 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Nicodon. Thank you. I have a question for the Minister of Health. Can the Minister of Health provide an update on how many hospital emergency rooms were closed over the long weekend due to staff shortages? Thank you, Speaker, and this is a great opportunity for me to once again highlight the plans that we have in place. Of course, we've already done a lot of things in terms of short, medium and long-term goals. First of all, of course, we have 3,500 hospital beds that are operating in the province of Ontario that were not as short as three years ago. We have 11, sorry, we have 10,900 new healthcare professionals working in the province of Ontario today. We will continue to work with our hospital partners to make sure that when short-term emergency department closures happen, whether that is for an hour, four hours, a shift or a weekend, we ensure with Ontario Health that when possible, locums come in, we make sure that those partners and the people in those communities have appropriate healthcare as quickly as we can. Thank you, Speaker. Is that the next good question? Well, Speaker, across the province this weekend, hospital after hospital announced that they would be closing their emergency rooms. Campville District Hospital, Colton Place and District Memorial Hospital, Glingary Memorial Hospital, Chelsea Hospital, the list goes on. To quote one ER doctor, we are playing a game of Russian roulette with people's lives. It is an indictment of the Minister of Health and her failure to understand the breath of the crisis. Does the Minister admit it is a crisis and that her government response to date has failed us? The Minister of Health. Speaker, I think it's really important to remind the member opposite and frankly the people of Ontario as they continue to fear monger that 9 out of 10 in high emergency patients finish their emergency visit within target times and surgeries are happening at 88% of their pre-pandemic. You know, the member opposite can breed fear and we will continue to get the job done and that includes working with the College of Physicians that internationally educated experts in the healthcare field are able to get their accreditation and licensing quickly in the province of Ontario. Thank you. Final supplementary. Coal's emergency rooms puts people's life at risk. This is a fact. At a time when the government should be building our healthcare system, this government froze nurses' wages. They threatened seniors with massive fees if they refused to move to sub-standard for-profit facilities far away from their family. Doctors and healthcare executives have come forward to call this plan morally wrong, deeply disturbing and likely to worsen our healthcare crisis, Speaker. Will the minister take action today? First, repeal Bill 124, then Bill 7 and start respecting the nurses we so desperately need. Minister Health. Speaker, with the greatest of respect, I don't need to start today because our government started four plus years ago to make sure we have capacity in the province of Ontario. We have to, you know, I highlight 400 physicians in the province of Ontario that are practicing and supporting workers in northern and rural Ontario's like the member opposite's own communities. We're working with the College of Physicians and Surgeons. We're working with the College of the Nurses to make sure that those internationally educated graduates are able to practice in Ontario now in our communities. Thank you, Speaker. Next question, the member for Davenport. Good morning, Mr. Speaker. This question is for the Minister of Education. Students are heading back to school today across most of our province, and I think I speak for, yeah. Mr. Speaker, for most of us in wishing them all the best, a fantastic first week and a really great year ahead. Public health experts, yes. Public health experts, though, are warning of another fall wave of COVID-19. But this time, most of the health measures that were in place will not be there. Speaker, the government's inaction led to schools being closed longer in Ontario than anywhere else. Can the Minister remind us of how many weeks schools were closed and assure families things will be different this time? Thank you. Thank you. You know, when Dr. Kieran Moore came out and explained to the people of Ontario, in particular, the parents, that we have a plan that will ensure that our young students are able to practice in schools. It is exactly what we need. It is exactly what parents have been asking for. It is exactly what students and educators want. We want to make sure that children in the province of Ontario are safely able to do what they want to do in school, participate in extracurricular, make sure that they have that opportunity to join with their peers and connect with their teachers. We are doing that in the province of Ontario because of the historic investments. 600 nurses that are working across the education sector. The addition of mental health supports that are so critical to make sure that as children come into the province, they have those supports where they need them. We'll continue to do that work. The member opposite can continue to fear longer. We'll get the job done. 28 weeks. That's the Minister's record. 28 weeks of school closures. Speaker, vaccination is absolutely critical to ensuring that kids can learn uninterrupted. Stop the clock. Member for Davenport has the right to place her question. I ask the government side to allow me to hear it. Order. Order. Start the clock. Member for Davenport. Speaker, they don't like to be reminded of their failures. But let me tell you, vaccination is going to be absolutely key. And you guys, the truth. Among kids 5 to 11, less than 40% have had both first shots of the COVID vaccine. This weekend, in Ottawa, Dr. Kaplan-Mirth and volunteers held another successful Jabba-Palooza event. They helped get 355 kids a back-to-school booster. While communities are taking matters into their own hands, what's this government's plan to boost vaccine coverage for our students? Minister of Education. Mr. Speaker, this question coming from the member who would have closed schools the entire school year. Mr. Speaker, they have no credibility. But where this government, who we seek to follow, is the advice of the Chief Medical Officer. Who said just last week, quote, I'm confident this school year will be just that safe and healthy. Mr. Speaker, I joined the member from Mississauga Centre this morning at a brand new school built and funded by our Premier in Mississauga. And to see these kids smile again, to see them share with their educators, get a hug from their teacher, high-five their friends, it was everything. It's what we're here to do in education. To inspire these kids to believe again in a publicly funded education and to actually be kids with their friends. Speaker, this school year is going to be more normal, it's going to be