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September 21, 2020

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2020-Sept-21 (PDF)

L183 - Mon 21 Sep 2020 / Lun 21 sep 2020

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Monday 21 September 2020 Lundi 21 septembre 2020

Members’ Statements

Shelter services

Larry McDonald

COVID-19 response

Human trafficking

Small business

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

COVID-19 response

Student safety

Aerospace industry

National Forest Week

John Turner

Question Period

COVID-19 response

Long-term care

Long-term care

COVID-19 response

Education funding

Long-term care

Hydro rates

COVID-19 response in Indigenous and remote communities

COVID-19 response

Ontario Digital Service

School transportation

Forest industry

COVID-19 response

Curriculum

Schitt’s Creek

Notice of dissatisfaction

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Forest firefighting / Lutte contre les incendies de forêt

Petitions

Long-term care

Optometry services

Documents gouvernementaux

Climate change

Social assistance

Long-term care

Long-term care

Long-term care

Health care funding

Long-term care

Affordable housing

Prévention du vapotage chez les jeunes

Orders of the Day

Franco-Ontarian Emblem Amendment Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 modifiant la

Loi sur l’emblème franco-ontarien

Not-for-profit corporations

The House met at 1015.

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

Prayers.

Members’ Statements

Shelter services

Ms. Catherine Fife: It’s a privilege to share some hopeful news with legislators today. Over the past year, House of Friendship and their partner the Inner City Health Alliance developed a new ShelterCare system that integrates health care and other supports into a 24/7 shelter. The pandemic provided an opportunity to pilot and accelerate this innovative ShelterCare system in a local hotel, the Radisson.

The results speak for themselves: No positive COVID cases among those experiencing homelessness in Waterloo region; incident reports are down by 40%, meaning they are less reliant on emergency services; overdose rates are down by over 50%, despite increasing the number of people served; a 75% reduction in EMS calls; and improved mental supports for 40% to 50% of the men who experience active psychosis. Some 18 individuals were housed between March and July, and none have returned back to the shelter system.

To quote House of Friendship: “The people staying with us are more well than they’ve been in years and progressing much more quickly towards permanent housing, addiction treatment and health care supports.”

In just a few months, the Waterloo region ShelterCare system has proven that we can end homelessness, and I hope that this is just the beginning of their transformative work. It can and it should serve as a model going forward for this entire Legislature.

Our thanks to the Inner City Health Alliance and House of Friendship for demonstrating such compassionate leadership.

Larry McDonald

Mr. Rick Nicholls: I am pleased and honoured to rise today to pay tribute to a good friend of mine. Eighty-three years ago, he came into the world, and he left us on August 19, 2020. He was known as “Mr. Wheatley.” And as you know, Speaker, Wheatley is also known as the “Freshwater Fish Capital of the World.” Yes, Larry Allen McDonald left us. He left our community. But he left a huge mark on his community of Wheatley.

I remember many years ago, he was a charter member of the Wheatley Jaycees, and he participated in an international Jaycee hockey tournament that I organized in Chatham. As it turned out, it was Wheatley versus Chatham. The score was tied 3-3, and Larry came barrelling down on the right wing. He had his winger in the slot, and he let a quick shot go, and that puck went above the goalie’s glove and into the net—the winning goal. I remember it well, Speaker; I was that goalie. I remember that very, very well.

Larry is going to be sadly missed by his wife, Sandy, and his children Mike, Juli and Duff, his seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. But he will not only be missed by his family, he will be greatly missed by his community. Larry McDonald, you left big shoes to fill. May you rest in peace.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I rise today on behalf of the people of Oakridge, a quiet residential neighbourhood in my riding of London West. The Oakridge COVID-19 assessment centre, one of London’s two centres, opened on March 15 in the Oakridge Arena. It is directly across from Riverside Public School and within a kilometre of two other elementary schools, operating Monday to Friday, from 9 to 5.

