 It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for Brampton Centre. Thank you and good to be here Premier. Speaker, for far too many Ontarians the cost of housing is out of control. In my community of Brampton, one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, it's so important that families have a shot of buying a home that's in their community. But that dream is increasingly out of reach. A new report by the mortgage professionals of Canada shows that Ontario is the most expensive place in Canada. They say that house prices here are more than 22 times higher than Ontarians average disposable income, which is even more expensive than cities like Vancouver. For example, in Peel, a two-income minimum wage household would need 51 years to save for a down payment today. We have an affordability crisis here in the province. Why hasn't the Premier taken action to make the reality of owning a home a reality for people? Thank you very much Mr Speaker. Of course we have a plan and we're working on that, but I tell you what the plan started back in 2018 when the Premier said the province is open for business. He then turned to the Minister of Energy and said, stabilize hydro rates in the province of Ontario and cancel the plan 19% increase of the previous Liberal government. He asked the Minister of Indigenous Affairs, work with First Nations to open up the Ring of Fire and develop a critical mineral strategy. He did that. He then turned to the Minister of Red Tape Production and said, you have to do something about job killing red tape that is driving away investment in the province of Ontario. And she did that. He turned to the Minister of Labor and said, we need more skilled trades people. Get more in the province, change the College of Trades. He did that. He asked the Minister of Colleges and University, improve education so that the jobs of tomorrow, the people who are in our universities can be trained for the jobs of tomorrow. She has done that. He then turned to the Minister of Job Creation and said, negotiate a deal. And he did that. The biggest deal in the province is history announced yesterday. Giving thousands of people the dignity of a job and access to more housing because they can afford it. Thank you very much. Speaker, well what the government house leader fails to recognize is that you need to have a home in order to turn the hydro on. And for most people working minimum wage jobs, they simply cannot afford to call a place home. The affordability crisis is only getting worse under this premier. Tim Houdak with the Ontario Real Estate Association wrote last week that even as Ontarians dream of owning a home and I'll quote, Ontario's looming housing affordability crisis is clouding that dream. And quote, Mr. Houdak says the problem is really one of affordability and it's getting harder and harder for people in this province to own a home. Families like those in my city of Brampton need a government that will actually help build homes people can afford as well as taking on greedy speculators that help push the prices up for working people. Speaker, why isn't this government listening to working Ontarians who want to have a roof over their head instead of letting this affordability crisis continue to get worse day by day? You know the first thing that people need in order to buy a home, Mr. Speaker, they need a job. They need the dignity of a job, Mr. Speaker. And yesterday the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade delivered the largest investment in Canadian history for the jobs of tomorrow, Mr. Speaker. Now this is a member of college. This is a member from Brampton. A member from Brampton and what the minister yesterday delivered not only for the people of Windsor but for the people of Brampton, for the people of all Ontario. It's something that we will see jobs and economic growth and prosperity for decades to come, Mr. Speaker. Thousands of people will have a job. They'll be able to buy their first home because of the work that this government has been doing since 2018. When it comes to affordability the Minister of Finance has been working on that from day one. We cut taxes, Mr. Speaker. We made an environment where people want to finally invest in the province of Ontario. That's not what the coalition did between 2011 and 2018, but a strong, stable, progressive, conservative majority government delivers and will continue to deliver after June 2. The final supplementary. Mr. Speaker, deflecting from the reality of the housing crisis isn't going to solve the problem and just in case the government house leader didn't hear me the first time, NPL, a two-income minimum wage household, would need 51 years to be able to save for a down payment. Mr. Speaker, hardworking Ontarians want to be on solid ground with a roof over their head so that they can build their best life. But when we see prices skyrocket like what happened last week with a new benchmark of over $1.8 million just to build a new home in the GTA, it's going to be really difficult for people to do that. People need to live affordably near their families, their friends and in their communities. And for some, the raising concerns that without major changes to make housing more affordable, Ontario will have trouble actually attracting workers to our province. So, Speaker, it shouldn't be this way. Homes people can afford should be a priority of this government, not their developer friends and insiders. Where is the political will from this government to fix the housing crisis in Ontario? I'm going to suggest to you, Mr. Speaker, that the thousands of people who found out yesterday that they will have a job for generations and years to come, thanks to the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, those are the insiders that we are listening to, Mr. Speaker. The insiders who are working on the lines in Allyson who are building the cars of tomorrow at Honda, those are the insiders that we're listening to. The insiders who are working at Ford, Mr. Speaker, those are the insiders that we're listening to. Under the policies of the coalition between the Liberals and the NDP, GM closed its facility. Under the policies of this government reducing costs, Mr. Speaker, making this an economy and a province that you want to invest in, they reopened and are now building the cars of tomorrow. Those are the insiders that we're listening to, Mr. Speaker. We've created thousands of jobs, Mr. Speaker. We are doing even more to ensure that this is the best province to live, work, invest and raise a family, Mr. Speaker. And it's because of the work that this government has been doing since 2018 under a strong, stable, progressive, conservative majority government, and that's what we will continue to deliver now and after June the 2nd. The next question must be remembered for the National Assembly. