 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My question to the Premier. This government is giving itself the power to sign people up for long-term care homes they don't want to go to. Yesterday, the long-term care minister admitted to media that they will use financial coercion to make them go. He said, I quote, should a hospital charge them? Absolutely, end quote. Why does this government believe that a hospital stay should end with a bill? I'm the Premier. Well, thank you. And Mr. Speaker, we can't keep doing the same old thing over and over again, pouring billions of dollars into the health system and expect a different result. We need new solutions to old problems that the Liberals and NDP created. The opposition will always find reasons to say no. They will keep defending the status quo, saying no for the sake of saying no. Mr. Speaker, we refuse to accept the status quo. The opposition want people who should be in long-term care in hospital beds. Hospital beds weren't made for long-term care patients. And what's happening is clogging up the emergency departments, delaying surgeries. These problems are decades in the making, created by years of refusal to act under the Liberals and NDP. The Liberals and NDP who caused the problem are now complaining about the solution, Mr. Speaker. Their solution is to do absolutely nothing to change nothing. Well, Speaker, cruelty is not a solution. These seniors, these people with disabilities, they've done nothing wrong. What's wrong is the broken long-term care and home care systems, systems that have been cut and privatized to the bone. Late yesterday, we learned the government plans to ram this legislation through without any hearings or opportunity to hear from front-line workers and from families whose lives will be devastated by these changes. Why is the government so unwilling to hear from families and front-line workers who will be devastated by this bill? Mr. Speaker, the opposition, they want to keep the status quo, which means longer wait lists, less hospital beds for people who need them. Mr. Speaker, according to the Ontario Hospital Association, there's 6,000, 6,000 beds being taken up by the alternative level of care patients in hospitals. It's the highest number in the history of this country. And in the last three months, we saw 1,000 increase. The policy is absolutely necessary. It will free up 2,500 beds. The opposition will always say no to building more hospitals, no to hiring more nurses, no to building more hospital beds. They'll say no to shorter surgery, wait times, no to making the system better that liberals and NDP built 611 long-term care beds. We're building 31,000 long-term care beds, investing 4.9 billion, hiring more than 27,000 long-term care staff. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, this government is sacrificing people in what may be their final months. Separating them from their spouse, their sons and daughters, their essential caregivers. When someone cannot afford to pay to stay in a hospital, how far away is the government willing to move them? All right, the government house leader and minister of long-term care. Mr. Speaker, I truly don't think the opposition understand what we are trying to accomplish here. The Premier just highlighted the fact there are some 6,000 people who are in ANC across this province. The impact that that has on hospitals all over the province is a magnitude that I don't think the opposition understands. What we are saying is that long-term care can be part of the solution for the first time in decades because of the investments that this government has made in new and upgraded long-term care beds and four hours of care. In 27,000 additional healthcare workers, we can be part of the solution, Mr. Speaker. And I appreciate that the opposition always want to tear down what is being built up, but we will not stop, Mr. Speaker, because we cannot, as the Premier has said, as the health minister has said, the status quo is just simply not an option any longer. And there is nobody who would suggest that somebody who's on the long-term care wait list should wait in a hospital as opposed to being in a long-term care home, Mr. Speaker. A member for you, please. Merci. Ma question pour le Premier ministre. My question is for the Premier. The last week has raised new concerns about the government's plan for private healthcare. Today, we have a leaked copy of a poll from the government posters of record asking Ontarian whether they agree with the following statement, and I quote, I should be able to pay my own healthcare to get better service in Ontario. I'd like to put the same questions to the Premier. Does the Premier think people should be able to pay their way to better healthcare in Ontario? The Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. I've said it before and I will say it again. In the province of Ontario, we use our OHIP card to pay for healthcare in Ontario when people need those services. Our five point plan to remain open includes many investments in many different areas to preserve our hospital capacity, to provide the right care in the right place. It's exactly what we need today in the province of Ontario. We're making those investments. I only wish that the people across the aisle in the NDP caucus would understand that we need to make these innovations. We need to encourage them. We need to allow hospitals, healthcare providers, long-term care, primary care physicians to do what they do best, which is look after people with your OHIP card. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and back to the Premier. It's not just about private healthcare. The same government poll asks people whether they agree that, and I quote, the government should allow more private and or charter schools in Ontario. Charter schools, that is public funding of private education, let's be clear. Does the Premier agree that public money for Ontario's education should be diverted to private and charter schools? There is no government in the history of this province that has put more money into public education than this government. And every step of the way, of course, the opposition have voted against those investments because as we say constantly, when you are building a better system, the only thing the NDP have to offer is how they can tear that down. It's not just about saying no for them. It's about tearing down the progress that the people of the province of Ontario have made. Better math scores, Mr. Speaker. We have more teachers in schools. Our students finally, finally, are doing better in STEM, Mr. Speaker. And when you combine that with the investments that the Minister of Colleges and Universities has made, you combine that with the great work of the Minister of Labor to bring back the skilled trades back into the schools. We are building an education system that works for all Ontarians, Mr. Speaker, and we're doing it faster and better than anybody could have ever imagined with higher investments than any other government in the history of this province. The final couple of minutes. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you, Speaker. Back to the Premier again. When this government talks solutions, you know what I hear? You know what Ontarians hear increasingly? They hear that that is code for lining shareholder pockets at the price of public education and public health care. And whether they're slapping seniors with massive fees to stay in hospitals or pushing private schools and private health care on Ontario families, this has never and will never for this government be about anything else other than lining shareholder pockets. Why is this Premier so determined to divert public money from our schools and our hospitals at such a great cost to Ontarians? Someone else here. Mr. Speaker, I think that question and its entirety really underscores why it is that the NDP is such a small caucus in this place. Look at the record of this government. Look at the record of this government, Mr. Speaker. We took over from a liberal NDP coalition that almost bankrupted the province of Ontario, Mr. Speaker. They didn't build long-term care homes. They didn't invest in hospitals. They didn't build schools. In fact, they closed schools. Together, they laid off thousands of nurses. Mr. Speaker, what have we done? We have been working to create thousands of jobs in the province of Ontario, not by government jobs, but by bringing back policies that bring back companies to the province of Ontario, Mr. Speaker. 300,000 lost jobs under them, thousands of jobs because of the work of this government. We brought back the auto industry. The Minister of Labor brought back the skilled trades to support all of the new building that is happening with the Minister of Transportation. Subways, in response. How long did people wait for subways? Under that crew, nothing got done. Under us, Ontario is moving forward. We'll build, and we won't let them tear down the province we made. Off the clock. Restart the clock. The next question, the member from London North Centre. Good morning, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Earlier this month, the London Health Sciences Centre was forced to close their world-leading epilepsy monitoring unit due to critical staffing shortages. The unit being closed and a lack of access to EEGs means even more delayed surgeries. Think of the impacts of the health, the mental health, and the quality of life of patients suffering from seizures. When will this government admit the crisis in healthcare is real and address the staffing shortage that they created? Here again, this question will highlight some of the work that we've already undertaken with the Ontario College of Nurses, with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to expedite the internationally trained experts in healthcare who want to practice in the province of Ontario. We have asked and directed those two colleges to make sure that people who have applied have their process going through very quickly so that they get that accreditation, they get that licensing, because the member is right. We need to increase the ply of healthcare workers in the province of Ontario. I would add, respectfully, that this is not unique to Ontario. As recently as two days ago, I was meeting with the FTP, Federal Provincial Territorial, leaders to talk specifically about what Canada can do and how they can assist to make sure that those internationally trained individuals who want to practice in Ontario can do so quickly. Thank you. Respectfully, through you, Speaker, Bill 124 is unique to Ontario. People on waiting lists are waiting even longer. It is because of the disrespectful policies of this government. Epilepsy patients like Sarah live in fear, wondering when their next episode is going to happen. Clearly, the Minister of Health wants to pedal privatisation as a curell for the crisis conservative cuts have created. Overworked and underappreciated by this government, then Bill 124, it's a perfect storm. Will this government finally admit they got it wrong with repeal Bill 124 and finally treat healthcare professionals with respect? Yes or no? President of the Treasury Board. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. There is no government in the history of this province and the leadership of Premier that invested more in public healthcare than this government. Mr. Speaker, that includes investing in health human resources. Since March of 2020, we have added over 10,900 healthcare professionals across this province. This includes making sure that in the future we also have healthcare professionals by building medical schools and places like Brampton and Scarborough, making sure we double almost the doctors in the north. We put forward programs in the fall economic statement, $342 million to support adding over 5,000 new and upskilled registered nurses and registered practical nurses as well as an additional 8,000 personal support workers. Every step of the way, Mr. Speaker, the members opposite have voted against each of these measures to help support healthy resources across this province. That is a shame. Thank you. The next question. The member for Elgin, Middlesex, London. Mr. Speaker, the long-term effects of COVID-19 pandemic have put pressure on the healthcare system right here in Ontario. We need more healthcare professionals now more than ever. With our healthcare services trying to stabilize after dealing with the COVID pandemic, over the last two years, we need to address these urgent pressures so our province can stay open with an even stronger healthcare network. Medical education is critical to providing Ontario with the healthcare and human resources that are desperately needed. Speaker, can the Minister of Colleges and Universities share with the government, share the government's plan to expand medical education so we can welcome more medical trainees into this province? Thank you. Minister of Colleges and Universities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I thank you to the member from Elgin, Middlesex, London for that important question. And he is right. We need to increase health human resources and that starts with a post-secondary education. Our government under the leadership of this Premier is getting it done by taking action to increase health human resources across Ontario through our historic expansion of healthcare post-secondary education. This includes building the first new medical school in the GTA in over 100 years. Speaker, the last medical school built in the GTA was the University of Toronto in 1843. We are the government that is building the new Toronto Metropolitan University Medical School in Brampton. We are also creating the new University of Toronto Scarborough Academy of Medicine and Integrated Health in Scarborough and expanding the Queen's Lake Ridge Health Campus. Early this year, we also established the Northern Ontario School of Medicine as the first standalone medical school in Northern Ontario. That's a supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. Health and human resources were heavily neglected under the former Liberal government. I think we all know that. In the past three years, in their term, they failed to build a single medical school addressing the growing need for healthcare access and their actions left this province vulnerable to a staffing shortage, this we know. We currently have six universities that provide undergraduate and post-graduate medical education, but more action is needed to strengthen our healthcare intellectual infrastructure. Our government understands that the need for the correct number and the mix of health professionals in the right places throughout this province. Speaker, can the minister update the House on what the government is doing to strengthen the development of our existing medical education and professional development programs? Mr. Colleges and Universities. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you again for the question. I am happy to say that our government has taken action on this issue. We understand that a growing population means a growing need for healthcare professionals. As a member mentioned, it is important to have healthcare education infrastructure across Ontario that will keep us open in the long run. Not only are we increasing the number of medical schools across Ontario that will serve both urban and rural communities, but we are also enhancing existing medicine and healthcare programs. Our government is adding 160 undergraduate seats and 295 post-graduate seats to six medical schools over the next five years. This is the largest expansion of medical seats in over a decade. Earlier this year, we also announced our Learn and Stay program, which over the next four years can help 3,000 nurse graduates receive financial supports to cover the cost of tuition in exchange for committing to practice for two years in an underserved community. We want to ensure that everyone has access to healthcare when they need it. My question to members for Hamilton West and Castor Dundas. Speaker, my question to the Minister of Health. You announced the creation of the operating room assist position at Hamilton Health Sciences, but we're hearing a concerning story from registered nurses. Registered nurses at Hamilton Health Sciences caution that replacing highly trained scrub nurses with ORAs puts patients' safety at risk in the operating room. Patients don't want someone in their OR who is unable to intervene when unexpected things happen during surgery. When a patient is coding in the operating room, there isn't time to wait for a nurse. Delays could be the difference between life and death. With only 22 hours of online learning, two practice labs and two weeks of practical experience, ORAs do not have the same expert knowledge and specialized training as highly scaled scrub nurses. My question, will you stop cuts to nursing at the cost of patient care? And require Hamilton Health Sciences to keep nurses in the critical scrub nurse role? Thank you very much. Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. This question really speaks to the fact that while we in the Progressive Conservative government are embracing and welcoming these innovation and suggestions being brought forward by unions, by professionals, by hospitals, we're allowing that innovation to happen. And it is frankly disturbing that the member opposite is suggesting in any way that we are impacting patient care. What we are doing is we are empowering people who have the skill set and the training to be able to operate at the height of their skill set and having those professionals in surgical units, in emergency departments, in our community care, in long-term care, is what's going to make our world-class healthcare system here in Ontario even better. Here, here. And a supplementary question. What's disturbing, Speaker, is putting patients' lives at risk to save a buck because you wouldn't want a flight attendant to land a plane instead of a pilot. So why are you removing nurses from the scrub nurse role and replacing them with operating room assistance? I agree. We need to address the nursing crisis, but you are compromising the standard of surgical care for patients to save money. You need to invest and protect the scrub nurse position to ensure the patients get the care that they need and that they deserve. Without proper standards of care, patients may have a higher risk of unexpected complications, which could result in multiple surgeries and in the worst case scenario, even lose their lives. Question to the Minister of Health. Will you address the nursing crisis by ensuring that the right care is provided at the right time by the right provider and stop removing scrub nurses from the critical role in the operating room? Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. You know, when I talk to heads of nurses' unions, when I talk to doctors, when I talk to healthcare professionals, they say, we want to work as a team. We want to be part of that continuum of care for the patient. It is exactly why we are encouraging funding and enabling Ontario health teams to be operating in the province of Ontario because from diagnosis through treatment, through placement, we have now a coordinated system that allows that patient to have a touch point no matter where they are in their continuum of care. That's the kind of thing that gives patients and families comfort that they know that wherever they are in their treatment, they are going to have a touch point and a group of professionals that are working together. Response? Thank you. Question to the member for Oakville. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker, soaring inflation is causing parents in my writing to spend more money and save less. Often these families must work more to keep up with the rising costs. Under the previous Liberal government, the cost of childcare rose 400% from an already astronomically high number. The government negotiated with the federal government to lower these costs, but our province was the last to sign an agreement to bring affordable $10 per day child care to the people of Ontario. The Liberals and the NDP say they would have signed a deal to provide relief earlier. Speaker, through you to the Minister of Education, why was Ontario the last province in the nation to sign a deal with the federal government and what difference will working parents of this province see in this period of economic uncertainty? Minister of Education. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member from Oakville for his question. It is relevant because, Speaker, we didn't sign the first deal as proposed by the opposition. We signed a better deal for the people of Ontario. A deal with $13.2 billion of investment. We're talking about literally $3 billion more an additional year, the only province in the federation to have that type of funding certainty and a commitment to for-profit and non-profit child care operators, which those 30% of for-profit operators would have been omitted if, God forbid, we follow the advice of the opposition. We set up for all families for parental choice and ensure that every single parent is eligible for the reductions they deserve. $4,000 this year on average. $12,000 per child next year on average on the way to $10 a day by year 2025. This is a massive step forward as we encourage more economic participation of women in the economy and we reduce costs at a time of national inflation. We're going to continue to work with all levels of government to deliver the affordability parents