and I quote, the government does not intend to lower electricity bills by 12% from 2018 levels. Despite spending billions and billions of dollars, the government continues to increase the price of electricity in this province, each and every year. So my question is, why did this Premier outright break his promise to reduce electricity rates for the people of Ontario by 12%? From the House Leader? Again, thank you, Mr. Speaker. What the FAO did say was that the price of electricity was coming down for the people of the province of Ontario. What he also highlighted, Mr. Speaker, was that the contracts that we had to take over, that we had to assume supported every step of the way by the Leader of the Opposition, these high price for electricity, for power that we didn't need, that we could not afford, again, Mr. Speaker, all in this attempt at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, when we knew that the reason we had the cleanest electricity sector in North America was because of the hardworking men and women who work in our nuclear sector, Mr. Speaker. That is what happened. That is why we were able to bring that down. And because of the hard work of our government back in the two thousands, Harris and Yves, to eliminate coal-fired generation, Mr. Speaker, to eliminate coal-fired generation, that is what's helped us on greenhouse gas emissions. And now, all of a sudden, the NDP and the Liberals care about people's pocketbooks. Give me a break, Mr. Speaker. And the final supplement. Oh, boy, Speaker, this member needs to take a history lesson or two. But nonetheless, I think we all saw, first day back in the legislature, last session of this term, and the gimmicks and promises are rolling ahead like they did before the last election. Unfortunately, the people of Ontario are still suffering. In fact, one of the promises that this Premier actually kept was one that is making the cost of rent for people skyrocket in Ontario. He said he would end rent controls in 2018. And boy, did he do that. Now, renters are facing rent increases of up to 25%. Can you believe that? 25%. Last week, a study showed that the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the province of Ontario in various cities was skyrocketing. In Hamilton, you had to earn $70,000 a year to afford a one-bedroom apartment. In Ottawa, $73,000 a year to afford a one-bedroom apartment. In Toronto, $90,000. That's more than two to three times the average wage of a minimum wage worker. So what is this Premier going to do to undo the damage of the one promise that he did keep and address the crisis of unaffordable rents in our province? And, Mr. Speaker, we're seeing across the province of Ontario for the first time in decades more rental housing being built. We're seeing that because we are taking action to ensure that we can bring housing online much more quickly, Mr. Speaker. But look again at affordability. We're seeing auto insurance rates come down in the province of Ontario. Not because of the stretch goals that the Leader of the Opposition wanted, but because of the policies of this government. We're seeing a reduction in taxes for the people of the province of Ontario, more money in their pocket. We've eliminated tolls. The only two parties to put tolls have been the NDP and the Liberals, Mr. Speaker. And we're seeing jobs come back. The Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Mr. Speaker, is bringing back jobs through the auto sector. The economy is starting to boom again, Mr. Speaker. And it's because of the policies of this government, despite the fact that they vote against everything and work so closely with the Liberals to destroy this economy. We came into power and made sure that they couldn't... Next question. Stop the clock. Please start the clock. Next question. The member for Ottawa Centre. Thanks, Speaker. Like others have done today, I want to begin my question, which is to the Premier, by acknowledging what our city in Ottawa has had to live through. An occupation that's lasted three weeks, that at one point involved over 500 vehicles, Speaker. And I have to admit through you, it's been tough for me to realise why my city became a target. A target of sabotage attempts in apartment buildings, including arson attempts, the locking of doors, the shutting off of water and electricity systems, of constant blaring of truck and car horns, and harassment of people walking in the street, verbal and physical for wearing masks. Speaker, I ask the Premier, why did this happen? Having talked to convoy participants myself and so many residents, I believe many people who are part of this movement were taken advantage of by extremists who convinced them that the source of their problems involved harassing Ottawa residents. And what I believe, Speaker, is hate and division grows when people feel unheard. Are cities pleased for help when unheeded by a response from this government for 14 days? As those 14 days elapsed, that hate grew. So my question through you, Speaker, to the Premier, why did it take you so long to happen? Why did you let this hate grow? Take your comments through the chair to reply to the Government, the Member for the Solicitor General, rather. Thank you, Speaker. There is no doubt that the City of Ottawa, the people of Ottawa have experienced a very challenging three weeks. However, it is the opposite to suggest that there was no involvement or engagement from the provincial government, from provincial resources, is categorically false. From the beginning, actually before the protests even appeared in Ontario, we were having through the OPP, through the RCMP, conversations with police chiefs of jurisdiction to ensure that all information, all intelligence