 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of his Majesty's loyal opposition Speaker my question is for the Premier Yesterday newly uncovered documents provided even more evidence that it was a conservative It was conservative political staff not civil service experts who directed changes to municipal official plans that favored very specific land speculators in Niagara Hamilton Halton Waterloo Peel York Durham regions It's clearer than ever that the Premier was looped into decisions regarding urban boundary changes From the start So speaker I have to ask the Premier were these specific changes made to benefit the Premier's friends Just like the decision to remove sites from the Greenbelt Minister Thank you. Thank you speaker actually last week when I reversed the official plans. I acknowledge that there was in fact too much Involvement of political staff in those official plans and that is why I removed or I revoked the official plans and went back to the original plans As submitted by the regions supplementary question Speaker it's very obvious that the Premier's office was more involved in all of these decisions and they've disclosed as We start to dig former Minister of Housing's chief of staff Ryan Amato didn't mince words He directed senior ministry staff to and I quote keep their mouths shut about the changes These revelations bring the Premier and the former minister's testimony to the integrity commissioner into question So speaker why is there such a discrepancy between the Premier's testimony to the integrity commissioner and what's revealed in these documents? Mr. Mr. Speaker as I said at the news conference last last week I thought there was too much involvement with from political staff in the in the forum Minister's office and That is why I repealed the changes that the province had made to those official plans And re in reinstated the official plans as submitted by the regions I acknowledge that last week at the same time We're going to continue focusing working with our our partners our municipal partners to make sure that we get houses Shovels in the ground and homes built for the people the province of Ontario It's an accident right a one-off No speaker the Premier told the integrity commissioner that he had quote no recollection of Meeting developer Sergio Mancha about removing his lands from the green belt the Premier repeated that just this morning But the documents uncovered yesterday. They tell a very different story In fact, they indicate that the Premier did meet with Mr. Mancha on September 20th, 2021 With the same Mr. Mancha Who staff members said the Premier quote needs to stop calling? Speaker I'm going to ask again Why is there such a discrepancy between what the Premier testified to the integrity commissioner and the revelations in these documents? Minister missful fairs and housing speaker I said quite clearly and I've answered it a number of times that there was too much involvement From political staff in changes to the official plans and that is why I repealed the changes that were made by the By the by the province and the official plans and why I reinstated the official plans as submitted by those 12 municipalities There was too much involvement. I repealed them. I'm working with municipalities To ascertain which of the changes they may support over the next 45 days Speaker but I have acknowledged right from the beginning. There was too much input from political staff We have a provincial policy statement That's what we should be guided by and that's what we will continue to be guided by as we build 1.5 million homes working with our municipal partners to get that job done Next question once again the leader of the opposition Ontarians are growing increasingly concerned that this government doesn't understand the gravity of the situation They're in back to the Premier. They're under a criminal RCMP investigation Apparently interviews are going to start this week. They've appointed a special Prosecutor the integrity commissioner and the auditor general had to do comprehensive probes in order for the public to get a sense of the Scale of this government's dirty deals This goes so far beyond the green belt We've seen a clear pattern of preferential treatment Benefiting the private interests of a select few landowners over and over and over again So speaker to the Premier how can Ontarians trust this government when a mountain of evidence shows their only in it for their friends Well, tell the leader of the opposition why they can trust us you look at the economy the 700,000 people they're working today that weren't working five years ago They look at the housing starts record housing starts and rental starts over 30 years We look at the infrastructure building the highways and the roads and the bridges and the transit were spending 70 billion dollars on $30 billion on on roads and when it comes to mzo's mr. Speaker, there's 234,000 people that have a roof over their head today that wouldn't have a roof over their head There's five thousand seniors that can call long-term care home because the mzo's that were asked by the municipalities to do There's a hundred and fifty thousand destruction jobs that happen because of those mzo's It's a tool that we aren't going to stop using we're going to continue building homes the 1.5 million homes That's our target. We're going to continue doing That's his alibi evidence 7,000 pages of evidence 7,000 more reasons that Ontarians have to question this government's integrity Everything in there points to the premier and his staff directing policy changes to favor specific speculators with ties to the conservative party in one instance in Hamilton this government copied a developer's exact request into Hamilton's official plan word for word To the premier who runs this province? Is it the premier or has he outsourced the job to his speculator friends? Do you know who runs this province the people of this province run out the people I always say parliament is supreme and what is parliament parliament is elected by the people so the people are supreme They tell us what they want. We ran on a very clear mandate building homes Building roads building highways building long-term care homes building hospitals order and the reason we have to do this Mr. Speaker because the Liberals for 15 years Supported and propped it up by the NDP Destroyed this province basically put it in the bankruptcy and we came in and saved the people and save the problem