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My next question is also to the Premier. People who are buying a home or a condo need assurances that the deals they sign will actually be fair. But as we saw last year, some greedy developers demanded huge payments just to complete the construction of homes people already had contracts for. There should have been rules against this, and there should have been penalties levied against those developers. So can the Premier tell us how many of those developers actually received a fine for trying to gout honest people for hundreds of thousands of dollars for homes they'd already paid for? Mr. Government and Consumer Services. Well, thank you to the member for the question. Thank you, Speaker, for the opportunity to respond. And on this side of the House, Mr. Speaker, we are committed to protecting the little guy. We've said it before and the Premier said very, very clearly that nothing burns him up more than when a developer tries to make extra money off the backs of hardworking people. And we are ensuring that we are going to stop those types of practices, Mr. Speaker. That is why we are doubling fines for any persons who commit these types of infractions. We are going to ensure that if a developer is found to be breaking these types of rules, to be taking these types of an ethical practices with hardworking Ontarians who are trying to just buy their first home or any other home for that matter, we're going to make sure that not only are those fines being doubled, but they can lose their license to build for two years, Mr. Speaker. We are taking these types of initiatives, Mr. Speaker, to ensure that we're protecting the little guy, to make sure that we're looking at their past behaviour, something that didn't happen in the past, to ensure that they don't lose money on those deposits and to make sure that they can get the reality of affordable home ownership here in this province. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we've seen this rhetoric before from this government, and the problem with them is actually on the follow-through. The Premier railed against people getting gouged in the pandemic by greedy developers, but according to the CBC, not a single charge was ever actually laid. Homeowners who signed contracts to buy a new condo shouldn't be stuck in even bigger bills for already pricey homes. Mr. Speaker, there are already fines in place with the Home Construction Regulatory Authority. How many of those fines have actually been levied to date? Mr. Speaker, thank you again, Mr. Speaker, and to the member opposite. Just imagine, Mr. Speaker, for a moment, you're a developer out there, and you're thinking about cancelling someone's condo project. You now have to look in the mirror and really ask yourself, do I want to compromise or risk a two-year suspension of my license to build? Do I want to risk a doubling of the fines if I'm found to be doing something inappropriate in this fashion? Do I want to carry those risks, Mr. Speaker? Absolutely not. We're ensuring that we are creating the tools for agencies like HCRA to ensure that they are able to monitor the actions of our builders out there to ensure that there are teeth to the regulations that are going to give people the reality of home ownership yet again. We are protecting our condo buyers, Mr. Speaker. That is what we are doing. We're protecting and supporting affordable housing, and we're ensuring that developers are going to think twice before they try to take advantage of hardworking Ontarians again. Thank you, Speaker. I didn't hear an answer from the Minister of Government and Consumer Services. So I'm happy to fill them in that there were actually 600 complaints filed last year. That's 600 Ontarians who needed this government to take urgent action, and they didn't. But the Home Construction Regulatory Authority lists only two companies, two out of 600 that were charged in the last year. The cost of housing is out of control, and the lack of action from this government is helping those prices skyrocket. When people sign a contract in Ontario, they should get what they paid for, and the government should have their backs to ensure that bad actors aren't taking advantage of homeowners. When will this government hold those actors accountable and help the Ontarians who've lost hundreds of thousands of dollars and the possibility of owning their dream home? Well, Mr. Speaker, the answer is now. The answer is absolutely now, Mr. Speaker. We are ensuring that the tools are present to protect our homeowners. Imagine this, you used to be in a position under the former government, of course, supported by the NDP, 97 or 99 percent of the time, depending on what date, we'll call it 100 I suppose. The fact is, Mr. Speaker, that you could put a deposit down and there was actually a negative interest rate. You could actually see yourself lose money on your deposit if your condo was cancelled. Not only that, but you had to make a formal complaint in order to have something launched where something could be investigated. Now it's going to be automatic, Mr. Speaker. Automatic launching of investigations anytime a condo project is cancelled. And for the first time ever, we are also considering bad behaviour of the past. When these types of infractions occur, we're now going to look at that to evaluate whether a person should face a punishment of up to a two-year licence suspension or should see a fine that it could be doubled up to 50 and in some cases $100,000, Mr. Speaker. These are going to ensure that we're protecting condo buyers from these unethical practices because as our Premier said, we are always going to stand up for the little guy, Mr. Speaker, and we're going to ensure that people have the opportunity to purchase their first home. Next question. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Almost one year ago, the Premier and Minister of Tourism held a press conference to announce the Ontario Tourism Recovery Program. They promised $100 million in support for struggling tourism operators that were hit first, that were hit hardest by the pandemic. The minister said the applicants should expect an eight-week review process after the applications closed back in November. It has now been close to 25 weeks and not one single dollar of the $100 million has made it to the tourism sector. We are almost in April and many businesses are struggling to find money to prepare for the upcoming summer. Can the Premier tell the businesses when the Ontario Tourism Recovery Program funding will be released? Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think the member is talking about the program that he and his colleagues voted against, if I'm not mistaken. Is that the one that you're talking about, Mr. Speaker? I'll tell you what, the Minister of Tourism and Culture has been working since the start of the pandemic really to try to highlight how important it was that the recovery post-pandemic was quick and swift. We know that those are sectors that were hit the hardest and it will take the longest to recover from, Mr. Speaker. And it's not just about people's enjoyment of facilities, Mr. Speaker. It's about the people that work in them. Think about the amount of jobs that culture brings to the province of Ontario, the thousands of people and the billions of dollars of economic activity. That's why we put supports in place for them. It's not just the actors, it's the people behind the scenes. The hairstylists who work in the theatre, the plumbers, the electricians, all of those people in small towns across this country. In my own hometown of Stovall, we're at the Strawberry Festival. That is an enormous potential for economic activity and that's why we put supports in place for all of these communities so that the recovery could be quick and fast. It's unfortunate you voted against it, Mr. Speaker. Speaker, it's disappointing because quick and fast is not something which is in this government's vocabulary. Bruce O'Hare, president of Lakeshore Excursion applied for funding in October. He has reached out to the ministry multiple times for answers on his application status. So far, zero, zilch, nothing, not even an acknowledgement. Same with Kathy Campbell, owner of Oneway Lodge in Laxon, who is preparing for the opening of fishing season in just nine weeks. She has no idea if supports will come her way or even make it possible. It is critical to give businesses an answer on whether they will receive the funds they've applied for months ago. They need to plan, Speaker. Some operators are worried that they will have to close their doors before they can even get an answer from this government. I ask again, will the Premier, when will these funds reach these businesses, when will they reach these businesses, and will it be in time for the opening of this summer? It's really funny to me, honestly, Mr. Speaker. It's funny to me that the NDP asked questions about programs that they voted against, that they did not support, Mr. Speaker. If it was up to the member's opposite, none of these programs would have even existed. They voted against the small business supports. 100% of them voted against that, Mr. Speaker. They voted against the tourism supports. 100% of them voted against that. They voted against the broadband that we're bringing to communities across the province of Ontario, including in his writing where we heard tourism operators say that without broadband, their businesses would be hurt. How did they vote? They voted against it, Mr. Speaker. They voted against the roads that the Minister of Transportation is building into their community so that people can actually get to their tourism facilities, Mr. Speaker. On every single matter that would help smaller communities that would help tourism and culture across the province of Ontario, they voted against it, but then they come in and ask questions about, well, how can we make it better? Well, the way you can make it better is vote in favour of the measures that are helping thousands of people. Okay, restart the clock. Next question, the member for Sarnia Lampton. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question this morning is to the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Yesterday, Stellantis and LG Energy Solution announced their future bathroom factory in Windsor. A massive investment for the community and for the electric vehicle industry. This is great news for Ontario's automotive sector and the local community at large. I'm sure my constituents, as well as all of Ontario, are curious to know more. So through you, Speaker, can the Minister tell us what this investment means for the future of Ontario's automotive and manufacturing sector? Thank you, Speaker, and thank you very much to the member for the question. Yes, Speaker, as you've heard several times in this legislature this morning, LG Energy Solution and Stellantis have made a $5 billion investment in the province of Ontario. This is historic. You'll hear many words used to describe it, but it is the single largest investment in the auto sector in Ontario's history, Speaker. This is historic. Think about the two-year construction program, the thousands of good-paying jobs that will be required to build that facility. Four and a half million square feet the size of 112 hockey arenas, 2,500 new jobs when the plant opens. Well, thank you, Speaker, and thank you, Minister, for that great answer. This investment will be really impactful for the local economy and for the broader automotive supply chain. Under the previous Liberal government, supported by the NDP, automotive and manufacturing jobs fled this province. It's great to hear that our government is taking action to reverse the damage they did to our economy for over 15 years. Can the Minister please tell us how this investment will support Ontario jobs and families for many years to come? Thank you, Speaker. This $5 billion investment is to produce electric vehicle batteries for the electric vehicles of the future that are being built here in the province of Ontario. This investment positions Ontario to lead North America in the EV revolution. And this investment, Speaker, is the culmination of our government's work to restore the manufacturing might of Ontario. It began with lowering the cost of doing business by $7 billion, reducing WSIB costs without reducing the premiums by $2.5 billion, putting in an accelerated capital cost so businesses could write their expenses off in-year, saving a billion dollars. We put in clean, competitive energy, top quality manufacturing talent, and we do investment-ready sites. Speaker, all this will provide a place for 2,500 men and women to wake up every day and go to a good paying job. Please restart the clock. The next question. Member for Hamilton Mall. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. For-profit long-term care homes had nearly twice as many residents infected with COVID-19 and 78% more deaths in long-term care homes. For-profit homes have a disproportionately higher COVID-19 mortality rate because of facility overcrowding and critical staffing shortages. Yet this government continues to award contracts to build new long-term care beds to private operators. Of 220 planned long-term care development projects, over half are for-profit. In for-profit homes, long-term care homes are treated not only as a business but as a real estate investment for shareholders. And this is unacceptable. Speaker, how would this government protect residents and prevent outbreaks in for-profit long-term care homes as COVID-19 restrictions lift and will they start to prioritize the care of seniors over-profit? Let me highlight the ways we're going to do it. We're going to do it by hiring additional PSWs and nurses and allied health professionals. She voted against it. We're going to do it by building 30,000 new spaces, which she's now telling the house that she is not in favor of, Mr. Speaker. Too bad, I suggest they're important. We're going to do it by providing 380 million for prevention and containment measures, Mr. Speaker. Voted against it. We're going to do it by providing IPAC, Infection Prevention and Control. Now, the coalition