was shared so that people could prepare. Now, if the member opposite is suggesting that there needed to be a role where we directed police, I respectfully decline that. Our job is to ensure that the police have the resources that they need to effectively do their job. And the fact that we had an operation that, again, came from the City of Ottawa, came from the RCMP, came from the OPP, had cooperation with police services from across Ontario, and in fact... Thank you. Thank you. The supplementary question. Thanks, Speaker. Speaker, I find that to be a really tiresome answer. We've had to, in this parliamentary session, talk about this government's relationship to people like Faith Goldie and Charles McVeedy. And let's add to the list. What about Pat King? People who've made their lives work hating on our Jewish neighbors, our Muslim neighbors, our queer, transgender and non-binary neighbors. Where has your repudiation of them been in 14 days? Order. I want to ask that question on behalf of small businesses and workers. Workers like Liv. Liv works at a coffee shop. Just a stone's throw away from Parliament, Speaker. There were anti-mask hate folks that came into her workplace, demanded protest and wouldn't leave until they were escorted to leave, and they hung around outside the door after, Speaker, trapping the workers inside the building. That's how toxic it was within the first day of this protest. Security officials told us this was coming. Will this government today, with us, as an entire legislature, commit to condemning this hate, working to deprogram it, rebuilding, healing our communities? That's what we need today, not words. Thank you. No, Speaker, our government has consistently condemned hate wherever it comes from and to whomever it is directed. But I want people to understand that in the city of Ottawa, in Windsor, in Niagara, we had coordination, we had participation. There is opportunities for us to learn from those and see how well coordinated police can work together. But to suggest in any way that this is somehow directed by a government, by individuals within government, I think really is beneath the member opposite. We did what we needed to do. We gave the police services the resources they needed through the emergency measures. We have pulled CVORs to ensure that individuals who are in these illegal operations were dealt with and dealt with quickly. So we'll continue to work with our police partners, but I want to underline and remind the member that this was an illegal operation that was dealt with appropriately. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Ontario's automotive sector and the nearly 100,000 people employed by it are critical to Ontario's economy. Our auto sector is currently undergoing a transformational shift towards the production of electric vehicles, the car of the future. Can the Minister please inform this house how our government is making the necessary investments to ensure Ontario is a world leader in electric vehicle production? Good question. Development, Job Creation and Trade. Thank you, Speaker. Our government is committed to protecting Ontario's auto sector today while also investing in the technology of the future. That's why we were in Hamilton with the Premier last week to announce a generational investment in the largest private sector employer in the city. We were proud to announce $500 million of support for Arcelor Middle de Fasco's 1.8 billion dollar investment to produce green steel. With our support, AMD will replace their old coal-fired coke ovens and blast furnaces with new electric arc technology. This is a game changer speaker for Ontario's auto sector. You can't create the electric vehicle of the future with steel that's made from burning coal. Investments like these position Ontario's automotive sector and our supply chain are the success we know will happen. A supplementary question. For you, Speaker, I'd like to thank the Minister for that. This is a significant investment that will secure the economic future for Hamilton and the entire automotive supply chain. The link between green steel and Ontario's automotive sector is clear. Can the Minister update this House on what else Ontario is doing to secure the future of Ontario's automotive sector? Next is economic development. Speaker, we announced Phase 2 of our driving prosperity plan. Since then, Ontario's automakers have announced $6 billion in new investments. Over $4 billion of that is in electric vehicles. We are supporting these manufacturers. We are working day and night to support electric vehicle battery production right here in Ontario. In addition to the $500 million investment in green steel, we are investing $12 million in our automotive parts, tool, die and mold makers. We are also supporting our auto tech sector with $54 million to expedite electric driving developments. Finally, we are investing in our critical mineral sector where we will bring Northern Ontario into the automotive game for the first time in 120 years. The signal from our auto sector is clear. We will continue to produce the cars of the future and we are committed to supporting them. Thank you. Next question, the member for Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. My questions to the Premier. Every province and territory has signed the federal $10 day child care agreement except Ontario. Last week, the federal government revealed that they are still waiting for the forward government in order to access $10.2 billion in funding. Speaker, my question is simple. Does this government even have a plan? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question from the member opposite. Of course, we said right from the beginning, Speaker, that we wanted to ensure that we had a child care plan that worked for the people of the province of Ontario. It had to be stable, it had to be long term funding, Mr. Speaker, that met the goals of a $10 day child care program. Surely the member opposite would all agree that we have to get to that point, Mr. Speaker. We have seen what federal promises have done in health, Mr. Speaker, when they promised 50% and then reduced it to 22% funding, Mr. Speaker. Order. We will not enter into a new program that does not give the people of the province of Ontario surety that they will continue to get. Order. They will continue to get the support that they need. Now, we're hearing the Leader of the Opposition hollering across the aisle. We've heard about stretch goals that accomplish nothing, Mr. Speaker. That is the history of the NDP in this place. For us, it's about publishing things for the people of the province of Ontario despite all of the hollering that gets nowhere. The Leader of the Opposition will come to order. Supplementary question. Speaker, through you, I say to the Minister, enough excuses to delay any further is the foreign government telling the people of Ontario that their political games are more important than helping families. If the government has the plan, as the Minister says, then why the stonewalling every other province and territory has managed to get this done, why not Ontario? Mr. Speaker, we have a significantly different childcare program than almost every other province in this country, Speaker, a program that was made ostensibly more costly and expensive for the people of the province of Ontario because of the policies of the previous Liberal government supported by the NDP who could not often enough get their hands in the pockets of the people of the province of Ontario. It wasn't enough that they increased taxes. It wasn't enough that they increased hydro rates. It wasn't enough that they drove away jobs. They also made it unaffordable to put your kids in childcare and now they're suggesting we should sign a deal that isn't guaranteeing a $10 a day. Just put our hands up and say we'll take care because the people of the province of Ontario can't afford to pay it. Well, I'm telling you they can't and that's why we will stand up for a childcare deal that works for the people of the province of Ontario that gives us long-term stability that ensures that we get to $10 a day. That's our goal. I'm surprised to hear that the opposition don't share the same goal. The next question, the Member for Cambridge. Speaker, my question is for the Premier. Last night the federal Trudeau Liberal has passed a motion to extend the continued use of special policing measures for a situation that no longer exists or requires them. The Conservative Party of Canada opposed the extension of these measures which gives the federal government the ability to freeze bank accounts and credit cards, put in police checkpoints and separate parents from children all without due process ordinarily given under the law. Why does this Ontario government continue to prop up Justin Trudeau this time by supporting the continued extension of these authoritarian and unwarranted special federal measures when the situation used to justify them no longer exists? Stop the clock. We had difficulty hearing parts of the question because the Member for Orléane was heckling loudly and the Member for Carlton was heckling loudly but ask you to come to order. Start the clock to reply on behalf of the Government. The Government House Leader. The Federal Parliament made a decision yesterday that was supported by the majority of the House of Commons. We will respect that decision but I think what you hear is the ongoing issues with respect to the COVID response. It has been very difficult as the Member for Ottawa said, people are frustrated and they are angry and we have to make sure we do a better job of understanding what that anger is about. We heard from farmers. Farmers were protesting from different families who were protesting. They were protesting the high cost of living some people were protesting the fact that a carbon tax put so much more costs on farmers and their ability to bring their food to market. There is a whole range of issues that these protests need to be addressed by our legislature across this country Mr. Speaker. Of course we will let the Federal Government make decisions on behalf of the Federal Government but ultimately we all have to do a better job of understanding what it is that brought people to Ottawa Mr. Speaker. Supplementary question. Premier Kenny of Alberta they both oppose the Trudeau Government's authoritarian special measures. Member Parliament Leslin Lewis who the Premier gave a Government appointment to on the Ontario Trillium Foundation said the Trudeau Government's special measures is about one thing to financially attack and silence people he despises for disagreeing with him. Even Premier Kenny who Premier Ford once stood shoulder to shoulder with announced Alberta is filing a court challenge against the Federal Government's special measures. Why won't this Government stop propping up the Trudeau Government and instead of being in the back pocket of the Prime Minister try standing up for Ontarians and join Alberta in court to challenge the Federal Government's unnecessary, destructive and authoritarian measures. To respond Government House Speaker. Again Mr. Speaker I think it is that type of language that helps to inflame and get people really misunderstanding how Government has responded to the COVID-19 crisis. Look first and foremost we want to ensure that the people of the province of Ontario were safe through the COVID crisis Mr. Speaker but let's be