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February 23, 2021

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2021-Feb-23 vol. A (PDF)

L225A - Tue 23 Feb 2021 / Mar 23 fév 2021

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 23 February 2021 Mardi 23 février 2021

Orders of the Day

Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 modifiant la

Loi sur la sécurité professionnelle et l’assurance contre les accidents du travail

Members’ Statements

Black History Month

Homelessness

Ladies of the Lake

Affordable housing

COVID-19 immunization

COVID-19 response

Land use planning

Member’s grandchildren

Mental health and addiction services

GO Transit

Question Period

COVID-19 response

COVID-19 immunization

COVID-19 response

COVID-19 immunization

Land use planning

Land use planning

Human trafficking

Employment standards

COVID-19 response

Consumer protection

Personal support workers

COVID-19 immunization

Municipal finances

Land use planning

Small business

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Government Agencies

Introduction of Bills

Support for Adults in Need of Assistance Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur le soutien aux adultes ayant besoin d’assistance

Petitions

Government documents

Consumer protection

Broadband infrastructure

Environmental protection

Gasoline prices

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board

Addiction services

Life insurance

Small business

Optometry services

Fish and wildlife management

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Small business

Orders of the Day

Accelerating Access to Justice Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 visant à accélérer l’accès à la justice

The House met at 0900.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Good morning. Let us pray.

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 modifiant la

Loi sur la sécurité professionnelle et l’assurance contre les accidents du travail

Resuming the debate adjourned on February 18, 2021, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 238,

An Act to amend the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 / Projet de loi 238, Loi modifiant la Loi de 1997 sur la sécurité professionnelle et l’assurance contre les accidents du travail.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Further debate?

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: I am happy to rise today to speak on the second reading of Bill 238, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act, 2021. The legislation we’re discussing today will ensure that WSIB premiums and compensation remain stable. This bill fits within the larger context of our government’s efforts to stand with workers and employers during these challenging times, and what our Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development has been doing from day one: supporting and protecting workers and employers. This bill is yet another example of how the people’s government—Ontario’s government—is protecting its workers and employers during COVID-19.

For too long, individuals, families and businesses have been forced to feel like they’re working for the government. It’s about time that the government start working for the people and for them. That is the approach that our government has taken from day one, the government for the people. Our government understands a government must work to leave a legacy of hope for future generations and build on the progress it has made so far to restore that sacred bond, that bond and that trust between the people and their government.

The first piece of legislation our government tabled in March, which passed with unanimous support from all parties, was an amendment to the Employment Standards Act. Our government created a new, unlimited, job-protected leave called the infectious disease emergency leave. This is available retroactive to January 25, 2020, the day the first presumptive case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Ontario. This leave ensures that workers and their jobs are protected as they follow the advice that our public health professionals have told us in combatting the spread of COVID-19. It also ensures that those who stay at home to self-isolate and to care for loved ones will not be fired.

This job protection will remain in place as long as is necessary, and includes protections for those who need it. For example, it protects the jobs of those who may be isolating or in quarantine, those who need to take time to take care of their kids due to school closures or daycare closures, or to care for a sick relative. This legislation also makes it clear that employers don’t have to require a sick note from their employees if they need to take that time off.

I want to remind everyone that there is financial help for workers who need to stay at home. Thanks to an agreement by the Prime Minister and Premier Doug Ford and other Premiers, there is over $1 billion—let me repeat, $1 billion—available for workers to access 10 paid sick days. To date, over 110,000 workers in Ontario have accessed this funding. We know that this program needs to work better. There is $800 million still in the bank, and workers need this support. So I encourage all MPPs, if you haven’t done so, to advocate to your constituents that this fund is available and to uptake it.

The Minister of Labour, for example, spoke to his federal counterparts about this fund and what needs to be done to improve the federal paid sick leave program. He raised this with her: the need to pay workers faster, make it easier to access and raise awareness about the benefits. They agreed to continue working together to ensure workers get the support they need.

This is something our Minister of Labour and Premier stood shoulder to shoulder with workers on and employers all together to make sure that those supports are available. If we are doing our

part in this Legislature, part of our

part is to ensure that we are advocating for those workers who need to access these funds swiftly and quickly. If you haven’t done it already, there are very little, easy things you can do. For example, you can take out an ad on your local radio station. You can do a mailer to let your constituents know that this is available to them.

Combined with that support and combined with the provincial job-protected leave we introduced in our first action this year, this will overall protect the workers and, of course, help the employers. This is a trend, Speaker. From the very beginning, our government set out to create and protect jobs. Very early on, in our first budget for example, we reduced Workplace Safety and Insurance Board premiums. Well before COVID-19, we saw that this would help tremendously with creating jobs in our province and, of course, would help the employers. So, well before COVID-19, our Ontario government had the foresight to do what was needed to support these businesses, and that has paid dividends since.

However, more supports were always needed, and we have to look at all angles of health and all angles of helping workers. One of the things that actually came up in this Legislature well before COVID-19 was we continued to support emergency health first responders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD. This disorder can affect paramedics and ambulance communication officers in Ontario who provide compassionate life-saving care 24/7, seven days a week and 365 days in a year, from corner to corner of our province.

Under the Supporting Ontario’s First Responders Act, a PTSD diagnosis for certain workers is now presumed to be work-related. They no longer need to prove it. This includes first responders, including police officers and correctional officers, youth service workers, employment dispatch and others. It gives these workers faster access to WSIB benefits, resources and timely treatment. Again, this was well before COVID-19, but speaks to the fact that from day one this government has stood shoulder to shoulder with the worker and made the necessary changes to WSIB so they can continue with that employment.

That’s not just it, Speaker. If you look to our recovery plan, we included things like the recovery assistance skills plan, something that was well received all around this province. If you weren’t able to catch that, the province is now committing $100 million in funding from 2020-21, through Employment Ontario, for skills training programs for workers most affected by COVID-19. This dedicated fund will help more workers and job seekers get advice, training and other assistance they need to upgrade their skills and find jobs.

Again, this is something this government has continued to do, and it follows suit with that theme.

Connecting workers, for example, in the tourism and hospitality sector and other most affected areas by the pandemic: We’re helping connect them with the training and the skills they need by investing another $180 million over three years, including towards the skilled trades strategy; an additional, as I was saying, $100 million of dedicated investments through Employment Ontario for skills training; and of course, we’re redesigning the Second Career program with a $59-million investment in needed skills in those demanded areas.

Again, this builds on our record. If there’s any debate or any question as to whether this government is supporting the worker and helping employers, our record stands for itself. For example, over 37,000 workplace inspections have been conducted, again keeping that worker safe. Over 38,000 orders have been issued as a result. Sixty-three unsafe workplaces have been shut down—again, to protect the worker. We doubled the phone lines at our health and safety contact centre, protecting the worker. Over 200 new sector-specific guidelines and other resources have been created to protect the worker.

This includes six tip sheets that we’ve created, 33 posters and, of course, a safety template—again, to protect the worker. Together, these resources have been downloaded one million times, Speaker, so it actually speaks volumes in terms of us protecting the worker yet again.

And that’s not it. Fifty employment standards officers have been hired to help businesses know what to do, because if businesses know what to do, they can keep their workers safe and healthy. Thirty health and safety specialists in the field have been also hired in the field of educating the workers themselves so that they know what to do on the job. There were also various webinars that were hosted with over 2,000 participants.

In addition to that, there were 100 additional health and safety inspectors that were allowed to be issued so that they can directly work with employers to be able to create a safe workplace. Again, this in itself adds to the largest hiring initiative in over 15 years—again, with the premise of protecting the worker.

With a total of 507 inspectors, we know that that was an important investment to make to protect those on the job, so that they can go to work, know that they’re safe, come back at the end of the day, spend time with their husband, their wife or their kids knowing that their employer and this government did everything they could to keep them safe on the job.

That’s why it’s so fitting that today we are discussing the Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act, 2021, that would, if passed, protect employers from an unexpected increase in WSIB premiums while maintaining an increase to the maximum earning cap for worker benefits. The loss of jobs among low-wage workers, including those in retail, hospitality and the service sector during COVID-19, has resulted in an increase in the average industrial wage of Ontario workers by 7.8%, compared to an average increase of 2% to 3%.

The proposed amendments would limit the impact that the increase of the AIG has on WSIB premiums by 2%, Mr. Speaker, making sure struggling businesses’ owners aren’t subject to sudden, undue costs during these challenging times. Additionally, the new amendments will not impact the 7.8% increase in the earning cap for workers, ensuring they will continue to be fairly compensated for work-related injuries and occupational diseases during COVID-19.

As stated by the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, “Our government is protecting jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic by giving employers the support they need to get through this difficult time. Our proposed amendments will help businesses, while making sure that we continue to support workers who are injured on the job.”

It has been said many times, Speaker, that all of us have felt the effects of COVID-19 and this pandemic, and my heart goes out to all of those who lost a loved one. The pandemic has led to sacrifices of many front-line workers who have worked day in and day out, often missing seeing their loved ones. This pandemic has also led to many small businesses, the backbone of our local communities, sacrificing their time and their money to keep others safe. They have had to lay off some of their team members that they often consider family.

I’ll give an example in my riding of Barrie–Innisfil. Many people, I’m sure, know the Keg franchise, but what many may not know is how much of a family environment it really is. One of our owners of the Keg, Brammer, knew how much of an impact COVID-19 was going to be on his employees. He knew he had to shut down his restaurant, and he was worried that his workers were going to be living paycheque to paycheque. And if they were already living paycheque to paycheque and they no longer had one coming in because the restaurant was closed, he was very worried about them.

So one of the things he did was he went to Sobeys and he got gift cards for all his employees. He also created a rotational

schedule so when they could open and have 10 people seated; he tried to do his best by really pivoting, getting creative with takeout. They had a really interesting New Year’s takeout box option you could do, and he really tried to support his workers so they would still have that wage coming in and they could make their obligations and their payments.

But that shows you that real Team Canada, Team Ontario environment that we have across our province. It’s not just this restaurant owner who cares more about his employees than his own bottom line because they’re family to him, every single one of these employees. He cares for their well-being just like many community members care for the well-being of their businesses.

I’ve mentioned her many times, but Jennifer Richardson in my community, who is very well known as Keeping Up with the Richardsons, has created all kinds of initiatives in order to support local businesses that are struggling, and, of course, WSIB is one less thing they need to worry about, because, again, it’s one less payroll tax that they have to worry about. They can also increase employment if needed.

It’s now more than ever that so many of these businesses need help, so this particular change is not only just going to help that restaurant owner, but it’s going to help people like the Last Shot Bar and Grill; it’s going to help Harbour House Grill; it’s going to help The Parlour ice cream shop. Not a lot of people are going out for ice cream right now, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know if you checked the temperature, but it’s quite chilly outside. But that is actually going to make an impact for that particular business owner.

