 it is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of his Majesty's General Opposition. Good morning, Speaker. The Premier has repeatedly claimed that his carve-up of Ontario's green belt is simply about providing the land we need for housing, but a new report released just yesterday found that there is more than enough land to build 2 million homes without punching massive holes in our green belt. So if it's not about land for housing, what is it about? Will the Premier admit that this is about paving over protected land so a select few people can make a lot of money? Let me just pull the fares in housing. Another day, another NIMBY question from the Leader of the Opposition. We made it very clear, Speaker, during the election that the Housing Affordability Task Force would be our long-term roadmap. We promised Ontarians we'd put a plan in place to build 1.5 million homes by 2031. We're going to continue to build upon our success with all of our housing supply action plans. Order. Speaker, we're not done yet. We've got a lot more work to do with our municipal partners to get the plan in place to build those homes, and that's exactly what this government's going to do. A supplementary question. Speaker, the Minister should read that report because that Housing Affordability Task Force did not recommend tearing up the green belt. Speaker, the report that was released yesterday shows what the people of this province already know. We don't need insider schemes and torching of the green belt to build the housing that people need. We need 1.5 million homes in Ontario and it's only getting worse. But I haven't talked to one municipal leader, not one, one housing advocate or one regular Ontarian who thinks that the problem is that there aren't enough mega-mansions. And that is not the problem. Why won't this government work with our municipal partners to build affordable homes on the land we already have available? Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition needs to read the Housing Affordability Task Force. She needs to meet with housing advocates across the province who are praising our plan. Clearly in the Housing Affordability Task Force report, it talked about the need for responsible housing growth on undeveloped land, including outside of existing municipal boundaries. We speak to municipalities every day who are signing our housing pledge and signing on to the partnership with our government. This is very exciting. We're providing that opportunity for that young couple to realize the dream of home ownership. It's all about making sure that when we welcome those new Ontarians to our province that we've got a sense secure home that meets their needs in their budget. That's why we're doing the Housing Supply Action Project. No one is buying that the Premier's Green Belt scheme is about building housing. Nobody. It's about the Premier, his well-connected friends and their secret insider deals, planning experts, municipalities, the government's own task force despite his creative quoting from that report, have said that land availability is not the problem. Again, will this government, and I'd love the Premier to be able to answer this question, will this government listen to the experts, use the land we already have available and reverse the decision to remove 7,400 acres of protected green belt land? Order. Minister Winsfield. Minister, if there's anybody that's providing selective quotes, it's the leader of the opposition speaker. We're growing the green belt by over 2,000 acres. We're adding parts of the Periscope moraine and the urban river valleys that municipalities and conservation authorities universally have suggested be added to the green belt. But at the end of the day, Speaker, despite the leader of the opposition's nimbyism, and we all know building absolutely nothing anywhere near anyone, the banana business that we're hearing from the leader and her members. At the end of the day, we're going to continue to work with municipalities. We're going to continue to work with nonprofits, you know, ensure that more attainable and affordable housing is being built. That's the impetus of more homes built faster to ensure that development charges incent the type of housing that we want. More purpose built rental, more habitat for humanity. That's exactly what Bill 23, more homes built faster does. And we're going to continue to build on that in the days ahead. Next question, once again, the leader of the opposition. Speaker, this government's record on housing is abysmal. It's abysmal. Talk to any municipality out there. Encampments are probably the clearest example of the failure of this premier to meaningfully invest in truly affordable housing. It can take a decade right now to get placed into an affordable unit. Shelter allowances for folks out of fixed income aren't enough to find a bachelor's apartment. People in communities from Sioux St. Marie to Sarnia to Barrie are sleeping in tents while this government is asleep at the wheel. Can the premier explain how after four years of his leadership things have only gotten worse? Children, community and social services. Thank you, Speaker. Our government is continually working to make sure that people have the supports they need and to help them find a job. That's why we're working across ministries to make sure that we have the services and programs available to provide and put people over paperwork, create training programs, creating job opportunities. And that's why we have also been working on supporting people who are unable to work. We recognize that. We have increased the ODSP rates with the largest increase in the history of this province. We have increased the earnings exemption threshold by 400%. We are tying the increases to inflation. We are making sure that people are getting discretionary benefits, temporary emergency supports, and we're working across multiple ministries, making sure that people can have access to the supports that they need. This is a strategy that we've had for Ontario Disability Support Program, for disability support with the journey to belonging, making sure that people can live in their communities, creating wraparound services. This is continuous work that you've done. Thank you very much. It feels like this government is living on a different planet than most people in this province because I can tell you could have a full-time job in this province right now and you're at a food bank. You're at a food bank. How does this government expect people to get by when they create crater-sized loopholes in the only measures that keep apartments affordable? Go out there and talk with tenants. I beg you. If the government leaves a rental unit, there's no limit to how much that rent can increase for the next tenant. You know what that means? It means double-digit increases. People in Hamilton saw rent increases of 26% between tenants. In Ottawa, 17%. In Toronto, a 29% increase speaker. Those are for the same units. Does