deserve. Supplementary? Thank you, Speaker. Thank you to the minister. Speaker, the primary way to ensure affordability for parents accessing child care is to get operators opting into the agreement our government signed earlier this year. Many child care operators in my writing have expressed concerns about the agreement causing them to delay signing the deal. The government needs to help operators sign this agreement that will put hard earned dollars back into the pockets of families. We need to do everything we can to incentivize operators to opt into this deal that will provide certainty for parents. The minister has changed aspects of the deal and operators are saying they are confused which impedes their willingness to sign on. Speaker, what exactly has the government changed in this child care agreement and will these changes make a substantive difference for operators who have not signed on? Minister of Education. Thank you, Speaker. And I do appreciate this question from a member of Mogueville of many parents in his community and across his province are depending on the government to get on with the business of making life more affordable after an increase. The cost of child care increased by 400% under the former Liberals. We all must accept the premise that was a indefensible record. And our premier has a mandate to get the job done to reduce fees and part of our plan is to listen to the advice of the very operators, often women entrepreneurs who run these centers. And I want to give a shout out to the member from Ajax, the parliamentary assistant of the ministry of education who has been leading efforts to streamline the process, to reduce red tape, to create funding guideline that guarantees exactly what the sector wanted and more time for them to enroll and build comfort to November 1 as we work together to increase participation, decrease costs, make life affordable for Ontario families. Questions? Member for the Viscament Cost Center. My questions to the premier. Carmen's the primary caregiver for her 91 year old mother. Her mom qualifies for two showers a week through home care and Carmen made an inquire to see if she could get a bit more. Her mom was reevaluated and now she gets one shower per week. Is that an example of the enhanced home care that this government keeps boasting about? Mr. Bell. Thank you, Speaker. I think that individual cases while I obviously cannot delve into them here in question period are an important thing to highlight why we have in our budget a billion dollar investment in home care. It is investing for the next three years to improve quality of care and keep the people of Ontario in the homes longer that they love. Now, we are investing not only in the nursing visits, in the shifting hours, in the therapy visits, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech language pathology, but we're also doing it within community. And that is as many of us know the programs like adult day programs, meal services, transportation, caregiver supports and assisted living services and caregiver support. Will the member opposite be supporting this billion dollar investment in our budget? The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. This government has been in power for four years. This happened this week. Carmen was just asking for a little bit more help for her mom. She got less and you know what? Carmen's mom now gets two showers because Carmen's mom or Carmen pays for the other one herself. This is privatization, that PSW, the same PSW. So is that the solution? Is that the solution? Pouring billions of dollars isn't the answer if Carmen's mom only gets one shower at the end of the day through home care. I keep hearing billions of dollars, but it's services to people that matter. And is this government actually going to provide the service through public health care? Thank you. Minister of Health. No, Speaker, when we pass the connecting people to home and community care act, which I must say the members opposite voted against, it modernized the delivery of home and community care services by bringing an outdated system designed in the 1990s into the 21st century. We'll continue to do that innovation. We'll continue to bring forward the things that people need when they want to stay safely in their own homes. And that is including an investment that we have made in this year's budget. I hope the member opposite takes a close look at what that investment will mean to his community and the people across Ontario and do the right thing and vote for our budget. Question to the member for Beaches East York. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm very proud to be here to represent the very green riding of Beaches East York. My question is to the Premier whom I know well from our days at City Hall, Toronto City Hall together. Last week, the federal government put out a climate adaptation report. And guess what, Mr. Speaker? Ontario is falling behind on mitigating the worst impacts of climate change. And that is because of limited political will as the report states. Ontario's infrastructure is especially vulnerable to climate change and will result in cascading economic and social impacts. The cost of inaction of climate change is too much. And so far, I have not seen the government propose anything to protect and create resilient infrastructure. What good is building highways over if they flood over and have to get repaired every single year? We could be creating the strongest, most resilient province in this country and instead we cannot even say the word climate in the throne speech. Mr. Speaker, why won't this government take climate change seriously? When can Ontarians expect this government to stand up and take a leadership role to safeguard the future of Ontarians? The Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Thank you, Speaker. I appreciate the question from the member opposite. Speaker, the government is working diligently on building adaptation and resiliency. That's why we were the first government to launch a climate change impact assessment, something that could have been done under the decade plus rule of the previous government, but wasn't. Speaker, we have launched that impact assessment to work with municipalities at a regional level to identify areas of vulnerability and act. That's why our Minister of Infrastructure has invested historic dollars into rural municipalities, northern municipalities, is working around the clock with her federal counterparts at making these historic investments. Speaker, also that member would know very well coming from the beaches, the record investment in storm water and wastewater investments under this Premier. In fact, I'll quote the Mayor, who said this was a significant investment to benefit and improve the lives of Toronto residents. That member knows that because in her community, under the previous Liberal government, sewage was discharged in record amounts into Lake Ontario. This Premier is cleaning it up. Thank you, Speaker. I appreciate the Minister's response, Mr. Speaker, but quite frankly, this government seems to still be stuck on step one. We need to stop only doing assessments and really begin to implement measures. Get