It’s going to help the Stone Grille, Davidson’s Country Dining and Johnny Burger. It’s going to help many of our Subway and Mr.Sub owners. It’s going to help our Stacked Pancake Houses that we all like to have our morning coffee and our morning meetings at. Of course, with COVID-19, they have also been affected, and this small change, even for WSIB, is actually going to go a long way for many of these people because they’ll feel the direct impacts and it’s, again, one less payroll tax for them to have to worry about. We’ve seen the impacts of what happens when they have to pay too much.

In addition to those restaurant owners who are also affected by this, there are also sales associates in retail, servers who have to wait in hospitality and those working in the housekeeping business and in tourism. They’ve all made sacrifices.

I know in my area—I always talk about I’m part of the snowbelt, and I might not be the buckle, but I’m part of the belt. We have a lot of tourism and hospitality businesses that are reliant on customers and a large flow of people, but if you cannot have that during COVID-19, of course it affects your bottom line, so the difference of freezing WSIB premiums is going to go a long way. The fact that it won’t be increasing is a hope and a light at the end of the tunnel for many of these business owners.

It complements many of the measures that have already been done to date by all levels of government, be they municipal, provincial or federal, to help these employers and, of course, by extension their employees, because now they have a job to go to at the end of the day.

When we talk about the stressors of the pandemic and the effect it has had on workers and businesses, it is truly unprecedented. We said this many times in this Legislature.

That’s why the Minister of Labour, Skills Development and Trade has been working hard during these challenging times in putting into action real initiatives to help protect the safety and well-being of workers; and, of course, supporting businesses in following health and safety requirements to stop the spread of this deadly virus; and by finding ways to ease some of the unexpected financial operating burdens that businesses have encountered while they do their part to protect their customers and their workers alike.

For example, this government helped support them with things like the PPE grant, something we heard a lot about in terms of the costs on that.

But we know that people across Ontario will be the ones who lay the foundations for our recovery for tomorrow, and we need to support those people because they’re going to be supporting us for a better tomorrow. At a time when so many have been left without jobs, our efforts will help them connect with new careers that they need to thrive, and of course help the young people and women and everyone. Whether it’s in skilled trades or other employment, by having this WSIB premium not only are we supporting the employer, we’re protecting the worker. Without this change, they would see an 8% increase.

That’s something that many people can’t afford. That’s why they are supporting this particular change.

I spoke to Christopher Franco in my riding. He runs Franco Investments. In support of this particular legislation, he says, “As a local investor and business owner, I have seen the devastating effects” of “COVID-19” and the impact it “has done to businesses. By passing this bill, you are supporting employers and employees. A capped increase in premiums while maintaining the benefits afforded to employees is essential during these unprecedented times. This gives businesses a fighting chance for another unfamiliar year.”

It wasn’t just Chris Franco. I also spoke to our local Barrie Chamber of Commerce; again, just like the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, it also supports this piece of legislation. Paul Markle, the executive director, says, “The Greater Barrie Chamber of Commerce strongly supports Bill 238, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act, 2021. We are encouraged that the government is proposing this change to ensure businesses already severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic aren’t further injured by an increase to their WSIB premiums for the 2021 calendar year.”

That’s not just it. We don’t just have folks in investment and small business, like the small business chamber—but even in the real estate business, Speaker. The retailers, for example, Steve Arsenault, with Century 21, said the following in favour of this particular legislation: “As a retailer, I feel safe knowing our provincial government has implemented steps to protect me, our staff, buyers, sellers from COVID.”

It doesn’t just end there. We’ve got support from, of course, different people within the province, not just in my local riding, as I had just stated. Dennis Darby, the president of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters association, says this on the following bill: “This decrease ... is critical for helping Ontario manufacturers compete for investment by reducing their operating cost. This continuing trend in rate reductions also reaffirms the tremendous efforts of Ontario manufacturers and their employees to reduce workplace injuries and related claims.”

I talked about my local chamber, but let’s hear from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce’s Rocco Rossi, who said about this bill when it first was introduced: “Today’s news is welcomed by the Ontario business community. Premiums come out of the pockets of business owners. This money saved can be better spent on job creation, new technologies, infrastructure, and better, safer workplaces.”

Again, it’s great support for why we need to be in this Legislature talking about this. We’re laying the pathway to the future, to these businesses being able to thrive towards the future, because if they thrive now and we help them with this WSIB change, they could hire more people.

We talk about getting young people into the skilled trades and more women into the skilled trades. It’s something that happened last year in my riding. The Barrie Chamber of Commerce, when they did their Women in Business Awards, it was the first year they actually gave a woman in trades award. Of course, I spoke about it in previous times in the Legislature.

That shows you that, after the pandemic, even when it’s over, the foundations that we lay today are going to create a better tomorrow and anything that we can do, even if it’s, again, freezing WSIB premiums, is going to go a long way to supporting these businesses. If we support them, they’ll support the worker, and the worker will have somewhere to go at the end of the day.

That is something I can support here. I can go to my constituents and say, “We helped you during this pandemic.” Small businesses, there is a brighter tomorrow.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): We have time for questions.

Mr. Jamie West: Thank you to the member from Barrie–Innisfil for her debate on Bill 238. Several times, she talked about the importance of protecting workers, about the government for the people, and the importance of protecting injured workers. But what I see in terms of facts don’t match up with this.

Injured workers, Speaker, face four times the rate of poverty. Forty-six per cent of permanently injured workers live in poverty; 9% live in deep poverty. One in five injured workers lives in extreme poverty. That means they make less than $10,000 a year, Speaker. And over 40% report incomes of less than $15,000 a year.

I’m just wondering if the member opposite could help me understand how much the government has helped these injured workers while they’re a party for the people.

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: As we’re debating the WSIB freeze and how it’s going to help through COVID-19, you see that we have a Minister of Labour who is really always fighting for the worker. Whether it’s providing the skilled trade changes we need to get more people into the labour market—he’s also advocating to the federal government, for example. There is a letter I am currently holding, Speaker, where he writes to the federal Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion.

It’s a very strongly worded letter, of course, and it’s from the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, calling for negotiating not only a historic restart agreement, but again, the $1 billion and 10 paid sick days and, of course, having this program rolled out swiftly and quickly so that those workers, no matter what they’re undergoing, have those leaves that they need.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The member for Burlington.

Ms. Jane McKenna: Thank you so much to the member from Barrie–Innisfil for your 20-minute speech. It was very interesting to listen to.

I just wanted to touch on, just at the end there, you were talking about women in skilled trades. As you know, with our government, it’s our mission to get people back in trades. There are over 100,000 jobs available in construction alone right now. Everybody in here would be shocked to know that one in three journeypersons is over the age of 55.

Can you just elaborate a bit more, at the end of your speech there, about women in skilled trades and just tell me a bit more about what you were going to say about that?

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: Thank you to that member. It allows me to highlight, as I was saying in my speech, that the Barrie Chamber of Commerce, for their Women in Business Awards, did do an award for women in trades. One of the guest speakers—we speak about her a lot in this House—is Jamie McMillan. She’s a journeyperson ironworker and boilermaker and the founder of Kickass Careers. Jamie became an ironworker in 2002 when women only represented 2% of the workforce across Canada and the US.

One of the things that we’re trying to do through the government is get not only more women in skilled trades but more young people by investing early in things like education, breaking the stigma, simplifying the system and having better, equal access to the skilled trades profession.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The next question.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: Thank you to the member from Barrie–Innisfil for the debate on Bill 238 and her words on the debate.

St. Catharines is one of the most vulnerable cities in this province on COVID-19, because the government’s refusal has made us a hot spot and provided us with not enough of the vaccines we need. We need our equitable share. Moderna was passed on and diverted from Niagara.

When I talked to the public health office officials, they are clear: Workplaces are one of the greatest areas of spread for COVID-19 in my community. But low-wage earners need support to make the right decisions and stay at home.

Why does this government not see that passing paid sick days instead of kicking the responsibility to the federal government is needed for small businesses in downtown St. Catharines?

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: Great. Thank you to the member. I mentioned in my speech and in one of my answers to the question the fact that we have a Minister of Skills Development and a Premier who are advocating for the worker at the federal level to get the paid sick days. This is to the benefit of the worker, and something that we can all be doing in this House is letting our constituents know that there are still funds available.

We have seen other provinces who have tried to duplicate the program, for example, Quebec and Saskatchewan. They did duplicate the program and realized they made a significant error and then reversed the duplication, again pivoting to the federal program, which we are supporting and advocating for.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The member for Ottawa West–Nepean.

Mr. Jeremy Roberts: I appreciate the remarks from my colleague the member for Barrie–Innisfil, talking about how this measure is going to support our small businesses. I know that the member from Barrie–Innisfil also knows that this measure is going to support a lot of our not-for-profits around our communities.

In fact, Cathy Taylor, the executive director of the Ontario Nonprofit Network, said that Ontario Nonprofit Network “appreciates the government of Ontario and the WSIB freezing rate increases for non-profit employers, and recognizing the economic and social impact of non-profits and charities on communities.”

I wonder, Speaker, if the member for Barrie–Innisfil could talk a little bit about this important support for our non-profits in our communities.

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: I was listening to that member’s speech as well. He talked about the amount of charity and not-for-profit organizations that are going to benefit so well from the WSIB premium freeze. It’s not just United Way or the YMCA. It’s our women’s shelters, it’s our food banks, it’s our retirement homes and it’s our Legions. This is, of course, going to help them and give them a brighter silver lining once we recover from this pandemic.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The next question.

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I listened to the member from Barrie–Innisfil recite a number of measures that this government has taken to so-called protect the worker.

I’m curious to know why this government is so opposed to a provincial program of paid sick days. This is a critical measure that has been almost unanimously acknowledged as an important way to protect the worker but also to protect public health. All of the mayors who are calling for paid sick days, all of the public health experts, all of the boards of health, all of the city councils that have passed motions, they know that a provincial program of paid sick days is very different from the federal CRSB. Why doesn’t this government understand that?

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: Thank you to the member for that question. As she might be aware, the federal program went from two weeks to four weeks, so it has been increased, it has been extended, again thanks to the advocacy of our Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development and of course Premier Ford at the Premiers’ table. But that’s not it. Of course, we’ve got the Canada Recovery Sick Benefit. There’s also Ontario’s job-protected leave. There’s Canada’s paid sickness benefit, and of course we’ve got Canada’s income support for parents, where they can pay for parents who have to stay at home with their kids.

There’s a payout for that. All these things support workers and people who have to stay at home.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry.

Hon. John Yakabuski: I want to thank the member for that excellent speech. She talks about the skilled trades. My son is a Red Seal carpenter. I’ve got to say that years ago, under the previous government, there just wasn’t enough being done to encourage our young people to get into the trades—certainly not females, but males either. There just was this stigma that if you were in the trades, you were somehow not in one of the best jobs out there.