more stable, and it's going to be much more enjoyable. As the Minister of Health noted, the efforts in sports, the mental health lift, the tutoring investments, all this is designed to get these kids back on track. Lots of normal school year, but it's going to take a whole lot more than some wishful thinking from this government. And that means real people in real classrooms, not just pretty words in an expensive government ad campaign and threats to education workers. Last year, we know that this government ended up spending 900 million less on education than they committed. Will the government commit today to spend every single cent in education on keeping our schools safely open? Thank you, Speaker. Students in this province are returning to more normal, stable, enjoyable schools, and we couldn't be more excited for them. And to start the school year off with an additional 650 million more dollars to ensure they catch up. A program, Speaker, that allows 5,000 additional frontline staff to support our kids to keep them on track. That is a plan that underscores the commitments to the publicly funded education to help these kids get back on track with their studies and to restore the physical mental health benefits that come with our schools. Mr. Speaker, we're excited for these kids. This is why we're here, to get them on track with their studies after two years of difficulty. And we owe it to all of them as a parliament to come together to ensure that they stay in school without interruption right to June. Next question, the member for Hamilton Mountain. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. This summer, over 230 community and social service organizations wrote to the government calling for them to double the social assistance rates. Rates for Ontario Works and ODSP have been frozen for four years, and inflation is at a 40-year high. The government's 5% increase to ODSP and nothing for Ontario Works recipients won't even be close enough to cover the cost of rising basic needs. Will the government recognize that more needs to be done to support social assistance recipients and double the rates for ODSP and Ontario Works today? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the opposition for the question. We'll always be there for the most vulnerable, always happy. The previous government ignored ODSP, Mr. Speaker, for 15 years. One of the first things we did when we took office, we increased ODSP, Mr. Speaker. And now, Mr. Speaker, we're doing it again. We're increasing it by 5%. This is the largest increase in over a decade. As the NDP and Liberals stood there and starved these people, we increased it by 5% largest in a full decade. We'll always fight for the people that need our help. That's the reason we lower the taxes to 1.7 million people, lower income people. They are going to have the burden of the tax that the previous government put on, Mr. Speaker. We lowered the gas tax by 5.7 cents on top of the 4.3 cents, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The official opposition will come to order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Since the Premier thinks his historic increase is so great, I invite him to try living on it. Today, my colleagues and I are beginning a two-week advocacy effort living on an approximate social assistance grocery budget of $95.21. We are undertaking this effort in solidarity with the thousands of social assistance recipients and community organizations that have been imploring this government for years to raise the rates. Speaker, will the Premier and the Minister for Community and Social Services join us in the solidarity effort with social assistance recipients? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for the question. Our government is continuing to support those who need it most, whether it's people who need job re-skilling and retraining or people who are unable to work. And that's exactly why we increased the ODSP rates to a historic 5% and aligned it with inflation, because we know that high inflationary times are troublesome and make it that more difficult for people. We've also got the discretionary benefit. We've created the lift and the care tax credits, and we increased the rates at the very beginning. If you look at our track record throughout the years that we've been here, we started with an increase that the Liberals never did, and then we created the Social Services Relief Fund of $1 billion for people during a very difficult time. And all the while we created programs to help people, the micro-credentialing, the energy and property tax relief, the Ontario Trillium Fund. The list goes on. We are continuing to work on this. We know that people need support, and we're continuing to do just that. Question, the member for Sarnia Lampden. Thank you, Speaker. And yesterday being Labor Day, a day set out to recognize the sacrifice and dedication of this province's hardworking women and men. Unfortunately, many have come to view it only as a day off that marks the unofficial end of summer. The economic strength of this province is built upon the sacrifice of our carpenters, electricians, plumbers, and the full array of blue-collar skilled trade workers. Our economic success has only been made possible by the hardworking men and women of this province, helping to build and maintain the infrastructure that keeps us safe and secure each and every day. Because of that sacrifice of those in the front line, our province was able to emerge out of this worse to the COVID pandemic. Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Labor, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. What is our government doing to support all workers of this province? What are we going to do to recognize and thank them? Mr. Labor, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Great. Well, thank you. And I want to thank the member from Sarnia-Lampton for that question. But more importantly, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank him for his leadership on the ground in Sarnia. The MPP from Sarnia-Lampton really is why we're doing a lot of the work we're doing. He was a union member, Mr. Speaker, and also on the management side. So to the member, thank you for everything that you've done. Mr. Speaker, our government stands with working people right across Ontario. They are our everyday heroes. On Monday, members of our government and myself had the great honour of marching shoulder to shoulder with union leaders and workers at Labor Day celebrations across Ontario. Together, we are working for workers. We are leading the way in Canada and right across North America with common sense measures that support hardworking people and their families. And Mr. Speaker, we're just getting started. Our government is on a mission to make Ontario the greatest place in the world to live, work, and raise a family. And the supplementary question. Well, thank you, Speaker. The people of my riding know that this province faces many challenges. They see that we are currently encountering a housing crisis. And the only way to solve it is by working with our skilled carpenters and tradespeople. They see that we have a supply chain shortage and we will address that through the hard work of our truck drivers and teamsters. They see that we're facing a global economic uncertainty driven by dangerous actors in China and Russia. Ontario can provide that economic leadership by regaining its manufacturing materials leadership role once again, ensuring financial security for our global partners. So many people see Ontario as a beacon for economic opportunity and I'm pleased that our government embraces us. Once again, Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Labor, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. What is our government doing to support and partner with our workers as they help us to become a powerhouse once again? Thank you. Mr. Labor. Great. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Our government under the leadership of Premier Ford has an ambitious plan to build Ontario and put workers in the driver seat of our future. In our last working for workers bill, we introduced first of their kind measures to deliver better jobs and bigger paychecks for workers in Ontario. We've also hired over 100 new health and safety inspectors to make sure workers are safe and return home to their families every single day. We've introduced the right to disconnect, which will allow workers to enjoy their off time with their friends, but most importantly, their families. And we've made unprecedented investments in training for in-demand jobs to tackle our historic labour shortage and grow Ontario's economy. Mr. Speaker, we're rolling up our sleeves and getting things done for the workers of Ontario. Member for Kiwetnau. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Speaker, Bill 7 is not an appropriate solution for Northern Ontario. Elders like Garnet Anjikhanep, who is directly impacted, has reached out to my office. Garnet is an Indian residential school survivor who is now at the end of his life. And he is being institutionalized again by Bill 7. Speaker, this is not right. My question is how is moving elders away from their families a human solution? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. In fact, what Bill 7 seeks to do is improve the quality of care for our seniors who are in hospital. I mean, it is very, very clear, Mr. Speaker, that if the member for Niagara Falls would like to hear the answer to the question that his colleague closed, I think that would probably be beneficial to the House. What the Bill actually does, Mr. Speaker, is provide a better quality of care, the right care in the right place at the right time. I think we would all agree that for our seniors that they deserve the best quality of care possible. That is why, in particular when he talks about the North, Mr. Speaker, we have made so many investments in long-term care in the North. Because we want to ensure that the discrepancies that existed for far too long between North, South, urban and rural are no longer part of the fabric of the Ontario health care system, Mr. Speaker. That is why we have also partnered with First Nations to ensure that there are bed allocations specifically for First Nations communities, Mr. Speaker. And we will continue to do it. Bill 7 is a positive step in helping us reform our health care system once and for all, and we are on our way. A supplementary question. Speaker, we need clear expectations and bills like these around rural and northern equity. In Sulicote and Red Lake, yes, the hospitals have high numbers of alternate level care. Patients and – but the answer isn't shipping elders to southern Ontario without their consent. What is this government doing to ensure Bill 7 has real accountability so that rural and northern health care equity is not forgotten? First and foremost, let me just say this, Mr. Speaker. The only people that are talking about shipping our seniors from the North to the South are in fact the NDP. That in fact will not happen because of Bill 7. What it does is ensure a better quality of care, the right care in the right place at the right time, Mr. Speaker. That's what Bill 7 is all about because health care professionals would agree, Mr. Speaker. That a hospital is no place for a senior who is waiting to be in long-term care to wait. As the Auditor General has reported, as health care professionals reported, there is no physical activity, there's no social activity. They are more susceptible to disease in a hospital, Mr. Speaker. What we are doing with Bill 7 is ensuring that our seniors who are waiting for long-term care have access to that quality of care while they wait for their preferred home of choice, Mr. Speaker. I will let the opposition continue to fantasize about what we are doing in Bill 7, but what we are finally doing is putting our health care system – an ALC in particular – on the right path because of the investments that we've made, Mr. Speaker. We're improving health care and we're getting it done for seniors in the North Island. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for our excellent Minister of Education. Millions of students across all of Ontario are returning to school today and tomorrow. Mr. Speaker, I want to note that three of my own kids are starting today, grades 3, 4 and 5. All of these students are so excited with the promise of a normal school year for the first time in nearly two years. Parents like my wife and I, we know how difficult it has been and we know that COVID-19 has caused so many disruptions for our students and made it very difficult for a normal school year for them. Studies have shown that in every jurisdiction, students' pass scores have declined sharply. Schools have also played an important role in their social lives as well, something that our children have been missing. Speaker, there is no substitute for in-person learning and a disruption-free learning environment for our students. Speaker, can the Minister of Education please outline our government's plan to ensure that our kids can catch up and to please outline the supports that are in place for Ontario students to ensure that they can succeed? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I do want to thank the member from Sault Ste. Marie for being an exceptional member, a proud father and someone who, like our government, believes in public education. Mr. Speaker, when we saw these students return to school this morning and more will return tomorrow, it underscores what we're here to do in the first place, which is ensure children learn the necessary skills to help them succeed in life. This year, children will be returning to a modernised curriculum that is actually aligned with the labour markets that they are graduating. They can get a good paying job. A new science curriculum and a new math curriculum that focuses on the transferable skill sets. They're going to help them get from the boardroom, rather from the classroom, to the boardroom, to the shop floor. The full experience of learning that we envision for kids starts with them staying in school. Mr. Speaker, we're going to fight to ensure kids stay uninterrupted in-person learning right to June. Supplementary question. Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. And while I'm so happy to hear that our government is acting to ensure that we are prepared for our children's safe return to school, we must also ensure that they are protected while they are in transit to and from school. With nearly 840,000 students riding the school buses every day, many experts say that our students are most at risk when they are travelling to and from school. Studies show that improvements to school bus lighting systems will greatly improve visibility and safety for our students when they are entering and exiting school buses. That is why our government has been calling for the improved 8-lamp amber red warning systems to be installed on all of our Ontario school buses. This will help drivers know further in advance of when school buses are slowing down and stopping, which is a crucial factor in increasing school bus safety for our students. Question. Mr. Speaker, can the minister please update this House in the status of the implementation of the 8-lamp amber red warning systems to our school buses here in Ontario to keep our kids safe? Minister of Education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is an important question because as kids get back to class this week, we're going to see over 800,000 children a day on our buses. I want to express my gratitude to our school bus drivers for all the amazing work they do. The problem, though, in working with the member from Kitchener, Conestoga, the Minister of Transportation and others is that we know that there are literally hundreds and hundreds a day of drivers blowing past a school bus that has stopped violating the law. It puts so many children at risk and we've seen this in all of our communities. And so the province of Ontario is moved forward with the Safer School Buses Act that ensures that all school buses in the province now have the new 8-lamp amber red warning system designed to create more awareness, more caution and ultimately more safety for our kids and for the drivers themselves. This is positive progress. It builds on a 1.1 billion dollar investment through transportation that is with the aim of getting kids to schools. They can stay in school right to June. Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Every day we hear more stories of a broken long-term care system. More proof that Bill 7 will make a broken system worse. CTV News reported the story of Mona Cheson, an 80-year-old woman who had to go to the hospital after a stroke. And now she's been told she'll lose her bed in a long-term care facility. Seniors should be treated with dignity and respect. Why is this woman being evicted from her home because of a hospital stay? So I just want to get this straight. So the member now is advocating in favour of the bill that we just passed while at the same time advocating against it. All in one question, Mr. Speaker, because that is what Bill 7 is all about. It is about improving care for our seniors because nobody thinks that a senior who is in a hospital waiting for long-term care should be sitting in a hospital. Nobody believes that, Mr. Speaker, because they don't have access to physical, the exercise that they need. They don't have social opportunities, Mr. Speaker. That is why we passed Bill 7, to ensure that our seniors who are waiting for long-term care can get into a long-term care faster. That's the whole point of it. Only the NDP are suggesting that a hospital room is a better place for a senior waiting to be in long-term care. We disagree with that, Mr. Speaker, and that is why Bill 7 allows us to get our seniors who are waiting in a hospital into long-term care. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. And my question is to the Premier again. This is a 80-year-old woman that is being told that she can't go back to the home, that she's with her husband yet, because she was in the hospital for 29 days, got COVID in the hospital, and then had isolate for 10 days. So that's what the question's about. This woman should go back to her husband where she's comfortable, where her family's comfortable. That's what the question was. It would be important if the minister would please listen to the question. It's a serious issue for this family. Mona's family wants to return to her home. Her home is where her husband lives and where she is comfortable. Her family fears that Bill 7 will force her into a new facility. Her niece told reporters, it's devastating. I don't think our elders are being properly cared for. I don't know where she's going to end up. Why is the government forcing seniors like Mona into homes away from their loved ones and their families? Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. You know, I will remind the member opposite that Anthony Dale of the CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association said, Ontario hospitals are rapidly becoming the health care provider of last resort for thousands of people who actually need access to home care, long-term care and other services. Specifically regarding the example you raised, it is essential that all partners continue to work collaboratively together as a team Ontario approach to seeking to overcome the underlying issues facing the health care system and ensure the patients receiving access to the right kind of care in the right setting. Now, I have faith in the hospital, in the long-term care, in the Ontario health team, in that community to do the right thing for that family, for that husband and wife to be able to remain together. But, member, you need to understand that the system works together with long-term care, to make sure that the example raised ensures that that individual gets the most appropriate care in their community. Thank you. The member for Scarborough Guildham. Speaker, my question is to the Premier. It has been a particularly violent weekend in our country. And, on behalf of this assembly, I extend condolences to the people of rural Saskatchewan on an imaginable situation that has occurred. Speaker, when these types of incidences happen, it is seared in the minds of the community and those that are impacted. In my community in Scarborough, we had the Danzig shooting 10 years ago. At that time, we lost Cheyenne Charles and Joshua Yasse, two young people. And I can tell you that after 10 years, those wounds have not healed. I spoke to Tyrone Charles, Cheyenne's grandfather, about how he and his family, in particular his daughter, Afifa, are doing 10 years on. And I can tell you, Speaker, that with this tragic loss, those wounds have not healed. He said to me, we've gained an angel. Yet the pain is still overwhelming for Cheyenne's mother and the entire family. Speaker, my question today to the Premier. You have an opportunity to provide support to those individuals by supporting Bill 9, which would provide the help that families need right now. Will you support that bill tomorrow? Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for that question. You know, Mr. Speaker, when we talk about incidents like what occurred in Saskatchewan, what we've seen in the province of Ontario, we know that we need to do more. And our government has and will continue to do more. The investments that have been made, the $3.8 billion that will be invested over 10 years to build on the road map to wellness are the types of investments that will focus and assist, whether it be the mobile intervention crisis teams that are out working each and every day to diffuse situations and to provide supports to individuals, whether it be the $194 million that was invested during the pandemic to provide emergency funding to help reduce weightless and improve capacity for individuals in need of help, whether it be the $31 million that was invested for a 5% across the board increase in government-funded youth and children with mental health supports. Mr. Speaker, we are continuing to do this work, including the Youth Wellness Hubs that are also providing supports to families and individuals throughout the province, and we will continue to do that work. Supplementary question? Speaker, Tyrone Charles told me in the aftermath of a shooting, the spotlight on the families is so bright, but only for five minutes. What people need is support when they need it and sustained support, like Allie D'American's daughter, who four years after her father was shot in the Danforth shooting, now she needs counselling help. This is a gap that Bill 9 would fill by providing trauma-informed counselling directly to those victims and survivors at the time of need. Expanding our health services would provide that much needed help and support, and for far too long, Ontarians who have suffered from social, emotional, physical and mental health impacts of gun violence have done so alone. Traumatised families like the Charleses have had to struggle through years in silence. So, Speaker, Bill 9 would change this for them, and I'm asking this government, do they support Bill 9? And the Associate Minister of Mental Health in the big picture. Mr. Speaker, and once again to the member opposite, I appreciate where she is coming from with respect to the question that's being asked and the work that we continue to do. For instance, the Youth Wellness Hub, something that we began and fully supported, the ones in Wellington, the Youth Wellness Hubs in Wellington County, for instance, have hosted more than 14,000 youth since their launch in 2021. Mr. Speaker, I've attended some of those vigils that take place with moms that have lost their children. I've seen the pain that's caused by the trauma that's induced as a result of these violent crimes, and our government is making the investments to build the continuums of care with community-based supports. We're making the investments to ensure that the supports are there for the families as well as for the individuals, and we know that many of these investments should be made early on to support children and youth. Because by doing that, we provide them hope and we provide them opportunities. So once again, our government continues to make investments to help the people of the province of Ontario where and when that helps. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, we have seen the concerning impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our healthcare human resources system. With an aging population, the issue of more frontline healthcare workers will only increase in the years and decades I get. Experts also warn that Ontario population could increase by as much as 2 to 6 million over the next two decades. An increasing population will mean more individual needing access to our healthcare system in the future. With more student into the healthcare profession programs today, we will help address the healthcare human resources issues we see tomorrow. Speaker, can the Minister of College and Universities update this House on what our government has done to help encourage student to pursue meaningful career in the nursing program. Thank you. Member for Markham Thornhill, thank you for the question. Minister of Colleges and Universities. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you Member for that question. I too was encouraged to see the reports that applicants to nursing programs are up in both college and university programs by 25% since the 2018 crisis to more than 13,000 students who applied to a university program and more than 12,000 students who applied to a college program right here in Ontario. Our government has been working hard to address the gap in healthcare professionals through innovative programs like our three-year college degrees over the next four years the Learn and Stay program will help over 3,000 nursing graduates receive financial support to cover the cost of tuition in exchange for committing to practice for two years in underserved community. We have created 14 new programs at colleges and universities across Ontario allowing thousands of students to have greater choice and flexibility in accessing high quality and local education. This record number of applications and work we are doing to increase the number of students entering nursing and healthcare professionals is working and we will continue to look for innovative ways. Thank you Minister for that great answer and thank you for your great work on this file. Speaker under the watch of the previous Liberal government the people of my riding saw the lack of vision and understanding about the state of our healthcare system. We saw how they cut medical residency program for new students forcing them to move out of the province. We saw the record of championing freezing healthcare budget as the whole was to freeze the cost off. Speaker once again can the minister explain to this house what work the ministry of colleges and universities doing with other ministries to address the healthcare human resources shortage in Ontario and what action is our government on this system after the years of liberal neglect. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Thank you Mr. Speaker and thank you again to the member for that question. We know that a high quality healthcare system starts with high quality post secondary education but it doesn't end there. That is why the ministry of colleges universities has been working closely with the ministry of health and the ministry of long-term care throughout the pandemic and beyond to address the health human resources issues that Ontario faces. For example we are adding 2,000 nurses to the healthcare system through the ministry of long-term care. This is a $35 million investment to increase enrollment at our publicly assisted colleges and universities allowing institutions to accept an additional 1,000 practical nursing diploma students and over 800 Bachelor of Science in nursing degree students. Through the bridging educational grant in nursing this is a nearly $100 million investment that goes toward the upskilling and training of PSW's and RPN's. This program will increase access to nursing programs and create additional 500 spaces for enrollment in our bridging program this year. And through our fall economic statement we announced an investment of nearly $342 million over the next five years to add over 5,000 registered practical nurses and 8,000 personal support workers. Great. Next question the member for Nolan West. My question is to the premier. Whether workers are returning to the workplace or have worked there all along this government has made one thing clear. Don't count on us to help keep workers safe. Not only did they scrap COVID isolation requirements they also scrapped the independent science advisory table before its members could advise against this dangerous move. Ontario workers are now more vulnerable than ever especially if they don't have access to paid sick days. Speaker instead of spreading illness in the workplace will this government help prevent illness? Will they bring in 10 permanent paid sick days for all Ontario workers? Minister of Labor Well thank you very much Mr. Speaker we were the first province in the country to bring in job protected leave when COVID-19 hit the province. When you're sick you can stay home and you can't be fired for that. Furthermore Mr. Speaker we were the first province in the country to bring in paid sick days for workers to stay home and those businesses get reimbursed up to $200 per day. Mr. Speaker we'll continue having the backs of workers every single day during this pandemic and beyond. That's why during the pandemic Mr. Speaker we hired more than 100 new health and safety inspectors and I have to remind you Mr. Speaker you voted against that you voted against raising the total number of health and safety inspectors to the most in provincial history but guess what Mr. Speaker under the leadership of Premier Ford in our PC government we got it done The supplementary question Thank you Speaker this was the first government to cancel that workers had in Ontario Speaker as the outgoing members of the science advisory table COVID is far from over it still poses real and significant risks dropping mandatory isolation was reckless and the wrong thing to do we are also heading into a potentially wicked flu season and no Ontario workers should have to choose between going to work sick and losing their pay Will this government finally do the right thing past my private members bill and ensure that all Ontario workers have permanent paid sick days Well Mr. Speaker we'll continue working for workers every single day that's why we increase the number of health and safety inspectors and we've done since the pandemic hit Ontario more than a hundred thousand inspections and investigations and workplaces right across this province it's why we were the first in Canada to bring in job protected leave almost on day one when this it's why we were the first province in the country to bring in three paid sick days and the member opposite is well aware we've extended this until the end of March next year but I can be clear with the members opposite and with all the people of Ontario that will continue to have their backs will continue to ensure that we protect workers that they can stay home when they're safe and will continue working for workers every day Thank you The next question the member can Thank you very much Mr. Speaker my question is for the Premier last week the government rammed through Bill 7 overriding patients right to consent and leaving many questions in its wake like how far patients can be sent away or how much they can be charged last week the member from Ottawa West Napien brought forward the story of Deanna Henry who under the threat of Bill 7 an $1800 day hospital bill where she didn't want to go I feel like I'm nonexistent is what she said now last week I heard the Premier muse about $1800 day hospital bills and how they weren't right without any concrete commitment to do something about it so will the Premier please let us know what he's going to do to make sure that this doesn't happen to any other Ontario family Mr. Long-Term Care Mr. Speaker as I promised the regulations will be out very soon and people will undoubtedly see how the opposition fear-mongering over this bill was uncalled for Mr. Speaker but what more importantly what the member refuses to highlight is how important this policy change is to ensuring that our seniors who are in hospital who have been discharged or waiting to be discharged who are on the Long-Term Care level of care in a Long-Term Care Home Mr. Speaker I will let the opposition argue why a senior wanting to be in Long-Term Care Home should be waiting in a hospital should be without the social environment that comes with a Long-Term Care Home the physical activity that comes with a Long-Term Care Home why they should be subject to the disease that comes when somebody is in a hospital these are seniors who are waiting in a home not a hospital and that is what we want our seniors to progress to none of us would want any of our family members sent to where they didn't want to go and respectfully saying that you think something's not right and not taking action especially when you have the power it doesn't amount to much it's cold comfort the families out there who are worried so I put forward a motion on the table today that will limit the maximum charge of a permanent level of care patient awaiting placement in a Long-Term Care Home can be charged as equal to the co-pay in Ontario's Long-Term Care Homes it's the fair and reasonable thing to do allowing the threat of a huge hospital bill to hang over people's heads is neither fair nor reasonable it's unjust and unfair and it's within this government's power it's within the premier's power to pass this motion to the hospital's act will the premier commit to doing just that Premier? Mr. Speaker the only thing that was unfair and unjust he sat there for 10 years and built 611 beds popped up by the NDP the Liberals were the ones who created this mess created a disaster I can't believe he has the nerve and the gall to stand up there and try to preach to us when we're building 58,000 new homes we're going to continue to build them make sure they have good health care moving forward in their later years but you have nerve like I've never seen before Thank you Speaker the residents of Windsor to come see and truly all Ontarians sought on their hydro bills every month the previous Liberal government ignored the