that existed should have learned from the SARS epidemic, but they did it, Mr. Speaker. That is a failure of the NDP and Liberal Coalition time. We learned from that mistake and we're making sure that infection prevention and control funding is in place. And you know what, Mr. Speaker? They voted against it. So on every measure that we have put in place to improve long-term care in this province, guess who has voted against it, colleagues? The NDP and the Liberals both separately and together in coalition. Mr. Speaker, properly funding not-for-profit long-term care is just one piece of this puzzle. We also need to invest in publicly funded home care to help seniors stay independent. Because of the lack of home care supports, more pressures are being placed on unpaid caregivers to support seniors with health challenges. One in three unpaid caregivers report profound mental, financial and physical impacts. Speaker, this is completely unacceptable. Higher rates of caregiver distress signal the real need for more effective home care services and community supports. We need to make these investments to reduce the stress of caregivers and help them provide proper care for those they care for who wish to stay at home. Can the NDP address what his government is doing to increase home care options for seniors and supports for their caregivers? Yes, I'd be happy to tell you about the supports that we've been putting into place to increase home care supports for seniors and other people needing home care services. Because we had heard from people that the system was broken, it was antiquated, it hadn't been reviewed since the 1990s and it's been an action to modernise home care and community care with Ontario health teams poised to take on its delivery over the next coming years. We also passed the Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act or Bill 175, which I believe you also voted against, which was passed in 2020, and it lays the groundwork for an integrated, responsive and innovative home and community care. But it's not just that, we've passed an additional $548 and a half million into three years for the home and community sector and there's more to do with respect to what we're doing with the human healthcare workers as well. Thank you Speaker, good morning. Two weeks ago, the Minister of Municipal Affairs informed me that I likely didn't know how this place worked when I asked whether the government was moving forward with a special executive order they had to make a mega facility in my riding rumoured to be for Amazon. Of note, Amazon hired the lobbying firm owned by the campaign manager of the governing party a month before the minister's order was issued. I didn't follow the minister's advice, I didn't engage in back room negotiations with the city council and I didn't follow the minister's actions and file a legal complaint against advocates in my riding who have an opinion. Instead I went straight to the people of Cambridge and voted against the proposed project the minister approved. Is the minister going to pull the special order as he previously promised or is he going to break his own rules and proceed with accelerated construction of the facility for Amazon. And to reply on behalf of the government, member for Stormont Dundas, South Clean Berry. Thank you speaker and I thank you member opposite for the question. Our government has been very pro jobs and we've been working on great results with new employment, new housing. Now in the case of Cambridge we issued the MZO as a response to the request from the council. Now council has not followed through on some of the requirements that they have. Our condition of the MZO. Now we've been in conversation with the council and the mayor of the Cambridge is reviewing a letter that he received but we reiterate that conditions must be followed if they aren't then we will have to revoke the MZO and this is a decision of local council. They are the heartbeat of the community and we're waiting and willing to work with them. Here, here. Supplementary question. Thank you speaker I have what I need so no further questions. Thank you the next question. Member for Oakville North Burlington. My question is for the Minister of Government and Consumer Services. Minister on Tuesday you held an important announcement in the City of London that signalled the next step our government is taking to continue making life and business more attractive and more affordable here in Ontario. Business owners across Ontario have long called on governments to support the growth and stability of our communities by placing the future of our province's service delivery at the forefront of innovation. As such speaker I'd like to ask the Minister to please tell us how the government's new digital dealership registration will innovate how we do business in Ontario for years to come. Minister of Government and Consumer Services. Thank you speaker and thank you to the outstanding member from Oakville North Burlington for her question. Last Tuesday speaker our government launched our new digital dealership registration program or as I like to call it DDR for short. And very simply put to the member through you Mr Speaker this is just creating an easier, faster, simpler system for Ontarians to be able to purchase a new vehicle. Now a purchaser of a new vehicle can walk into a dealership and leave on the exact same day with their new car. We are taking time to go down to the service Ontario to register your license plate to register your vehicle or your permit. No speaker we are moving forward with our transformation in this government, in this province to ensure that we are moving forward to give people the opportunities to have easier access to the things we all want and need Mr Speaker and that is why we are moving forward with further transformation here in the province of Ontario because it will make things easier for the people of this province more affordable and we have every intention of continuing this initiative Mr Speaker for the next four years as we continue the supplementary question Thank you Speaker and I thank the minister for his answer the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many lessons about how we can work together to make public services more user friendly and convenient for the hardworking people of the province even more so we have learned how to positively leverage technology to our favour and open the doors for more people to be able to access a wide range of vital services from the safety and comfort of their own home. My question through the speaker is again for the Minister of Government and Consumer Services could the minister explain how the DDR is contributing to service delivery in our province and what is being done to ensure that everyone is able to use government services regardless of their ability to physically or virtually access them Minister of Government and Consumer Services Well thank you Speaker and thank you again to the member from Oakville North Burlington for that very very