Last week, I spoke in this House about the horrendously long lineups experienced by Londoners waiting for COVID tests—lineups that are putting vulnerable people at risk and could deter those who need tests from getting tested. At the Oakridge assessment centre, cars are lined up around the block from early morning, creating safety hazards for children walking to school and making it difficult for school buses to turn into the school. Residents fear that a child will almost certainly be hit.

On weekends, only the Carling assessment centre is open, and yesterday it reached capacity less than two hours after opening its doors.

Speaker, London urgently needs more assessment centres, extended hours, more staffing and more public health resources to respond to local testing needs. The provincial command table, and ultimately the Minister of Health, has the ability to direct these changes. Londoners and the people of Oakridge deserve to have these critical testing issues addressed now.

Human trafficking

Ms. Lindsey Park: On September 11, I had the pleasure of joining my Durham MPP colleagues in Pickering, including the member for Pickering–Uxbridge and President of the Treasury Board, to announce that our government is investing $300,000 in the Durham Regional Police Service’s HALT Project so that the human trafficking unit can continue to fight the horrific and heinous crime of human trafficking and support the victims of it. This funding was made possible through the Proceeds of Crime Front Line Policing Grant. This grant repurposes the funds from the guns, the cash and the property confiscated from criminals to support victims of sex trafficking in Durham.

This project will do several things. It will add a second crisis intervention counsellor to the human trafficking unit in a collaborative strategy that has been developed right in Durham to identify trafficked persons and connect them to social services. It’s a multi-disciplinary approach to support human trafficking survivors, including a trauma-informed approach with trained social workers and survivors. It will allow the unit to implement a new component in this fight against human trafficking locally: a full-day annual symposium aimed at helping youth identify the signs and stop exploitation before it begins.

You can check out the latest updates at stopht.com. Together, Speaker, if we keep going and don’t give up, we will see the dying days of this awful crime and indeed halt it.

Small business

Ms. Marit Stiles: Good morning. Today I rise on behalf of small businesses in Davenport who have been hit hard by COVID-19.

Despite pleas for help from business owners and calls from the official opposition to provide immediate supports, it took months for the federal and provincial governments to deliver rent relief and protection from eviction. Now, with case counts quickly rising and the threat of another emergency lockdown looming, those businesses are looking for urgent help.

Little Portugal on Dundas BIA, along with 80 other BIAs across the GTA, wrote to the Premier, the Prime Minister and other elected representatives over the weekend to make their case. They’re calling for the CECRA rent assistance program to be retired and replaced with one that actually works—and doesn’t depend on the whims of commercial landlords. They want the federal wage subsidy to be continued through 2021 so they can keep people on the payroll. They’re calling for grants to help small businesses transition to online sales and alternative services, as well as to help cover the high cost of maintaining strict health protocols.

Speaker, many of these calls echo exactly what New Democrats in the official opposition have been calling for from the beginning in our Save Main Street plan. It’s time the government took heed of what these small, independent businesses are telling them, and act. I call on the government to bring forward a robust second wave plan before we lose even more of our vital neighbourhood businesses.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Mr. Jim Wilson: September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and I stand this morning to recognize the heroic efforts of a young constituent of mine who goes above and beyond every year to demonstrate his appreciation for the life-saving care he received as a child.

Raymond Hardisty of Stayner was born with a rare blood disorder. By the time he was four, he developed leukemia, and needed a bone marrow transplant. Fortunately, a donor was found. Raymond is now employed at Dairy Queen and is living an active adult life. Each year since 2008 he has participated in his employer’s Miracle Balloon fundraiser. Going door-to-door and attending social events to sell the balloons, he had raised more than $60,000 for SickKids hospital and the Children’s Miracle Network.

This year, because of the COVID-19 pandemic and because Raymond has little or no immune system, he had to find another way to give back, so he launched a bottle drive. With help from community members and the Lions Club, and donations from Collingwood, Stayner and Wasaga Beach, Mr. Hardisty was able to raise an additional $16,000. That brings his total to more than $77,000.

Raymond Hardisty is making a genuine difference in the lives of young Ontarians who need our support. It’s a privilege to know him, and I’m proud to have him as a constituent and friend.