Speaker this premier and his minister testified Under oath that they did not know about the changes to the green belt until late October 2022 yet now we have pages and pages of redactions due to cabinet Confidentiality from September and early October these redactions seriously call into question the accuracy of the premier's testimony We know that the premier's former minister principal secretary director of housing policy all Conveniently provided the integrity commissioner with the same incorrect dates when they were living it up in Vegas with a green belt Speculator so speaker to the premier. Why is the premier's cabinet sitting on their hands while he is clearly giving? preferential treatment to his insider friends Mr. Ms. Voltaire's and housing Just the opposite speaker. We're not sitting on our hands. In fact, we are getting the job done across the province of Monterey You know she talks about she talks about me so zoning a minister zoning orders the premier talked about it I mean minister zoning orders will ensure that we have the largest Long-term care home in the country built in Mississauga. You know what else it will mean It'll mean the largest hospital in the country in Mississauga So the leader of the opposition would like us to close down 600 beds for seniors She'd like us to stop construction of the largest hospital in the country She'd like us to put down the shovels on the social housing that is being built within the city of Toronto She would like us to stop the subways that are being built She would like us to stop the go trains that are being built across the province of Ontario And she would like us to stop building homes for people of the province of Ontario who have one dream speaker The dream is Province or if you're already here to get out of your parents base basement so that you can have the same dream as everybody else We won't stop. We'll get this question. Once again the leader of the opposition Speaker the jig is up. The jig is up. This should be a moment of very simple reflection for this government and instead They're doubling down This question is for the premier from official plans to the green belt to MZO's We have a chaotic and speculator friendly process driven by the premier and his political staff When discussing the cherry wood lands owned by Silvio de Gasparis Mr. Amato is quoted in these FOI documents saying the government should just do what they asked for At another point, mr. Amato says the speculator is getting in and I quote Unfrozen three billion dollar asset On another point, he says the process needs to look quote as clean as possible Speaker if Ontarians can't trust this government's testimony under oath, why should anyone believe them at all? Mr. Speaker when it comes to the official plans there's thousands and thousands and thousands have changed us This has been going on for decades even when I was down at the minister Municipality and when I directed the minister of housing to pull those back We're gonna work hand-in-hand and assures. I'm standing here mr. Speaker the municipalities are gonna come back And they're gonna ask for more changes and God bless them for asking for changes because that means we're gonna be building homes What do you know what I find ironic mr. Speaker no matter of it's the MZO or OPs or whatever Guess who shows up to all the announcements The NDP shows up to the announcements standing beside me when we're announcing a long-term care order It's happened numerous times, but I find it very ironic they vote against it But they want to take the kudos when we actually get the long-term care homes built Supplementary speaker the premier can't continue to claim ignorance about this. This is embarrassing We now We now know that he had a meeting regarding the green belt on September 15th We have a note from October 13th saying that the decision on the York region area is Quote with the premier's office right now, but quote the premier doesn't understand It's in the Oak Ridge's Marine in Document after document we have quotes like they're bringing it to the PO in Conversation with PO and PO by the way in case anybody doesn't already know is the premier's office on October 26 the minister wanted to rip off the green belt band-aid and hope developers don't and I quote stab them in the back Speaker so back to the premier if this question is how the premier's office conducts business When is the premier going to come clean about his role in these shady backroom deals? Speaker listen, this is no different This is an NDP that is literally opposed to everything the leader of the opposition is sitting next to a member whose own writing depends on mining and that he sits in his place and laughs because he knows he voted against minors and thousands of jobs behinder is a member who relies on schools and Colleges in university and that's a member who votes against in student housing mr. Speaker on the opposite side as a Member who votes against long-term care in his writing every single day But as the premier said shows up to the announcements and says oh, I want to help you cut the ribbon to something that I oppose Every single time mr. Speaker surrounding the leader of the opposition are members who vote against housing They vote against transit and transportation in their writing It is a caucus that is divided and the leader of the opposition will do anything to distract the divisions in her own caucus We will move forward on building a bigger better stronger province of Ontario because that's what the people need and we won't let them down My question is for the Minister of Finance When meeting with local businesses in my writing of Thorne Hill I've heard time and time and again of the pressure the federal carbon tax is putting on our economy and especially on our local commerce So starting a growing and growing a business is hard work all businesses play a vital role in our province's economy While the opposition liberals and the NDP have no problem with the aggressive carbon tax It's not fair or right that our businesses are being punished Speaker can the minister please explain what impact a carbon tax has on our economy and our businesses To apply the minister of finance. Well, thank you speaker and thank you to the hard-working member from Thorne Hill for that great question You know their local business owners are absolutely right The carbon tax is driving up costs of making life more expensive for the people of this great province Mr. Speaker in fact a