honest and let's be clear about what we saw in these protests all of us it doesn't matter who is in what side of the chamber all of us of course nobody supports the symbols of hate nobody supports the absolutely ridiculous aims of the protest organisers speaker. We're all on the same page on that. But let's be clear there were farmers there who were protesting the high cost of fuel. There were families who were there protesting the cost of living in this country of speaker. There was a whole other subset of people who were there for different reasons. Now we can continue to inflame that Mr. Speaker for I'm not sure why or we can look at what it was and what has caused people to go to Ottawa what has caused them to go to the ambassador bridge but make no mistake about it we will always stand up for law and order we'll always stand up for the authority of the state Mr. Speaker that is our job and we will continue to make sure that that happens. Thank you Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question is for the minister of economic development job creation and trade. Mr. Speaker when our government took office Ontario had become a high cost jurisdiction manufacturers were leaving the province Ontario's economy and our families were suffering. Through you Mr. Speaker can the minister please outline how the previous government propped up by the NDP allowed this to happen and what our government has done to rebuild Ontario. Thank you Mr. economic development job creation trade. Speaker the previous government gave up on Ontario's manufacturing sector here are a few excerpts from thankfully what turned out to be their final report on the economy here's what they wanted to happen quote the structure of the Ontario economy will continue to shift from goods producing to service producing sectors in particular manufacturing to service sector industries they gave up on manufacturing they threw in the towel well we did not give up on our manufacturers instead we reduced their burden to regain our long held position as the economic engine of Canada. We will never give up on the people of Ontario like the previous government did supplementary Thank you minister through you Mr. Speaker most statements from the Liberals last report on the economy were shocking to hear a government that gave up on one of our most important sectors business owners in Ontario deserve to know that they have a government that will continue to have their back by making meaningful investments in Ontario businesses that are creating good jobs and helping to protect our economy so through you Mr. Speaker my question to the minister is our government taking to bolster the economy and reduce the cost of doing business in Ontario Thank you when our government took office we knew the cost of doing business under the Liberals was too high and that's why we moved very quickly to introduce policies that lowered the costs of doing business like lowering WSIB premiums without reducing benefits which resulted in the savings of over $2 billion annually so Ontario companies could write off new equipment in year that's a billion dollar savings every year we introduced eight red tape production bills and reduced the burden on business saving them nearly $400 million a year and the latest savings are the reduction of commercial and industrial hydro rates by 15 and 17 percent respectively Premier or Speaker these actions and more are saving businesses $7 billion each and every year and that's why businesses have a renewed confidence in Ontario Thank you very much Speaker and my question is to the Premier Speaker everyone knows that the last Conservative government made wrong decisions about the 407 toll route and now clearly this Conservative Government is too and the public both times is losing out According to a Toronto Star investigation published today there was a $1 billion congestion penalty from the operators of the 407 ETR toll highway last year we were told there was no congestion anywhere so there was no justification for collecting a congestion penalty but now we have proof of what everyone knew back then all the highways were congested except for the 407 ETR because the tolls were too high the tolls were too high because the Premier refused to enforce the contract why did the Premier give a gift to the private operators of the 407 toll highway while failing to relieve congestions on all the other highways Thank you very much Speaker and I'm happy to answer that question this morning and I'd like to welcome all my colleagues back to the chamber as well Speaker this last two years has been very difficult it's been some unprecedented circumstances that all Ontarians have faced they've had to comply with stay at home orders of COVID-19 and this resulted in the 407 invoking the relief clause under the contract with the Ministry of Transportation at the very beginning of the pandemic our government froze tolls on highways 407 East, 412 and 418 to deliver more relief for drivers and we will gladly compare our record on tolls with the Liberals supported by the NDP Speaker we have gone even further and we've recently announced the permanent removal of tolls on highways 412 and 418 but there's more to be done and that's why we are doing more this morning our government announced the elimination of tolls for drivers across this province this is real relief Speaker we're going to continue to support drivers across this entire province until we're back on that road to recovery and prosperity Thank you Speaker and again to the Highway 407 was so underused that a plane could land on it without difficulty a billion dollars is a lot of money to forgive imagine how much a billion could support existing infrastructure