 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My questions to the Premier. Ontario's health care crisis is getting worse by the day. Over the last week alone, there were overnight and weekend closures at Chelsea Hospital, Durham Hospital, Walkerton, and St. Mary's, which was closed for a week. And just this morning, the Kempville District Hospital announced its ER will be closed for the next six nights. Doctors and frontline health care workers are very clear. This is a staffing crisis. And forcing seniors into private long-term care homes is not going to solve that crisis. Why is the Premier saying no to frontline health staff who want to solve the staffing crisis? To respond to Premier. And that's the exact reason we have to move the patients into long-term care. Because of the staffing crisis, because of the backlog surgeries, because of the long waits in the emergency departments, that's the exact reason, Mr. Speaker. There isn't a CEO of any hospital that has disagreed. Matter of fact, I got a message from a CEO this morning. Thank you so much for making this move. They're sending me messages nonstop. This is about taking care of the public, taking care of seniors, making sure that we reduce the wait times when they go into the emergency room, making sure we get rid of the backlog when it comes to surgeries. That's the reason we're doing it, Mr. Speaker. Again, to the Premier. Families are left in a frightening and vulnerable position when a local emergency room closes. We all know that. It's happening in community after community because hospitals are dangerously understaffed. Nurses are leaving because of low wages and poor working conditions. Will the Premier start taking steps today to address this crisis, starting with a repeal of disastrous Bill 124? Premier, Mr. Speaker, to my friend in the opposition, we started four and a half years ago when he propped it up the Liberals to fire 1600 nurses. We've hired over 1400 added 1400 nurses. We're adding another 5,000 nurses. We're adding 27,000 new PSWs. We built a medical school that is gonna be graduating more doctors into the system, one that hasn't been built in over a decade. Mr. Speaker, we added over 720 doctors last year alone. We're gonna continue building on the success that we've seen by putting additions and building brand new hospitals in over 50 areas. There's gonna be 50 new hospitals or with additions on top of that, Mr. Speaker, spending over $40 billion. There's no government in the history, not just Ontario, of Canada that has put more money into the healthcare system than what this government has. And to the Premier, frankly, Speaker, the emergency rooms are closing and the Premier can talk all the numbers he wants. The emergency rooms are closing. The Premier talks about the status quo. There's nothing more status quo than conservatives privatizing healthcare. Nothing more status quo. And asking nurses and healthcare workers to accept cutbacks and pay freezes has been the status quo that this Premier has created. Public hospitals need proper funding and resources to maintain quality of care and to maintain safe working conditions. Nurses and healthcare workers need support, not wage freezes. How many ERs have to close before this government gets it? Yeah. Deputy Premier and Minister of Health. Thank you, Speaker. The only part that I will agree with the member opposite, it is concerning when an emergency room closes temporarily, whether that is for an hour, a shift, or in fact over a weekend, which is why Ontario Health works so closely with our hospitals to make sure that individuals who could perhaps do a locum are matched with a hospital that is facing a short-term closure. We're doing that work. We have done a lot of work with Ontario Health to make sure that those matches are done. And frankly, we avoid many closures as a result of that work. That work will continue, but I also want to remind the member opposite. You talk about the shortage of healthcare workers. It was actually under the NDP government when Bob Ray was Premier, that you cut residency spaces for doctors in the province of Ontario. So I will take responses from the member opposite or the NDP party on how to better provide healthcare for services in the province of Ontario. Next question, the member for Davenport. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This question is for the Premier. Speaker, students are going back to school next week to what we all hope is going to be a more normal school year. Experts have been clear that addressing the impacts on their learning and their wellbeing is going to be requiring serious interventions. But instead of a serious plan backed up with real investment, this government is shifting millions, millions away from schools and into direct, one-time payments, forcing parents to buy their own supports. Since there have been no further details of this new voucher-style program, will the Premier commit instead to investing $225 million into our schools where it can do the most good? Reply the Minister of Education. Thank you, new even better speaker. We could increase it by $689 million for this September for publicly funded schools to ensure kids get back on track with a learning recovery plan that actually gets them on track. But in addition to increasing investments in publicly funded schools, yes, Mr. Speaker, we do believe, as Conservatives, that we need to help parents through this economic difficulty. That should be the default position of every single one of us. For whatever reason, NDP and Liberals have continued to oppose. $1.6 billion in direct financial relief. We did it with a $200 payment. We doubled it to $400. And now we're providing an additional $225 million to parents directly to help them with this economic challenge. All of us agree that there's economic instability and we want to help families through it. In addition to supporting parents, we have a planned speaker to help these kids catch up. And it starts with them being in school this September. Normal and stable and more enjoyable. That is our vision. It is our priority. And we will do whatever it takes to ensure your kids stay in school. Response? Great, great. That's a good question. This government spent 900 million less on education last year than in previous years. The funding promised for this new direct payment is more than twice what's been budgeted for mental health supports in schools. It's 50 million more than has been budgeted for in school tutoring. And instead of funneling that money into one-time checks like $50, $70, we're not sure yet, will the Premier invest it in hiring more teachers, more educational assistance, so that our kids can truly catch up? Yeah. That's good education. Mr. Speaker, since 2002, there are 40,000 more education workers in our schools and the population of students has remained almost constant at 2 million. We have more staff in our schools and for this September, the Premier noted 3,000 more on the way because our government has invested in the plan to ensure frontline staff are there to help our kids catch up. That is our commitment to keep them in school, to help them learn and recover from this pandemic and focus on the life and the job skills are gonna set them up for success when it comes to getting those jobs of the future. We have a vision for these kids to be ambitious and bold and it starts with stability in schools, with the full learning experience, the life and the job skills that come with that as well through clubs, through sports, extracurriculars, the leadership we want in the next generation of our entrepreneurs and leaders speaker. We have a plan. We have invested over 175 million dollars in tutoring expansion. When it comes to mental health, as the member opposite noted, we have increased investments from the former liberals who are empowered by 420% underscoring our commitment to the health and safety of all children in this province. Final supplementary. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I'd like to know where these phantom staff are. You know, where are these mystery public health nurses that are supposed to be in our schools? You showed me one of those. They sure as hell aren't in our schools. Speaker, this minister oversaw the longest school closures of any province or territory in this country, in North America, it's a terrible track record. Instead of correcting that with the investments in our students, this government has shortchanged them every opportunity. Speaker, the Premier can ensure a strong start to the new school year by investing and hiring more staff, bringing in more mental health supports and funding smaller classrooms. Will he do it? Speaker, we obviously believe these kids need to get back on track after two years of difficulty. We have a plan to help these kids catch up and it starts with these kids being in school and staying in school without interruption because every three years families in this province have to deal with their kids staying at home because of strikes imposed by unions supported by the members opposite. Order. And I think, Spender, what is most regrettable is that when we have a plan, a positive plan for these kids to get back on track. On the eve of back to school, when all of us should be coming together to support children and the return, we have a doom and gloom scenario again by the new Democrats undermining the confidence of families at a time when we should be united to keep kids in class. Mr. Speaker, we have a plan in place with over $600 million more for this September, $175 million for touring. There's 49,000 kids last week alone that benefited from that support and a mental health lift and a jobs and focus priority that's going to help these kids stay in school and get back on track. The next question, another four minutes ago. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. The government is attacking seniors' fundamental right to consent, forcing them into long-term care facilities far away from their circle of care from their family. But they continue to ignore the failures of our home care system. Most alternate-level care patients in our hospital are not waiting for long-term care bed. They are waiting for home care. But the waitlist have tripled under this Ford government. Why has the government not made any improvement to our home care system that would allow frail elderly people to stay in their home safely and respectfully? Mr. Hill. Thank you, Speaker. And I hope the member opposite when she has an opportunity to vote for a billion-dollar investment in community care that she will think carefully about what that actually means in our communities. It means 739,000 additional nursing visits. It means 157,000 nursing shift additional hours. It means 117,000 therapy visits, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology. It means 2,118,000 hours of personal support workers, 2 million, Speaker. It means 236,000 other types of home care visits. I absolutely agree that we can do better to make sure that people are safe in their homes, but the member opposite needs to think carefully about that when we vote on today's budget. Oh, that's a supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. The private for-profit home care agencies recruit and retain a stable workforce because they don't offer good job. Ninety percent of people, elderly people, want to age at home, not in a long-term care home. This government could bring tens of thousands of home care workers back to the job they love by mandating home care providers to offer 70 percent permanent full-time jobs, well-paid with benefit, sick days, and a pension plan. But this government is standing by while private for-profit home care agencies fail more and more, fail elderly people each and every day. Why is that, Speaker? Thank you, Speaker. When our government passed the Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, it was precisely because we understood that what people want is the ability to age at home safely and with the supports they need. We are doing that with a billion-dollar investment. And we will continue to do this important work to make sure that we are educating and offering PSW's additional opportunities to work in Ontario. We are doing it by increasing the capacity of nursing students in the province of Ontario at our colleges and nurses and universities. We are doing it by having internationally trained, educated healthcare professionals given the opportunity quickly to see and assess their qualifications and get those certificates so that they can work in our communities. We're doing the work. I hope our member opposite is willing to support us in that work. Speaker, the Bradford Community's economic potential is incumbent upon the success of this road project's expansion. This road project will not only benefit residents and travellers pretty much the key to their downtown success, and that is so crucial. The people of Bradford deserve to have certainty when it comes to delivering on this project. We have seen the Liberal track record regarding road expansion, like the Bradford Bypass, broken dreams and delayed potential. Speaker, to the Minister of Transportation, can she tell us how this project will help spur economic growth in York Simcoe and beyond? That's a good question. The Minister of Transportation. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member from Newmarket Aurora for the great question. Speaker, I've spoken at length in this house about the urgent need to get this project done, to fill the infrastructure gap that is crippling drivers. But building the Bradford Bypass is so much more than just about relief from gridlock. This new link will provide Ontario with the economic boost that it needs. Speaker, we have the heart of agricultural production right here in our backyard. The Holland Marsh grows over 56% of the province's share of root vegetables and is the second largest grower of carrots in North America. But if our transport trucks are trapped in gridlock, this prevents those goods from getting to market quickly. And it stops us from realizing Ontario's economic potential. Speaker, our government is the only government building towards a brighter future for our province, and we will get the Bradford Bypass done. The supplementary question. Speaker, the people of Bradford and the GTA have waited long enough for the Ontario government to deliver on the Bradford Bypass project. Our local community has discussed and advocated for this project since the late 60s and early 70s. But what did the Liberal governments do over the years? They delayed and cancelled. In 1986, the then David Peterson Liberal government cancelled the proposed project. It was brought back once more, only to be cancelled by the then Dalton McGinty, Kathleen Nguyen Liberal government. Our community desperately needs this road expansion project to be completed. Speaker, to the Minister of Transportation, can she please elaborate on the public support we have seen for getting this project done? Mr. Transportation. Speaker, thank you again to the member for the question. And she's right. Speaker, communities in York Region and Simcoe County have long called on their government to build the Bradford Bypass. And my predecessor, Julia Monroe, was a fierce advocate for 23 years in this House for the Bradford Bypass. But even as these calls have intensified over the years, successive Liberal governments just refused to listen. Our PC government, under the leadership of our Premier, is finally answering the call and delivering the Bradford Bypass. Speaker, I am so pleased about the resounding support this project has received, including from York Region's Chairman and CEO, Wayne Emerson, who has said and I quote, projects like the Bradford Bypass will make it easier for people by alleviating gridlock that already exists on our roads and our highways. And Bradford West Ghoulombrae's Mayor, Rob Keffer, has applauded our government's plan for this much needed piece of infrastructure. Speaker, make no mistake, building the Bradford Bypass is a priority for our government, and we are delivering. Next question, the member for Key Wet and All. Good morning. Good morning. My question is to the Premier. 27 First Nations in the far north are air access only. Speaker, these Northern airports are lifelines to essential services. Policing, groceries, mail, education, healthcare, et cetera. They use gravel runways, 3500 feet in length, which may be okay in the 1960s, but this is definitely not okay today. What is the government doing to plan to extend and improve these gravel runways? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It's actually a very important question because the member will know, the Premier in this government has, of course, put an emphasis on developing the north because we understand how important the north is to the economic success of the entire province. It has not, of course, always been the case in the province of Ontario for many, many years. The north was ignored. He will also know, Mr. Speaker, how important it is when you consider all of the work that the Minister of Mines is doing, the Minister of Northern Development are doing with respect to the Ring of Fire. The member is correct. It's not only about economic development in the north, but it is also about the communities that will follow the enormous development that is happening there. We're building hospitals in the north, long-term care in the north. We're building roads in the north. This is all part of what happens when the Ring of Fire comes from the north. And the infrastructure in the north will have to be improved. It is all part of the emphasis that this Premier has put in place since he was elected back in 2018, and we'll continue that work. Supplementary question. That's not the answer I'm looking for. I'm looking for answers regarding the airport. And let me be clear. Ring of Fire will not happen unless you talk to all First Nations. Speaker, imagine landing a six-ton aircraft at 160 kilometres per hour on a gravel runway that is less than a kilometre. Stop and think about that. You would never say it is safe to drive a car or a bus or a truck on a gravel road at 160 kilometres per hour. Yet every day, planes are landing under these conditions. And Kingfish Lake, my home community, the airport runway, which is gravel, was built in 1987. We're still using the same gravel runway. Question. What is this government's plan to update these airports to make them as safe as airports in the rest of Ontario? Again, Mr Speaker, I think the member is really, it's surprising, but he's on the same page as us when it comes to the investments that are needed in the north. Yes, it has been a long time since you've had a government that has been so focused on the north, that has been so focused on economic opportunity and understanding how important the north is to the entire province. For far too long, people have thought of the north as a drag on the province of Ontario. But it was this Premier and this government who said that it's absolutely the opposite, that there is a tremendous amount of wealth and resources in the north. There are skills in the north. We have seen it, the Minister of Mines, who has been a passionate advocate for the north and has brought jobs and opportunity to the north. But the member is right. Infrastructure needs to be improved as we make these important investments which will bring hundreds of billions of dollars to the province of Ontario. Thousands of jobs, enormous opportunity for all of the people in the north. The member is right and that's why we're making investments not only in roads and bridges, but of course airports will need to be part of this Mr. Speaker, because that's what happens when you... Thank you very much. The next question, the member for Kitchener's cell test here. Speaker, we all know that housing availability is at an all-time low across Ontario with more than a million new residences required to address the shortage. The previous Liberal government didn't have the initiative when it came to addressing supply constraints. It didn't matter if it was high-rise, mid-rise, single-family residential or missing middle. The entire process of building housing got mired in delay and wrapped in red tape. The shortage can't go on. There are young people in my riding, young, hard-working people, people who are building our economy who are desperate to strike out on their own and start laying down their own routes, but they are stuck still living with their parents because the shortage has left them with limited options on where else to go. Speaker, what is the Associate Minister of Housing doing to keep us on track to building homes faster? The Associate Minister of Housing. Thank you very much, Speaker. I'd like to thank the member for the question and the member is absolutely right, Mr. Speaker. Ontario is in a housing crisis due to lack of supply because of inaction by the previous Liberal government, Mr. Speaker. And that's why the people of Ontario put their trust in this premier, Mr. Speaker, and in this government because they know that we are here to act, Mr. Speaker, to build and because they know that we will work with all levels of government to get shovels in their ground. As part of our More Homes for Everyone plan, we're cutting through red tape and getting homes built faster. Through the community infrastructure and Housing Accelerator, we're putting together Ontario's first-ever housing supply action plan implementation to engage with municipalities, the federal government and the ministry. Mr. Speaker, as the Associate Minister of Housing, I'm here to ensure that we will fulfill our commitment to the people of this province and, Mr. Speaker, we will not. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, we will not. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker, Ontario's population is expanding rapidly with projections of 2 to 6 million by 2024, sorry, wrong date, 2043. By many accounts, the province is just not prepared to handle this kind of growth. We've got an aging population. We've got an increasing number of new Ontarians. We need the infrastructure to support all of them. We especially needed cities and rapidly growing areas like the region of Waterloo. We're so lucky to have all these new residents. They keep our economy buzzing and they keep our province vibrant. But if we don't buckle down and build now, we're going to see more and more Ontarians under housed. Speaker, can the Associate Minister explain how our government is working to keep pace with the growth happening here in Ontario? Mr. Speaker. Again, I thank the member for the question, Speaker, and as I said, countless occasions in this House, the time for getting shovels in the ground and getting on with the building of more homes is now, Mr. Speaker. And that's precisely what this government is doing. In 2021, our government broke ground on record number of homes being built with more than 100,000 new homes, Mr. Speaker, in only 12 months. That was the highest level since 1987. And we can't stop now, Mr. Speaker. To keep up with the pace of population growth, we've introduced a place to grow our plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, designed to increase housing, supply, create jobs and build stronger communities. We've brought forward Strong Mayor's More Homes Act, which will ensure Ontario's fastest growing cities have the tools they need to get projects that prove quicker and build more homes faster. Speaker, under the previous Liberal government, too many Ontarians gave up on the dream of home ownership. This government will never give up on them. I will never give up on them. Last week, Dina, a resident of Extendicare's West End Villa was forced into a move she didn't want to make thanks to the government's Bill 7. Dina had temporarily ended up on a floor run by the Ottawa hospital after they took over management of two floors at West End Villa. Warned that she was facing the possibility of being moved far from family and hospital charges of up to $1,800 a day. Dina was forced to accept a room in a for-profit facility that she does not want to live in. Why is the Premier insisting that no one will be coerced against their will when it's already happening to patients like Dina? The Minister of Long-Term Care Well, Mr Speaker, look, we just passed the bill yesterday. Having said that, Mr Speaker, we do contemplate working with hospitals to make available long-term care homes available to our hospitals so that patients who need more complex care can have that care. That is something that has been working very well in communities across the province of Ontario. It has been working quite well in Ottawa, Mr Speaker. That is part of our changes to the health care system, part of modernizing the health care system. We have said it a million times, we are not talking about long-term care. It is not a good level of care when a person who wants to be in long-term care is sitting in a hospital, Mr Speaker. This has been the case in this province for years. I read you yesterday a report from the Auditor General dating back to 2011 that highlighted how dangerous it was to have seniors waiting in a hospital when they should be in a long-term care home. We're acting on it, Mr Speaker, and that is one of the ways that we're doing it. Mr Speaker, Dina may be bedbound but she has the same rate to choose where to live that we all have. People don't become disposable just because they're elderly or they have a disability. But instead of being able to choose a new room or a new facility herself, she was told take this one now or next week we can put you wherever we want or charge you whatever we want and it's this government's bill that was used to coerce her decision. Will the Premier finally acknowledge the danger and stop Bill 7 from coming into force? Mr Bell. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I think the member opposite is losing track of the fact that we have patients who are sitting in hospital beds who need to be better served in community. That can in some cases be in a long-term care home and I want to reinforce Bill 7 ensures that the individual even if they are moved into a long-term care facility will still have their priority list of five there so that when a bed is available in the long-term care facility of their choice they will have that opportunity. But I have to remind people that hospitals are not homes. We need to ensure that people have the ability to live out their lives in community in long-term care homes where there is social programming where there are opportunities for people to live in communities where there is social programming where there is social programming which is of course not what is available in hospitals. Thank you, Mr Speaker. The government is rushing the passing of Bill 7 not allowing the government to hear the concerns of Ontarians because there will be no public hearing. We understand that hospitals are under enormous pressure and that we need to find measures to inappropriate long-term care facilities is displacing the issue, not solving it. The Premier said himself yesterday that patients deserve proper care so why not invest in more home care? The Bill does not contain details regarding the implementation and not knowing how far this government will go to free beds in hospitals really worries family. So my question is how will the government ensure that patients right to consent to proper care be guaranteed? The minister of long-term care Speaker look the members suggest that this is something new but look we have a report dating back to 2011 that was commissioned by the former Liberal government where their own commissioner begged them to do something about ALC and to work with long-term care in order to make that happen. This is dating back to 2011 we then have a further report from the Auditor General in 2012 which highlighted the dangers of having people are seniors in hospital who should be transitioned into long-term care. In addition to potential for CDEF facility talked about older patients a decline in physical and mental abilities due to lack of activity as being one of the dangers. That is what it is. It allows us to work with long-term care homes, it allows us to work with the patient who wants to become a resident see what services are available in the homes around their choice if their choice is not available they stay at the top of the priority list for their home of choice but at the same time get better