recent study by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business found that more than 56% of businesses would need to increase their prices immediately due to direct pressures from the carbon tax That means that it's not just on the carbon tax. Mr. Speaker. It's a tax on the truck truck drivers who bring in our food It's a tax on the farmers who go our crops and it's a tax on the local businesses that try to succeed in Ontario mr. Speaker, it's not fair for the people of this province order To continue with this punitive carbon tax, and that's why we will continue to fight against the carbon tax Even as the Liberals and the NDP opposition members continue to vote to make life more expensive for Ontario families Thank you speaker and thank you to the equally hard-working minister The carbon tax harms health and wellness and progress of Ontarians The regressive tax adds an artificial barrier to the affordability of essential items It forces small businesses to increase prices is making them less competitive and it places an unfair burden on our producers So Ontario companies are struggling every day to stay competitive and viable in a global market due to high inflation In this time of economic uncertainty and affordability concerns, let's not tax Ontarians more Unlike the opposition Liberals and NDP our government believes in putting money back into the pockets of people by removing this harmful tax Yep, can the minister please share his views on why we need to fight this carbon tax and provide support to Ontario businesses and families Sure finance And thank you to the great member again from Thorne Hill for that question as the members so clearly Outline the carbon tax continues to drive up prices and make life more unaffordable And I was really disappointed to see that the liberal opposition members and the NDP members voted against our motion To remove the carbon tax from grocery items That's why speaker I was proud to have stood alongside the premier today To announce that our government is once again taking action To support hardworking Ontario families and businesses by extending our gas tax cut If passed mr. Speaker the 2023 fall economic statement will extend the gas tax cut to june 30th 2024 Saving households an average of two hundred and sixty dollars, mr. Speaker And mr. Speaker this is just one more cost-saving measure championed by our government Putting money back in the pockets of Ontario families at a time when they need it most member for university rose tail figure my question is to the premier According to foi documents at a meeting on october 13 2022 staff discussed the removal of gormley land from the green belt In a meeting note ryan amato said the decision on the gormley green belt lands was with the premier's office. I quote Amato Premier doesn't understand. It's in the oak ridges moraine Unquote my question is to the premier Did you make the decision to remove these gormley lands from the green belt? Yes or no? Uh Speaker gormley lands were never removed from the green belt. I know that quite well because it is in my riding. I actually uh Grudgingly campaigned in two elections to remove the gormley lands from the green belt because the town of stovill is having such a difficult time raising the funds needed uh to With respect to um unfunded liabilities with respect to infrastructure because it is entirely green belted But the premier on both occasions told me it's not happening and rejected those that green belt expansion Thank you Again to the premier at a subsequent meeting on october 21 2022 ministry staff Met to discuss outstanding issues related to certain green belt properties These properties included the gormley green belt lands in york region According to the meeting note ryan amato said and I quote they're bringing it to the premier's office Two weeks later these green belt lands were designated for development in the ministry's amendments to the york region's official plan They got what they wanted the premier previously claimed. He was not made aware Of the changes to the green belt prior to the cabinet briefing on october 27th We all remember this very well Would the premier out of respect for the people of ontario like to correct his record? Take your seats ministry miss both airs and housing again, again, mr. Speaker the gormley lands were not included Question the member for brandford brand Thank you speaker My question is for the minister of indigenous affairs and northern development The carbon tax is making everything more expensive for all of ontarians and especially those in northern ontario The reality is is that because of northern geography the cost of transporting goods is already much higher Than it would be in any other part of the province The north is a vast land where many individuals have to travel by car And in many cases larger vehicles are needed for safety due to the many back roads and the unpredictable weather conditions The carbon tax is negatively impacting people in these communities as they are hit hardest By the at the gas pumps and in their grocery stores Speaker can the minister please elaborate on his views regarding the negative impact that the carbon tax has on northern ontario Thank you Order minister of northern development Mr. Mr. Speaker because he's proud to stand with two leaders prime minister harper and premier ford who've taken a hardline stance Against the carbon tax. Mr. Speaker. There's no place in this province where that cost has had a greater burden Think mr. Speaker for a moment when the dryden eagles want to play the fort francis muskies. There's 185 or 200 kilometers It's hockey. It's basketball badminton's all those sports. Mr. Speaker think of how much more money Those schools have to pay to play each other Gas mr. Speaker is already more expensive up in northern ontario that 14 cents a leader is a big hit But let's talk about energy mining and forestry a recent study at the university of waterloo says this is a hit to canada For 256 billion dollars forestry mining and energy combined As one of the largest producers in those three spaces or users Ontario is exposed in three of its primary drivers for our economy. Mr. Speaker. It's time to scrap this tax The supplementary question Thank you Thank you speaker and thank you minister The carbon tax is in essence Attacks on everything Your groceries Your gas Heating your home and so much more It's not right that individuals and families in northern communities are negatively