I can’t tell you what his T4s are, but I’m going to tell you, he’s making a really good wage working in the skilled trades, and I want to encourage more people to get into the skilled trades as a result of that. There are jobs out there. This province is growing and building under this government. There’s going to be construction and projects that need to be done. We’re going to need those skilled workers.

I want to ask the member, can she tell me what our government is doing to encourage more of our qualified, good, strong—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Thank you. Back to the member from Barrie–Innisfil to respond.

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: That’s an excellent question by the minister, and it’s so important. We see it in Innisfil and in Barrie in the schools. Lots of people want to get into the profession. They know it’s high-paying jobs. But there are some of the parents where that stigma is still attached. That’s why it’s a key part of our three pillars of the Ontario Skilled Trades Strategy. We’re going to be breaking the stigma. We’re going to be simplifying the system and encouraging employer participation.

These are the key pillars of success to also breed skilled trades from a young age and help lift them up through the profession, giving them supports they need, like the tools tax credit, which is going to help many of these individuals. Again, they can make a high salary and pass the torch to the next generation that can get into skilled trades as well.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Further debate?

Mr. Jamie West: It’s always a pleasure to talk in the chamber. Today we’re debating Bill 238, Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act. The goal of this bill is basically to legislate the freezing of WSIB premium rates paid by Ontario employers for 2021 and also the right of the minister to request some reports from the WSIB.

The bill is pretty straightforward. I would argue it might not even be necessary, Speaker. The WSIB already announced this rate freeze. Also, you don’t have to put rate freezes through legislation, so it might be an opportunity just to signal that they’re trying to do something to help small businesses.

I think it’s important to talk about the history of the WSIB, or workmen’s compensation, back in the old days. At the turn of the century, basically, in a workplace, death and injury was almost accepted as part of the job—almost accepted. There was a lot of pushback, and then in 1915, under a Conservative government, the Workmen’s Compensation Act was passed. The act ensured that people were compensated for work-related injuries, occupational diseases, and then in turn, businesses weren’t allowed to be sued by these workers who had been injured or became ill at work.

The act was based on Sir William Meredith’s five basic principles for a compassionate system.

No-fault compensation: That meant that workers were paid benefits regardless of how the injury occurred. The worker and employer waived the right to sue, as I said earlier—no argument over responsibility or liability.

Security benefits: A fund is established to guarantee that funds exist to pay for benefits. That becomes important later on in the debate, Speaker, because we’re talking about lowering rates of payment.

Collective liability: The employers would share liability for workplace injury insurance and the total cost of compensation.

Independent administration: That means that workers’ compensation—well, actually “workmen’s” back in 1915—is arm’s length from the government. The WSIB is arm’s length from the government today as well.

They would have exclusive jurisdiction to provide insurance for workers in workplaces.

I think it’s interesting, as I said earlier, that it was a Conservative government that brought this forward, and I think it’s a great thing. They came forward with what’s called the historic compromise. This is really, really important, because it was a solution where the workers gave up the right to sue their employers—and that’s why you don’t see all these lawsuits like you do in the States—but it was a guaranteed protection from loss of income. And I emphasize the guaranteed protection from loss of income because, as I had said earlier in questions and comments, a lot of the injured workers are really living below the poverty line and have lost their income.

The goal of this bill, Speaker, is to legislate a freeze that the employer will receive on WSIB premium rates. Since 2018, the Conservative government has dropped employers’ premium rates by 47%. They justify a lot of these cuts because in 2019 they announced that the unfunded liability had been paid off. I’m going to get into this in more detail, but the unfunded liability was actually created by the previous Conservative government, which began cutting employer rates. The unfunded liability is basically the difference between the projected amount that you will have to pay out to injured workers and the amount of insurance money that the WSIB has access to.

Those five basic principles of Sir William Meredith I talked about: Two of them were security benefits—guaranteed funds that exist to pay for compensation—and collective liability, that all the employers pay into this and they’re responsible for funding it properly.

A lot of injured workers consider the unfunded liability I mentioned earlier a bit of a manufactured crisis. It started with the previous government, under the Mike Harris government, and it was under the Mike Harris government that the Workers’ Compensation Board became the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board. Literally, they took “workers” out of the name, and a lot of people feel like they removed workers as a priority.

As an example, in 1995, injured worker representation was eliminated from the board of directors of the Workers’ Compensation Board. Since then, several independent or semi-independent bodies were also weakened, suspended or closed. I’m talking about places like the Workers Health and Safety Centre, the Royal Commission on Workers’ Compensation, the Occupational Disease Panel and the Workplace Health and Safety Agency.

Then, in 1998, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act introduced fundamental changes to the workers’ compensation system in Ontario. It created several new restrictions: It limited the types of injuries or illnesses; there was a time limit on filing claims and appeals; also, new limits on the duration of compensation.

The amount of compensation was reduced. It used to be 90% of your pre-injury net earnings. That was dropped down to 85%. Then, pensions of workers who were permanently disabled were de-indexed. What that meant was that pension you had wouldn’t keep up with inflation, so you would have less and less buying power as inflation climbed. The cost of living, traditionally, is 2% or 3% a year, so over time you could see how that would really add up.

I want to remind everyone about the historic compromise. I’ll keep repeating it: This is when workers gave up the right to sue their employers for a guaranteed protection from loss of income. Instead of protection from loss of income, though, too many workers in Ontario are actually denied compensation, and they end up on social assistance.

In 1996, the Jackson report came out. It showed that the changes that the Conservative government made during Mike Harris’s time resulted in $9.3 billion in cost-of-living cuts, $3.3 billion as a result of the reduction of compensation from 95% to 85% of net worth, and $1.4 billion from the 50% reduction to injured workers’ retirement income. What’s interesting, following on that report, is that they found out that if they hadn’t reduced the money employers paid into the fund, the unfunded liability would have been relatively small. If they had kept it at 1991 levels, the unfunded liability wouldn’t have existed and it wouldn’t have taken 15 or 17 years to pay off.

Just to recap: The previous Conservative government created a massive unfunded liability by reducing employers’ premiums. It took 17 years to pay it off, and during that time, successive Liberal governments used the unfunded liability to deny claims and to make workers’ lives worse. Now we’re back with a Conservative government. They have declared the unfunded liability paid off and they have begun reducing employer premiums again. I can only imagine what’s going to happen next.

Again, the historic compromise: Workers gave up the right to sue their employers for a guaranteed protection from loss of income, but reality doesn’t reflect this, Speaker. Instead of a guaranteed protection from loss of income, injured worker groups tell me that the WSIB ignores the injured worker’s treating health care professional. They bring in their own consultant to read a report and determine on their own. A recent study showed that 77% of WSIB people who they polled agreed with the reports from their own doctor and only 13% agreed with the reports from the WSIB doctors.

The WSIB also uses deeming. What they do is they tell an injured worker, “You could get this job. The job doesn’t exist where you are, but if you had this job, you wouldn’t need WSIB,” and they use deeming to assess compensation and cut benefits based on pre-existing conditions. So instead of the historic compromise of a guaranteed protection of loss of income, injured worker groups tell me that WSIB is leaving workers behind. They leave workers fighting and appealing WSIB, often multiple times. Every single one of us has many, many calls from people who are fighting WSIB. Ultimately, it leaves a lot of workers on ODSP, or, as I prefer, “ODS-poverty.”

Here are the facts, Speaker: Injured workers face four times the rate of poverty. Some 46% of permanently injured workers in Ontario live in or close to the poverty level and 9% live in deep poverty due to WSIB. One in five injured workers are living in extreme poverty after an injury—“extreme poverty” is defined as making less than $10,000 a year; that’s less than $1,000 a month—and over 40% reported an income of less than $15,000 a year. That’s shocking, Speaker, when you think about it.

Now, today we’re debating something that really could have been brought through—it doesn’t need to be legislation. I want to recommend that maybe what we should be debating is Bill 239, the member from London West’s bill, the Stay Home If You Are Sick Act.

This is what we’re hearing from BIAs, and also from chambers of commerce and workplaces: that the best way to actually protect workplaces, so that they can keep working, is to allow workers who are feeling sick to stay home; that when you wake up in the morning and you lose the sense of smell and taste, that you stay home and that you get tested; or if your kids are sick and they can’t go to school, you’re able to stay home with them instead of sending them to school sick.

It has been supported by more groups than I could name in a limited amount of time—I only have about 20 seconds—but I really want to emphasize the importance of this and that we could debate this. We could bring it forward. We could pass it in a motion like we tried to do last week. There is so much support for this and the immediate result.

I know that the government keeps talking about the liability premium rates being lower and how it would be helpful, but businesses are struggling today. They don’t need a dry-off towel at the finish line.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): I recognize for the first question the member from Burlington.

Ms. Jane McKenna: The NDP’s words don’t match their actions. When I introduced my bill in November, Bill 152, the Occupational Safety and Health Day Act, the NDP voted against a bill that recognizes the importance of supporting a health and safety culture in every workplace. And yet, today the NDP are saying they don’t understand why we’re not talking about workplace health. Today, the NDP is saying that this is our government’s first labour bill since the start of the pandemic, but this is our second bill.

My question is, which NDP do Ontarians believe: the one that voted against a bill that promoted workplace health and safety; the NDP that celebrated Jagmeet Singh’s push for paid sick days to the federal government; or the NDP that now opposes the only NDP government in our country, the BC government, which stands with Ontario as not supporting duplicating the federal paid sick day programs?

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Back to the member from Sudbury to respond.

Mr. Jamie West: It’s an interesting question. We have a health and safety awareness day already. It’s on April 28. It’s the day of mourning. It was actually started in Sudbury, and the result of it—

Interjections.

Mr. Jamie West: Thank you.

The result of it actually came out of a wildcat strike in Elliot Lake, where workers were forced to breathe in aluminum dust. What’s ironic about that, talking to WSIB today, is that now, almost 50 years later, those same workers are fighting for compensation as a result of the aluminum dust that they breathed in. So the NDP that they’re looking for is the NDP that stood with workers to bring in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and the NDP that is standing with workers to fight to try to get compensation today.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The member for London–Fanshawe.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I’m very glad the member mentioned the fact that workers are still fighting for compensation when they get injured on the job. That is one of the problems with WSIB. All of us hear from workers how devastated their lives have become when they’re injured and they can’t afford to continue to pay their costs. Their home, their food, their benefits: Everything is eliminated. Their life is devastated.

Our member from London West has a fix to some of these concerns where people aren’t even covered under the WSIB for illness if they’re sick at work. Contract workers, for an example, aren’t covered under sick days. I just wondered how important it is, that you’ve heard from your constituents, that sick days are part of the provincial government program if someone is ill, especially during COVID, and why you feel this government isn’t making that a priority. Yes, there’s a federal program—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Back to the member from Sudbury to respond.

Mr. Jamie West: It’s an excellent question from the member from London–Fanshawe about paid sick days.