care in the home while they wait for that. Supplementary question. Mr. Mr. Speaker it's something that really worries the Francontarian communities. Families are afraid that without their agreement they might be transferred in homes that are far away from their own home where they cannot have the health care of a good quality and above all where they cannot have services in the French language. So they are afraid that they will not be asked for their agreement and they are afraid that their will will not be respected so the patients must be able to accept or to say no they do not need to be obligated to go into another home if they do not want so what the minister is going to do in order to guarantee patients that their rights will be respected. The bill highlights that the patient's bill of rights will of course be respected but what the bill really does though Mr. Speaker it works with patients in hospital who are waiting to be transferred into long term care so what we are able to do is we are opening up 500 spaces for respite care I have talked about how important that is and I hope all members would agree that that is important. We are able to bring on a thousand beds that have been set aside for isolation purposes a thousand of the 2000 put them back into care. We are able to work with long term care homes in the patient what is your preferred choice is it available if it is not what homes are in and around your preferred choice are available will that home work for you if it does not what do we need to do to make it work for you do we need to put in kidney dialysis do we need behavioral supports for you specialized nursing for you this bill allows us to do that the regulations that I have introduced a couple more word rooms we talk about the $60 million going for it is better for patients and we won't stop. Thank you. Thank you Mr. Speaker. Speaker the pandemic has exacerbated a growing nursing shortage in Ontario health care system nurses and personal support workers are the corner stone of the health care system and that is why we must address this problem to do that we have access to post secondary education many young people want to become part of the solution and enter this preferred provision but are cornerstone about barriers such as limited selection in accessing high quality local education. Mr. Speaker what is the Minister of College and University doing for my constituents that wish to receive a nursing degree close to their home. Thank you. Thank you very much and thank you to the member from Markham Thornhill for that important question we all can agree and we know how vital nurses are to the health care system. I'm proud to say that we've created the conditions where record number of Ontario students are excited to enter the nursing field and begin their post graduate nursing education. Our innovative approach to connecting students to nursing programs closer to home is delivering real results so we have allowed stand alone nursing programs at 14 colleges and universities across Ontario to keep up with this demand. This means that students across the province from St. Catherine's to Ottawa to Sault Ste. Marie have greater choice than ever before. This means getting them through the system quicker and getting them into the workforce. In addition our 61 million dollar investment into the learn and stay program will provide students right here in Ontario. These investments and programs are making real change in Ontario and we will continue to provide students with the education and skills they need to address health care needs in this province. Thank you minister for that answer. Indigenous community also urgently need more nurses and peer staff. Unfortunately Indigenous people have to long stay in the hospital. They need to be able to access the education and education barriers in accessing effective and culturally safe healthcare. With the enrollment in the Indigenous institute increasing by 43% since 2018. We must ensure students receive culturally relevant high-caliber education. Speaker what step has the ministry taken in expanding enrollment in PSW and nursing facilities? Thank you Mr. Speaker. Our government is proud to support a post-secondary system that is accessible, respectable and inclusive for all students including Indigenous learners and educators. That is why we continue to work with colleges, universities, Indigenous institutes and Indigenous partners to create the conditions that make it easier for everyone to access high quality post-secondary education. Through Indigenous institutes we are increasing enrollment at PSW programs at six Indigenous institutes. This investment is expected to directly train over 400 PSWs in the next four years and will support the enhancement of Indigenous knowledge and language in students learning. Together we are working to overcome the unique challenges facing our healthcare system and our students. We will continue to ensure that students receive culturally relevant high-caliber education and that Indigenous people can continue accessing effective and culturally appropriate healthcare. Thank you. The next question. Speaker everyone except the Government seems to know that paid sick days help workers. It helps them keep their families safe, their co-workers safe and help keep our community safe speaker. But instead of 10 days to offer a measly three temporary paid sick days. Workers can only use those for COVID-19, nothing else. And if a worker used them in the past two years, those are gone forever. Why does the Premier care about workers who get sick with something other than COVID-19? And why are workers who get COVID-19 who are already used paid sick days not available anymore? Thank you very much. I think the next question for Premier Ford will always have the backs of workers across this province. That's why, Mr Speaker, we were the first province in Canada to bring in job protected leave. If anyone had to stay home because of COVID-19, they can't be fired for that. Furthermore, we became the first province in the country to bring in paid sick days during the pandemic. I recently extended those paid sick days until the end of March. But I think we're going to be able to do that in the next single day. Thank you very much, Speaker. I want to talk about Barb. She asked me not to use her real name. Barb is a local PSW and between the rising cost of food and rent and her student loans, she barely earns enough to support herself and her children. Barb worries a lot about getting sick because if she gets sick, she'll have to choose between feeding her kids and not talking about protected leave. I'm talking about paying your bills and putting food in your belly. My question is, will the Premier commit to 10 permanent employer paid sick days so that Ontario can keep workers, families and our communities safe? Mr Speaker, this government will always continue to have the backs of every single worker in this province. That's why again, Mr Speaker, we brought in a job protected leave, the first in the country. We're going to continue to continue to have paid sick days during the pandemic and to update the member