needs of Ontarians when it came to providing reliable and cost effective clean green energy as Premier Nguyen stated electricity prices are going to have to go up how are we going to pay for this I heard it but I don't think I took it seriously enough as the Auditor General pointed out in a 2015 report we spent $9.2 billion more than we needed for green energy programs because of reckless policies the Minister of the Environment Conservation Parks recently attended the 15th International Conference on Can-Do Fuel in Ajax Speaker could the minister share what lessons he learned from this conference and what actions we are taking as a government to avoid the mistakes made by the previous Liberal government on green technology innovation Great question Minister of the Environment, Conservation Parks Thank you Speaker and thank you to the phenomenal member from Windsor to come see for the question It's an excellent one Members correct I was honored to take part in the International Can-Do Fuel Conference by Kamiko Speaker on a personal note Kamiko is one of the largest employers in my riding and employs hundreds of hard working men and women in the clean energy sector across this province and across Canada not surprisingly there was a lot of discussion about SMRs and praise for our government for recognizing that investing in SMR technology is what we need to do to secure Ontario's future but Speaker more importantly it's securing a cleaner future for Ontarians in fact one SMR can prevent up to 2 megatons of greenhouse gas emissions but what does that mean Speaker that's the equivalent of taking over 600,000 cars off the road and Speaker and it can power up to 300,000 homes with clean reliable base load power Speaker this is just another example of tangible steps that our government can take to promote cleaner future working with men and women in the trades and making sure that we can have reliable clean power for generations to come what's up the metric question Speaker I think Minister for his response and I'm very proud that Ontario has been a leader in the fight against climate change is the previous Conservative Government that led the charge on removing coal fired energy plants from our electricity grid encouraging to hear how our government is retaking environmental leadership by promoting investment in small modular reactors to address climate concerns meaningfully small modular reactors are catalyst for efficient economy wide decarbonisation and economic renewal while protecting jobs and the environment we've seen how other parties play politics and stood on the sidelines criticising innovations and new technology without offering viable solutions Speaker could the Minister of Environment Conservation and Parks elaborate on how we are tackling climate change by supporting electricity generating technologies and innovative solutions like SMRs Thank you Speaker and thank you to the member for that question as a student of history and fun fact a member of the History Students Association at Ottawa U I always appreciate the revisionist history from the hateful aid and conclude his answer Thank you Speaker for chasing out a coal power and a Conservative Government that's worked with industry to see record GHG reductions in the steel sector partnering with Algoma and DeFasco we're taking another 2 million cars off the road Speaker it's not through punishing taxes on the backs of hard working Ontarians when we're dealing with inflationary crisis that we will achieve a cleaner greener more sustainable future it is working with industry that we've seen historic reductions in the steel sector it's working with industry that we're making investments record investments in public transit and it's working with industry that Ontario will be a powerhouse and SMR clean green technology for the world Thank you Speaker Thank you Speaker my question is to Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing the BC Government just completed a report that looked at the effectiveness of its speculation and vacant home tax designed to make housing more affordable for people who tend to live in the home they rent or buy the tax has raised over 231 million dollars in affordable housing and has added over 20,000 long-term rental units to the Vancouver area 20,000 units all with the stroke of a pen and just like the BC Ontario has an issue with vacant homes as well Minister to quickly increase housing supply can you bring in an effective provincial speculation and vacant home tax Mr. Finance Thank you through you Mr. Speaker thank you to the member opposite for that question as the member well knows this Government actually acted on the non-resident speculation tax by increasing it from 15% to 20% and made it province-wide so that foreign speculators wouldn't hurt people buying homes in this province now the member opposite also talks about the vacancy tax and of course the vacancy tax is in action right now in fact municipalities such as Toronto has the vacancy tax and other municipalities have asked for the vacancy tax and we have granted that but Mr. Speaker what the member opposite is really getting to is that we have a housing supply challenge in this province and it's this Government that is committed to building 1.5 million houses over the next 10 years something they didn't do Good question Thank you for the answer when this Government makes a decision to not bring in a provincial vacant homes and speculation tax they are choosing the side of big investors over first time home buyers My question is back to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing again the City of Toronto passed Ontario's first inclusionary zoning law back in 2021 inclusionary zoning requires developers to set aside some affordable housing units in each development located near transit stops it's a very good way to build affordable housing in one of the most expensive cities in the world here's the challenge Toronto has approved 104 areas in the city where inclusionary zoning should apply and they've submitted these 104 requests to the Ministry to approve and how many inclusionary zoning requests have you approved Minister Zero Minister when are you going to allow the city to proceed with inclusionary zoning so developers build more affordable housing Excellent Minister comments through the chair Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Our legislation that's on the floor right now Bill 3 builds upon our success our government has made a commitment over the last three years we've spent 4.3 billion dollars supporting our community housing sector and building more supportive housing I've said many many time speaker that there is not a silver bullet that is going to solve the housing supply crisis our government has put forward many pieces of legislation more homes more choice our province's first housing supply action plan in 2019 we follow that up with more homes for everyone and each time speaker and