but even more interesting is the story that can be told if we allow congestion to grow instead of better utilizing the 407 this government is bent on justifying building the 413 through Hill and Dale the Premier would rather let the private operators of the highway keep collecting excessively high tolls from drivers than enforce the contract and maximize traffic flow throughout the highway network and as an excuse to waste 10 billion dollars of public money on an unnecessary new highway through the green belt whose main beneficiaries are friends and donors of this Premier so my question is this instead of wasting all of that money why won't the Premier simply make better use of the underused 407 highway that is already there and while he's at it, collect the 1 billion, thanks the associate minister so Speaker there's some puzzling contradictions in the question here on the one hand the members talking about congestion and how it affects Ontarians we agree in fact the GTA is going to grow to 8.5 million people in the next 10 years there's unprecedented growth on the way that means more congestion on our highways more need for transit system more need for highways and I think that's what the member is saying but I'm also hearing the members say it's been a very difficult time for Ontarians which means that people in this province need more relief and that's exactly why we would remove tolls on highways 412 and 418 that's why we're making life more affordable for drivers across this province by doing the things that matter to people's pocketbook speaker I don't blame people for wanting to move to this great province we're going to plan for the future unlike the Liberals and the NDP very much Mr. Speaker my questions for the Premier thanks to officers from Ottawa Ontario and across Canada the three week occupation of Ottawa has come to an end it should never have come to this lawlessness, intimidation threats to schools and lost paychecks the member from Ottawa Centre was right residents were not safe in their own neighbourhoods and for two weeks the Premier's message to those residents was you're on your own he wanted it to be somebody else's problem and on February 6th the Solicitor General said 100 OPP officers have been sent to Ottawa that number was closer to 150 it took a four day blockade in Windsor before the Premier took any action and speakers through you how can any community in Ontario have confidence that this Premier will be there for them and not abandon them the way that he did the people of Ottawa and Windsor in this situation thank you Solicitor General thank you Speaker when you actually do the math of how many officers there were per day over the course of the illegal operation you see that there was participation from RCMP from OPP from Peel from Toronto from Hamilton I could go on the point is Chief of Police in Ottawa worked with the OPP Commissioner they came up with an operational plan that was agreed upon by all three two commissioners and the Ottawa Chief and it was executed and again I have to say what is your option sir was your option that you expected political people to be interfering with policing operation I respectfully and categorically refuse that we need to have police doing their job as politicians we have absolutely given them additional resources supplementary question once again the member for Ottawa South come to order the member for Ottawa Vanya thank you Mr. Speaker I've seen this occupation first time in fact I was practically in the middle of it and I just want to say on the ground I didn't see these more officers the questions I've been asked the most by people in Ottawa is where has the provincial government been the businesses and workers have been feeling abandoned by their government workers that have lost their paycheck because they couldn't go to work business that had to remain closed because they couldn't open the residents of Ottawa the residents of Ottawa asking the government to step up to at least match the federal 20 million fund that is being offered provide IDRO bills forgiveness moratorium on evictions because business are worries so the minister of finance says help us on the way have more to say we're listening thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member opposite for that very important question as I said earlier Mr. Speaker many businesses across Ontario in fact right across this nation have been impacted on the last two years and none more so than Ottawa in the last couple of weeks and so that's why it's important that we reiterate that they qualify and have qualified for the property tax rebate the electricity rebate by the way the portals still open portals are still open for the grants they still have the opportunity to defer the provincially administered taxes of which there are over a dozen of which add up to about 7.5 billion dollars that will be interest free and penalty free Mr. Speaker we've been there since day one for businesses over 6 billion dollars we'll continue to be there for businesses right across this great province including the businesses in Ottawa thank you very much thank you so much Speaker my question is to the minister of long-term care Speaker long-term care as a sector has been long neglected by successive governments between 2011 and 2018 the previous Liberal government only managed to build 611 net new beds that is an increase of only 0.8 percent while the population of Ontarians aged 75 and over grew by 20 percent Speaker that is only 611 beds for over 176 thousand people the citizens of Mississauga have long called on previous governments to deliver new long-term care beds that will serve the linguistic and cultural needs of our seniors and that is