it done, as you say. The report says, and I quote, there is little evidence of adaptation being mainstreamed into decision making. Last week at AMO, I attended session after session after session that highlighted the need for climate action to be tied to infrastructure. Municipalities are asking for this government to step up and actually start implementing climate strategies to create resilient communities. Mr. Speaker, instead of forcing cities, municipalities, indigenous communities, and climate leaders to take action themselves and attempt to safeguard their towns and homes, Queen's Park needs to step up and create a climate framework for this province. Questions? Mr. Speaker, will this government finally agree to add the lens of climate adaptation to their policies and decisions in order to help our municipal counterparts to thrive and create truly resilient communities and allow Ontario to adapt to the climate consequences that we have created? Mr. the Environment, Conservation, and Parks. Thank you, Speaker. The only ones stuck at step one are the Liberals, Speaker. And you know, step eight is how many seats they have. Speaker, step one is the platitudes that we heard from the previous government. Step two is meaningful action, making investments into municipalities, something this government's done. Thanks to the leadership of this Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, we have record partnership, historic investments into the municipalities. Thanks to this Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, we're creating clean, green jobs of the future, making record investments into electrification of the automobile sector that's breathing new life. We're taking 2 million cars off the road thanks to partnering with Algoma and DeFasco. And those workers are staying right here in Ontario. They know where they would have gone. Step one for them was leaving the province under the previous government. Mr. Speaker, our government is taking meaningful action, attracting jobs and talent into this province, and we're building a greener future. Thank you. Thank you. He's ready to go, too. Member for Niagara West. My question is to the Minister of Labor, Training and Skills Development, Speaker, constituents in my right of Niagara West face a shortage of skilled trades, frankly, like we've never seen before. Now, families depend on these trades to maintain their homes, their vehicles, and their businesses. Entrepreneurs and workers alike need these trades to build the products that we know will make us the envy of the world. Education investments and skills development are crucial to keeping our local economies competitive and building up our skilled trades. So could the Minister please tell us how's what the government is doing to invest in and develop talent in the skilled trades? Mr. Speaker, thank you very much. And I want to thank the member for Niagara West for that question and for his promotion of the well-paying careers in the skilled trades in the Niagara region, you've done heroic work down there to the members. So I want to thank him for that. Mr. Speaker, since day one, our government has been on a mission to get more people into the skilled trades. These careers are exciting in demand, come with good pay and benefits often with the defined pension, and you can be damn proud of what you build. The skilled trade system, however, suffered massive neglect thanks to the former Liberal government. Today, nearly one in three journey persons are over the age of 55 and will soon retire. That is why our government is making truly historic investments. In fact, over $1.5 billion over four years to fix the problems that we inherited. Mr. Speaker, it's all hands on deck and we're working with employers and unions every day to prepare more people for these lifelong careers. A supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. This government is getting the job done across the Niagara region by making historic investments in infrastructure, healthcare, long-term care, new hospitals and investments across our region. We're enhancing our transit and road infrastructure and I know that my constituents waited long enough to get these investments announced due to the neglect and frankly indifference of the former Liberal government supported and propped up by the NDP. The last thing they want to see is further delays in project delivery because of a lot of skilled trades people to get these projects built. So, Speaker, what is our government doing to ensure that there is training for people in Lincoln, West Lincoln, Grimsey and across the Niagara region to make these projects a reality? Mr. Blavor. Jane, I want to thank the member for this really important question. In fact, in the town of Lincoln, our skills development fund is truly changing lives. I had the chance to see this firsthand with the member from Niagara West, just a number of months ago. We're investing more than $2.5 million to help 145 young people ages 14 to 29 develop skills and key areas that support local tourism and hospitality. Together, program participants are spending over 73,000 hours helping 100 local small businesses enhance their websites and digital marketing so that they can attract more customers and grow. Through our skills development fund, we're giving people right across Ontario the skills they need to fill in-demand jobs and earn bigger paychecks for themselves but most importantly, for their families. Mr. Speaker, our government has an ambitious plan to build Ontario and we're leaving nobody behind. Question? We do the opposition. Thank you, Speaker. Speaker to the Premier. During the provincial election, 11 people died in a climate-pumped storm system that charged through Ontario and Quebec. The climate crisis is deadly and yet the Premier has no credible climate plan. When will the Premier present a serious and funded plan to address the climate crisis? Mr. Speaker, the Environment, Conservation and Parks. Thank you, Speaker. The reality is this Premier has. A Speaker, the leader of the opposition offers no solutions. It's this Premier that's led to the largest reduction in greenhouse gas emission through partnering with Algoma and DeFasco. What does that mean? Two million cars off the road. Leader that has moved beyond the nimbyism flanked by the leader of the opposition whose members know all about it, who's actually gotten shovels in-ground on public transit. Record investments, residents in my community can now benefit from two-day-all-day-go, two-way-all-day-go. We're expanding. Expanding investments with the Ontario line, getting shovels in-ground on the lowest carbon public transit project in North America. Speaker, all they offer is doom and gloom driving jobs out of this province. This Premier is building a cleaner, greener future. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. The Premier weakened the province's greenhouse gas reduction targets, weakened them in the face of a global crisis. And now he plans to ramp up electricity from gas-fired power plants, which will dramatically increase carbon pollution in this province. When will the Premier finally, finally take the situation seriously and present a comprehensive and adequately funded plan to address the climate crisis? Mr. Speaker, the environment. Thank you, Speaker. That member could check on the publicly available environmental registry of Ontario. Updated climate modeling and GHG reductions are there. But don't take my word for it, Speaker. It's Navius, who also do BC, who also have looked at our federal government's modeling and that member's best friend, David Suzuki Foundation as well. They have validated our plan. They have said that the Premier's plan to invest in clean steel, the Premier's plan to get shovels in-ground on public transit, the Premier's plan to electrify the automobile sector, investing in EV manufacturing, the Premier's plan to work on climate adaptation and resiliency, all of its working speaker. And we're not driving jobs out of this province. We're leaning on the ingenuity, the talent of Ontarians. They offer doom, gloom, and misery. This Premier offers green jobs, opportunity for a young boy or girl in the trades, and we're proud of it. Thank you, Speaker. Question? The member for Scarborough Centre. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I rise today for the first time in the House to address a question, and I'd like to raise it with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. While former Liberal Premier Dalton McGinty mused about implementing a strong mirror system, it is strange to see why current Liberal members now question its value. At the time, Premier McGinty and then the Liberal cabinet were dismayed at what they saw at the Toronto City Council. They were concerned about the lack of action taken by the City Councils to cut through red tape on behalf of their constituency. We must act now and empower mayors so there is no further delay on priority projects. Mr. Speaker. Question? Can the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing inform the House how the strong mirror legislation will ensure mayors of the City of Toronto and Ottawa have the tools they need to support Ontario and deliver the results of their community needs? I want to thank the member for Toronto Centre for that question. Congratulate him on taking his place in the Legislative Assembly. He is absolutely right. We're giving mayors the tools they need to get it done because we know that municipal governments play a crucial role in determining housing supply. The reality is, Speaker, over one-third of the growth expected in the next decade will take place in the cities of Toronto and Ottawa. These changes will help drive increased housing supply in growing municipalities by speeding up local planning approvals and helping the councils with their discussions to be effective on provincial priorities. We need to empower local leaders with the tools they need to get shovels in the ground. We're counting on that, to cut red tape and get housing built faster so families can realize the dream of homeownership. Here we go. Supplementary question? Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank the Minister for his response. Strong moral power are needed now more than ever to cut through the red tape and move priority projects forward. Year after year, news studies, reports, and commission findings say the same thing. We are falling behind on building homes and immediate action need to happen. My constituents want more homes optioned for empty nesters looking to downsize to young couples looking to find a home to raise their family. We must build more homes of all kind. To do that, we must streamline. Question? Mr. Speaker, what is the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing doing to get more housing built across 444 municipalities in the province? Thank you. Mr. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank the member for Scarborough Center for that excellent question. We know that there's no silver bullet that's going to solve the housing supply crisis. The province remains a strong partner in getting more homes built faster and making sure that our promise to Ontarians that we're going to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. Our Housing Supply Action Plan implementation team will draw on the work of the Housing Affordability Task Force to advise on the policies and the tools that we need to put in place to get housing built faster. The team is going to work with experts, including municipal leaders, industry members, on how to best implement the recommendations from the Housing Supply Task Force. We stand ready to support municipalities to get shovels in the ground that are committed to growth and a cutting red tape. Thank you. The next question, the member for Oshawa. Thank you, Speaker. And my question is to the Minister of Health. Nurses who work full time in health care with good union jobs, with benefits, and what used to be good wages, are making the unimaginable decision to leave their jobs in hospitals to go to private temp agencies without benefits or protections. Remember, Speaker, that hospitals are forbidden by this Premier from paying fair or competitive wages because of Bill 124. Speaker, all nurses are paid for with public dollars. This Premier is making darn sure that private agencies can reach deep into the public money bucket. Hospitals want to keep their nurses and pay them fair and competitive wages. Why won't this conservative government remove their public sector wage cap and let them? President of the Treasury Board. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. This government will continue to make the historic investments into health care that we have since being elected, Mr. Speaker. This starts with ensuring that we have health care workers across this province. And that is why we have put forward programs that will, as in the fall economic statement, invest over $342 million to add over 5,000 new and upskilled registered nurses and registered practical nurses, as well as an additional 8,000 personal support workers. Mr. Speaker, this is on top of the investments we made to ensure that our health, human resources across the province are appreciated by investing another $763 million to give up to $5,000 per person, which is almost equivalent to a 6% increase on the average salary to those health care workers in Ontario. We will continue to make the necessary investments in health care and health human resources across the province. Any supplementary questions? Mr. Speaker, and again to the Minister of Health. More and more hospitals like Lakeridge Health are forced to hire temp agency nurses to fill their shifts. Hospitals aren't allowed to pay their own nurses what they are forced to pay temp nurses working alongside their former colleagues. Hospitals are being held hostage by these agencies and are forced to pay whatever they demand. This is not about opportunities. It is a racket that is bleeding public tax dollars out of our health care system and into private agencies. Publicly paid for, privately delivered, Premier approved. Why won't this Premier scrap bill 124 and allow hospitals to pay their nurses what they are worth? Mr. Speaker, this government will continue to make historic investments into health care. Let's take a look at this government's record and what the opposition has opposed every