impacted because of this regressive tax And you know what speaker instead of supporting northern ontario the previous liberal government Supported by the ndp spent more time insulting this region calling it no man's layer Unlike other parts of our province the north faces unique barriers regarding fuel costs that need to be understood and respected The opposition liberals and ndp Downplaying the carbon taxes impact on northern ontario is disrespectful to all of its residents Speaker can the minister please elaborate on the detrimental effects that the carbon tax is having On the people communities and businesses of the north. Thank you minister of northern development With all due respect it isn't just the fact that they downplayed They voted in favour of this carbon tax. That's a matter of record in this legislature And in Ottawa, mr. Speaker and no place No place could this be on higher profile than the isolated communities in northern ontario now this government understood that We put a reduction in fuel costs into the isolated communities Uh in the last legislative session the member from kiwak no, how did he vote against that colleagues? These are carrying people and goods to his isolated communities He voted against it. Mr. Speaker as did his other colleagues who have isolated Communities in their writings. Mr. Speaker They already have some of the highest costs for groceries goods and importantly diesel fuel for the last remaining communities In northern ontario who deserve sponsors corridor. I know the minister of energy is listening hard to that, mr. Speaker This carbon tax is very expensive for our isolated communities. It's time to scrap the and cast her down My question to the premier according to foi documents released yesterday in an email dated november 4th The day the green belt changes were announced Brian amato asked many ministry staff for a map to make sure that green belt land in nobleton could be developed This land was not technically removed from the green belt But development was enabled through the ministry's changes to your region's official plan also Announced on november 4th. Mr. Amato wrote and I quote Pio premier's office asked me for a picture to make sure it's captured So why was the premier's office so interested in these nobleton green belt lands? Yeah, best of my understanding of the nobleton green belt lands were not rezoned for housing supplementary question the member back to the Niagara These green belt lands appear to correspond to lands owned by flado developments owned by the premier's friend Shakira amtula the integrity commissioners report Described how ryan amato decided to open these green belt lands for development Using changes to york's official plan rather than changes to the green belt boundaries Three speaker did the premier or any of his staff direct mr. Amato with respect to flados green belt lands in nobleton? Yes, or no Again, no changes were made to these lands senator speaker The next question the member for kinkston in the islands Mr. Speaker yesterday a freedom of information document gave us a glimpse into the 8.3 billion dollar green belt and urban boundary scandal We learned that the premier's office on or before october the 26 2022 was worried about the public reaction to green belt removals staff notes recorded that the minister wanted to quote Rip the band-aid off, but the po doesn't want that he wants safeguards and quote While the premier's office seems to have known what was going on in october last year or before The premier himself says he didn't know anything until that november If the former housing minister resigned because he didn't know what was going on in his office and his head was in the sand Will the premier step down for the same thing? Mr. Speaker, what did the premier know and when did he know it? Mr. Mr affairs in housing. Thank you very much, mr. Speaker I think about the integrity commissioner in the auto general were very clear That the pre of that the premier had no role in that at the opposite time Oh, mr. Speaker the premier has been very clear that we have to continue on our On our goal of building 1.5 million homes for the people of the province of Ontario It is no secret that when we took over government in 2018, we were faced with a province that had crippling deck crippling taxes crippling Red tape we're in a housing crisis because of the obstacles that the liberals Supported by the NDP had put in the way of building homes now We've started to release all of that mr. Speaker what we're doing with our housing supply action plans is working We have the highest amount of purpose built rental starts in over 30 years, mr. Speaker And the same great news for for a new home starts. Listen We're not going to stop working to get kids out of their basement apartments and into their first homes That is our job and we will get it done for them Supplementary question. No the next no supplementary question. It's very Mr. Speaker on october 31st 2018 the premier stood in this house and said quote We have the most ethical most transparent most accountable caucus not just cabinet but caucus I've ever seen in politics. They make sure they don't make the back room deals that we've seen in other governments and quote So mr. Speaker does the premier consider his team's actions on the green belt over the last couple of years ethical Mr. Ms. Bluefares and housing Speaker, you know what we're doing in this side of the house and the conservative majority on that side of the house We're rebuilding a province that under 15 years of liberal government supported by the NDP was literally Decimated now they finally started to come around to understand Just how bad a government they were when we brought a motion forward on the carbon tax You'll remember this speaker We have said since day one the carbon tax would kill the economy that it would cost every Single ontarian far too much. Mr. Speaker. They disagreed with it This premier for the federal government to court to stop that tax Now we've finally seen a split in the liberal party Mr. Speaker half of them want to continue the tax the others want to kill the tax order They know that we're on the right page We will not stop ensuring that we reverse everything that that liberal government did cutting taxes Red tape building more homes for the people of province of ontario. They were incredible failures. We'll get the job Speaker my question is to the associate minister of transportation Since the