why I was so proud to recently welcome the minister and my Mississauga colleagues to my writing to announce an allocation of 128 beds by the sex ship organization of Mississauga the Coptic Church of Virgin Mary and Saint Athanasius this was a long awaited and absolutely phenomenal news Speaker through you can the minister please elaborate on our government's plan to fix long-term care Thank you very much let me just thank the honourable member for her hard work not only in helping secure this long-term care new long-term care facility she's been on the front lines and has been working every single day to make Ontario even a better place let me just congratulate all of the Mississauga members of parliament their hard work helped us secure funding and the ability to bring a new long-term care facility to the community and she referenced 128 new beds now again Mr. Speaker put that into contrast 128 new beds that is on top of the other announcements that we've made for new beds and upgrades it's over 1200 new and upgraded beds for Mississauga alone now the member is and it's not a mistake she isn't mistaken when she says that the previous Liberal government was only able to previous Liberal governments and in four of those years of course supported by the NDP only brought in 611 Mr. Speaker creating 30,000 new spaces for our seniors the supplementary question thank you Speaker and thank you to the Minister for that response 1251 beds is an incredible number and that's one bed shy of double what the previous government built in seven years and that's just in our city of Mississauga Minister we have heard from Ontarians across the province that meeting the linguistic and cultural needs of our seniors in long-term care is vital to ensuring their well-being that is why I was so proud to bring my motion on linguistically appropriate care last year and see it passed unanimously I also want to acknowledge the passionate work of my colleague the member from Mississauga Erin Mills who is an absolute champion for Mississauga's Coptic and Egyptian community and whose advocacy continues to be positively impactful for our city with this recent announcement we are continuing to consider the cultural, linguistic and spiritual needs of our seniors as we build these new homes back to the Minister can you please explain what is our government doing to ensure that seniors in Mississauga and across Ontario receive culturally and linguistically appropriate care actually a really good question because it's something that we heard right from the beginning from people across the province as much as it's important to bring you long-term care online it is also when a province is diverse as a province of Ontario it is also important to bring in culturally long-term care homes that respect people's culture that people can communicate in that's why I was very happy when the Mississauga team of course led by our first Coptic Christian ever elected Mississauga Erin Mills and the entire Mississauga team we didn't stop there the members from Brampton talked about the Hindu and Sikh community having a home specific for them we were able to bring that online Speaker the member for Mark and Soren Hill of course talked about the importance of the Chinese Canadian community in his community and in mine so we were able to bring that online Speaker it is actually shocking that the province of Ontario this wasn't something that we ever thought of Speaker so along with their hard work their quality of care second to none Mr. Speaker thank you the next question the member from north-south-western my question is to the Premier small businesses have struggled during the pandemic and I have heard many of those in my community of York-South-Western many have complained about the Ontario small business support grant program and the many difficulties navigating that program who North-Jong owner of Shells and Nills and Spa was forced to close due to the COVID restrictions and despite applying for the grant neither approval nor denied was received what is the government doing to address a grant program identified by the auditor general as a problematic situation here thank you the associate minister of small business and red tape production member opposite for his question speaker our government recognized that small businesses impacted by public health measures required immediate support so they could continue serving their communities and employing people across our province and our goal was to get money to these businesses quickly because we knew these employees were affected by these strengthened public health measures through the Ontario COVID-19 small business relief grant providing an additional $10,000 for eligible businesses speaker this builds on the nearly $3 billion that we provided last year through the Ontario small business support grant to over 110,000 businesses right across our province speaker this is an extraordinary historic level of support that went out to all of our small business and I have more to say in the supplementary thank you supplementary question thank you back to the premier here this is a letter I wrote to the minister of the economic development jobs and trade and we have no answer yet and my constituent took malicious notes of her interactions with the ministry and failure by the minister to respond in time or at all is unacceptable when we know that the government awarded 210 million to ineligible recipients how is it that who who did everything right could not even get a resolution to her application I'm calling on the government to review her case to determine what went wrong and will the minister also respond to my letter addressing this case as a new round of business support