the government understand that they've created a system that takes away affordable housing options? Mr. Mitchell-Farrison House. Speaker, the Associate Minister of Housing last week in the House categorized where we're at in the state of rental housing in the province. Because of our policies, as most in the House know, we had in 2021 over 13,000 new rental starts in Ontario, the highest since the early 90s. 1992, an example. Last year, as Associate Minister Parsa talked about right here in question period last week, last year, we had over 15,000, which is the highest amount of rental starts in Ontario's history. Earlier about more homes built faster and what we were able to do. An affordable rental and housing development in Ottawa reported that through Bill 23, more homes built faster, they were saving over $500,000 in development charge and associate fees. So what's that going to do? 24 affordable rental units, 26 affordable ownership homes. These are the policies that we're building upon. Thank you. The final supplementary. This government needs to get out of the back rooms and start listening to real people. Because their so-called laser focus on their insider friends is not solving the problem. Community living Essex told us that the waitlist for affordable housing in their region has ballooned to 4,400 people. Last year, the City of London had a waitlist of 6,000. Niagara was reporting numbers of over 9,000 households. Municipalities are pulling every lever, but they cannot solve this housing crisis alone. Will the Premier commit today to fixing rent control loopholes and making meaningful investments in public housing? The Associate Minister of Housing. Thank you very much, Speaker, and I thank the leader of the official opposition for the question. Mr. Speaker, I would like to see one day for the leader or the members of the opposition to get up and actually stand up for Ontarians and support us in building more homes across the province, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we should be looking at our numbers in 2021, in 2022. Record number of housing starts in our province. No thanks to the opposition, Mr. Speaker, who, when they held the balance of power, I mentioned this last week, Mr. Speaker, when the previous government was in power, they held the balance of power. The lowest housing starts, Mr. Speaker, came the three years when they had the opportunity. Order. They could have made housing a priority for Ontarians. They didn't. It took this Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing under the leadership of Premier, the caucus members on this side and in the middle to say, no more housing is going to be a priority for Ontarians. We'll make sure to deliver it for them. We're not going to let down anybody. Question for the member for Parkdale High Park. Thank you, Speaker. The Globe and Mail has reported that based on the province's own numbers, in 2022, the landlord and tenant board received more than 5,550 and 12 applications where landlords sought units for own use, a 41% increase from 2019. The board also received nearly 1,113 eviction applications for renovations in 2022, almost doubled the volume from 2019. Tenant advocates say the spike in eviction filings is hardly a coincidence, because when a tenant is evicted, rents can increase by any amount. As a result, we're seeing tenants being forced out of their units in bad faith evictions and rents skyrocket. Will the Premier make rents affordable and end bad faith evictions by passing the NDP's Rent Stabilization Act? The Attorney General. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I wasn't sure if the opposite member was praising this Government for the work of the Independent Tribunal that has in place rules to protect the tenant when they have issues to bring forward. Mr. Speaker, what we have done is we have added a record number of adjudicators to the landlord tenant board to help protect the tenants as they bring their issues forward and to make sure that the claims by the landlords are legitimate or not. And then the fines have been increased, Mr. Speaker, for those that are doing it inappropriately. Mr. Speaker, I can't think of anything better than an independent tribunal listening to the tenants with legitimate concerns staffed appropriately with a record number of adjudicators. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Do you have a supplementary question? Mr. Speaker, when my constituent, Janice Walker's mother, died, she was forced to set her grief aside to face an urgent issue. Her landlord, the myriad group, was evicting her because she was listed as an occupant and not a tenant. To continue to stay in her home of 36 years, Janice was told she would have to pay 50% more in rent each month or vacate the unit within 30 days. If the NDP's Rent Stabilization Act was law, Janice would not suddenly find her rent jumped by 50%. Will the Premier remove the incentive to evict tenants simply to raise rents? Minister of Housing Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And again, I thank my Honourable colleague for the question. Mr. Speaker, as I said before and I'll say it again, no government in the past 70 years has provided more protection for tenants than this government, Mr. Speaker. We froze, Mr. Speaker. We froze rent increases, paused rent increases during COVID. We made sure that tenants had protection when they needed. Mr. Speaker, when the rent increase guideline that the member is referring to in 2021 last year was capped at 1.2% increase. This year, Mr. Speaker, because of our action, we capped that at 2.5% well below inflation. If it wasn't for our action, the rent increase guideline would have been at 5.3%. So, let me make that very clear, Mr. Speaker. Once again, it's this government that will stand up for the people of this province, will protect tenants and make sure what the opposition wants is for people to be pitted against one another. That's not going to happen. We were going to work with our partners to make sure that we have more units in this province and will continue to protect the tenants. Thank you. The next question, the member for Flambro-Landry. Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Hamilton is a city where innovation and manufacturing go hand in hand. For decades, we have been fortunate our advanced industries have grown to create a manufacturing industry that embraces cutting edge science and technology. But now, more than ever, the competitive global manufacturing space threatens the future of Hamilton's own advanced manufacturing industry. As one of the country's fastest growing mid-sized cities, my constituents want to know that they will have good manufacturing jobs right at home well into the future. Speaker, will the Minister please explain how our government is continuing to secure investments in Hamilton's manufacturing economy? Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. Recently, Premier Ford and our team Hamilton attended the grand opening at Beembow, Canada. They announced a $15 million expansion and an investment to boost local manufacturing and solidify their competitive edge. Speaker, Beembow is Canada's largest and oldest commercial bakery producing over 1,000 products for 18 brands. As we walk through their exciting new facility, we saw popular names such as Dempsters, Velagio, Stone Mill stacked as deep as the eye could see. With a $1.5 million investment from our government, they're expanding their line of tortillas as speaker wraps are becoming more popular in lunch bags. But this isn't just an investment in advanced manufacturing, it's an investment in people creating new well-paying jobs in Hamilton. And the supplementary question. Mr. Speaker and back to the minister. When the previous Liberal government sent 300,000 manufacturing jobs running from Ontario, Hamilton was a special league at heart. But now Hamilton is back on track to lead Ontario's manufacturing revolution. And that is because Hamilton's history is steep not only in its manufacturing roots, but also in its hardworking heritage. Hamilton is home to Ontario's brightest innovators and entrepreneurs. It is because of them that Hamilton has the diverse and flourishing economy that it has. Speaker, in addition to supporting investments and creating good jobs in my city, will the minister please explain how our government is supporting Hamilton's entrepreneurs? Minister of economic development. Speaker, there is huge support for Hamilton and not just the $500 million towards Arcelor-Mittall-Defasco's green steel project, or the $40 million in support for Omniobio's $580 million investment in gene therapy. Our government is delivering on our plan to encourage entrepreneurship and grow small business. We have lowered their taxes, reduced their red tape and made their hydro affordable and to further encourage entrepreneurs. We are funding their small business enterprise centre to make sure that their dreams become a reality. We fund special programs for young entrepreneurs and students to help them get started in business as well. And Speaker, through our digital transformation grants, we are helping these businesses go online to sell their products worldwide. The message is clear. Thank you. Thank you. My question is to the Minister for Municipal Affairs and Housing. We completed a scan of municipal property tax hikes across the Greater Golden Horseshoe area and we found that nearly every single municipality is being forced to hike property taxes with no improvement to service because this government chose to give big developers a tax break with Bill 23 which is now forcing Ontarians to make up the difference. Burlington is looking at a 7.5% tax hike Toronto 7% Markham 6.4% Peterborough County 8% Waterloo Region 8.6% Minister, you promise to make municipalities whole. Are you going to keep your promise? Mind the members to make the comments to the Chair. Minister, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Between the government and the NIMBY party across we do not believe in the government that nonprofits and affordable housing providers should be charged exorbitant fees and add those on We have listened to our municipal partners. Every single council that the member opposite has just quoted ran in the fall election on building more non-profit, affordable and rental accommodation. Exactly these policies that are in more homes built faster are going to incent those type of housing. That's the plan that the governments put forward. I appreciate the opposition party will support nimbies and bananas a hundred percent of the time. I understand that, but we owe it to Ontarians to ensure that we've got the money for Waterloo. Thank you. And back to the minister. There is no evidence whatsoever that giving a big corporate developer a tax break will lower the cost of buying a home. There's no evidence whatsoever, Mr. Speaker. Minister, AMO estimates that municipalities are on track to lose $5.1 billion in development fee revenue because of Bill 23. AMO presented to us at Finance Committee. This is revenue that is earmarked to pay for affordable housing, for transit, for sewage and parks, services that make our towns and cities great places to live. Minister, it's budget season. What exactly, what exactly is your plan to help municipalities pay for the infrastructure needed to help our towns and cities grow? Minister, Mr. Speaker, I'm going to give the member opposite another example. A not-for-profit affordable housing development in Scarborough reported moving forward on creating 800 new affordable homes, thanks to the changes that were proposed in Bill 23, more homes built faster. The exemption on development charges for affordable and attainable homes made the project, and I quote, financially viable. And construction can begin this year, something that we want as a government to move forward. We're always going to stand on the side, Speaker, of providing affordable housing opportunities, attainable housing opportunities, and rental. We need more purpose-built rental in the province, and our policy to incentivize charging on these family-sized rentals, the deeply affordable rentals that we need in our communities, that's the policy that we're always going to stand up for. The NDP can always... Thank you. Next question, the member for Renfrew, Nipissing Pembroke. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Ontario is fortunate to have a rich and diverse agri-food sector. In my writing, farms and food producers contribute to the strength of this industry. Across the regions of our province, farmers and food producers contribute significantly to Ontario's GDP. However, over the past few years, our hardworking and dedicated farmers have experienced challenges and difficult circumstances. To ensure that our food supply system continues to be competitive, our government must maintain its commitment to promote Ontario's products and support our agri-food sector. Speaker, can the Minister please explain what action our government is taking to ensure that our farm products can be accessed by international markets? Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Just moments ago, we heard about the amazing news at Vimbo in Hamilton, and I trust that everyone in this House has absolute confidence in the nutritious, high-quality food grown and produced right here in Ontario. You know, it's because of this, coupled with research and innovation, that year-over-year, our yields are increasing. And because of that, we're in a position as a government of Ontario to be their best champions, and we are increasing awareness of and demand for good-quality food grown and processed right here in Ontario. You know, we've recently sent a message around the world to our international markets that Ontario is open for business. Our Ontario farmers are growing capacity and increasing food production, and we have an incredible value chain that ultimately will not only meet domestic demand, but demand coming from other jurisdictions around the world. Thank you. The supplementary question. Well, thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for that response. The investments made by our government into research and agri-food innovation continue to demonstrate the strong leadership from our Premier and this Minister. Ontario possesses strong agricultural production capabilities and technologies to enhance competitiveness and strengthen the sector. With more than 200 commodities that contribute over $19 billion in agri-food exports, Ontario's producers are ready to expand into international markets like Japan and Vietnam. Speaker, can the Minister please elaborate on how our government promotes Ontario commodities abroad? Minister Baker, go to food and rural affairs. Thank you very much. I want to thank the member from Renfrew, Nipissing Pembroke, for his interest in support of and continuing his championship of the Ontario agri-food sector as one member said he likes to eat, as we all do, and people around the world like to eat as well. And that's why I was very pleased to take 18 delegates representing five key sectors in our agri-food industry to Japan and Vietnam. We had representatives from beef, pork, grains, oil seeds and ginsinks, and it was a tremendously successful trade mission, in so much as we had memorandums of understanding signed. We hosted and facilitated over 100 business-to-business meetings. We met with business and diplomatic leaders, and people are looking to Ontario and they are proud of the work that we've achieved, and I can tell you with absolute confidence we're going to continue to grow demand for good, quality, nutritious food, growing a process right here in Ontario. Thank you. The next question, the member for Sudbury. Thank you very much, Speaker. I want to tell you about Kyle from Sudbury. He is on the Ontario Disability Support Program, and it has never been enough for him. Kyle's been trying to find work, but hasn't been successful. In his own words he said there is little accommodation for people with disabilities in the modern workforce. Now everyone knows that ODSP has never been enough, and as food and rent become even less affordable, Kyle is facing homelessness. My question, Speaker, is the Premier, will the Premier finally listen to the NDP and immediately double ODSP rates so that people like Kyle can forward food and rent? It's the children's community and social services. Thank you, Speaker. Our government has made the largest increase in ODSP in the history of this program. We have re-raised the rates when we first came to government. We've raised them by a historic amount again. We've tied that to inflation. We've added in the increase to the earnings exemption threshold, an increase of 400%. We've created training programs to help people understand how they might be re-trained and be able to enter into the job market to provide meaningful jobs and a meaningful purpose for people who want to work who are an ODSP. And for those who cannot work, we have made the measures to make sure that we have the proper supports for them with ODSP, with discretionary benefits, with micro-credentialing strategies for those who can work, understanding the mental health supports that are available, working across ministries to provide improved lifestyles for them, provide the essential basics for them, the lift tax break, the care tax break, really making sure we look at this from a holistic point of view and provide the... Thank you. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. Kyle actually predicted that the minister would say exactly that. He said that she's going to brag about the 5% increase and the increased the earning cap. And he asked me to read this message back to... The 5% increase was never enough, and the increase in wage earnings will never affect those who can't work. Those are band-aid solutions that miss the mark of the greater problem of the hand. Men and disabled Canadians are struggling to find any work while others have conditions that render working impossible. Speaker, it is time for the Premier to admit that ODSP has never been enough. Will the Premier mainly double ODSP rates and save disabled Canadians like Kyle from homelessness? Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. Our government has invested more in social assistance than any Ontario government in the history of this province. We are a government that is putting people over paperwork. As I said, this is one program, and that's why we need to take this program in the context of all the other supports that are being provided to improve people's lives, to increase their ability to have a job and to be retrained. So these are all areas that we're continuing to contribute to, whether it's increasing the minimum wage, the job training tax credit, the $1 billion in social services relief funding that we put through during COVID, the Ontario Trillium Foundation efforts, the Feed Ontario programs, the student nutrition programs. The list goes on and on. ODSP is one program in the context of many others, and we'll continue to make the investments that we have promised. The next question, the Member for Orleans. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Premier. Everyone in Ottawa knows that the Premier in this government abandoned the nation's capital during the convoy occupation last year. In fact, Justice Rulo said, I find the province of Ontario's reluctance to become fully engaged in such efforts directed at resolving the situation in Ottawa as troubling. Now, a few weeks later, the Premier in this government would abandon Ottawa again when a massive windstorm with winds of 190 kilometres an hour ripped through the city and left 180,000 residents without power. Now, Ottawa taxpayers are collectively on the hook for tens of millions of dollars for the cleanup of the storm and from the convoy. Individual farmers and homeowners in Glengarry Prescott, Russell, have holes in the walls of their barns and in the roofs of their barns, Mr. Speaker. This winter, instead of storing equipment and hay, those barns are expensive storage for snowdrifts. So when Ottawa is in crisis, why does this government always turn its back and say no? The Government House Leader. Mr. Speaker, I think there's a reason why there is only a few Liberals in the House. And part of that reason is because they ignored not only Ottawa but so many parts of the province of Ontario for so long. Look, we have made some very, very significant investments in the nation's capital, Mr. Speaker. And I hear the members over there groaning because they don't like to talk about the transit investments we make. I understand why that member doesn't want to talk about the transit investments that we made because when he was responsible for those transit investments, he couldn't get it done, the system was broken, so we've had to step in and make sure that it works well, Mr. Speaker. We've made investments in health care in Ottawa, the Ottawa Civic Hospital, children's hospital of Eastern Ontario, all investments that could have been made under the Liberals, but were not made under the Liberals, Mr. Speaker. We're making those investments on behalf of the people of the province of Ontario. We are bringing back the automotive sector in the province of Ontario. In part, you know who's going to benefit from that? The high-tech sector in Ottawa will play such an important role, Mr. Speaker. Thousands of jobs were expanding the highway between Toronto and Ottawa, Mr. Speaker. We're getting the job. Thank you. Supplementary question? Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. My supplementary is also for the Premier. Now, the City of Ottawa continues to ask this government for help, and this government continues to turn its cold shoulder. City Council and the Mayor have both expressed grave concerns over Bill 23 and the impact that that will have on the city's finances, their inability to maintain infrastructure without drastically increasing taxes. In fact, this year the City of Ottawa is cutting transit funding and using growth funds to balance their budget, a situation that won't be able to continue for long without massive property tax increases, Mr. Speaker. Ottawa taxpayers were hit again with the funding formula to change to Ottawa Public Health. In fact, the Chair of Public Health says that that will add $3 million to Ottawa taxpayers' responsibilities if this isn't addressed by the government, Mr. Speaker. Ottawa taxpayers simply can't fulfill the bill that this government wants to send them. So given the economic damage they're already creating in Ottawa and the upcoming budget, will the government reverse course on public health funding formula and ensure Ottawa isn't shortchanged $3 million? Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. You know, Speaker, the opposition keeps talking about, you know, our more homes built faster initiative. But again, they're very selective, you know, in sections of the report. So to answer the question, I'm going to read exactly what's in this report. And it's on page 18, it starts, reduce the cost to build, buy and rent. The price you pay to buy or rent a home is directly driven by how much it costs to build a home. In Ontario, costs to build homes have dramatically increased at an unprecedented pace over the past decade. Speaker, again, our government is committed on ensuring that non-profit housing, a purpose-built rental, we want to make sure that everyone that wants a home that meets their needs in their budget. And again, this is what motivates these young people in the gallery. I want to ensure that they have a home that meets their needs in their budget. We're committed to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. Thank you. The next question, the member for Sault Ste. Marie. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Mines. The mining industry is vital to our province's economic prosperity, creating 75,000 jobs and contributing almost $13 billion. That's billion with a B, Speaker, to Ontario's GDP. Our government understands and appreciates the value and the importance of the mining industry, especially in the North. Because when a mine opens in the North and in a place like my town of Sault Ste. Marie wins, Mr. Speaker, early exploration is the first step in locating new critical mineral mines that will help secure our supply chain for battery, technology and electric vehicles. The strength and potential of the mining industry should not be underestimated, and our government must continue to make strategic investments. Speaker, can the Minister please explain how our government is supporting the exploration for critical minerals? To reply, the Minister of Mines. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for the question from my friend and the member from Sault Ste. Marie, where we joined the Premier in Sault Ste. Marie, where we joined the Premier in Sault Ste. Marie to announce a 5.8 million investment through the Unchairhood Junior Exploration Program because it starts with exploration. You know the genesis of Algoma Steel in the discovery of iron ore in Wawa. Wawa right now is thriving on the basis of exploration and development activity from Wawa back over to Duberville and over to Marathon. It starts with exploration. That's why we have funded 32 mining companies that have invested an additional 12.5 million in private capital to find critical minerals. Here's the kicker, Mr. Speaker. The opposition voted no to these investments. They voted no to jobs in northern communities. And they voted no to finding new critical minerals. This government is taking devices of action to secure our supply chain and our future, and it all starts with exploration. The supplementary question. Thank you again, Speaker, and thank you to the Minister for the response. You know, when a mine opens in northern Ontario, Ontario wins. Think of all the items that we use every day, from smartphones to electric vehicles, from steel to diamonds and gold, it all comes from a mine. Our government is building Ontario, and in order to continue getting it done, we need a strong mining sector and a well integrated supply chain. Look no further than my home of Sault Ste. Marie, where steel made at Algoma Steel, beams from SIS, concrete pumpers from Apex Cranes, belts from Belterra, are all critical to building our mines in northern Ontario. And, Speaker, I could go on and on and on and on. Investments in northern Ontario's mining sector support so many local businesses and the thousands of people that they employ. Can the Minister please elaborate on how new businesses in the north are responding to investments that are being made through our Ontario Junior Mining Exploration? Thank you again, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, mining is the number one employer in the great writing of Timmons. I am proud of what mining means to my community and to the north. Our investments have been hailed by industry, but don't just take my word for it. Listen to how impactful $400,000 can be for a Junior Mining Company. Dr. Michael Gunning, President CEO of VIA Resources said and VIA Resources has a remarkable, rare discovery just north of Timmons, said, for a small company like mine doing the front end R&D of exploration, funding matters. It takes courage. It takes money to make these discoveries. The OJEP program has made a difference to my company and is making a difference to the industry. The importance of these investments cannot be overstated, it's stated, and the industry agrees. With our investments, these companies will find minds in the future while helping us to secure Ontario's future. Mr. Speaker, I encourage the opposition to vote for us the next time we make vital investments in this in-demand sector of our economy. Next question, a member for Niagara Falls. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier. $150 an hour. That's what some staffing agencies are charging, not-for-profit long-term care homes for a registered nurse. That's what the agency charges, not what the registered nurse is being paid. This government has made working conditions so bad, ignoring our staffing crisis for so long. They've created a profitable business model for their friends, taking advantage of a health human resource crisis. Does the Premier or anybody on that side believe that companies should be charging $150 an hour and taking advantage of a crisis? They've created it in long-term care homes. Thank you. I think the Honourable Member knows that top line we're investing over $13.5 billion to improve long-term care across the province of Ontario, and that does include over 27,000 additional health care workers, PSWs, nurses, allied health professionals. I do understand the challenges with agency staffing in long-term care homes. It is something that I've been hearing from our stakeholders. That is why, of course, I've asked the Deputy Minister and the Deputy Minister has brought together the technical advisory committee on my orders, Mr Speaker, to ensure that we get input from both the Ontario Long-Term Care Association, Advantage Canada, from staffing agencies themselves to also review what other jurisdictions are doing on this. But it is also recognition, Mr Speaker, they are an important part of the health care system, but I do understand that there are challenges with long-term care homes. And I speak to some of the individuals who are with staffing agencies. A lot of times they're telling me they want more flexibility in how their staff, on how their hours are. Thank you. Thank you very much. A supplementary question. I never answered the question about the $150 an hour, but back to the Premier. The Minister can stand up and pretend like this crisis has been resolved. But we all know that, in this case, it is not. We should try listening to health care workers. You created a situation so extreme with staff shortages and Bill 124 that one not-for-profit home is spending $3 million on agency employees, 10 times what they're a budget for. Agencies are waiting in the parking lot after they finish their shift to approach staff when they leave to join the agency. This would reduce the care in our homes. People will suffer. Seniors will continue to die. At what point will this government wake up, recognize that the long-term staff are burnt out, and start showing them some respect? Mr. Blankham. Mr. Speaker, this is a member who has voted against the over $13 billion investments in long-term care. The member voted against the additional 27,000 health care workers for the long-term care system. The member voted against improving to four hours of care per day. So he's voted against every single measure to improve long-term care in the province of Ontario. The member and his party have voted against the billions of dollars in investments in health care in his own writing, Mr. Speaker. In his own writing. And then the member has the nerve to get up here and claim that care is somehow threatened, Mr. Speaker. You know what I'm hearing from staff? I'm hearing that they want more flexibility than they are being provided right now under the contract that they have signed. We're looking at that. That is why I've ordered the advisory table to give me recommendations to look at what is happening across other jurisdictions. And we will ensure that our seniors are first. Order. The next question, the member for Sarnia Lampkin. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My question is for the Associate Minister of Health and Addiction. Just last week, one of my constituents from Sarnia Lampkin shared her order at their family experience. Their 15-year-old son is no longer able to focus or get out of bed to attend school because of ongoing mental health challenges he is facing. Anxiety Canada estimates that about 25 percent of youth will engage in school refusal behavior during their schooling years. This behavior, also known as school avoidance, is related to mental health issues and is not the same as truancy. All children in our province need accessible and reliable services in order to grow and develop into healthy adults. Speaker, what is this government doing to improve the mental health of the children and youth of our province? Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'd like to thank the member for Sarnia Lampkin for this very important question. Since 2019, we've invested over $130 million in mental health and addiction services for children and youth through the roadmap to wellness. Last year, we invested an additional $31 million in annual funding to reduce weightless and support mental health and well-being of children and youth with another $170 million set to be invested over the next three years through the roadmap. More tangibly, Mr. Speaker, something which we're extremely proud to be supporting are our youth wellness hubs, one of which is slated to open in Sarnia just this spring. To date, Mr. Speaker, we've provided funding for 22 youth wellness hubs, all of which provide mental health and addiction supports, primary care and early intervention to those aged 12 to 25 on a walk-in basis. Mr. Speaker, we're working every day to make sure that children and youth in the province of Ontario can get the care they need when and where they need it. Supplementary question. Well, thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Associate Minister for that response. I appreciate the Associate Minister and our government understands the serious mental health challenges experienced by young people. In Sarnia Lampkin, as the Minister said, we are looking forward to the opening of the Youth Wellness Hub, where my granddaughter, Janessa, has played a major and pivotal role in its design. I look forward to the Minister coming down. We're confident that it will provide much needed support for children and young people in our community. Children and youth have a wide variety of needs depending on their individual circumstances, and some rural and remote areas of our province may not have a youth wellness hub. Children and youth, no matter where they live in our province, deserve access to services and programs, will support their health and well-being. Speaker, can the Associate Minister please explain what our government is doing to meet the diverse needs of young people across Ontario? Thank you. Associate Minister. Mr. Speaker, and the member raises a very important point, which is that it's crucial to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to mental health, particularly when we're dealing with young people. And that's why, Mr. Speaker, we're constantly innovating and finding new ways to treat children and youth and new ways for them to access services, the care that they need. For example, those with acute needs can access a step up, step down, live in treatment program, which helps more kids through levels of intensive treatment as needed. For those who can't or don't want to access in-person services, we've invested in telehealth options specifically for children and youth. And just last month, I joined Minister Jones at Ontario Shores for the announcement that we're investing a further $4.5 million in the one-stop talk program, which provides virtual walk-in counselling services for kids across the province. We're increasing access to supports, addressing the demand caused by the pandemic, decreasing wait times and improving the quality of care we provide for the children who are the future. Thank you very much. The next question, the member for London West. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. Speaker, when this government's temporary and inadequate program of paid sick days was introduced two years ago, the Minister of Labor famously said that as long as there is COVID, there will be paid sick days for Ontario workers. Well, that flawed program is expiring on March 31st and COVID is still very much with us, along with many other infectious diseases. Will the Minister commit today to providing 10 permanent paid sick days so that workers can stay home if they are sick with COVID or any other illness after March 31st? Speaker, I'll remind the member opposite that she wholeheartedly, her and her party, supported our program that we brought forward to support workers during COVID. Mr Speaker, we were the first jurisdiction in the country to bring in job-protected leave. We were the first jurisdiction to bring in paid sick days in the province of Ontario to protect those workers during the pandemic. But Mr Speaker, we're continuing to bring forward initiatives to support workers. One of the things I'm really excited about and proud of and hope the opposition will support is our plan to bring in portable benefits to millions of workers in the province today that don't have health and dental benefits. But Mr Speaker, we'll continue having the backs of workers every single day. The supplementary question. Speaker, healthcare workers and advocates with the decent work and health network we're at Queen's Park today, highlighting the problems with the government's paid sick days scheme. Not only is it temporary and inadequate, but it subsidizes large corporations like Loblaws and Amazon that refuse to provide paid sick days for their workers while raking in record pandemic profits. The government scheme has transferred $189 million of public funds to corporate profits. Speaker, almost 60 percent of Ontario workers do not have paid sick days from their employer, especially if they are racialized or low wage. Instead of supporting their corporate friends, will the government start working for those workers and legislate 10 permanent paid sick days now? I mean actually, Mr Speaker, we've been there for the workers of this province during the pandemic. But Mr Speaker, we've also been there for those small businesses to ensure that within on average three weeks they got reimbursed for those paid sick days. So Mr Speaker, it's important that we continue working for workers and we've been doing this. But Mr Speaker, you know, the NDP have really changed over the years. They've abandoned workers in this province. Mr Speaker, for example, when we hired 100 new health and safety inspectors in this order, Mr Speaker, bring the inspector to the highest in provincial. The opposition come to order. The minister will respond. We brought forward legislation to hire 100 more health and safety inspectors in this province. It was the NDP that voted no. They said no to pretend the health and safety of workers in this province. But Mr Speaker, under the leadership of Premier Ford, will always work for our workers. The next question, the member for Oakville. Thank you. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Associate Minister of Transportation. Our government continues to demonstrate strong leadership by ensuring that our energy system is sound, reliable, affordable and environmentally clean. We should all be proud of the fact that our electricity grid is over 90% emissions free. While this is promising news for energy sector, our public transit must follow the standard. Diesel fuel is one of Oakville's largest greenhouse gas emission sources. That is why our government needs to take action to move on public transit vehicles away from diesel fuel power to more environmentally friendly source. Speaker, can the Associate Minister of Transportation explain what our government is doing to help our local transit agencies become more environmentally sustainable? Thank you, Speaker. The member is always advocating for Oakville, and once again he's doing it with that question this morning. Just last week, Speaker, Thursday, February 23rd, our government in partnership with our municipal and federal counterparts unveiled the initial batch of Oakville Transit's first ever zero emission battery electric buses. That's a major milestone, Speaker, and is part of our $4.4 million investment for 27 electric buses for the town of Oakville. Our efforts will help provide safe, reliable transit service for Oakville's riders all while lowering emissions and producing less noise on local roads. What's more, Speaker, investing in these low carbon transportation options demonstrates that our government is laser focused on reaching its goal of reducing Ontario's emissions by 30% by 2030. Our government is helping transit providers shift to modern, efficient fleets that will improve people's quality of life and travel both today and from any gender. Thank you very much. Just have a metric question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the Associate Minister for that response. Our government must continue to be a leader when it comes to delivering and investing in our transit systems. We must ensure that our transit networks remain emission-free, reliable and safe for all individuals, whether commuting on a bus or riding on the GO rail network. Our transit system ensures people and families remain connected with jobs, housing and opportunities throughout our region and indeed the whole province. Now is the time to redouble these efforts and deliver on expanding our transit network. Speaker, can the Associate Minister of Transportation explain what our government is doing to ensure that our entire GO transit network will continue to meet the needs of the people of Ontario? The Associate Minister of Transportation. That is a great question and it's important to contrast the record of the opposition versus this government because this government is making the largest transit expansion plan investment in this country's history. $61 billion over the next 10 years to connect the grid, a spider web of transit across this entire province. This includes GO rail expansion program to bring two-way all-day frequent service to communities like Oakville and core segments of the GO rail network with trains as often as 15 minutes, every 15 minutes, Speaker. But to the member's point