Speaker, paid sick days are a provincial issue. The federal program has several flaws that the government is aware of but it pretends to ignore. One of the flaws, for example, is that it’s federal- and COVID-specific. It’s going to end when COVID ends, and I hope to God COVID ends relatively soon because we’re all suffering through this.

The other part of it is that the proposal for paid sick days at a provincial level is that you have the money immediately. So many of our workers are precarious, primarily because of the Conservative government’s clawback in Bill 47, where they allowed temp agencies and stopped the increase to the minimum wage.

What happens at the federal level is that you have to take 50% of the week off, and then you have to apply and wait for the money to come in. If you can’t afford to take a single day off, you can’t take 50% of that week off, you can’t wait to apply, and you can’t wait for the money to come back.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The next question.

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: I listened to the member opposite and my question for him, with these plans that he has, is how much is he going to increase payroll taxes? We’ve seen time and again the federal government increase CPP hikes, and over 70% of small businesses said they cannot afford this pay increase.

We flash forward to the days of the ORPP, the failed Liberal plan, where they were going to, again, increase payroll taxes. Is this your ploy to bring back the ORPP and shackle small businesses and the CFIBs of the world by increasing the premiums to pay for your plan?

Mr. Jamie West: I believe the member from Barrie–Innisfil asked me if I agreed that Liberals were doing a terrible job—I do. I believe they do a terrible job.

It is always a question of cost when we bring forward important projects. It’s never a question of cost when they bring forward things like reflective licence plates that nobody can see. It’s never a question of cost when the Conservative government decides that they’re going to fight midwives for pay equity. It’s never a question of cost when they want to put stickers on gas stations and they want to fight that in court and lose in there. It’s always a cost when it comes down to: How can we help workers and small businesses better survive? That’s my answer, Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The next question.

Mr. Chris Glover: Thank you to the member from Sudbury for the overview of workers’ compensation and how it came to be.

My big question right now is, with the pandemic raging, with it really having an impact on both residents and staff in long-term-care homes, what is the state of WSIB compensation for the PSWs who are in long-term-care homes? There are 6,580 who have contracted COVID-19, probably on the job, and there are another 10 who have died. What is the state of the WSIB for those workers?

Mr. Jamie West: I think it’s an important question. My background is in health and safety. A lot of that is risk management: the likelihood of something happening, and then what the outcome would be and how dangerous could it be as an outcome.

We all know with COVID-19 that it is affecting long-term care and it’s in retirement homes even more than anywhere else. We know that front-line workers such as PSWs and RNs and RPNs are most at risk because they’re working with these vulnerable individuals. It is unfathomable to me that if you get COVID-19 and you work in one of these workplaces, you aren’t automatically recognized for WSIB; instead, you have to fight for it when you have COVID-19. That’s a flaw in the system that would be much better if we debated it today. In fact, I think we’d pass our motion today if we were able to, Speaker. That’s something that would help front-line workers immediately.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The next question.

Mr. David Piccini: Thank you to the member for his comments and for being a strong advocate for his residents. I have a question for him.

Mr. Speaker, when I spoke, we spoke about a contractor who went out of business because of WSIB premium hikes, because of overnight raises in the minimum wage, all of which the NDP supported. They went out of business—cash jobs under the table.

My question is twofold: How does that support workers? If he can provide the House with that answer, that would be really helpful, because contractors who are out of work in my riding doing cash jobs—how does that benefit workers?

Mr. Jamie West: Thank you to the member from Peterborough-Northumberland South—I apologize for that.

The first thing I thought of when I heard about the member from Peterborough, I thought of the GE workers and the way they have been denied WSIB as well. I encourage him to fight for those workers and those widows who deserve compensation.

Also, he talked about small businesses surviving. I remember last November, December, when we were here and Toronto was in a lockdown. Small businesses were closed. There was no rent relief. There was no support for small businesses. Walmart and big box stores were allowed to remain open, and as I’d walk to Queen’s Park, I’d notice more and more small businesses closing.

It’s ironic to me that on the one hand, they’re saying, “Why won’t you support small businesses?” Well, all around, small businesses are drowning in the lake and this government is sitting on the beach with a towel, saying, “If any of you make it, we’ll dry you off.”

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Next question.

Mr. Michael Mantha: I share the passion the member talks about when he talks about the workers and his experience from the Sudbury area. I come from Algoma–Manitoulin, particularly in Elliot Lake. This is how the government is helping workers in Elliot Lake. They have shut down the OWA office, which was manned by Rick Hamilton and Theresa Maillet. They did fabulous work for injured workers for many, many years. That office is now shut down.

I have a question for the member, and I remember the wildcat strike in Elliot Lake that resulted in the April 28 day of mourning. That event is organized by Darla Hennessey in Elliot Lake, year after year after year. We share a common friend, Janice Martell, who is fighting aluminum dust for individuals that were affected in the many mines across this province and how it’s affecting them. Can you tell me, within the context of this bill, how is this going to help Janice Martell in her fight for workers and the injuries and the diseases that they’re suffering from for many, many, many years to come?

Mr. Jamie West: Thank you to the member from Algoma–Manitoulin. We share a friend in Rick Hamilton as well, but I want to talk about Janice Martell, because it’s amazing. Whenever I speak about her, I actually say Janice Hobbs Martell, because her maiden name is Hobbs and she got into this because of her dad.

Her dad was forced to breathe aluminum dust while working in mines in Elliot Lake. While breathing this aluminum dust, the idea is it would coat your lungs and protect your lungs. Imagine that—protect your lungs from disease. What it did—there’s no scientific proof—but what it did in result was coat your lungs with aluminum dust so that when you had X-rays, you couldn’t see the tumors.

What happened, actually, is the government of the day said there were no issues here. Even though all these people had cancer, there were no issues. It was a steel worker, Homer Seguin, who was former president of the union I belonged to, who went over to France and found out that the government actually knew and were doing studies on these workers. That caused the wildcat strike that led to Janice Hobbs having to fight for her dad to get WSIB for the Parkinson’s he got from breathing in aluminum dust.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Further debate?

Mr. Parm Gill: It’s always an honour and a pleasure any time we get an opportunity to rise in this chamber and speak to pieces of legislation, especially one that’s as important as the one we’re debating today.

Much like the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, I have experience owning and operating a small family business myself as well. I say that only to give confidence to those small business owners in Milton and across the province that the minister, along with his PA, has done tremendous, tremendous work in terms of consultation, in terms of reaching out to business owners right across this province, hearing them out, speaking to them.

Especially the PA to the Minister of Labour: She represents a neighbouring riding, and I know how hard she works on this file. I want to thank her, of course, on behalf of my constituents and all Ontarians and all of my colleagues here for her tremendous work, along with the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development. Both of them do a tremendous, tremendous job.

The ministry has also worked their backs off to ensure our path to the reopening was methodical, and most importantly, safe for customers and employees. Moreover, before Christmas, the minister put forward Bill 238. It is meant to address, on a temporary basis, an unexpected rise in the Ontario average industrial wage due to the economic impacts of COVID-19.

Most years, the average industrial wage rises anywhere from 2% to 3%. This year, due to COVID-19, it led to far fewer low-wage workers being employed. As a result, the average industrial wage increased by 7.8%. The effect of this unanticipated rise is the total premiums payable by some employers will increase in 2021, despite the WSIB board of directors’ decision to freeze premium rates in 2021 at 2020 levels.

This is smart legislation, Mr. Speaker. This is smart for businesses. It is smart for our communities. It is something that supports manufacturers, retailers and main street businesses.

In this province, there are three components in the calculation of total WSIB premiums payable by an employer, which include, of course, the premium rates, total payroll, and the maximum insurable earnings ceiling. Employers pay premiums on each of their worker’s earnings up to the maximum insurable earnings. The maximum insurable earnings are only germane to those workers’ earnings who are at the ceiling. It is not relevant to the calculation of the premiums for those workers whose earnings are below the ceiling.

The amendment would reduce total potential premiums payable by impacted

schedule 1 employers—those employers with workers earning at or above the maximum insurable earnings—in the face of the unanticipated increase in the average industrial wage. Without this legislative change, the maximum insurable earnings will increase by 7.8% in 2021.

Let me take you through the numbers for a minute, Mr. Speaker. The businesses I am speaking about amount to almost 300,000 small mom-and-pop shops, small family-owned manufacturing companies or second- or third-generation operations that are fighting to stay afloat. Five million: That’s the number of workers who are covered by the WSIB insurance program. That means roughly one in three Ontarians.

Two per cent is the increase in the 2021 WSIB maximum insurable earnings ceiling under the proposed Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act, 2021. And 7.8%: That is the increase in the 2021 WSIB maximum benefits payment ceiling for workers. This is important. Our government will always stand with the 300,000 small businesses and five million hard-working men and women. The Premier and our entire caucus have been absolutely clear on this.

Some in this chamber know—but many don’t—that my brother and I also owned and operated a manufacturing facility before I entered politics. We employed dozens of people and manufactured products that we sold domestically and exported to the US. We worked hard to not only support our families, but those families of our employees, too. That’s what the members opposite so often forget: that small business owners aren’t just in it for themselves.

Most of the time, small business owners are the last ones to get paid. Small business owners will work their backs off to keep the doors open and keep those they work with employed.

I am proud to be part of a government that has a depth of experience when it comes to owning and operating small businesses right across this province. Our Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade was a former small business owner. Our Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, as mentioned earlier, was a former family business owner. And of course, our Premier formerly operated a family business that spans two countries.

Speaker, this is the kind of experience you need in government to ensure things like WSIB premium increases that would negatively impact jobs are addressed, just as we are doing through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act.

Speaker, small businesses need our help now more than ever. Throughout this pandemic, all across my great riding of Milton, people have stepped up to support small businesses. There has been a push to purchase gift cards from stores and businesses that are closed. There is a #TakeoutTuesday and a Pizza Friday in my house, and before Christmas we strongly encouraged everyone to shop local, but we know that more needs to be done.

That’s why the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, along with the entire provincial government, has brought forward many, many programs to do just that: to help small businesses, including the small shops supports the minister recently launched. Businesses can access the ministry’s broad range of comprehensive safety webinars. They can take advantage of a free 30-minute course on infection control and prevention, or call the dedicated phone line any time at 1-888-444-3659. Hundreds of small businesses right across this province have taken advantage of these resources, and I have heard from many in my riding that have referenced them when planning to reopen.

Speaker, that’s not all. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the WSIB has announced that the premium rates will be frozen in 2021 at 2020 levels. The WSIB deferred premium payments for employers between March and August 2020. These gave employers $1.9 billion in relief from premium payments and saved an average business $1,760. On top of this deferral, the WSIB premiums have been reduced by over $2 billion since 2018. When introducing a new rate framework in 2019, the WSIB cut premium rates for approximately three quarters of the employers who pay them. To further assist non-profits, the WSIB froze their premium rates for five years.