come online we need to ensure this mismanagement does not occur again Mr. Speaker thank you speaker once again thank you to the member opposite for the question Mr. Speaker I think it was just critical that our government as soon as possible got the funding out to the eligible businesses that applied through public health measures we had to close down a number of business including gyms restaurant for indoor dining and we wanted to make sure those who received the second round of grants previously we just sent them a very quick email where they were able to respond that they were still in business and that they were under 100 employees and the turnaround time to get that $10,000 to them was just a few days this is historic for any government the previous to be able to get money into the hands of those business who desperately needed them but not only that we allowed the business as they sold best this is their business they knew where they needed that money whether it was to pay for rent for taxes or anything else and we've responded in many other ways property tax relief many other areas in relief for them for example of PPE we gave them $1,000 for PPE thank you thank you very much the next question the member for as well thank you speaker my question is for the premier the health care system is hanging on by a thread nurses are at a breaking point feeling overworked underpaid and underappreciated the ONA says we're facing a nursing shortage of as high as 20% in hospitals ICU has reduced capacity because we don't have nurses to staff them the surgery backlog is getting worse because we don't have nurses to staff them this directly affects patient care nurses are at Queen's Park today asking for fair compensation fair wages and benefits like access to mental health supports and services so speaker will the premier do the right thing show nurses the respect they deserve and finally revoke bill 124 so new nurses can negotiate the compensation they deserve for working so hard caring for us thank you very much Mr. Speaker and our government is incredibly grateful for the contributions of Ontario's health care workers throughout this pandemic and our government has been there to support our health care system our health care workers throughout this entire pandemic and Mr. Speaker that is why this government has extended and over $342 million in the 2021 and 2022 to add over 5,000 new up-skilled registered nurses and registered practical nurses as well as an additional 8,000 personal support workers this included providing 500 registered nurses with specialized acute care training 420 registered nurses with an existing commitment for nursing Mr. Speaker our government's priority is the health and safety of all Ontarians and we have been singularly focused on ensuring that everyone is kept safe through this very much supplementary question back to the member opposite the government has been there to cap total compensation for nurses by 1% over 3 years given the inflation we're experiencing nurses are not only asking for fair wages they're asking for benefits such as access to mental health supports and services so after 2 years of the pandemic I can tell you all Ontarians are asking for additional access to mental health supports and services so Speaker if the government is going to clearly say no paying nurses a fair wage and fair benefits will the government at least say yes to my motion to make mental health care more affordable and accessible by expanding mental health care services coverage under OHIP and to the respond the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions thank you Mr. Speaker and I'd like to remind everyone what we are in fact doing for our frontline workers since the beginning of the pandemic we've seen how significant the impacts have been on the mental health of Ontarians including the frontline healthcare workers that's why our government invested $12.4 million over 2 years to provide existing and expanded mental health and addiction supports for all frontline healthcare workers across the province and this investment will protect our progress in the fight against COVID-19 supporting the workforce in the acute care sector long-term care and home and community care sectors as well and that is what our intentions is to ensure that we do have these supports in place we also took actions to invest another $23.6 million to expand access to internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy to further support our frontline workers and over 70,000 people have subscribed to the program as well as 10,000 healthcare workers and we are doing everything we can to help support our frontline healthcare workers thank you the next question the member for Waterloo thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is to the Minister of Education Mr. Speaker in an announcement yesterday that was months overdue the government said it would finally be providing HEPA filters for school and childcare settings two years into this pandemic we've known for some time that this goal to get indoor air closer to outdoor air with constant well-mixed ventilation and to lower CO2 as much as possible with the help of portable HEPA filters in order to keep students safe at school needs to happen we have all heard this from parents, from community leaders from medical professionals yet the government has operated with zero sense of urgency to get an adequate amount of HEPA filters to schools and to childcare centres Mr. Speaker the government explained why these 49,000 filters are only being sent to school boards now when we are over halfway through the school year and two years into this pandemic to respond the government has said it thank you very much