good question DDR is a major step forward in a series of ongoing innovations that we are doing here in this province to enable online vehicle ownership registration transfers at full implementation the DDR program will help streamline up to 4.8 million dealership registration transactions annually all of which must currently be done in person and now we're moving those online speaker. Not only that but the announcement that we made this past Tuesday marked a successful completion of our government's mission to improve or bring online the top 10 service Ontario transactions here in the province simply put speaker this is yet another occasion of a promise made and a promise kept by Premier Ford and this Conservative Government for the people Mr. Speaker and we're going to continue doing everything in our power to deliver our commitment to be a digital first but not a digital only method of service delivery here in the province of Ontario Speaker we're just making things easier so we continue Thank you Speaker my question is for the Premier my constituent Victoria Villanossi who runs a small business in my writing of Toronto Centre recently reached out to my office about delays in accessing small business grants Victoria said I quote I am among those who have been hanging on by the skin of our teeth for the last two years my business is an event and live performance space that caters to the performing arts industry and as you know my industry has been the first to be mandated to shut down and the last to be allowed to reopen February 10th I applied for the third round of Ontario's $10,000 for my business space space revolution I'm still waiting to learn if my application will even be approved end quote Speaker why is this government making small businesses like Victoria's wait for the help that they desperately desperately need to survive this pandemic Mr. economic development job creation and trade Thank you for the question Premier I'm going to pick up on where my colleague left off of course this is a program that you're speaking about that you voted against we have now handed out over $3 billion in support to small businesses that is one that you voted against but you also voted against the program she should be applying for which is the electricity rebate the tax rebate those are all programs that are available to small businesses there are eligibility requirements certainly there are there are good follow ups from 1-800 number and from the ministry's website again all programs that you voted against the over $3 billion that has been such a vital support to these small businesses and has been their lifeline Thank you Thank you Speaker respectfully back to the minister I don't know what planet you're living on but the small businesses in my community are telling you outright the money is not flowing you can pat yourself on the back but the money is not flowing they are waiting they are languishing speaker small businesses can't afford to wait any longer your program is not working Victoria said I quote I have spoken with the relevant department about the Ontario small business supports only to be told that my application is still processing and I should continue to wait 60 calendar days but my bills can't wait that long the delay happening is defeating the entire purpose of the program end quote speaker businesses like victoria's are the spaces that ontarians are most so that they can safely gather and experience art and music and culture and theater and live performances businesses like victoria's help to fuel tourism and economic recovery we need them as part of our recovery plan and they're not going to make it to be part of that recovery plan if you don't start flowing the money from your broken program so will you commit today fix your broken program and start flowing the money that businesses need today not 60 days from now to stay open I remind the members to make your comments through the carry Minister of economic development to reply thank you very much this round of business funding that is out there it builds on the nearly $3 billion that was provided last year through the Ontario small business support grant now in this new small business relief grant we're providing $10,000 to eligible businesses who are subject to closure these are businesses who were ordered closed under the modified step 2 of the road map to reopen those who are eligible for the previous grants were pre-screened to verify their eligibility newly established businesses the few hundred that were established in that period they were able to apply for this new program now that the portal is open you know we want these businesses that are eligible to be supported and that's why there were so many opportunities for them to apply to become eligible to apply for the small business relief to supply to apply for the tax relief to apply for the electricity relief and I hope that they have you thank you very much the next question the member for Ahoavani thank you Mr. Speaker this government is going ahead with the construction of a 235 bed prison in Camville despite major opposition from the community residents don't agree with this mega project that is going to pave over acres of farmland the municipality doesn't have the infrastructure including public transit to support this project Ontario Libos are listening and we have called on the construction of this prison to be put on pause will the government commit to a moratorium on the construction of the Cambell prison so that they can take the time to listen to community concerns and answer some important questions that the municipality has to apply the solicitor general thank you Mr. Speaker respectfully we are working very closely with the municipality the mayor the clerk and everyone who has questions related to what this investment will mean to the Camville and area community when we made a commitment to an eastern Ontario expansion of a very needed piece of our provincial infrastructure on the correction side it included the corrections facility in Camville we're in those planning stages now talks are continuing we are working directly as I said with the municipality including raising issues that directly will benefit the community in terms of access to land and access to additional services that frankly wouldn't be there without this facility thank you Thank you Mr. Speaker respectfully the mayor has been asking who's going to be paying for these infrastructure and I haven't seen any answer to this question but I want to get to the point that the cost to incarcerate a person in an Ontario provincial prison cost $300 per day 70% of the incarcerated people in our provincial institutions are waiting for trial precedent has shown that these people can safely be allowed to live in their communities while waiting for their day in court the prison represents an outdated way of thinking about the best way to reduce crime the government should be lifting people out of poverty and investing in community rehabilitation program not spending