electrification is an important part of that process. We need to reduce emissions and our public transit system is an important part of that, Speaker. That's why we trust that the opposition is we move forward and we green our fleet and we grow our fleet will support us. Now it's unfortunate, Speaker, that they voted against every single transit expansion measure that this government has taken. But the good news for Ontarians is there's a lot more to come. Hope they'll support it in the future. Do the right thing. And the next question for Hamilton. Thank you, Speaker. My question to the Premier. Premier, did you know that last year in Hamilton 200 people called for an ambulance and none were available? These frightening incidents are called code zeroes or code reds and they're happening all across Ontario in all of our writings. Paramedics and frontline workers continue to raise the alarm. When will this government act to ensure when people call for emergency help? It is there for them. We're flying to Deputy Premier, the Minister of Health. Speaker, and you know, I think this is an appropriate time to remind everyone how much our community paramedics and our paramedical experts have been critical to protecting the citizens of Ontario. You know, with 9-1-1 models of care, we have paramedics in community who are able to serve individuals and not always take them to an emergency department. Where did that come from? That came from paramedics and paramedic chiefs who said we have an innovative model that will make a difference and improve the outcome for patients. We've done that. We've done that with investments with the dedicated nurse offload program that has nurses funded by the province of Ontario that are dedicated exclusively in the emergency departments to assist those paramedics who come in with a patient and are able to transfer that patient immediately to that dedicated nurse to make sure that they can turn around and continue to serve their province and their community. We will continue to Thank you. Thank you very much. Supplementary question. Thank you. Back to the premier, despite what we're hearing that these things are just continuing to get worse, not better, and since April last year your government withheld 6.4 billion dollars could have gone to address this life and death critical issue. Your government supported my private members motion to make this a priority and since then we have not heard or seen anything. When will this government act? This is a life and death issue and ensure Ontarians get emergency help when and where they need it. Minister of Health. You know another program that I'm very pleased to work with the Minister of Colleges and University on is of course our Learn and State program which has now been expanded beyond nurses to lab tax and to paramedics. But you know it's not just our government that's making investments in healthcare in the province of Ontario. Earlier this morning it was a great honor to thank the Orlando Corporation for a 75 million dollars. There are literally people who are stepping up, seeing the innovations, seeing the investments that our government is making and saying we want to be part of that solution. So thank you, Orlando Corporation. Congratulations, Trillium Health partners. Thank you. The next question to member for Thunder Bay Attic-Holken. Thank you Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Tourism remains a vital sector in supporting Ontario's economic prosperity and plays an important role in communities across Northern Ontario. However the reality is that the tourism and hospitality industries are still recovering from ongoing global economic uncertainty, supply chain disruptions and rising costs due to inflation. The 2022 annual report from tourism Thunder Bay outlines many achievements indicating a remarkable recovery with several key tourism statistics rebounding more quickly than expected. However, there remain challenges. As an example, American tourists have typically made up one-third of visitors to Thunder Bay, but their visits have dropped to less than 13 percent. Speaker, can you please explain how our government is supporting tourism efforts in Northern Ontario? Mr. Tourism, Culture and Sport. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank the member from Thunder Bay Attic-Holken and also it was great to have Mr. Miller join us today and we have to do something about that and our government is building prosperity everywhere for everyone and to help grow regional economic opportunities across our great province. Bolstering Northern tourism is critical and Northern Ontario is going to get a little more love today. Particularly, I knew you would like that, sir, particularly Northwestern Ontario was significantly impacted by the drop of visitation from the U.S. due to border restrictions. Those have eased so we are supporting the visitor economic through strategic investments. Specifically, for the Northern tourism economy, we've invested more than 10 million dollars for regional tourism organization, supported festivals events, through our ReConnect program and targeted Northern marketing campaigns through Destination Ontario. Through these partnerships and investments and great people, we're going to get it done. A few questions. Thank you, Speaker and thank you to the minister. While it is encouraging that Thunder Bay's accommodation sector for tourists is currently higher than in 2019, I'm mindful that 70% of tourism business took on debt over the last three years. As a result, for many businesses, a significant portion of revenue is being directed toward paying off that debt. Our government must make tourism a priority as this sector is an indispensable component of Ontario's broader economic development. Speaker, can the minister please elaborate on what our government is doing to protect jobs and shore up the tourism sector? Thank you again for the question. Mr. Speaker, we're seeing a strong signs of a tourism growth across Ontario. Our government's support is helping Ontario tourism industry reemerge as an economic powerhouse and it is exactly that. We provided targeted funding to address the challenges that affected every segment of tourism industry as a result of the pandemic. That includes Ontario tourism recovery program, the tourism economic development and recovery fund, the reconnect program which I mentioned earlier, and Ontario tourism and travel small business support grant. But I'd also like to point out, Speaker, that tourism stretches far past what we might be thinking. When I think of tourism, sport jumps into mind. The candy games in Niagara, huge impact on the community. Yeah, maybe. The Ontario Winter Games in Renfrew County, huge. The film festival in Windsor, big time. All of that adds to our tourism. We will continue to support that and the people behind tourism to make them stronger and better at what they do because we've got the right people in place. Here's our question period for this morning.