I’d also like to acknowledge Raymond’s parents, Mary and Steve, and his sister Lisa for their unwavering support of Raymond’s many worthwhile endeavours. Congratulations, Raymond.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Christine Hogarth: Good morning, Mr. Speaker, and good morning, everyone.

I’d actually like to talk about a couple of front-line heroes in Etobicoke–Lakeshore. I’ve had the opportunity to visit Jim and Maria’s No Frills grocery store in my riding on Islington Avenue, right down the street from my constituency office. Jim and Maria have gone above and beyond to make sure that their staff and their customers remain safe. When I toured their facility, they had the sanitization right at the door, and Lysol wipes for everybody when they walked in. One thing that was really important is their staff were confident to go to work every day, which allows us as customers to feel safe when we’re shopping. So I want to thank Jim and Maria for keeping our community safe.

Another company I’d like to talk about today is our Staples and Staples Canada. Minister Lecce, our Minister of Education, joined me for their back-to-school program, and what they did is they wanted to make sure that their customers remain safe as well, and they put together an outside curbside pickup for customers so they can actually call in their order, drive in and pick up their products with no contact.

I want to thank David Boone, who is the CEO, and John DeFranco for sharing their time with myself and the minister, and showing us how they can keep our parents and our loved ones safe when they shop.

I want to thank Jim, Maria, David and John for creating great jobs in Etobicoke–Lakeshore, and I just want to encourage everyone to shop local, shop safe and shop with confidence.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Before I recognize the next member, I’m going to ask all members to keep their private conversations as quiet as possible so as to allow the member who has the floor to be heard.

Student safety

Mr. Jamie West: Today I want to talk about the mess the Conservatives created while reopening schools with their broken plan.

My Sudbury community office received calls from numerous constituents who are concerned about the reopening. The calls are not just coming from concerned parents; they’re also coming from bus drivers. We had a bus driver call our office last Tuesday and tell us she was driving a bus with 43 elementary students first thing in the morning, and then she turns around and picks up a second group of 52 high school students. Speaker, this bus driver has no time to sanitize between the two pick-ups. She’s concerned for the safety of her students and for herself.

Another concerned father called us about his frustration and growing concern for his children’s education. It’s a very close-knit family, and they have immunocompromised members who are at high risk of contracting COVID-19, so they decided to home-school their six children. Their son who is currently in grade 12 has been in cadets for several years now and he has dreams of attending the Royal Military College when he graduates. However, this son and his family are worried that without the proper supports for math, he may fall behind and not make the cut to the RMC, which will effectively crush his dreams.

Speaker, he has worked so hard over the first three years. His parents have spoken with his teachers and school board. They all want to see him succeed. Everyone has done their part as much as they can—everyone, with the exception of the Conservative government.

These are just two of the many examples of Sudburians who want a meaningful back-to-school plan to protect their children’s health and future. Speaker, it’s frustrating that the government is refusing to take leadership on the issue that matters the most to people of this province.

Aerospace industry

Mr. Deepak Anand: Mr. Speaker, due to my background in engineering, I’m always fascinated with manufacturing facilities. Last week, I had the opportunity to visit and congratulate Paul Chana and Avion Technologies in my riding of Mississauga–Malton for completing 25 years. Avion, which means “airplane” in Spanish, is a leading supplier of high-quality gears and precision components for the aerospace and defence industry, and an excellent example of the strong potential and impact of the aerospace industry on Ontario’s economy.

Ontario is the home of many global aerospace success stories, from Bombardier’s global series of business jets to the Dash 8 series of turboprop commercial aircraft—Diamond Aircraft, Canadarm2 and Dextre are some examples. Some 93% of aerospace manufacturers are, in fact, exporters. Ontario is also a world-renowned cluster for landing gear. Three out of four companies that make complete landing gear systems across the globe for commercial aircraft are here in Ontario. In 2018 alone, the aerospace industry contributed $13 billion and 89,500 jobs in the Canadian economy.