Speaker, that is what we’re all collectively working towards: a reopening. We are staying two metres apart so that we can all get back to normal in the very near future. I honestly hope that the members opposite will support this piece of legislation.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): We have time for questions. The member for London–Fanshawe.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I want to bring a story to the Legislature about a PSW who contacted my office very early in the pandemic. What happened was that she got sick with COVID before the government announced the bump-up pay for PSWs, so she was home sick already from COVID and didn’t get the pay bump. She wasn’t eligible, because the announcement was after she was sick. She also couldn’t get WSIB, because her illness wasn’t covered under presumptive sickness.

So my question—I know we’re talking about WSIB and understanding that small businesses have that expense, but also, workers bear the burden of not having the right coverage under the WSIB—is just to ask this government: Would they consider in the future, or even any time soon, supporting the member from Niagara’s bill for presumptive illness in WSIB?

Mr. Parm Gill: I want to thank the member opposite for that question, and I can assure the member that this government is all about serving Ontarians, taking care of our small and medium-size businesses, and we’re always consulting. We’re always looking at ways of making our systems better, not just for small and medium-sized businesses, but also for Ontarians.

So thank you for sharing that example that you used. Anything we can do to support workers, to support families out there—that’s what our job as a Legislature is: to introduce changes as we see, as they’re needed to help everyone in this province. Thank you for the question.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The next question.

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: My question to the member: He was talking about the impacts it has on not just the employers, but the employees, and how the employers really care for their employees in the steps that they’re taking. Could he give us some examples from his area of people who he’s spoken to about this?

Mr. Parm Gill: Absolutely, Mr. Speaker. First and foremost, I talked a fair bit in terms of small businesses in my riding of Milton and individuals that are impacted, workers that are impacted. Things have not been easy for both the businesses and for workers for the last year or so, especially with this COVID-19 pandemic that’s going on. That’s why we work hard each and every day to look for ways to help businesses, to help families, to help Ontarians. I’ve got small businesses such as Troy’s Diner on Main Street in Milton, Mr. Speaker. It is sort of a landmark in our town of Milton.

Troy shares stories with me all the time in terms of some of the challenges that they’re facing and how these changes would help their business.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The next question.

Mr. Jamie West: Thank you to the member from Milton for his debate. I want to recognize, Speaker, that we don’t actually need provincial legislation to have a WSIB employer rate freeze. In fact, WSIB already announced that there was going to be a rate freeze.

So I’m interested from the member opposite why the Conservative government chose to debate this bill when there’s a bunch of COVID support bills we could be debating, such as ending deeming for WSIB, presumptive illness, making payments for health care workers while they’re getting COVID swabs—mandatory to pay them for it—paid sick days, PSW fair wages, rent support for small businesses and tenants so they stay in their places and landlords also get paid. There’s a whole list of things we could actually do that could move the bar forward for everybody, Speaker.

Mr. Parm Gill: I would say it’s unfortunate that the member does not see this piece of legislation as a COVID support piece of legislation that would support about 300 small businesses right across this province, Mr. Speaker.

We’ve introduced many, many pieces of legislation since COVID-19 started. In some cases, the opposition supported those pieces of legislation; others, unfortunately, for whatever reasons beyond my understanding, they chose not to support.

I would encourage the member to read this piece of legislation again and try to get an understanding of how this will help businesses and workers and possibly consider supporting this piece of legislation if he really cares about workers, if he really cares about small businesses.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The member for Burlington.

Ms. Jane McKenna: A couple of points: The Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry was talking about how he didn’t see his son’s T4 slip, so he wasn’t sure how much he was making. I’m just going to point a few out. The elevator constructors and mechanics make $108,000; power engineers and power system operators make $103,000; boilermakers are $87,000. The reason I’m saying that is that these are fabulous jobs, and I think people just need to know what exactly the money is for that.

I also want to point to the member from Northumberland–Peterborough South, because he made a very valid point. We did need minimum wage to go up, but we also realize that every small business—and businesses including my partner’s—struggled because they had to be able to adapt to that. They had to hire other people to come in. He owns his own company as well, and I don’t know how many people—obviously all in this House—heard that question over and over again.

As our government—which we’ve done numerous times over and over again: We’re looking out for the people that are working and also for the employers. I can tell you this—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Thank you. Is there a question in there somewhere?

Ms. Jane McKenna: Can you just answer me the question: Do you think we listen to the employers and employees with this Bill 238?

Mr. Parm Gill: I want to thank the member from Burlington and the PA. I mentioned this in my speech. Absolutely, I think every single member of our caucus—I can tell you because I see them—works hard each and every day and has done a tremendous job in terms of reaching out, especially during COVID-19, and listening to small and medium-sized business owners, listening to Ontarians, families and what we can do to support them during such a challenging time.

Once again, I want to thank the PA and also the minister and all of our caucus members for spending a countless number of hours reaching out, listening to their constituents, speaking to the small and medium-sized business owners and bringing those suggestions forward and delivering relief for all Ontarians.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The next question.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: Thank you to the member from Milton for his contribution in this debate, but it is very clear that this government has turned away from its responsibility to properly protect workers during COVID-19. I’m hearing stories from teachers who are worried about contracting COVID at the workplace because of improperly fitting PPE and crowded classrooms. I’m hearing stories about how there are workplaces in big box stores in St. Catharines that have COVID outbreaks that are still not being publicized—which this government should be doing, publicizing it.

This enforcement program came much too late, 11 months later. Why does this government refuse to accept its responsibility to introduce paid sick leave into the province of Ontario? They vote against paid sick days when given the opportunity by my colleague here on this side of the House, the MPP from London.

Mr. Parm Gill: I would beg to differ, Mr. Speaker. I think our government and everyone within government have been doing a tremendous job since the start of COVID-19. Why, our government has invested billions of dollars to support Ontarians, to help with COVID, to help with PPE. The Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction introduced a number of pieces of legislation to help small businesses. The PA to the Minister of Labour just informed me of the total inspections done by the inspectors to date, 39,001; total orders issued, just over 40,000; stop orders, 67.

Of course, we are bringing forward all of these measures to help businesses. At the same time, we want to make sure they’re safe, Mr. Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): There isn’t enough time for a question and answer—hold on a second.

Interjections.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): There isn’t quite enough time to get into further debate this morning.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Members’ Statements

Black History Month

Mr. Rod Phillips: Mr. Speaker, as everyone in this chamber already knows, February is Black History Month. In Ajax and across Ontario, celebrating the many contributions of Ontario’s Black community is going to continue throughout the month of February. As the MPP for Ajax, I am proud that our town is home to the largest Black community per capita in Canada, with more than 16% of the population identifying as Black.

On Saturday, February 6, Durham Black History Month hosted its annual Black History Month celebration. This year’s is entitled FEAST of Black Excellence. Hosted again this year by co-chairs Esther Forde and Dane Lawrence, the virtual event honoured Sandra Forsythe, from Durham Community Action Group, with the prestigious Madiba Award.

This year’s event featured talented musicians, poets and performers, including some from Nigeria, Jamaica, Trinidad and Senegal, and was truly a window on what this community adds to our rich tapestry. The performances were not only inspiring but they also gave myself and others attending the ability to see first-hand the talented young people we have across Ajax and across Durham.

Tonight, I look forward to attending the women’s multicultural resource centre Black History Month event, hosted by another brilliant Esther, Esther Enyolu, and her team, who do so much to support our community 365 days of the year.

As we continue to celebrate this month, I want to thank all of those who have diligently and excellently produced fabulous events for this year’s Black History Month.

Homelessness

Mr. Chris Glover: Last night I was out delivering some Polysporin with pain relief to a gentleman who lives under a bridge. He’s been living under that bridge for years. It’s part of a program I have been volunteering with that has delivered more than 20,000 food and care packages during the pandemic.

The irony is that he was able to go to the hospital—the Polysporin was for gout and frostbite in his foot. Because we have a public health care system, he’s able to go to the hospital, and he went there last week, and they sent him home—or sent him back to under his bridge—and then they said, “Come back,” and they made an appointment with a plastic surgeon. The irony is, because we have a public health care system, thanks to Tommy Douglas, we can give him an appointment with a plastic surgeon but we can’t give him housing. He’s got frostbite and he’s suffering under a bridge.

There are 10,000 people in the city of Toronto who are doing without supportive housing who need housing. The federal government and the municipal government have set up a plan to build 2,000 units this year. The government level that’s missing is the provincial level. The provincial government is not supporting that plan to build supportive housing in 2021. That’s what we need you to do. To end the suffering of people like the gentleman who is under the bridge, please support this plan to build supportive housing during this pandemic.

Ladies of the Lake

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: Today I would like to shine light on a volunteer group, Ladies of the Lake, a dynamic, organic grassroots organization made up of 100 warm and friendly women who are bringing people and government together to keep Lake Simcoe clean. Most of them live in the Lake Simcoe watershed. Some live along the shoreline; others came from the farming community. The majority of these ladies are in their fifties, sixties and even seventies, but age will not define them, for their positive spirit and their drive will more so define them.

These Ladies of the Lake made a daring debut with the 2006 Ladies of the Lake calendar, a calendar that captured the beauty and spirit of Lake Simcoe. The huge success of this first project made Ladies of the Lake into a household name throughout the watershed and brought public awareness to the state of Lake Simcoe. They have continued to raise awareness over the years.

Today, I would like to honour the memory of a local change-maker in Simcoe county, Mary Jane Brinkos, who recently, unfortunately, passed away on January 29 at the age of 77. Mary Jane was one of the original Ladies of the Lake. Her energy and her tireless efforts to protect Lake Simcoe and raise awareness of issues affecting its health leave wonderful legacies to come, and her advocacy was tremendous. I send my sincere condolences to Mary Jane’s family and I am so honoured that I was able to call her a friend and learn from an incredible mentor.

Affordable housing

Ms. Jennifer K. French: I want to tell you about Donna, a woman who is almost 60, with declining health. Donna has been on the housing wait-list in Durham for five years. Donna is on disability and Canada pension and has $1,300 a month, which cannot afford market rent. She is fortunate to be in a place today she can afford, unlike most people desperate for housing. The problem is that her doctor says that her declining health will mean she can’t stay where she is for much longer. She won’t be able to do the stairs. She won’t be safe in her own home.

MPPs in this room know all too well that people cannot find housing that is safe or affordable. Donna wants to know how much longer she will be on the wait-list, and it is hard to have to tell someone that people are waiting decades to get into housing. There are at least 7,000 households on the wait-list in Durham region.

And COVID is making things so much worse. Folks on ODSP and OW have so little money to live on that they are forced, if they can find shelter, to accept substandard, unsafe and often unsavoury conditions. We know that many folks right now are forced to work when we should be staying home due to illness or advice from their doctors. They go to work because they don’t have paid sick days and they can’t afford to lose their wages or they won’t be able to pay their rent.