Mr. Speaker of course we have we've known how important it is to improve air quality in our schools and in settings where we've provided over 8,000 HEPA filters speak of course the minister of community social services children community social services has been on the forefront of helping us better understand the importance of that in combating COVID Mr. Speaker having said that when it comes to our education sector actually 70,000 units have been delivered to schools across the province of Ontario so I'm uncertain as to where the member is coming from not only have 70,000 been delivered but we're actually increasing that by 3,000 because you know there are options additional options whether it's to ensure that units stay in the best condition to continue to provide service but as I said 70,000 of course the minister of government services has also been on the forefront of securing that I don't think there's a jurisdiction in Canada that has done better than these ministers have in helping keep our schools safe supplementary well let me help the house leader then Mr. Speaker for months the premier the minister of health minister of education wanted us to believe that schools already had these air filters and HVAC upgrades that they needed in fact last September the minister of education guaranteed that he had given school boards enough money and time to get mechanical ventilation or HEPA units into every classroom in my writing as recently as last week Thursday to be exact just one in five school board classrooms had HEPA filter units in every school school boards even had to go to such lengths as to fundraise for HEPA filters we are fundraising we're asking community members and teachers and educational staff to fundraise for basic health and safety measures in Ontario this has become a full-blown equity issue Mr. Speaker can the minister guarantee that these additional filters that were just announced yesterday every single school every single classroom every single child care centre will have the health and safety measures that they need and a HEPA filter in every classroom to apply the government I think it's worth noting that the opposition actually voted against these measures it is very rich to hear they're now suggesting well we should put HEPA filters in our classrooms we first provided 70,000 HEPA filters we're providing even more we've provided the tools whether it's rapid testing whether it's screening in our schools whether it's bringing vaccination clinics right into the schools so that our kids could have the safety and security that we all Ontarians have asked for and that has allowed us to move forward in education Speaker now of course it's not just about that moving forward we want to have the best quality of education in the country we want to move ourselves away from the legacy of the previous liberal government that saw our kids last when it came to science saw them last when it came to math we want to prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow and that is what we are doing and we can do that by making sure our schools are safe and that is what we have done in the pandemic that's what we're doing before the pandemic and we will continue to do for many years to come thank you speaker my question is to the premier Gildwood has been a COVID-19 hotspot throughout this entire pandemic including the most recent Omicron wave last week a peer reviewed article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal outlined what everyone in my writing already knows that areas in this province that face systemic inequities and social determinants of health and have vibrant black indigenous and other equity deserving communities with recent immigrants have higher rates of COVID-19 transmissions this article concludes that there needs to be a geographical prioritization of resources and services that are tailored to addressing these inequities speaker the science is clear people's lived experience and tragedies with COVID-19 have confirmed it will the premier follow the science and create tailored programs to address inequities in our province minister of health thank you very much to the member for the question as the member will know during the course of this pandemic we did target specific areas where we knew that there was a higher level of transmission that there were many issues that were involved we specifically targeted with more vaccination clinics and more opportunities for people to be vaccinated so that those inequities would not continue as a result we did see in many parts of Ontario where the areas that were targeted had higher rates of vaccination than other areas that is continuing now of course with the testing people can have access to the rapid antigen test because Ontario was able to secure a significant supply we have 5.5 million tests going out per week to 2,385 pharmacies and grocery stores across the province plus in community partners we have 500,000 tests per week those are going to places like community health centers homeless shelters and other places where we know that there could be that level of inequity that's where we're making sure that they get those volumes of tests to address those issues thank you very much that concludes our question period for this morning and I beg to inform the House that pursuant to standing order 101C changes have been made to the order on a list of citizens on the ballot list of positive members public business such that Mr. Manta assumes ballot item number 30 Ms. Beagram assumes ballot item number 33 Mr. Hassan assumes ballot item number 30 Mr. Manta assumes ballot item number 61 Mr. Bursch assumes ballot item 41 and Mrs. Gretsy bo- it right item 66 House stands in recess until 3 p.m.