As we all know, during COVID-19, with the decrease in air travel demand, the aerospace industry has been hit drastically and needed to retool themselves. Through this statement, I’d like to ensure aerospace companies that your government is here to work with you and support you through the Canada-Ontario Job Grant. It provides $10,000 in government support per person for training costs.

Finally, I’d like to say thank you, aerospace companies in Mississauga–Malton, for your contribution to the growth of our community.

National Forest Week

Mr. Toby Barrett: This week marks the 100th anniversary of National Forest Week. It’s a time to recognize the forest sector’s incredible contribution to our economy, especially rural, northern and Indigenous communities. Over $18 billion worth of revenues is generated every year, and it employs 147,000 men and women directly and indirectly. In southwestern Ontario, where my riding is located, there are over 5,400 jobs in forestry. A renewed focus to keep this industry vibrant and sustainable means more good-paying jobs and economic growth for generations to come.

Speaker, there are more than 71 million hectares of forest across the province. These diverse forests are renowned internationally for being managed sustainably, and obviously managed by very hard-working people. Every year, almost 73 million trees are planted and over two million seeds are spread through aerial seeding. Especially now with materials to make personal protective equipment like surgical masks, gowns and hygiene products coming from the forest sector, it’s more important than ever to keep Ontario’s forests healthy and productive.

I offer a hearty thank you for everybody who works in the industry. Thanks to our Minister of Natural Resources and our parliamentary assistant, Mike Harris Jr.

John Turner

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government House leader has informed me he has a point of order that he would like to raise.

Hon. Paul Calandra: Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent to move a motion without notice regarding tribute statements for the Right Honourable John Turner.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Agreed? Agreed.

Government House leader.

Hon. Paul Calandra: I move that five minutes be allocated to the official opposition, then two minutes to the independent Green member, then five minutes to the government, then five minutes to the independent Liberal members as a group to make tribute statements regarding the former Prime Minister of Canada the Right Honourable John Turner, and that this be taken up immediately; and that at the conclusion of these statements, the House observe a moment of silence.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

I’m pleased to recognize the member for Brampton Centre.

Ms. Sara Singh: It’s my honour to mark this moment on behalf of the official opposition to reflect on the passing of former Prime Minister John Turner. On behalf of our leader and our whole caucus, we extend our condolences to the Prime Minister’s wife, Geills, and their children and extended family.

I’ll say a few words about Prime Minister Turner, although I never had the opportunity to meet him, but I hear from those who did that he had quite the zest for life. Prime Minister Turner came to Canada as an immigrant, as a child, from the United Kingdom, and was first elected in his early thirties to be a member of Parliament. At only 38 years old, he ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party, losing to Pierre Trudeau, and served as an MP for Ottawa–Carleton as well as Canada’s Attorney General and finance minister.

As Attorney General, he introduced legislative changes in 1969 to Canada’s Criminal Code and legalized some therapeutic abortions under certain conditions, what many consider a first important stepping stone to women’s reproductive choices and rights. The bill also decriminalized some of the laws against gay men and ushered in the first steps towards equality for all LGBTQ2S individuals in our country.

When he won his party’s leadership and was sworn in as Prime Minister in 1984, he called a general election nine days later that ended up cutting short his time in government, with a loss to Brian Mulroney. Four years later, he is most remembered as arguing against a free trade deal with the United States in the 1988 election, and the legacy of that campaign has deeply shaped Canada’s trade policy ever since.

Prime Minister Turner was passionate about protecting the environment and served Canada as an honorary director of the World Wildlife Fund. He loved the outdoors. From his cottage on Lake of the Woods near Kenora, he cherished his time in nature, something that I think he encourages all of us to continue to do.

In a 2012 interview, he said, “Water is crucial and Canadians ought not to neglect this. It is one of our greatest assets.” Speaker, in 2020, I think that’s something that we should all agree with, and something that we should endeavour to ensure that everyone in this province and country has access to.

I ask all members of this House to remember Prime Minister Turner’s contributions to our country, his public service, and share in our condolences with his family. May he rest in peace.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ll recognize next the member for Guelph.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: It’s an honour to rise and pay tribute to the Right Honourable John Turner, Canada’s 17th Prime Minister, and to recognize his distinguished career in law, politics, and as a champion for Canada, and especially the environment. He believed strongly in democracy and the parliamentary system.