Speaker, while evictions may be backlogged for the moment, the arrears that folks and families are facing are insurmountable. People who live in poverty cannot imagine how they can climb out of this mess without direct financial rent support from this government—a government that is sitting on billions and won’t give any of it up, especially to vulnerable people. If this Premier is really “for the people,” he sure as heck isn’t for the poor ones.

COVID-19 immunization

Ms. Lindsey Park: It’s a pleasure to rise to speak about a health care town hall I recently hosted in Durham. Health care continues to be the issue that’s top of mind for my constituents in Durham, and in particular, questions around the COVID-19 vaccine. That’s why, on January 14, I hosted a virtual town hall. I was pleased to host Dr. Robert Kyle, our commissioner and medical officer of health for Durham region, and Dr. Tony Stone, chief of staff at Lakeridge Health, for a virtual question-and-answer for constituents in the Durham riding. Not surprisingly, there was much anticipation and participation.

Most of the questions centred around the effectiveness and safety of the different COVID-19 vaccines and the plan for distribution of the federally approved vaccines to Durham’s most vulnerable.

I’m pleased to report, Speaker, that since the town hall, with the impressive leadership in Durham, we were one of the first regions in the province to offer both doses of the vaccine to all residents in long-term-care homes. That was achieved on February 7. I want to thank our local leadership team, the COVID-19 vaccine steering table, which has been expertly planning and implementing the COVID vaccine distribution and administration for Durham residents according to the provincial ethical framework, local needs and vaccine availability. For the latest updates on vaccine distribution, please visit durham.ca/coronavirus.

COVID-19 response

Mr. Roman Baber: Most of the province has been in lockdown since Thanksgiving, but cases, cases, cases—the only thing that seems to matter—continue to climb. On December 25, the day before the stay-at-home order, Ontario’s total case count was 167,000 total cases. Today, almost two months later, the total count of Ontario’s cases is 295,000—almost double. Just think: In the two months since the stay-at-home order, we got almost as many COVID cases as we did in the entire nine months prior.

You would think that with all these cases, cases, cases, the dire predictions of the COVID command table would wreak havoc on all of us, but no—not even close. Not much has changed. ICU occupancy remains flat; like every other time, the modeling is wrong by three to five times.

But seniors continue to die in group homes because the government is unable to institute infection protocol and control; because it can’t fix staffing shortages or ban agency staff. Almost 80% of all deaths are in group living settings. That’s a tragedy we must admit. That’s the medical reality that the government is trying to spin, because it’s not about how many cases of COVID; it’s who gets COVID. You see, locking all of us down doesn’t do anything. The government keeps blaming community spread on what is happening in group homes to distract from its own failure.

All it takes is one worker, one agency worker who goes from one home to another and brings COVID. The problem is not healthy people; the problem is a government that can’t fix long-term care, but blames us and locks us down instead.

Protect long-term care. Protect the frail elderly. You’re not saving any lives by locking us down. Instead, you are locking down healthy people and you’re making them sick.

Land use planning

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: People in Parkdale–High Park and across this province are fed up with the Ford government that continues to make decisions for the benefit of their developer friends rather than for the public good. People want development that is in the interest of our communities, development that promotes affordable housing, community benefits and environmental sustainability.

Take, for example, Highway 413. It will pave over 2,000 acres of prime farmland and cut through almost 100 waterways, and sheds only 30 seconds off of an average commute. The government is willing to spend $6 billion on this project and ignore the vocal opposition of affected municipalities. Wealthy developers who have donated thousands to the PC Party stand to make millions developing all along the route.

The Duffins Creek wetland is another example. With a provincially significant designation, it is one of the most important wetlands in this province. The government has issued a ministerial zoning order to pave over the wetland, ignoring the vocal opposition of conservation authorities, the Ajax town council, Williams Treaties First Nations and tens of thousands of Ontarians across this province. Again, a developer who donated thousands to the PC Party will build a warehouse for a casino development.

This is Ford’s Ontario: a dream for wealthy developers, but a nightmare for regular people. We deserve better.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ll remind all members that we refer to each other by a ministerial title or the name of our ridings, not by a surname.

Member’s grandchildren

Mr. Rick Nicholls: First of all, I want to start off on a very happy note. On Valentine’s Day, a new life appeared. My granddaughter Shiloh Minnette was born, weighing seven pounds—

Applause.

Mr. Rick Nicholls: Thank you. The proud parents are my daughter, Brooke, and her husband, Steve, and they’re all doing well. But our granddaughter is not our first grandchild. My wife, Dianne, and I now have five grandkids, with the ratio now being boys three, girls two.

I remember my oldest son, Jeff, and his wife, Leslie—they have three children as well. Like his dad, they have two boys, Calvin and Nathan, and a daughter, Samantha, who by the way was born the next day following her papa’s birthday. I immediately said, “She deserves to have her own special day, not one shared with me.”

My son Kris has a little boy, Phoenix, who is full of life and loves his action figures. My fun with him is when I do the theme song from Batman—na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na—and he yells out, “Batman!”

But when your only daughter, who I affectionately call my baby girl, gives birth for the very first time, it’s very different. It seems I was often in communication with her—you know, dad being dad. But when I saw my daughter the next day after giving birth, we both shed tears of joy. I was so grateful for yet another beautiful baby girl. So yes, I now have two baby girls. When I saw Shiloh, I must admit it was love at first sight. I was reminded of what her great-great-grandma Woolworth would say whenever there was a birth in the family: “Make sure the baby has 10 fingers and 10 toes.”

Life is precious, and had I known that being a papa was going to be so much fun, I would have been nicer to their parents. Thank you.

Mental health and addiction services

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: Congratulations to the member across.

In St. Catharines and across Niagara, I have been in communication with our mental health community partners. Even though these meetings are separate, I’ve been hearing the same thing over and over again. It’s the same message from Shaun Baylis at Pathstone Mental Health, Tanja Loeb at Gillian’s Place, Terri Bruce and Tammy Dumas at INCommunities, Frances Hallworth from United Way Niagara, and from many, many more. They want help from myself, from my colleagues sitting beside me.

They want help from the colleagues across the aisle and from the broader community to amplify that people should be continuing to access mental health supports and should not wait until the pandemic is over. Their concern is that people are moving away from seeking help. It would create a tidal wave of needs for services after the pandemic.

Right now, we have an increase in domestic violence. The stress of the pandemic is creating more instances of mental health, more drug use and more deaths, doubling in Niagara last year. But no one needs a report to know that people are hurting, as isolation, loss of income and the prospect that a lifetime of operating a business is being threatened right now.

These organizations need everyone to know they are still there. They are still open and doing what they do. Our mental health resources need to connect with more people. We need to help amplify that message in every way we can.

GO Transit

Mr. Parm Gill: I am proud to announce that Metrolinx released their initial business case for a new GO station in my riding of Milton on Trafalgar Road. This is a great first step towards expanding transit options in my riding of Milton.

Milton—it’s no secret, Mr. Speaker—is one of the fastest-growing communities in the province, if not the country. That’s why we are increasing parking at the current Milton GO station by an additional 800 spaces and adding a new station on Trafalgar Road. These are examples of strong action being taken to improve GO services in my community of Milton.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much.

I’ve been advised that the member for York South–Weston may have a point of order.

Mr. Faisal Hassan: Yes, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to immediately pass the private member’s motion 135, calling on the Ford government to implement a COVID-19 equity strategy for racialized communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member is seeking unanimous consent to immediately pass private member’s motion 135, calling on the government to implement a COVID-19 equity strategy for racialized communities disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Agreed? I heard a no.

Question Period

COVID-19 response

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My first question is to the Premier, and it’s in the context of the fact that the people of Ontario are exhausted from battling COVID-19. What we’ve learned from all of the experts is the successful way to avoid a catastrophic third wave is to be very careful and slow, for example, with the reopening of our province. Another piece of advice that was really clear from the experts is that the public health measures to protect people need to be increased. And of course, then there’s always the vaccinations that are coming down the pike.

But Speaker, when public health units and doctors and hospitals are all saying that the government has been rushing the reopening, all the Premier has to say in response is not to worry: There’s an emergency brake in place that they can rely on should something go wrong. Well, that was announced a couple of weeks ago. We have no idea to this day what would be the criteria for the implementation or utilization of that emergency brake. Perhaps the Premier can shed some light this morning?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To respond, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

Hon. Christine Elliott: What we have today is not a reopening of Ontario. It is a transition back into the framework that we had before. We’re taking this very slowly and cautiously, because we know of the variants of concern that are out there: the UK Variant, the South African variant, the Brazilian variant. And I’m sure that there will be others.

But the emergency brake has been applied. It’s applied on the basis of the number of cases that are out there, the ability of public health to be able to respond in a timely manner, the ability of our hospitals to be able to deal with people with COVID and with other issues, and the level of variants.

We’ve seen the brake be applied, even this past week, with having both Peel and Toronto remain with the stay-at-home orders because of the variants and other issues that they’re trying to deal with, as well as in North Bay, which otherwise would have been in green, but because of the variants of concern and the concern about them escalating, has remained at the stay-at-home order for the safety of the people in the North Bay area.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, I’m not sure if the Minister of Health noticed the news last night, but people are flocking to the malls in places like York region. It seems to me that the message the government is trying to send is really not getting through. Most experts have actually said that by the time the government gets to implementing an emergency brake, it will be far too late. Fearfully, that’s what might be happening as we speak.

In fact, Dr. Michael Warner said this: “Instead of waiting until we have a critical number of people vaccinated first” the Ontario government “has jumped the gun,” because they have not put in place proper measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

When you see people flocking to the mall, when you see the fact that our caseloads are no longer falling, the question that we have for the government is—this claim of caution is not holding water. Why is this government jumping the gun when it comes to the opening of our province?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Minister of Health.

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you, Speaker, and I would say through you to the leader of the official opposition, it should come as no surprise to you that I vigorously disagree with what you’re saying. We are seeing the numbers coming down, but we recognize that with the variants of concern, they can go back up again exponentially. That is something that is being very carefully watched by Dr. Williams, by the public health measures table, which includes a number of the local medical officers of health from across Ontario. They will not hesitate to use the emergency brake again if they need to. This is being very carefully watched in York, as well as in every other part of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The other thing that has been indicated by most experts in terms of avoiding a catastrophic third wave is the fact that more public health measures need to be put in place, and yet this government is refusing to do so: measures like, for example, an eviction ban for tenants; measures like, for example, reducing class sizes to 15 in the schools; and measures like paid sick days. And yet none of these measures are being seriously considered by this government, nor implemented.

So the question, then, is, when Dr. Williams—even Dr. Williams—says he favours the idea of paid sick days, why is our Premier stubbornly refusing to implement them?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development.

Hon. Monte McNaughton: The very first initiative that our government undertook was to bring in job-protected leave for every single worker in this province. If you’re home because of COVID-19, in self-isolation, in quarantine, if you’re home looking after a son or a daughter because of the disruption in the school system, you can’t be fired for that. Furthermore, and the member opposite should know, we eliminated the need for sick notes during COVID-19.