massive amounts of money to lock people up before they even have been convicted so does the Solicitor General think that continuing to pour money into the prison system is a fiscally responsible way to fight crime If the member office's question is will our government support individuals who are in our corrections facility whether that's a waiting trial or a bail the answer is absolutely unequivocally yes your party continue to say no and pause these investments but what it means is the investments are going to make a difference for corrections officers for individuals who are serving in our institutions because we need the ability to offer those programming spaces to keep people safe to stop recidivism and ultimately to make sure that when people successfully leave our institutions they are going to jobs to communities and being a part of society that will ensure we have a safer Ontario at the end of the day that's what our government is doing you can continue to say no we will make investments Thank you very much my question is to the ministry of economic development job creation and trade yesterday's announcement from our premier and the minister was an absolute game changer for the city of Windsor as well as the province itself as we know the previous government abandoned the automotive and manufacturing sector and as a result the cost of doing business became so high that businesses and jobs fled to other jurisdictions speaker, Ontarians are looking to our government to make Ontario open for business so through you I'm wondering if the minister can tell us what his ministry is doing to help attract the game changing investments that LG Energy Solutions made in our province Mr. Economic Development Job Creation and Trade since we were elected we have been lowering the cost of business by $7 billion a year since Toyota's $1.4 billion investment Ontario manufacturers have announced a further $13 billion in Ontario and this is unprecedented in our history $1.8 billion from Ford and Oakville $1.5 billion from Stalantis in Windsor General Motors $1.4 billion in Oshawa Honda $1.4 billion in Alliston DeFasco $1.8 billion in Green Steel in Hamilton and now LG and Stalantis $5 billion in Windsor at our tech our parts our critical minerals speaker we have everything we need to build the cars of the future but stay tuned there's much more coming Thank you very much speaker I really do want to thank the minister for the answer and speaker as stated earlier by the government house leader this investment will help secure Ontario's automotive sectors for decades to come and it really is great to hear that businesses have such renewed confidence in Ontario's business climate that they're willing to make multi-billion dollar investments here in Ontario speaker now speaker this is in stark contrast to the conditions that the Liberals left Ontario office so speaker we can't stop now through you to the minister of economic development job creation and trade will you tell this house what next steps our government will be taking to support the automotive sectors for years and decades to come in Ontario Mr. Economic Development Thank you speaker lower costs lower costs lower costs that's what you can expect and there's plenty of words to describe yesterday's $5 billion announcement some would say historic some would say unprecedented some call it a game changer but Mayor Drew Dilkins the mayor of Windsor he may have said it best he said buddy we bagged a unicorn and mayor Drew and his Windsor works team really worked our teams at our ministry the premier's office treasury board finance caucus and cabinet they've all been rowing with the same set of oars so our word speaker is teamwork thanks to all for giving thousands of people hope but mostly for creating a place to work for those 2,500 people thank you thank you speaker my question is to the premier Ari Chajala and Smitha Pradhan have a 7 year old son Rishi who was diagnosed with autism Rishi's family have been forced to pay out of pocket for the critical therapy he needs due to this government's delay flip flops cut and lack of support for children with autism this year alone Rishi's parents will pay approximately $40,000 for a variety of therapies far more far more than the $5,000 they eventually received from the government after months of waiting they've seen solid improvements thanks to their intervention but it has come at the cost of real financial challenges because of this government's inaction this is my question will the premier make good on his previous commitments follow the recommendations of the Ontario autism program advisory panel and finally implement a needs based funding system minister of children community and social services thank you speaker indeed our government is implementing a needs based autism program and we will continue to do that we've doubled the funding we have five times as many children in a program receiving services than under the previous government we have 40,000 children who are receiving services that would not have received services under the previous government's plan we are dedicated and committed to making sure children with autism and their families receive the supports they want we have 32,000 payments that have gone out in the interim one-time funding 3,665 children are enrolled in behavioural plans 12,914 families are receiving foundational family services the caregiver mediated early years program 1,126 children receiving services the entry to school program 912 children we are making sure that these children get the services that they need to meet the lack of effort by the previous thank you speaker back to the premier what I am hearing from constituents who are impacted by this government's neglect of children with autism is that they don't trust this government to help families in need anymore this government promised families like rishis that the waitlist would be cleared by the end of March 2020 instead as we move into 2022 the waitlist has ballooned to 50,000 people these families need help it's past time to stop playing politics with these numbers when will this government stop ignoring the needs of children with autism and support children like rishi thank you thank you speaker our government is absolutely committed to making sure these children receive the services and the care they need that's why 40,000 children are receiving the services right now funded through the OAP program this is a multiple pathway program it is needs-based, it is comprehensive it is family and individual centered to address their unique needs the opposition had the chance to support children and youth with special needs and they said no they said no to the children who will be served by the Grandview Children's Treatment Centre in Ajax they said no to the children who will be served by the Chatham Kent Children's Treatment Centre and their families they said no to the children who will be served by the Integrated Treatment Centre they said no and voted against the largest investment to