As noted, as justice minister, he decriminalized acts against gay men, which paved the way to decriminalize and support the LGBTQ+ community in terms of rights and equality. He also paved the way for defending a woman’s right to choose and decriminalizing laws against abortion in this country. Most notably, he set up the national legal aid system. He was a strong defender of legal aid in this country and created Canada’s Federal Court.

He was deeply committed to the environment and was a strong advocate for protecting water, especially. The World Wildlife Fund Canada called him “one of nature’s true patriots and protectors.” He, as noted, participated in the famous free trade debates, but one of the things he especially noted in the free trade debates was how essential it is to protect Canada’s water. He opposed anything that would threaten Canada’s water. He, most notably, stood up with First Nations in the Yukon to protect the calving grounds of the Porcupine caribou herd in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

He will be remembered, loved and cherished by all Canadians. I want to offer my condolences to his wife, Geills, and his family.

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

L’hon. Caroline Mulroney: C’est un privilège pour moi de me lever aujourd’hui pour honorer le 17 e premier ministre du Canada, le très honorable John Napier Turner.

Prime Minister Turner was born in England in 1929 to Phyllis Gregory and Leonard Turner. When Leonard died in 1932, Ms. Gregory moved her family back to Canada to her hometown of Rossland, British Columbia. At the height of the Great Depression and with work scarce, Ms. Gregory travelled to Ottawa to accept a position as an economist with the tariff board. She would go on to hold major positions within that board and others and, in doing so, she was the first woman to move into the senior ranks of Ottawa’s civil service.

Ms. Gregory set high standards for her children, and John strove to meet them. In 1947, as a student at UBC, he set the Canadian record for the 100-yard dash when he ran the distance in 9.8 seconds. That same year, he also ran the fastest Canadian time for the 200-yard distance. He was an Olympic-calibre athlete and he made the Canadian Olympic team for the 1948 games in London, but he was unable to compete due to an injury. But the future Prime Minister wasn’t only a track star, he was also an outstanding scholar, and in 1949 he was named a Rhodes scholar, which paved the way for his future legal career.

Mr. Turner won election to the House of Commons for the first time in 1962 in the riding of St. Lawrence–St. George in Montreal. I learned over the weekend from the many interviews my father did on the news that my own grandmother, Irene Mulroney, was one of his early supporters. He would go on to contest six elections and he won all of them. In 1967, Prime Minister Pearson named Mr. Turner to his cabinet as Registrar General and then as Canada’s first Minister of Consumer and Corporate Affairs. He would then go on to serve as justice minister and as finance minister as well.

Mr. Turner would leave federal politics in 1976, but returned in 1984 when he was elected Liberal Party leader and became Prime Minister.

Throughout his political career, Prime Minister Turner was concerned with establishing the foundations on which the economic prosperity of Canadians could be built. As Liberal Party leader, his campaigns were concerned with economic reforms that would unlock the potential that exists within this great country: jobs, technological innovation and skills training. These are the same concerns that we share in this House today.

It’s often tempting to be nostalgic about the way things used to be, but one area in the past where things were different, and I think better, was in the understanding that sitting across the aisle from one another does not make us enemies, only opponents. We want the same things: prosperity and progress for our province and our country, even as we might have different ideas about how we can achieve them. That was something that Prime Minister Turner understood. He was engaged in political life to fight for ideas that he believed in, not to win partisan battles at any cost. He was, as has been described countless times in the last 48 hours, a gentleman.

As I was talking about Mr. Turner and his legacy with my parents last night, my mother told me that he sent her handwritten thank-you notes after every event that she hosted at 24 Sussex—a thoughtful gesture, rare and truly telling.