implementation of the carbon tax the people of ontario have been paying more and more every single day for food For services and for transportation They've been forced to pay much more to fuel their cars The carbon tax is making life more expensive for millions of people in ontario While our government showed much needed leadership and reduced the gasoline tax the federal government did not Instead they increased fuel and gasoline costs by more by 14 cents forcing individuals and families to make to pay more at the pumps Because of this regressive tax Doing so hurts our drivers and negatively impacts our economy Speaker can the associate minister please explain the negative impact of the carbon tax and what our government is doing To mitigate this unfair policy Speaker the member from burlington is correct and thank you for her advocacy and the great job that she's doing The federal carbon tax is draining the pockets of hard working drivers It hurts workers who want to drive to the office and get back home It's unfair for truckers who transport critical goods across our province. Mr. Speaker That is why i'm proud that our government Opposed this harmful carbon tax and unfortunately, mr. Speaker the liberal NDP had no problem Supporting this tax while saying no to any of the measures our government is bringing to provide financial relief to ontarians Mr. Speaker, let's not forget that they said no to our government's Fantastic removal of tolls on highway 12 and highway 18. Mr. Speaker by removing these tolls the average commuters Can save 300 dollars on the 418 and 150 dollars on the 412 every month, mr. Speaker Unlike liberals and NDP and their carbon tax our government is making life more affordable Thank you Thank you, speaker High gas prices caused by the federal carbon tax are making life more difficult for people in my riding The federal government has increased the carbon tax on gasoline five times so far And they are planning another seven increases by 2030 This is wrong and unfair and will hurt many hardworking individuals and families who are already struggling Canceling the carbon tax will save money at the pumps for our drivers by putting more money back in their pockets Individuals and families are looking to our government to help during these challenging times to provide support So that life is more affordable Speaker can the associate minister please explain how removing the carbon tax will make life easier for ontarians And how our government is making everyday life more affordable for drivers in our province Stop the clock We're in the midst of question period A member for water living with the government house leader. They wish to have a conversation Could perhaps do so outside the chamber If they wish Restart the clock the associate minister of transportation The removing the carbon tax would be a long overdue victory for drivers in this province The hardworking people of ontaria would no longer be overburdened Been paying for gas food transit and other everyday essentials in the meantime, mr Speaker we are finding concrete ways to fight against the negative impacts of the federal carbon tax By putting more money back into people's pockets, mr. Speaker That is why i'm proud under the leadership of premier for our government Eliminated the license plate renewal fees in fact It's because of our work on this policy alone that over 2.2 billion went directly back into the pockets of over 7 million Mr. Speaker we are fighting the federal carbon tax that opposition liberals and ndp continue to support Our government will continue to put more money back into people's pockets, mr. Speaker It's scientists got the tax. Thank you Toronto saint paul's Thanks speaker. Good morning. My question is to the premier. Can you shut so I can speak? Thanks My question is to I'll remind all members to make their comments through the chair Order Order Member for Toronto saint paul's Thank you speaker. My question is to the premier This government's cut of five million dollars this year to the ontario arts council and continued failure to match funding to inflation Is being felt deeply across ontario and toronto saint paul's is no exception This year ballet organ's funding was cut by 16 percent As a result they have been forced to cut staff and free programming that serves racialized northern rural and underinvested In communities all because this government failed to deliver adequate funding to see it continue My question is to the premier Will you commit to restoring their funding to meet inflation so that communities for which the arts is a social determinant of health And well-being can thrive. Thank you Mr. Tourism culture and sport Thank you, mr. Speaker and and I thank you for the question in 22 23 24 ontario arts council council will be provided with 60 million dollars of operating allocation And to confirm previous year was also 60 million dollars and that has great impact in the community in arts organizations Across all communities so matter of fact, mr. Speaker. It's over 220 communities and helping support Through grants 500 arts organization and individual artists When it comes to the specifics Uh of the question since 2018 ballet yorge, and I hope I pronounced that correctly has received over 1.4 million in support through the oc ontario arts council and ontario cultural attractions fund and of course special investments through the covet funding and i'd like to reinforce that What the oc does in all of our communities is supports artists young p bonds and thrives And helps communities thrive mr. Speaker, and that's really important across the board including tourism Speaker the government seems to care about our big eight our art organizations But not so much about our small and medium-sized community arts organizations back to the premier I wrote to the premier and minister Outlining just how important ballet organs programming is for its dancers as well as its ontarians Because investment into arts organizations is a guaranteed return both economically and socially as a harm reduction strategy social determinant of health and building block To our jobs our economy our tourism the whole nine just to name a few Our province is better for it and will pay the price without a properly funded arts Sector my question is back to the premier Will he commit to ontario's economic future by restoring ontario arts council funding in line with inflation To meet the needs of ontario artists and organizations who depend on it for