support children with special needs including autism in two decades and they voted against these investments not once but twice in two budgets our government is supporting children with special needs with children with autism that's why we doubled the OAP budget it's why we had an autism advisory panel and developed an integrated intake organization with a capacity that never existed to serve this vulnerable population and we will continue to Thank you Thank you Speaker my question is for the Premier Tuesday was World Water Day and most Ontarians would be shocked to know that gravel mines use 2 billion litres of water each and every day that's almost double the amount of water the City of Toronto consumes on a daily basis over 5,000 gravel mines are licensed to extract 13 times more aggregate than the province's annual consumption but Speaker the industry wants more something does not add up here so my question is will the Premier impose an immediate moratorium on all new gravel mining approvals and expansions until it undertakes an independent review of how much aggregate the province actually needs Environment, Conservation and Parks Thank you Speaker the government of Ontario supports keeping the province's aggregate resources as close to markets as possible while ensuring protection of the environment and human health enhancements to our water including giving municipalities more say in this process expanding restrictions better assessment and management increasing transparency and data reporting Mr. Speaker I could go on in addition we've launched the largest freshwater cleanup of its kind taking place along Lake Ontario right now working alongside a number of partners across Ontario to ensure that we balance both the need for aggregates while also protecting human health and water Thank you Speaker Speaker with all due respect to the minister AMO came to this committee to this legislature and asked the government to indemnify municipalities legal obligation to protect their residents water because of the weakening of water protections brought forward by this government People are asking why the government is approving applications when the industry has already access to 13 more times aggregate than the province needs on an individual basis Speaker you cannot eat gravel you cannot drink gravel so my question to the Premier is he said no to an aggregate mine in Milton will he say yes to a moratorium on new license applications in other communities across this province Mr. Speaker here you see the contradictions and the pretzels this member leader of the Green Party will twist himself into wants hospitals how are you going to build them wants to invest in public transit how are you going to build it aggregate washing and the fine-grained materials that are we take as a result of that process is critical for that industry Speaker we're working with industry we've seen the largest investments into steel making the cleanest steel making production in Ontario's history working with industry the largest low carbon public transit investment in Ontario's history with the Ontario line that member is full of contradictions Mr. Speaker he's just really saying no saying no to workers who get up each and every day to build a more sustainable future you have to balance the two we understand that building a better Ontario means investing in hospitals means investing in public transit means working with industry to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions we're doing just that we're leading this nation and we're not going to stop to the pretzel twisting leader stop the clock please start the clock the next question member for Davenport thank you good morning Mr. Speaker there's no denying there's no denying that two years of a pandemic and the longest school closures in any jurisdiction have had a devastating impact on our kids mental health experts have warned that these impacts will be long lasting just this week school principals and teachers are sounding the alarm that the resources needed in our schools are simply not there but instead of marshalling resources Mr. Speaker to meet that challenge this government is rushing to bring back standardized EQAO testing that's going to add to the pressure that our students are facing every day premier spending millions on outdated standardized testing instead of investing that money in the direct supports that our students need right now thank you thank you my appreciation to the member opposite for this question and we understand of course as we spoke about in this legislature over the course of the week the importance of continued investments in mental health that's why our government has brought forward 423% increase in mental health funding compared to the previous liberal government and we saw of course that this impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been absolutely noticed on students and staff alike and that's why we've made such continual investments in this area but I want to just address the fact that we've modernized EQAO we've improved EQAO assessments by digitizing tests so that the assessment of math and language skills can occur and we did this so that we can measure progress and make data driven decisions and I hope that the NDP support data driven decisions that will ensure we're lifting student performance and enabling success in literacy so that 1000 students have already taken this test we're going to continue to invest in support learning in reading and mathematics along with investments in mental health supplementary question Mr. Speaker I can't believe how completely disengaged from reality this government is expecting an 8 year old to type 150 words independently that's not modernizing that's adding stress that's completely disengaged from reality not just the fact that these standardized tests will add enormous stress for our kids when they've already been through so much there are very real concerns about the politicization of EQAO under this government starting with the appointment of a failed conservative candidate as chair with a 400% pay hike experts have long argued that these politicized standardized tests aren't even measuring what matters in our classrooms they certainly won't be useful after two years of significant disruption so I'm asking the premier again will they finally wake up to the crisis that is facing next generation scrap the EQAO test and invest that money in direct support for our children thank you thank you very much speaker it's disappointing to hear that the opposition apparently doesn't believe in evidence base data driven decisions when it comes to improving performance measurements for our students and enabling success in literacy and mathematics it's disappointing to hear that the member opposite and the official opposition together with the liberal government doesn't believe in modernizing EQAO assessments that they don't believe in improving our system of standardized tests that we're able to respond and provide the supports that are in