But, Mr. Speaker, the thing that the Leader of the Opposition is failing to mention to working women and men across the province is that there is one month of paid sick days for every single worker in this province. We need to raise awareness of that program, and it’s a disservice to every woman and man who is working in the province of Ontario that the Leader of the Opposition and the NDP don’t make them aware of that program.

COVID-19 immunization

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier. The disservice is in not recognizing, however, that paid sick days are a requirement if people are going to do the right thing and stay home when they’re feeling sick.

Having said that, the other people that are in a very bad situation now are seniors, who are really concerned about when they’re going to get their vaccine. They’re worried and they need information. In fact, even family doctors are worried, and they need information. They’re saying that the government is being confused in its communication around the vaccine rollout.

In fact, Dr. Michelle Cohen says this: “When patients call my office anxiously looking to get on a vaccination list because the government told them their family doctor would soon be calling, I will have nothing to offer them but frustration.... Creating confusion makes it easier for the government to evade accountability.”

So my question to the Premier is, what is happening here? Is this physician and are other physicians correct in saying that the government’s aim here is to evade accountability? If not, why is there such confusion around the vaccine rollout?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Health.

Hon. Christine Elliott: The aim here is to be clear and transparent with the people of Ontario about the vaccination rollout, as we have thus far. But the reality is that each of the 34 public health units have been asked to develop their own plan and submit them to the vaccination task force, because what is relevant in one part of Ontario in terms of doing vaccines—in a rural area, it may be going to your family doctor. In an urban area, it may be going to a mass vaccination clinic.

There are many different ways that this is going to be rolled out, and it is going to be made clear to the people of Ontario in a very short while how they can do it. They can do it by contacting their family doctor. In many cases, they can do it online. Many people may not feel comfortable doing that; they can also call a centre to book their appointment. This is going to be specific and clear to the people, and it’s going to be produced within a very short time.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: I think everybody knows that part of avoiding a catastrophic third wave is a successful vaccine rollout. However, it’s really clear that before this pandemic hit, our Premier was not all that confident in our public health units. Now, of course, we are in a situation where we’re going to be relying on them—and, I think, importantly, because I actually do have confidence in them—with the planning and distribution of the vaccines, contacting people, the administration.

All of this will be done by public health units—the same ones that the Ford government was cutting and trying to amalgamate with forced mergers before the pandemic hit. In fact, in 2019, the Premier said, referring to public health units, “All they know how to do ... is tax people and spend their money, not drive efficiencies.”

So my question is, has the Premier all of a sudden had a change of heart? Does he suddenly respect public health units? And will he provide the support that they need to successfully vaccinate everyone in Ontario?

Hon. Christine Elliott: In fact, we have every confidence in our public health units. They have done a spectacular job during the course of this entire pandemic from the very beginning, in terms of increasing case and contact management, in terms of being in touch with families, in terms of being in touch with individuals; in some cases, issuing their own

section 22 orders where they feel that there are measures in their own particular area that need to be further protected.

But I would also—again, through you, Mr. Speaker—remind the leader of the official opposition that our public health units have been implementing our flu vaccines for many years, and this year implemented our biggest flu vaccine in our history, with over six million vaccines being given to the people of Ontario, with more to come.

I have every confidence that our public health units have the knowledge and the experience to drive a very successful COVID vaccine campaign.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. The final supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: It’s curious that this government has had such a change of heart when it comes to public health units. Let’s hope it stays that way, Speaker.

The bottom line is, it’s clear the government has not undertaken the measures needed to ensure that the province is not plunged back into a third wave that’s devastating and catastrophic. We clearly don’t see a reopening that has been slow enough or careful enough, say all the public health experts. We clearly don’t see increased measures, like paid sick days, for example, and a ban on evictions and lower class sizes. We clearly have a confusing vaccine rollout that the government is creating confusion and chaos around.

I guess the question I have is, how can we guarantee to all of those seniors who are worried about the COVID-19 pandemic resurging that this government has it together enough to stop a third wave occurring?

Hon. Christine Elliott: It will be very simple to do that because we’re going to roll out a clear and transparent plan within the next very short while, and people will know when and how they will be able to get the vaccines. In some cases, people will be able to do it themselves online. In some cases, they will need to have their family members help them. In some cases, they’ll be able to call. Some of the public health units may have their contact information. In other situations, they’re going to be working with the family doctors in order to make sure that they can receive the information about when and where to come in.

We will be ready when we receive the vaccines—which we don’t have in great quantities right now. When we receive them, we’ll be able to triple or quadruple the number of vaccines we can do in a single day. We are ready for it, and the people of Ontario can count on that. All of our seniors will get the shots if they wish to have one.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Marit Stiles: This question is for the Premier. Parents and education workers are counting on this government to keep students safe and schools safely open. We know from the experts that in order to do that, we need a broad, asymptomatic and truly accessible testing program, but despite a commitment to conduct up to 50,000 tests a week, the ministry is reporting just 3,706 tests completed since late January. In what’s become the practice of this government, school boards are scrambling to establish testing systems after being given just days to prepare. In the meantime, the number of schools closed due to the outbreak has doubled since last week.

Speaker, where are the promised safety enhancements in schools, and when will we see a truly comprehensive in-school testing plan that matches the scale of this pandemic?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply, the Minister of Education.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: A very interesting admission from the education critic that under the NDP plan, they would mandate compulsory testing for parents, students and staff, unlike any jurisdiction in the world. In this province, we’re providing voluntary choice to parents, but yes, we’re making it accessible, more convenient and local. That’s why we’ve stepped up the testing capacity.

The Minister of Health, through Ontario Health, has already provided symptomatic and asymptomatic testing to public health units throughout this entire pandemic—certainly since September to the present. But the Ministry of Education, given the variants of concern, given the new challenges we face as a province and country, has expanded capacity in asymptomatic testing programs that were unveiled as recently as yesterday. The average rate of positivity in Toronto, in Peel, in Hamilton, Ottawa and Sudbury is 0.86%, demonstrating, I believe, that the rate of transmission remains low, but underscoring the necessity to keep up our vigilance to keep our kids safe.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question?

Ms. Marit Stiles: Mr. Speaker, they’re slow-walking testing in this province. It’s outrageous.

It’s not just parents and education workers asking these questions. People for Education released preliminary results of their annual school survey today, and it paints a very bleak picture of overworked school administrators trying to keep up with constantly changing directives without the resources and the support they need. Seventy-three per cent of principals responding to the survey ranked enforcing physical distancing as a top concern. One said, “It is impossible to keep students socially distanced. I have class sizes of 24-27 students and can’t possibly space them out to eat (at lunchtime).”

Speaker, through you to the Premier: If the goal is to keep schools safely open long-term, why are we still seeing up to 30 kids crammed into classrooms in this province?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: This is a once-in-a-generation crisis, and our province is standing up to make sure that our schools remain safe and that our schools remain open. That is a position that is a contrasting one in this Legislature. There are two parties in this House that would rather our schools be closed. It was the words of the member opposite a month ago, when community transmission was around 2,000 to 3,000, who said we didn’t have to have it this way when schools were closed, which thus would conclude you’d keep them open at a time of community transmission of 3,000 cases a day.

We have cautiously, against the position of the opposition leader, reopened schools. We’re actually the only province in the nation that cautiously reopened, waiting until those rates got down, while we expanded capacity for testing, enhanced our requirement for screening before a child enters a school and, of course, mandated masking all the way down to grade 1 with a better-quality mask.

This government is on the side of parents. We’re on the side of teachers. We’re going to keep our schools open.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask the member for Davenport and the member for Waterloo to come to order.

The next question.

COVID-19 immunization

Ms. Donna Skelly: My question is for the Minister of Health. As we continue our fight against COVID-19, I know it’s critical that we all continue to follow public health advice until more vaccines arrive, as this is our best and only defence against the virus. While I know the delay in shipments of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines had affected our government’s initial rollout, we still managed to offer the first doses of the vaccine to all long-term-care residents across the province.

As we continue to receive more vaccine doses from the federal government, would the minister please update this House on our government’s progress in the rollout of these vital vaccines?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you to the member from Flamborough–Glanbrook for your question and your advocacy ongoing.

Let me be clear: Our government is committed to having one of the most effective COVID-19 immunization campaigns in the country, and we are well on our way to achieving this goal by having recently administered over 575,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines in phase 1 priority populations throughout the province. This was done even after the unexpected reduction in supply coming to us from the federal government. Our government swiftly acted by making critical adjustments to our vaccination plan to ensure the most vulnerable, like those in long-term care, receive the vaccine as quickly as possible.

As we receive more shipments of the vaccine from the federal government, we are looking forward to continuing to expand our vaccination rollout to include even more Ontarians.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary.

Ms. Donna Skelly: Thank you, Minister, and thank you to all of the front-line workers for helping us administer these crucial vaccines. As our government builds on this early success, I know constituents in my riding can take comfort in the fact that this government is working tirelessly to ensure as many Ontarians as possible are vaccinated as quickly as possible, pending the availability of supplies.

It’s important for Ontarians to know that this is only the first phase of our province’s rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines, and as more vaccines get approved and the supply increases, so will the number of people receiving the vaccines. Can the minister inform the members of this House how our government plans to build off these early successes in our vaccine rollout?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Yes, and thank you. Building from some of the early successes our government has achieved, even with the limited supply of vaccines, we are continuing to expand our capacity and ramp up efforts for phase 2 of our vaccination rollout, which is expected to begin this April. This will be done by working collaboratively with local public health units who have developed plans to operate mass immunization clinics as soon as enough supply becomes available, as well as continuing to offer mobile clinics to vaccinate our most vulnerable.

Additionally, an online booking system will be implemented in order to further support this next phase of the vaccination rollout, and a customer service desk will also be made available to those who are unable to book an appointment through the online tool.

Our government will stop at nothing as we continue to implement the most comprehensive vaccination campaign in the country.

Land use planning

Ms. Suze Morrison: My question is for the Premier. Yesterday I asked this government to come clean and tell Ontarians which developer is lined up for the sweetheart deal to buy the Dominion Wheel and Foundries buildings in my riding of Toronto Centre. This government’s response was about as clear as mud.

First the minister told us that the site isn’t being sold to anyone and there’s no sale of the property, but hours later, the Premier said the deal hasn’t been signed 100% yet and that the process is moving forward. So which is it? Speaker, why is this government refusing to tell us who in the Premier’s inner circle is getting dibs on the purchase of the foundry buildings in Toronto Centre?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. I think the government side would expect me to listen carefully to what the opposition member has to say, and if she says anything unparliamentary, I think the government side would expect me to be on my feet. It makes it harder for me to listen when there’s heckling from the government side when one of the opposition is asking a question, and the very same thing the other way.