their livelihood Mr. Speaker and again, thank you for the question restoring I believe I said 60 million Previously and for this year, and I don't think that's a cut I just I want to double check and I also I also take exception when we're talking about Impacting communities in a positive way youth in communities arts artists the cultural part of what's going on And you and there's a suggestion and I want to make sure this is correct. Mr. Speaker There's a suggestion that since 2018 1.4 million dollars In funding isn't enough Boy, I'll tell you what there's a lot of organizations out there, Mr. Speaker That wish they had half that money and do mostly within the community So I think that's a little bit of a slap in the face, but that's okay. We're big boys over here House will come to order order Restart the clock the next question the member for algoma manitoula Thank you speaker. My question is for the minister of health Access to health care in the north often means traveling long distances to get to the care you need In my writing people often must travel to health science north and Sudbury to st. Marie Thunder Bay or to southern Ontario for surgeries special appointments and diagnostics We rely on the northern health travel grant to make sure that no one is denied the care they need Because of costs however my office is often and constantly hearing from constituents who are waiting weeks If not months On end to get a meager reimbursement that barely covers a portion of the cost to travel And the accommodations To the minister does she believe that people in northern Ontario have the same right to access health care as the rest of Ontario The deputy premier and minister of health You I do and not only do we believe that but we're actually making changes, you know since 2018 We have expanded almost 50 49 MRI machines that will be operating in the province of Ontario in communities closer to home Why do we do that speaker? Because we want to make sure that people have access to those diagnostic tools as close to home as reasonable And specifically speaking on the northern health travel grant We now have 95 percent of individuals who submit for a travel grant Get that reimbursement within 30 business days. We have made changes that make improvements And we will continue to do that because we have a plan and it is working Again to the minister of health the fact of the matter is that northern health travel grant is feeling to address Health inequities in northern Ontario and this government is content to sit on the sideline while it does A constituent in my writing Heather Wilson from Espanola must travel to Toronto for medical treatment regularly She wrote to my office last spring saying I have had to navigate the northern Ontario travel grant system The outdated system of printing out the forms getting the referring doctor and the referred doctor to fill out these forms And then mailing it in and waiting for reimbursements of costs see marquette to me Northerners have the right to the same resources in a prompt matter And current and the current northern health travel grant does not do this for northern Ontario residents Will the minister support and pass my bill to improve the northern health travel grant so that it finally works for northerners As I said in fact, we have made improvements one of course is allowing auto deposits so that Constituents can access and get that money back But I want to talk about the expansions that have happened in northern Ontario You know whether it's returning the Ontario northland for the first time and allowing Friends and others access whether it is a brand new hospital that I had the opportunity to visit and talk to the winnebaco Hospital leadership to make sure we are making those investments in northern Ontario Whether it is an expansion of a community health team in the members own writing that we did this summer We are making sure that individuals in northern Ontario rural Ontario All across Ontario have better access to health care closer to home. Thank you Question the member for Carlton Mr. Speaker Mr. Speaker my question is for the associate minister of small business The carbon tax raises the price on everything Especially for small businesses like those in my writing of carlton and across the province who have no choice But to either absorb a loss or pass on the cost to customers Business owners, especially restaurateurs are the heartbeat of communities across Ontario and are the back Backbone of our economic engine They are rightfully concerned about the financial impact that the federal carbon tax continues to have on their bottom line unfortunately The opposition liberals and NDP continue to ignore and disrespect small businesses concerns about the impact This regressive tax has on them speaker through you. Can the associate minister? Please share what she has heard from small business owners and entrepreneurs regarding the impact that the carbon tax is having Thank you The associate minister for small business Thank you, speaker I want to thank the great member from Carlton for her great work in the writing and for the question Speaker just yesterday I met with restaurants canada to discuss the continued economic recovery of the food service industry They made it unequivocally clear that owners are facing hardship over the federal carbon tax For years the NDP and the liberals failed to stand up in this house and recognize What their constituents had been saying all along speaker That from the farm to the table the carbon tax was a disaster for small businesses in our province Speaker restaurants and small business owners cannot simply pass these unnecessary costs on to consumers Forcing them to cut staff instead Meanwhile, the federal government turns a blind eye to their struggles Speaker this tax is the difference between doors open and doors closed response We demand better than empty words from those who champion this joint liberal NDP tax grab. Thank you Mr. Speaker, thank you to the minister as we all know small businesses are the backbone of our local economy Especially in my riding of Carlton's however Many local businesses are already feeling financial pressure due to higher costs associated with inflation and ongoing supply chain challenges I often speak with business owners who are concerned about the impact that the carbon tax is having on their business operations Many of these owners are still struggling to recover and they worry about the impact increasing