opposite. On average, workers across the province are using two of those three paid sick days. I'm also proud to say unlike the NDP plan that would bankrupt thousands of small businesses in this province, under our paid sick days, we're reimbursing businesses for the costs of those paid sick days. But Mr Speaker, we'll continue to do so. Mr Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Education. Industries, businesses across all of Ontario are struggling to find employees to fill jobs they're offering. A company in my right in a storm on Dundas in South Glen Gary, Sigma Point, in the city of Cornwall, is facing extreme difficulties finding engineers that they need to seamlessly run their business. This labour shortage is hampering the ability to work in these sectors. As legislators, we cannot accept this. We need to ensure that our students start with the youngest learners, including my own young children, know about the jobs of the future and equip to fill these jobs. Mr Speaker, through you to the Minister, how will this government ensure that our children are prepared to enter the workforce and fill our employment gaps? Thank you very much. I want to thank the member from storm on Dundas as our government sees with safeguarding our future prosperity amid global change and disruption, we have a plan to ensure the next generation of entrepreneurs and leaders in our province have the skills they need to get those good paying jobs. Mr Speaker, the fundamental problem we have to define is that this curriculum, the children we're learning in this problem from math to science was outdated and static. The last time the former Liberals updated the curriculum was 2005 in math. YouTube had not been launched. The first iPhone had not been released on the market and yet kids were learning skills totally disconnected from the global economy. Clearly we must do better which is why we modernize our math and our science curriculum with a real emphasis on the life and job skills. Coding, financial literacy, teaching kids about mortgages, budgeting, credit and debt, these are the skills generations of young people wish they learned under our government they will disappear. Can members not use props? Supplementary question. Speaker, while I'm certainly pleased to know that this government has placed an emphasis on STEM learning in schools our students must be able to transfer these skills to real life opportunities. How can it be true that we have a labor shortage and concurrently a large number of young people without jobs? The answer is simple Speaker, our young people were not adequately prepared for the current demands of the job market. For 15 years our government was distracted trying to teach discovery math and other items that failed to help our students find employment with good paychecks. We need to ensure that our children including children of my riding of Stormont Dundas in South Glengary are being taught relevant subjects that are continuously updated so that they can access and be aware of well-paying jobs. To the minister how is the updated STEM curriculum going to prepare our next generation for jobs of the future? Thank you very much Mr. Speaker it is a critical question because what it underscores is a necessity for curriculum to be relevant to the job market we have under this government created 500,000 good paying jobs in this province and yet Speaker in this country the youth unemployment rate still remains stubbornly high something has to change and we accept that the curriculum needs to be modern and reflect the life skills young people need to get the jobs of the future that we aspire for them. That's why Speaker we mandated coding in this province to mandate coding from grade 1 through 8 in both the math and the science curriculum. In grade 3 kids will now how to literally build a robot. We're teaching them skill sets that are going to help set them up for the STEM careers we want. Speaker we're also for the first time speaking about artificial intelligence the emergence of new jobs within those sectors financial literacy is now a mandate it is a compulsion of graduation starting in grade 1 learning basic money skills all the way to grade 8 where they're literally building a budget for the year. We have a plan to help these kids succeed and get good paying jobs and it starts with keeping them in school this September right to June. Thank you Speaker my question is to the Premier this government spouts a lot of numbers about the thousands of new health care professionals they hired during their last term. But there is right. Go let them show it to you go let them show it to you right down the downer take your seat member for Niagara Falls come to order government side come to order that shouldn't happen start the clock I recognize the member again. As I said this government spouts a lot of numbers about the thousands of new health care professionals they hired during their last term but there is no evidence whatsoever that any of these new professionals exist. They are nowhere to be seen in the north and given the staffing crisis gripping every single health care setting in the province nowhere to be seen anywhere else. Is your refusal to negotiate a fair wage with existing health care workers thus sending them out of the profession in droves part of your long term plan to privatize health care ultimately leading to low wage and precarious work for all health care workers once you have the existing workforce. Thank you for that question and it's true we have hired thousands of health care workers and we have thousands of students now wanting to enter the nursing profession today's report showed 25,000 students wanting to enter the nursing profession because of the record investments that this government is making in health care system record number of students are wanting to enter the nursing profession. We know how vital nurses and PSW are to the health care system and we will continue to make those investments. Sound like imaginary friends to me. The $5,000 bonus given to nurses but not other health care workers not only did not represent permanent wage increase it continues to cause division and resentment amongst all those health care workers who are not eligible for the bonus an entirely predictable outcome of the health care strategy. I was called recently by a young nurse who was adamant he did not want there and I quote damn $5,000 he wanted to see across the board pay and benefit increases so that more health care workers would stay in the profession and they wouldn't be working in a constant state of exhaustion. Will this government admit it is deliberately driving existing health care workers out of the profession in order to gut the public system? Let's elevate our language. Minister of colleges and universities. Those $25,000 applications to the nursing programs right here in Ontario. Let's look at the oppositions record you admit you need more nurses let me see $61 million investment in the learn in the day program which would bring 3,000 nurses in the next four years and did this opposition support it? No. I think Catherine's come door the member for