this is the craziness of the whole situation every time I put a bill forward they say no every time they vote no they vote no to more homes more choice they vote no for more homes for everyone they voted no for bill 3 when are you going to support more housing supply thank you Mr. Speaker we know that increasing the number of electric vehicles on our roads and highways is good news not only for the environment but for our economy as well my question is for the Minister of Energy we know that we have a long way to go before electric vehicles replace gas powered cars we have seen that other provinces have a head start Mr. Speaker when it comes to EV policies and infrastructure Mr. Speaker then what is the Minister of Energy doing to ensure that electric vehicle ownership becomes more accessible and attractive in Ontario so we can get more electric vehicles on our roads and highways Mr. Energy well thanks Mr. Speaker and thanks to the member from Canada's clean energy capital the Durham region for this question this morning it's important because when I talk to people that are interested in buying an EV the only thing that they talk to me about is potential range anxiety they want to know that when they buy a car that they're going to be able to get to where they want to go and not run out of electricity and that's why we've taken the steps to ensure that the EVs have the charging stations that they need in the province unlike the previous Liberal government that did everything they could to slow down EV uptake in our province by driving the price of electricity on the roof and putting EV charging stations at places where they're plugged in all day and only one vehicle can go there like a GO station we're taking the step to ensure that we're building EV chargers at every single on route across the province so that when people are traveling to visit our beautiful province they can go to the Thousand Islands or they can go to Sarnia-Lampton or they can go to Kingston in the islands or they can go to London and get a 400 series of highways and get a charging power up Thank you A supplementary question Thank you Mr. Speaker and I thank the minister for his answer but I do wonder in light of that answer Mr. Speaker how will this impact this great plan impact Ontario's electricity grid Electric vehicles are the cars of the future and putting more on the road is something certainly to be proud of but do we have a plan does the minister have a plan in place to deal with the increased demand for electricity Mr. Speaker can the minister explain to this house how he plans on keeping Ontario's grid reliable and affordable energy Absolutely I can we need more electric vehicles on the road but at the same time we need to ensure that our grid and our electricity supply can support that increased demand not just from EVs because of the investments that are being made because of the leadership of our premier and our minister of economic development we're seeing historic investments in our province we have the electrification of our transportation and heavy industry as well and that's why last year I provided direction to the independent electricity system operator that sets out the path to procure new electricity generation in our province over the next 10 years through a competitive process Mr. Speaker and this work is well underway and just recently we were able to renew new capacity, new generation in our province saving the people of Ontario 30% plus along the way Mr. Speaker unlike the former liberal government that drove up the cost of electricity we have a plan in place that's going to provide reliable and affordable energy Thank you Speaker my question is to the premier that's been heard to boost at the Centre Town Community Health Centre recently told the CBC that people have to wait more than 2 years for an appointment at our clinic it's the only one in our city that specializes in trans health Speaker does this government believe that waiting 2 years for a primary care doctor is acceptable and what is this government going to do to help trans Ontarians access gender affirming health care Good question Minister of Health Thank you Speaker I appreciate the member office's question because it gives me an opportunity to talk about some of the great work that we're doing with our Ontario health teams including of course the family health CHC's family health care practitioners that provide guidance and resources that could be used for all primary care providers when caring for transgender individuals and that's the Sherbroin Health Centre or CHC We have many primary care teams across Ontario that provide primary care programs as part of their LGBTQ plus services or specific clinics for trans populations providing interdisciplinary primary care services these are teams that work together including mental health services for their clients In addition we have a couple of examples of family health teams the Chincuzi in the family health team in Aurelia an interdisciplinary program created to provide trans health care education and system navigation for trans or questioning people and their loved ones living in the north Simca Muscova region We have the Queen Square family health team in Brampton again trans health programs supporting trans individuals with access to supportive team based Thank you Thank you Speaker Unfortunately none of those services necessarily help the resident who's actually in Centretown Community Health Centre We all recognize that gender affirming health care is life saving health care and during the last parliament my predecessor Suze Morrison tabled the Gender Firming Health Care Advisory Committee Act a bill that I'm looking to retable with wide support from everyone in this house Speaker will this government commit to helping all Ontarians including trans Ontarians by ensuring that they support the Gender Firming Health Care Act when I retable the identical bill Thank you Thank you Speaker So as the member opposite would know when individuals have the right to table either resolutions or PMB's in this legislature we will obviously carefully review that and assess the value of moving it forward Thank you Concludes our question period for this morning I understand the member for Otto Alvanie has a point of order Yes thank you Mr Speaker I am seeking unanimous consent standing order 100A4 that the independent members be permitted to share the 5 minutes allotted to a single member for the debate on ballot item number 1 that is tonight standing in the name of the member for Brampton North I'm collared at seeking the unanimous consent of the House that not with standing standing order 100A4 the independent members be permitted to share the 5 minutes allotted to a single member for the debate on ballot item number 1 standing in the name of the member for Brampton North Agreed? Agreed There being no further business at this time and it being Tuesday this House stands in recess until 3pm