Start the clock. Response? The member for Milton.

Mr. Parm Gill: Mr. Speaker, I will remind this House one more time that the site has not been sold. Our government is leveraging vacant, provincially owned property to build the new affordable housing and community space. Our government completed a heritage impact assessment for the site and it determined that the building requires demolition to allow for environmental remediation.

Speaker, it’s astonishing that the member opposite is against environmental remediation and much-needed affordable housing in the city of Toronto.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): And now I will say the same thing to the opposition side: When there’s a government minister answering a question, you would expect me to listen carefully, and if the member says anything inappropriate or outside the rules, you’d expect me to be on my feet. It’s harder for me to listen carefully and intently when there’s heckling from the other side, so I’d ask you to consider that too.

Supplementary.

Ms. Suze Morrison: Back to the Premier. Once again, this government is putting political favours for their developer friends ahead of people. This government has brokered a special deal with one developer for the heritage-listed foundry buildings, without any other bidders and without actually listing the property for sale in an open, fair and competitive process. They didn’t even bother to notify the city.

My community has had enough of this government’s contradictory statements and vague talking points. We want answers. Who is being offered the deal behind closed doors, how much are they paying and how much have they donated to the Ontario PC Party for that right?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask the member to withdraw.

Ms. Suze Morrison: I withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The response? The member from Milton.

Mr. Parm Gill: Mr. Speaker, we have been clear that the negotiating mandate to facilitate the future sale of the site has been approved. However, the site has not been sold. We’re currently consulting with the community to hear more from them. We also have an ongoing conversation with Mayor Tory, and the ministry staff is also having an ongoing conversation with the city staff. We look forward to completing our public consultation and moving forward with the environmental remediation of this site.

Land use planning

M me Lucille Collard: My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, or somebody who can answer. Ministerial zoning orders are directives that allow the minister to decide how a parcel of land can be used, overriding local planning and existing zoning rules. While these directives can sometimes be justified, they should be used sparingly, as to not regularly deny Ontarians the opportunity to voice concerns, or appeal. This is especially important when the projects raise environmental concerns.

In the 15 years before 2018, only 16 of these orders were issued, yet suddenly this government has issued 37 over two years, and 32 of those were issued last year alone. We’ve seen decisions over the last two years that have further reduced environmental protections, and I worry that these orders are being issued with the same lack of concern.

How can the minister justify issuing so many MZOs, when we know they should be used sparingly so as to not override important planning processes?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Response? The member for Milton and the parliamentary assistant.

Mr. Parm Gill: Mr. Speaker, our government has been crystal clear that every single ministerial zoning order issued on non-provincially owned land has been at the request of the local municipality, full stop. MZOs are a tool our government uses to get critical local projects that people rely on, located outside of the greenbelt, moving faster.

Mr. Speaker, let me list some of the projects the member opposite has opposed: the creation of 3,700 long-term-care beds; nearly 1,000 affordable homes and hundreds of supportive housing units; 26,000 new jobs; the expansion of the Sunnybrook hospital; a made-in-Ontario PPE facility. And, Mr. Speaker, I can go on and on.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

M me Lucille Collard: Mr. Speaker, 14 ministerial orders were issued to push through projects where environmental concerns have been raised. We can understand the use of these orders to approve projects for much-needed long-term-care beds, producing urgently needed medical supplies, and other similar cases, as the minister pointed out. However, when the government uses this exceptional power under the guise of recovery measures for the pandemic to allow for the destruction of protected wetlands, endangered species or important agricultural land, it may be in the interest of some developers but it is certainly not in the public interest.

Economic recovery is important, but not at the cost of the future generations who will have to grapple with the impact of these decisions. If MZOs are meant to be used for fast-track urgent infrastructure needs, can the minister explain how using them to approve building projects such as market-price housing and a film studio is crucial to our COVID-19 recovery?

Mr. Parm Gill: Mr. Speaker, ministerial zoning orders are not new. In fact, they have been used since 1972. The previous Liberal government issued 19 MZOs. One difference between our government and the previous Liberal government is that the Liberals built only 600 long-term-care beds, compared to the 3,600 long-term-care beds that our government has built by issuing these much-needed MZOs to help communities right across this province, and we will not apologize for that.

Human trafficking

Ms. Donna Skelly: My question is for the Solicitor General. I was pleased to see that yesterday the government introduced the Combating Human Trafficking Act. This fulfills a key commitment by the Premier during last year’s announcement of Ontario’s five-year anti-human trafficking strategy: that Ontario would take a hard look at legislative options available to combat this heinous crime. I know that all members of this House agree that human trafficking has absolutely no place in communities across this province. But Speaker, I’m sure that this is no easy feat, given Ontario has the most reported incidents of human trafficking in the country.

Can the House receive more details on how specifically this legislation will help hold offenders accountable so that those who perpetrate this heinous crime face justice?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Thank you to the member from Flamborough–Glanbrook for her interest and advocacy in our anti-human trafficking strategy. You know, Speaker, our young people are at the greatest risk for being exploited by traffickers. We have said it before but it bears repeating: The average age of recruitment is only 13 years old.

Because of the strong foundation laid by our colleague Minister Laurie Scott while we were in opposition, we have been able to provide a government-wide, comprehensive approach to dealing with human trafficking in the province of Ontario. If passed, this legislation would provide police services with the authority to access motel, hotel and short-term rental guest registration information, with a penalty of non-compliance of $5,000. It will require companies that advertise sexual services to have a contact for law enforcement to request information as part of a human trafficking investigation.

These are government-wide, ministry-wide proposals that are going to make a real difference in our community and for our young people.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Ms. Donna Skelly: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and through you, it is reassuring to hear the Solicitor General highlight how the proposed legislation would provide new tools to more effectively hold offenders accountable. But these tools can only work if police are well-resourced to take on traffickers. I’ve heard the Solicitor General say that criminals don’t respect municipal boundaries, and I have no doubt that this is especially true when it comes to human traffickers. Moreover, our increasingly digital world has made trafficking even more complex, with traffickers able to rely on new forms of communication to identify potential victims and to evade detection.

My question, again, to the Solicitor General: Can you identify what resources police have to fight the perpetrators of this heinous crime?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: The member is absolutely right. Human trafficking investigations can often be complex, spanning across multiple jurisdictions and, unfortunately, over many years, which is why a new intelligence-led joint-force investigation team was established, bringing together police agencies from across Ontario, including the OPP, municipal police services and First Nations police services. The capacity of the OPP Child Sexual Exploitation Unit is also being expanded by adding an additional 23 officers.

Police services are also enhancing the use of major case management for human trafficking by investing in software development. I think, if the pandemic has shown us anything, it’s our reliance on digital and the fact that our children and our young people are spending more and more time online. Frankly, the traffickers have used this as an exploitation pathway.

So these initiatives are already seeing results, with a number of joint operations resulting in traffickers being charged last year and into January.

Employment standards

Ms. Peggy Sattler: My question is to the Premier. The Premier likes to claim that he’s the reason the federal sickness benefit program exists, but when the program was first proposed, the Premier’s response was blunt and clear. He told everyone, “I don’t support it,” even though it would be temporary and even though it would be funded entirely by the federal government.

Speaker, why does the Premier think he deserves credit for a program that he fought against from the beginning?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Labour.

Hon. Monte McNaughton: We’ve worked every single day, Mr. Speaker, to protect the health and safety of every single worker in this province. In fact, the very first initiative we brought forward in this Legislature, supported by all members of this party, was to bring in legislation to protect jobs. If any worker is home in self-isolation in quarantine, if you are a mom or a dad who has to stay home to look after a son or daughter because of the school closures, you can’t be fired for that. Furthermore, we eliminated the need for sick notes.

But Mr. Speaker, thanks to the Premier of Ontario, all provincial and territorial leaders worked together with the federal government to deliver $1.1 billion worth of paid sick days to workers in this province and to all Canadians. I’m proud to report today that over 110,000 workers here in Ontario are either receiving benefits or have applied for benefits. We’re going to continue to advocate on behalf of workers to bring improvements to this program.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question?

Ms. Peggy Sattler: The minister should know that unpaid leave isn’t going to help workers pay the bills and pay the rent.

Speaker, if it wasn’t for the federal government coming to the table in the first place, and for the other Premiers—like the Premier of BC, who fought back against this Premier’s refusal to support workers—Ontario workers wouldn’t have even the limited and the inadequate federal sick benefits they can apply for now.

Last week, this Premier said he doesn’t want provincial paid sick days because he thinks that investing in Ontarians is a waste of money.

Speaker, why is this government so focused on preventing Ontario workers from getting the paid sick days they deserve?

Hon. Monte McNaughton: Mr. Speaker, there is still $800 million left in the bank account through this federal program.

We’re going to continue to advocate on behalf of workers, Mr. Speaker. That’s why I have worked really, really closely with Minister Qualtrough, the federal minister who is responsible for this program. We’ve worked together to raise awareness of this program and to also push for faster payments. In fact, 80% of the sick day pay is now being directly deposited into Ontario workers’ bank accounts within three to five days. That’s good news for workers. Furthermore, thanks to our advocacy on behalf of workers, the federal program is now one month of paid sick days.

But Mr. Speaker, I have to ask the member opposite: One of the NDP members last week called the federal program “useless,” and the Leader of the Opposition, last week, said, “What we want to see is paid sick days in Ontario, 10 paid sick days. Seven. Rather, 10 sick days. Seven paid—and yes, that would be small businesses’ responsibility”—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much. The next question?

COVID-19 response

Mr. Roman Baber: To the government House leader: Almost a year ago, the Premier told Ontarians, “We need to lock down for two weeks to flatten the curve.” Two weeks turned into two months for most of the province and almost four months for most of the GTA and my beloved city of Toronto. Four months turned into a year. “Flatten the curve” turned into “Slow the spread”; “Slow the spread” turned into “Stop the spread”; and now “Stop the spread” has turned into, “Until we all get vaccinated, we should stay home.”

It’s been a year—a year of depression, of economic devastation; a year of missed cancer diagnoses and cancelled heart surgeries; a year of children and adults developing depression and anxiety. My city of Toronto is in ruins. North York is not recognizable.

My question to the government House leader: Will the narrative become “until we address all variants”; “until we get the Pfizer booster shot”; “until Moderna adjusts the formula”? When will you let us free, what is that parameter, and why should we believe you?

Hon. Paul Calandra: I will of course remind the honourable gentleman that as of March of last year, he voted in favour of lockdown measures. He did so again in April. He did so again in May. He did so again in June. He voted in favour of the Reopening Ontario Act in July. He voted in favour of measures in September. He voted in favour of those measures in October. He voted in favour of those measures in November. He voted in favour of those measures in December.

I thank the honourable member for the support that he has given to help keep the people of the province of Ontario safe in March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question?

Mr. Roman Baber: I have not heard a response. I have not heard a response because there is no exit strateg