carbon taxes will have on their ability to continue operating The opposition liberals in NDP need to hear their concerns and support our small business owners by opposing this regressive and harmful tax Speaker through you. Can the minister please share what impact the federal carbon tax increases have had on small businesses in our province? Thank you The associate minister for small business Thank you speaker and again to the member from Carlton who works extremely hard for her small businesses in riding Yesterday, I also had the pleasure of speaking to representatives from the canadian federation of independent business They expressed to me that while our small businesses play close to half the billions collected in carbon taxes each year Only a tiny fraction of that money comes back their way Even worse Funds intended to help small businesses with carbon costs have been taken away and thrown back into the ever expanding taxation All the while the opposition parties have cheered on these policies without care for how hard they hit family businesses And people working from paycheck to paycheck Only only this premier and this government had the backs of entrepreneurs in this province from the start We call on the spooky and dpn liberals to stop grandstanding and for once stand up to their federal counterparts and demand It wasn't halloween that remark might not have been acceptable Start the clock the next question member for kiwetna Miigwech speaker. Good morning. My question is to the premier I've been speaking with first nation leaders across ontario And they are frustrated and confused about ontario's ongoing consultation Of the matey nation of ontario within first nation territories First nations affected by these decisions have Have asked the government repeatedly To share the evidence ontaria is using to support this recognition Ontario still hasn't shared that evidence Will ontario share the evidence as asked yes or no Mr. Northern development and minister of indigenous affairs speaker The government of ontario is guided by Some legal decisions and we make it our business to engage indigenous peoples across province across the province Mr. Speaker I've never seen a leader of a political party be more accessible to indigenous leaders business leaders and political leaders Mr. Speaker to fundamentally change the dialogue. Mr. Speaker to create opportunities for indigenous populations across the province to settle treaty disputes Mr. Speaker to settle flooding and land claims. Mr. Speaker and ensure that first nations communities in the indigenous population across The province of ontario writ large has the tools they need for greater economic prosperity. Thank you, mr supplementary Speaker the the ontario court of appeal recently provided direction on consultation In the recent way that decision The ontario government must consult with first nations about issues affecting their traditional territories Including when it recognizes the matey nation of ontario communities in those territories Will this government follow this decision? Yes or no? Well, thank you, mr. Speaker. We're very proud of the fact that we have increased The number of resource revenue sharing agreements available for indigenous communities, mr. Speaker It's just another example of how we endeavor to ensure that first nations communities have the economic tools that they need Mr. Speaker to engage in a resource-based economy in northern ontario, mr. Speaker and As as as an addition to that to to complement it if you will to be involved in the sustainable responsible development In forestry and in mining these are game changers in northern ontario, mr. Speaker We will always live up to the standard of a duty to consult And we make it our business to ensure that first nations communities across this province, mr. Speaker Play an important and equitable role in all of the economic response Available now and in the future of this great problem. Thank you, mr. Speaker Next question a member for scarborough agent for Thank you, mr. Speaker My question is to the elder statesman of scarborough and the minister or for seniors and accessibility Across our province many seniors are currently struggling to stretch their incomes The cost of food as well as everyday goods and services keep rising For seniors with limited incomes The carbon tax is creating even more difficulty and hardship It is not right Or fair that Seniors should have to be worried about the extra burden that the carbon tax Is placing on them Unlike the opposition liberals and ndp Who support the carbon tax our government is focused on making life more affordable for our seniors Speaker can the minister please explain What impact the carbon tax is having on seniors in our province Mr responsible for seniors Thank you, mr. Speaker Thank you to hardworking member For the important question The federal government's carbon tax is a worry for our seniors Every product we have in Ontario is affected by the carbon tax Seniors across Ontario are very concerned That taxes will keep going up and life will be harder for them Seniors should not have to struggle To pay high cost for food Healing and the things they need Our government is working for Ontario seniors So they can live comfortably and with dignity That is why our government opposes the federal carbon tax Thank you speaker And thank you to the minister For that response Under the strong leadership of the premier And this minister our government is respecting our seniors by opposing the federal carbon tax That the opposition liberals and ndp support However, life is simply more unaffordable today because of the imposition of the federal carbon tax It is harmful that tax That is creating hardship for seniors by driving up the cost on everything Seniors are also concerned that higher heating costs due to the federal carbon tax will impact senior centers And organizations that support them Speaker can the minister please elaborate on how the federal carbon taxes Will impact organizations that support our seniors. Thank you Mr. Seniors and accessibility Thank you speaker Ontario senior should not be taxed more The federal carbon tax should be cancelled because it hurts Ontario seniors centers Our seniors these these programs to remain active Socially engaged in their communities Without this support many seniors will be socially isolated and this will harm their health Our government takes the well-being well-being of our seniors very seriously Will