step of the way. Mr. Speaker, when it comes to hiring over 10,900 nurses since March of 2020, the members opposite voted against each of those measures. When it comes to making historic investments into capital infrastructure and building hospitals across this province, whether it's in places and cities like Brampton that were ignored by the previous liberal government for 15 years or cities like Windsor or Mississauga, the members opposite have voted no to $40 billion over the next 10 years and adding 3,000 new beds into the system. Mr. Speaker, we will continue to make sure that health human resources and health care workers across these provinces are supported and we will continue to make those investments by working with our stakeholders in the industry. Thank you very much. Question, remember for Lanark, through you, Mr. Speaker, to the Minister of Energy. Speaker, Ontario has one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world with over 90% of generation creating zero emissions. This clean grid is the envy of nations around the world and should be a point of pride for Ontarians. We heard earlier this week from the Minister of Energy on how nuclear power will continue to be the backbone of this clean grid. I've heard from my constituents who are looking for certainty that our province will have the power we need, particularly as we continue to secure new investment and as we prepare for the pickering nuclear generation station to go offline. Through you to the Minister, what is our government doing to ensure we have our clean, affordable and reliable power we need to support our growing economy? Minister of Energy. Thank you, Speaker. I want to thank the member from Lanark Front and at Kingston for a great question and I want to assure him and I want to assure everyone in the province that we're going to have the power that we need it for families and businesses when they need it, Mr. Speaker. Our government has a plan in place. We've extended the pickering nuclear facility to 2025. We have a plan in place for when the pickering facility is no longer operating, Mr. Speaker. And we have a plan to power this province when it comes to electrification. Because of the unprecedented success that we've experienced with the leadership of our Premier and our Minister of Economic Development, we have electric vehicle platforms coming to Ontario now to build the cars of the future here. Those EV batteries that are going to power those cars are going to be constructed here in our province, Mr. Speaker. Green steel, world-leading green steel is going to be made right here in Ontario. These successes are great news and we know there's going to be more of them to come. We have a plan to power a province, including the world's first grid-scale small modular reactor, Mr. Speaker, at Darlington. Supplementary question. I thank the Minister for his response. I'm glad to hear work is well underway and we have a plan to respond to the incredible growth we've seen. We all know that under the former liberal government, jobs and investment were fleeing the province every single day as the electricity prices were increasing by 8% a year. We know that to support electrification and economic growth, we need to continue our track record of keeping prices low. With an increasing population, a growing economy, widespread adoption of electric vehicles and the electrification of public transit systems and major industrial processes, demand for electricity will continue to increase. Speaker, what is the Minister doing to ensure we have an affordable electricity supply that will support new companies, new investments and new jobs coming to Ontario? Mr. Vetterti. Again, I want to thank the member for a great question and he's absolutely right. Demand is going to continue to grow as we continue to see these tremendous unprecedented investments made in our province speaker. That's why we have the SMR project enough to power 300,000 homes with one small modular reactor. It's why that we've gone through this competitive procurement process for new electricity generation. The member's absolutely right. Under the liberal government, the price of electricity went up and up and up. But under these competitive procurements that we've been able to secure electricity for the future, we've seen the price go down, down, down, Mr. Speaker, saving ratepayers in our province 30% under these new contracts. We also have 55 companies from around the world that have submitted to provide energy to our province, many in the battery storage area. We're working with the Independent Electricity System Operator to ensure we have the power that we need when we need it. Like the previous liberal government did, they helped out their friends. We're providing on the experts to give us the advice. We need to pop. The next question, the member for Toronto Centre. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. I was recently written a letter from one of my constituents. They actually provided quite honestly some very sad news. They received some communications from their medical healthcare provider, their primary doctor, who is actually asking them to find a new doctor after 17 years of being their primary physician. What the doctor said to the patient was that his workload is untenable, it's unmanageable, and that he has to reduce the workload. So out of a randomized system that was set out by the College of Physicians and Surgeons, they've selected 262 patients anonymized, and they sent out the same letter to those patients, telling them to find a new doctor in their neighbourhood. That represents a reduction of 40% of patients in that clinic now. My constituent went about asking community members for referrals, and none of them were able to help them. The medical care professionals said to them, we're not taking new patients. So what will this government do? What will the Premier do to stop the dumping of patients by medical professionals because they can't manage the workload? What can you do for my constituent? And the 200... Thank you. Thank you, Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. It is, of course, very disturbing when medical doctors for workload or for retirement have to make that difficult decision and share with their patients that they are decreasing or retiring in the practice. However, as a government, we have been investing. We have an additional 400 doctors practicing in the province of Ontario now that we did not have. We have worked with the College of Physicians and Surgeons to say, if there are internationally trained doctors who want to practice in the province of Ontario, let's expedite those licenses. We're doing the work here to make sure that individuals have access to appropriate care where they need it. The family health teams, and I hope the member opposite, would have ensured that their constituent is aware of Health Connect to make sure that the matching between patients and doctors has already occurred. But there are opportunities through community health clinics, through family health clinics, that they make sure that those assets and resources are in their constituent's hands. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. And I appreciate the Minister of Health answering that question. But the challenge before us right now is that this particular constituent is now one of 262 constituents who've all received the same letter from the same primary care professional, the primary care doctor, who's saying that the workload is unmanageable. So now they are having a very difficult time finding a new doctor in their community. What is the government going to do to address the current health care crisis? What do I say? What do we all say to this particular constituent, to an Ontarian who's looking for a family doctor? What do we say to the other families that are looking for primary care professionals? We are in a health care crisis and I don't think that this government is taking it seriously. We need help. Our constituents need help. What can you do to help them today? Mr. College of the University. Thank you, Mr. Speaker and thank you to the member for the question. And we are taking it very seriously. This government wants to ensure that everyone in this province has access to family physician, whether you are living in Northern Ontario, rural Ontario or underserved areas within the GTA. That's why we are taking measures to ensure that we are training more and more doctors by opening the new Brampton Medical School. The Scarborough Integrated Medical School as well as expanding the Queens Lake Ridge Health Centre. These are all measures that we are taking to ensure that we have more doctors for the future. We're also expanding the medical seats in this province. This is the first time this has been done in over a decade. There'll be 160 undergraduate seats and 295 postgraduate seats. So this government takes this very seriously. We want to ensure that every Ontarian has access to doctors and proper healthcare resources across this province. We will continue to work with this and ensure that everyone has access to these resources. The member for Windsor to come see. My question is to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. With inflation rates at nearly 10%, it costs more for groceries, more at the pumps, more for everything. Across the province Ontarians are feeling the pinch. As the cost of life's essentials increases, the hardest hit are those on fixed incomes, including those on the Ontario Disability Support Program. I heard it frequently at the door from my constituents in Windsor to come see. I'm sure there isn't a member of this House who hasn't seen it firsthand in their own writings. My question speaker is simple. Can the Minister tell us what the government is doing to support ODSP recipients as the cost of living goes up? That's a good question. Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member from Windsor to come see for the question. Are governments progress to support those who depend on social assistance has been consistent throughout our time in office? We raised ODSP and OW rates in our first year in government, and we've introduced programs like the Lift and Care Tax Credits that put money back in the pockets of 1.7 million people, including people on social assistance. And today our government is supporting those who need it most by making the largest increase to ODSP rates in decades. And on top of that, we're going to index ODSP rates to inflation so that vulnerable people get more support to pay for life's essentials, especially during times of high inflation. This investment means more money in the pockets of people who need it most to spend on the essentials of life. A supplementary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. ODSP recipients are struggling to make ends meet as the cost of living increases. Under the previous liberal government, the social assistance system faced neglect and mismanagement. And so many I've met told them they've lost hope. There was little focus on rates resulting in inconsistent increases. Our social assistance program requires modernization and a focus on the people it serves. And this begins with putting more money in recipients' pockets. Speaker, can the minister explain more about this government's investment to improve our system? And what will it mean for ODSP recipients? Thank you, Mr. Chairman and community and social service. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you again to the member from Windsor to come see. And as I said before in this House, our government is making the biggest increase to ODSP rates in decades. And we're aligning rates with inflation so when the cost of living rises, rates do too. The liberals had 15 years in power to do either of those things. They did not. The NDP could have prioritized aligning rates with inflation or a historic increase while they propped the liberals up. Opposition come to order. They did not. The opposition parties said no when they had the chance to help vulnerable people in our society. Our government is saying yes. Our government is getting it done. These investments back up our transformation of social assistance to build a more respond... Thank you. Opposition come to order. The next question, a member for Helmberg and Black Creek. Thank you very much, Speaker. My question's for the Premier. GTA drivers in my community and many others are still being gouged on their auto insurance. Drivers like Yavuz Salim, who cannot afford auto insurance, impacting job opportunities and his quality of life. Drivers like Deepak, who pays $9,000 a year for two cars despite a 20-year clean driving record. Just before the election, I co-sponsored an NDP bill to end postal code discrimination in the GTA and it received unanimous support. But this government did not pass it into law. I will be tabling the bill again this afternoon. Will the Premier pass it into law so we can finally end auto insurance postal code discrimination in the GTA? My government house leader. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate the question from the Honourable General because it gives me an opportunity to highlight the really great work that this caucus has done being the actual first government to reduce auto insurance rates across the province of Ontario by $1.3 billion, Mr. Speaker. Now, we went a little bit further than that. We didn't just stop at reducing insurance rates. We then lowered the gas tax. And, colleagues, you will remember who voted against that gas tax reduction. It was them. And then, Mr. Speaker, when we took the tolls off of the 412 and the 418, you remember the tolls that the Liberals put on supported by the NDP? They actually were against that. And then, when we took the extra step of refunding and eliminating those stickers on the back of cars, you know, those little stickers they had to go was $120 and, you know, they were against it and voted against it, putting more money back in the pockets of the people of the province of Ontario. So it's not just about insurance that we reduced by $1.3 billion. It is about all of the other ways that we've made life more affordable for the people of the province of Ontario. Unfortunately, they voted against it, but we'll continue on doing that job. Thank you. That concludes our question period for this morning. Being no further business, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.