Kitchener Conestoga come door. I have to be able to hear the minister in her reply. We start the clock. Minister of colleges and universities. The Ministry of long-term care investment of $35 million to increase enrollment to allow for over a thousand RPNs and over 800 registered nurses. Did the opposition support us? No. The Ministry of long-term care investment of $100 million and registered practical nurses. Did they support that? No. Our investment of $342 million to add over 5,000 registered nurses and 8,000 PSWs. Did they support this? No. This government is making the investments and providing the opportunities for students to enter the nursing program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This question is for the Minister of women's and social economics opportunity. The national and economic security depends on a robust cybersecurity system. With the recent news of the data's breach at Dog Dash, I know that many people in my writing of Richmond Hill are now aware of the critical role that cybersecurity oversight has for everyone's protection. Unfortunately, there appears to be a lack of diversity and inclusion for women in this important field. It is reported that they make up a small percentage of the cybersecurity workforce at roughly 11% of the good jobs globally. Speaker, what is our government doing to highlight the growing need for women in cybersecurity? Well done. Associate Minister of Women's Social and Economic Opportunity. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you all for coming to Memphis and Hill for that excellent question. Mr. Speaker, you improved the security of an organization when you have diverse mindsets. Today, September 1st, is the international woman in Cyber Day. It is a day set aside to bring awareness to the challenges women face and celebrate women's achievements within the cybersecurity industry. To address the growing demand for voices throughout the field and in leadership positions. And I'm really glad the Minister of Education highlighted the importance that our government is making in changing the face of STEM for young kids because we are modernizing our science and technology curriculum to place an emphasis on STEM that will encourage more young girls and women to explore cybersecurity. Mr. Speaker, women can be at the forefront of this industry and can change the landscape in cybersecurity while increasing their representation. A supplementary question. Minister, for your tireless efforts to support the women, unfortunately many women have experienced roadblocks as well and they also experienced challenges trying to enter the cybersecurity industry. One of the major concerns that the feud often isn't on the radar of girls and women as they pick post-secondary programs or consider new careers. Another challenge women face is a perception that only those with programming background can get a job in this field. Speaker, with today being the International Women in Cyber Day as what the Minister has mentioned, what is our government doing to advocate for the more significant presence of women to be in the leaders in this industry? Good job, Minister. Thank you, Member for Richmond Hill for the question. In the world of cybersecurity it is becoming increasingly evident that our sensitive and private information is vulnerable. The women involved in this industry are our frontline heroes keeping us safe in an environment of new technology and cyber attacks. Women as a firefighter or a police officer, women in cybersecurity have the same ability to protect and serve our communities as well. The industry is booming today and growing in exponential ways and I recently had a meeting with the Ontario Centre of Innovation and learned about the work they are doing to elevate women and advanced technology industry to start up and scale up their businesses. Mr. Speaker, now more than ever I am excited to highlight and encourage young women to consider a career in cybersecurity. And our government will highlight women's achievements and cast down barriers as an ally alongside them because, Mr. Speaker, women belong in every place, at every table, in every space. Thank you. Next question. The next is to the Premier. The Ministry of Environment has approved the use of a former dairy farm lagoon in Armstrong Township for the importation, storage and spreading of raw sewage from Quebec. I have made the Minister, the Ministry and the legislature aware several times of the issues involved in the approval process and have now been unable to get answers. So I'll make them here. Could you please confirm that adjacent property owners need to be consulted as part of the EA process? Yeah. Come on out, slinger. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Let me just say that I won't be able to give him a specific answer to that so I will take it under advisement and meet with him after a question period. Thank you. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. And I appreciate that response and I look forward to the detailed answer. When my office contacted the Ministry regarding the use of a former dairy lagoon, the Ministry responded that the site did not contain an abandoned lagoon, even though it obviously does. When my office contacted the Ministry regarding the well that provided water to the former dairy farm, the reply was that no prior well existed on the property. Once again, that is not the community is losing faith in the role of the Ministry in the approval of this project. Minister, will you commit to releasing all documents pertaining to your Ministry's approval and monitoring of this project? Thank you. Thank you. And to respond, Governor House Leader. Look again, Mr. Speaker, the Minister is working very hard and very diligently to ensure that we have one of the most robust environmental assessment regimes in the entire country. You have seen day in and day out the passion that he brings to this. But moreover, Mr. Speaker, we know how important agriculture is to the province of Ontario. It's something that the Minister of Agriculture has been talking about constantly. So we will continue to work with our farmers, we will continue to work with communities, we will continue to work with this member to ensure that what we are doing each and every day is highlighted, respecting the fact that we need to protect our environment, making sure that the rules that are in place protect not only our communities but protect the people who work within our communities and ensure that our farmers and our agriculture community are respected in that process. As I said, Mr. Speaker, at the conclusion of question period, I will sit down with the member and take some additional advice from him and hear some of his specific concerns. Thank you. The next question, the member for Eglinton Lawrence. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. With the GTA population expected to increase between 2 and 6 million in the next 20 years, Ontario needs to have a plan. We will need the necessary infrastructure to accommodate more residents. And most importantly, we will need enough housing. We can't afford delay and red tape. A population increase of this magnitude requires immediate action. Experts and advocates are calling on the federal and provincial governments to address the crisis and move aggressively to support the oncoming population increase. Speaker, can the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing explain how the strong mayor's legislation will help expedite priority projects and housing so that we can keep up with population growth? The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Thanks, Mr. Speaker. I want to thank the member for Eglinton Lawrence for that tremendous question. I think it's so very important as we move, especially during the time of a municipal election, that we've got to make sure that we get that plan in place. And municipal governments play a crucial role in determining housing supply. But the member's right. As Ontario's population has grown, housing, new construction, the supply of housing hasn't kept pace. We're now facing a housing crisis that freezes too many young families out of the market. Our proposed strong mayor system will empower municipal leaders to work more effectively with the province on provincial priorities, like building more housing. On this side of the house, we understand that municipalities play that critical role in ensuring our success, but we have to speak. And I have to implore the opposition to really look at this. This is so important that we give the mayors in our two largest cities the tools that they need to get the job done. That's exactly what our proposed bill will do. Let's have a lunchy question. Thank you, Speaker. Leading voices have warned that the lack of new housing and planning for population growth in Toronto could hamper the city's economic future. These same voices have said that the top concern for everyone should be addressing Ontario's housing crunch and the difficulty that many residents have buying and renting. Many of my constituents are very concerned about home ownership for themselves and for their children. They ask why governments are not taking immediate action and cutting through the red tape that is holding up development. Speaker, can the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing explain how our strong mayors legislation will result in more homes and provide reassurance to my constituents about their future in cities like Toronto? Minister, Minister of Affairs and Housing. Thanks, Speaker. Through you to the member, I've said this many, many times in the house that we need to work with our municipal partners to unlock more housing supply. Too many Ontarians are worried, Speaker, that they're never going to be able to own the home that meets their needs and their budget. Our government has to move forward. We have to implement policies and build upon the success of more homes for everyone and our housing supply action plan. Speaker, I want to remind the members of the House that last year we had the most housing starts over 100,000. It's the most we've had in our province in over 30 years. But, Speaker, more has to be done. We need to pull out all the stops to ensure that municipalities have the tools to get the job done. We've committed to Ontario in the last election that we're going to be building 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years so that people can realize the dream of home ownership. That's exactly what our proposed strongwares bill will accomplish. The member for Humbleoverhurst, Black Street. Thank you, Speaker. Buying a new home should be a dream, but not a nightmare. We continue to hear about bad builders who extort home buyers by raising the price of homes after contracts have been signed or turn around and cancel the contract and resell the home to the highest bidder. This has to stop. For our regulator, the HICRA has only investigated 10% of all complaints and not a single fine has been laid. To make matters worse, because of the government regulators in action, many home buyers have had to spend thousands and thousands of dollars in court, sign NDAs and go through years of unnecessary stress because your government regulator isn't protecting them. Why is this government letting this happen? And if they're not willing to act, are they willing to reimburse home buyers for their legal fees, since they are unwilling to protect them? Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for the question. Mr. Speaker, it is this government that vowed to stop bad developers from trying to make extra money off the backs of hardworking Ontarians. And it is our government that is strengthening the regulatory tools available to address this concern. Speaker, these include much heftier fines for bad builders and enhanced powers for HCRA to proactively investigate potential bad behavior by developers. Altogether, Mr. Speaker, these stronger penalties and approaches would cost unlawful developers very dearly on a single home from hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines to the loss of their builder's license. Speaker, we are making bad builders think twice before trying to take advantage of our home buyers. And also, Mr. Speaker, we are actively working to stop these incidences from happening any further through multiple different means. Thank you. Thank you. That concludes our question period for this morning from a House Leader point of order. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Just rising on Standing Order 59 just to outline the business in the coming week and just to thank members again for a very productive week on all sides of the House for the people of the province of Ontario. So on Monday, September 5th, pursuant to Standing Order 99, the House of Courts will not meet in recognition of Labor Day. On Tuesday, September 6th in the morning, we will be dealing with in the morning and afternoon Bill 3, the Strongmares Building Homes Act, both morning and afternoon. And in the evening, we will have a private member's notice of motion number two from member for Brampton North. On Wednesday, September 7th, in the morning and afternoon, we will proceed with Bill 3, Strongmares Building More Homes Act. In the evening, we will have the member of Scarborough-Gildwood, Bill 9, the Safe and Healthy Communities Act. On Thursday, September 8th, in the morning, colleagues, we will have tributes to deceased members of Parliament. And let me just thank members who have been participating in that. They are very important to the family members and the speeches on all sides have really been very, very well done. So thank you and congratulations to everybody. We will then have a statement by the Ministry at Routine Proceedings. The Minister of Addictions and Mental Health will have a statement on World Suicide Prevention Day. The afternoon, we will continue on with tributes to deceased members of Provincial Parliament. And in the evening, the member for Windsor West, private members, notice of motion number one. Thank you, Speaker. Thank you. With a deferred vote on the motion for third reading, a bill to enact to implement budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes. Calling the members. This will be a five minute bill.