continue to support our seniors and to advocate for them. Thank you Thank you. Thank you speaker. My question is for the minister of health This morning in the media studio My colleague the MPP from Niagara Fall and I were joined by Erin Harris She is the president of the Ontario nurses association Who stated and I quote Our publicly funded hospitals and long-term care homes are seeing their budget drain by these greedy for profit nursing agency owners Who bill obscene amounts of money Is the minister of health taking any action whatsoever to stop for-profit nursing agency from making millions of dollars in profit At the expense of quality care in our hospital and long-term care homes Mr. Paul Thank you speaker what our government is doing is expanding the health care workforce across the spectrum Whether that is That are available in every single medical school in the province of ontario Including northern ontario school of medicine so that we are training more physicians and and ensuring that they are in the system Whether that is as of right rules that ensure that medically regulated professionals who want to come to ontario and practice in ontario have the ability to do that Immediately while their license gets transferred, you know We're making the investments to expand our health care workforce The member opposite is concerned about something that frankly is less than two percent And a tool I might add that is very valuable for rural and northern ontario So i'm happy that we're making those investments and expanding and I will not take that tool away from northern ontario commentary Speaker Dave verge the vice president of qp ontario hospital hospital Ontario council hospital unions was also present He said and again, I quote Agency staff are paid as much as 300 percent more than hospital staff Which is contributing to the staffing crisis with stark consequences for patient care He give he gave many example of the effect of quality care of having staffing agency More and more of them in our hospital and long-term care Will this government take action to ensure that health care dollars are paying for quality care Not lining the pockets of private nursing agency executives Frankly very concerned that the member opposite Knows full well that every single nurse practitioner Rn is regulated by their colleges in the province of ontario regardless of who their employer is And to suggest anything other than that is putting fear in people's minds and it is wrong So I want to be very clear with the people of ontario every single nurse That is practicing in ontario whether it is in hospital in our public Health units in our long-term care facilities in our retirement homes in our home and community care system Is regulated under the college of nurses of ontario has always been and will continue to do so I am focused on expanding the ability and access to ensure that we have sufficient Health human resources in the province of ontario. I only wish the member opposite had the same focus Next question member for Essex Thank you, mr. Speaker the carbon tax is hurting families It's hurting farmers and it's hurting businesses in ontario the carbon tax raises the price of everything Order especially for small businesses who have no choice, but either suffer the loss or pass it on to their customers Unlike the opposition NDP and liberals we in this party have always known that the carbon tax would drive up costs for everybody Speaker can the minister of energy, please explain the impact of the carbon tax Having on hard working families in the province of ontario minister of energy That great question from the member From Essex who's standing up for his residents down in southwestern ontario Absolutely, we've heard from all of our members and our ministers today on just what an impact the carbon tax is having On constituents in their communities and small businesses in their communities Mr. Speaker the president of the treasury board and I were talking earlier this morning about a request from Dalhousie university To ask the bank of canada to take a look at just how much Impact the increased carbon tax was having on the rate of inflation across the country, mr. Speaker And they revised their numbers and the figure is a staggering 0.6 percent, mr. Speaker And when considering the compounding impact of the carbon tax the bank of canada now contends that it contributes a whopping 16 percent mr. Speaker to the rate of inflation the federal government has to wake up My counterpart the federal minister of enter can said yesterday that there weren't going to be any more car votes They have to start being the government of ont canada and treating all canadians fairly mr supplementary question Mr. Speaker as the premier has said the delivery of every product we have in this province is being affected By one of the most harmful and regressive taxes this country has ever seen It's a useless tax and that's the carbon tax speaker The most concerning part about the carbon tax is that it will only get worse The federal government and opposition liberal and ndp want to triple this regressive tax Triple it by 2030 I absolutely agree with the premier's concerns about this tax Because while our government has remained laser focused on lowering costs the carbon tax is working against us Can the minister please share his views on the negative impact the carbon tax is having on so many on Thanks again to the member from s6, you know the federal government Is digging in on the carbon tax as a matter of fact mr. Speaker at a time when Affordability is the key issue at the door We go door to door and we talk to our constituents all the time And the biggest thing they're talking to us about is just how unaffordable it is to live in this country these days Our province has done everything we can we've removed the stickers for license plate fees We've got rid of the tolls. We're lowering the price of gas by 10 cents a liter So many different programs to like make life more affordable for the people of ontario But the federal government keeps digging in and then they announce a break for atlantic canada, mr. Speaker But they are the government of canada I have some advice for them If they don't make a change and provide the same car vote for the people all across canada including in ontario They're going to end up like this bunch did like kathleen went and the liberals did mr. Speaker. They'll lose party status Concludes our question period for the This morning