place let's talk about a couple of the things that we've seen as result of EQAO testing we saw under the former liberal government over half of students were unable to pass the EQAO math test unbelievable reductions as a result of their failure to invest in education in closing 600 schools what we've done as a result of that is responded with over 200 million dollars to improve math scores and a four year math strategy 800 board and school based leads to ensure that we're providing the supports that are necessary responding to the data that is before us and ensuring that we're making evidence based decision making thank you very much next question the member for Ottawa thank you very much speaker and my question is for the premier Ontario has yet to sign a $10 a day childcare agreement with the federal government we're dead last we're right at the back of the pack that's a place where the premier seems to be content to be and this unnecessary delay has hurt families for years it's cost them thousands of dollars and that means less money for things like groceries kids clothes kids sports kids extra curricular activities and it's helped back some families from having two incomes the premier's message to these families now my problem folks you're just gonna have to wait so speaker Ontario Liberals have committed to signing a deal and supporting families by retroactively giving them $2,750 a year to compensate for the premier's inaction will the premier get a deal done on childcare and will he commit to retroactively supporting families for the cost that they've had to incur incur due to his delays government house leader speaker it should give great comfort to those families that the Liberals are suggesting that they might give them some money back now for 15 years the Liberals put in place the most expensive childcare program in the nation if not North America but now all of a sudden the Liberals are gonna give you back a few coins so that you can make up for all the hundreds of thousands of dollars they cost them and like the NDP they would sign a deal before even reading it or looking at it they would sign a deal that doesn't get to the $10 a day childcare figure Mr. Speaker I tell you what we're gonna do instead we're gonna wait for a deal that gives us $10 a day childcare Mr. Speaker not only for today leading into an election but for future generations of Ontarians because that's what a responsible government does now there is nobody nobody who ever would believe that a liberal promise to put more money back in your pockets will ever amount to anything because there is just no chance people know that and that's why strong stable majority progressive conservative government is getting the job thank you and it's clear that the premier is not interested in making life any more affordable for these families and you know I with all due respect to the house leader I've heard his talking point before and I only have three words for him full day kindergarten right for all full day the same full day kindergarten that you all voted against the same you all voted against it the same full day kindergarten that the premier said maybe we should cut this about two years ago until families said now that's not gonna happen the same full day kindergarten for almost a decade that has saved families thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars a year the same full day kindergarten that you didn't want that lifted up our economy by allowing more people to come into the workforce so I'm not gonna take any lessons from the house leader on this going to get ideal done and retroactively compensate families for the damage they've done by delaying for almost a year government house leader speaker I would suggest that that's the problem he's not taking lessons from this side of the house because the coalition of the tax spend and tax has cost this province billions and billions of dollars I talked about this yesterday the first time that these two parties coalesced into a coalition that was back in 1985 in ten short years they cost $78 billion worth of debt now as I said yesterday they're sitting around the illegal pool and the leader of the liberal party's backyard that he built in a conservation lands but as minister of transportation colleagues he didn't know that he was supposed to get a permit to build a pool on conservation lands oops Mr. Speaker so as they're sitting around thinking what can we do to make life better the last time between 2011 and 14 how much do you think that cost people $148 billion what did they get for it they got 611 long-term care beds they got a healthcare system that was failing they didn't get subways they got an education system that could barely get our kids the math and reading scores that they required failure on every level thank you thank you please restart the clock the next question, the member for Hamilton West and Caster Doctors thank you speaker, my question to the premier over half of families in Hamilton are being denied access to essential home care services because of the home care worker shortage that this government has allowed to happen Lucy Morton, Opsu Regional VP said our members job used to be to care for clients now they teach families how to care for them this is dire especially for families in my writing like Peter and Linda these home care supports provide dignity essential care but when there are no workers available they put Linda's health at great risk Peter and Linda are not alone over half of the requests for home care in this province are going unmet so the people of Ontario do not need any histrionics from this government they don't need to hear more pats on the back this government recently said no to our opposition day motion to invest in a home care system that would allow people to live at home in dignity when will this government act to address this urgent crisis in home care for the people in Hamilton and the people of Ontario that need your help now good talk I would say to the member opposite we are already taking action to deal with our home care system because we have heard from people that in the past it didn't respond to their needs we're modernizing the system it's outdated that's why we brought the Community Care Act which is going to form the foundation for the modernization of the system to provide integrated patient centered care to people we know that many people are waiting for long term care spaces many people are also needing home care for wound care and other care that's why we are training nurses specifically to be able to deal with wounds which forms up to about 25 to 30% of all the home care that's required is investing $548.5 million to expand our home care services and we are also making sure that we have added investments of $111 million for high intensity supports at home so we are already building a connected 21st century home care system that's going to serve the citizens of Ontario from now and for many many years to come Thank you That concludes our question for this morning