“Life is a trust,” Prime Minister Turner once said, “and one has a fiduciary obligation towards one’s country to put back into it what one has received. I’ve received a great deal, and I believe that a free society only operates properly if the best men and women offer to serve.” Those weren’t just words; they were how Prime Minister Turner lived his life and how he embodied so much about what is great about this great country. His coat of arms carries the motto, “Esse quam videri,” which means, “To be, rather than to seem.” He was a great Canadian who dedicated his life to trying to make our country a better place.

To his wife, Geills; his children Elizabeth, Michael, David and Andrew; and his grandchildren Clare, Fiona, Dylan, Olivia, Robbie, Christina, Jack and Luke; and to his friends: On behalf of the Progressive Conservative caucus, I offer you our deepest condolences.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Ottawa South.

Mr. John Fraser: It’s really an honour to rise and recognize the important contributions of the Right Honourable John Napier Turner, Canada’s 17th Prime Minister, and to talk about his life of public service to others.

He entered politics in 1962, first running and winning at the age of 32—pretty young—and served for three decades in federal politics in various roles, as an MP, a cabinet minister of various portfolios, the Leader of the Opposition, the leader of the Liberal Party and a Prime Minister. He served during some of the most challenging and turbulent times in Canadian history. Most notably, as justice minister, he championed key reforms in the Criminal Code that opened the door to LGBTQ rights and a woman’s right to choose.

He also was a justice minister during the October Crisis, which was a very turbulent and scary time in our country. He was also the finance minister in 1972, when many of you probably weren’t born, during the global oil crisis, a real financial challenge. He was the voice of fiscal prudence at that table.

One of my memories of John Turner is the 1988 free trade debate, and the passion and energy and the love that he had for Canada. I still remember it. And my wife jokes that it’s the thing that got me off the couch and knocking on doors in 1988, which eventually has led to me being here. The most important thing is, what do the people we work with have to say about us?

So one of his fiercest opponents, Minister Mulroney’s dad, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, said these things about him: “He was a man of high principle, conducted himself with dignity ... remembered as a parliamentarian who contributed a great deal to Canada.... He symbolized what is best about Canada ...” was a “rare person” and “true gentleman of Canadian politics.”

He was an accomplished lawyer, a Rhodes scholar, a politician. Those aren’t the things that are most important. It’s how you connect to others. He was a devoted son, a loving husband, a loving father, and that was evident to everyone around him, and he treated everybody with a genuine interest and respect.

I’ll tell you a little story: I first met John Turner on June 3, 1968. He was campaigning in Ottawa–Carleton, and he was up at the mall, so we all hopped on our bikes and we drove up to see him. He talked to us, and I’ve got this family-famous picture of me with him in 1968 on the campaign trial, in the Ottawa Journal. And I know that day that something clicked inside me. At eight years old, I don’t know how, but it did inspire me that month to go and say, “I want to run in the mock election” we were having in grade 3. I was really excited. I got to be one of the candidates.

But then I learned there are great disappointments in politics: I won’t be chosen to be John Turner; I had to be his Conservative opponent, Ken Binks. You can imagine how devastated this nine-year-old was, not being this person that he just met. What I also learned—I think John Turner is the epitome of this—is you can overcome great obstacles. I won the election, and it was the only time that I voted Conservative in my entire life.

But more importantly, the genuine interest that he showed in a bunch of nine-year-old boys was not episodic. It was not something that just happened that day. It happened through his life. He remembered peoples’ names. He remembered important things about them. He wrote notes to people to thank them. We can talk about our policies, and they’re important, but they pass. Times change. Policies change. Challenges are different. People have different opinions about what your legacy is. But the personal things and connections that you do every day—the small ones are the ones that count and the ones that make the difference. John Turner was always a champion at that.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ll now ask the House to rise to pay tribute to the memory of the Right Honourable John Napier Turner.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

Question Period

COVID-19 response

Ms. Andrea Horwath: In every corner of this province, people are watching with dread as COVID-19 surges back, and once again, the province scrambles to react. On July 14, nearly 70 days ago, the Premier declared that he had a detailed plan to deal with a likely second wave. In fact, he said, “I just got off a call with our health team and some of the best medical minds in the entire country, and that will be rolling out very shortly over the next little while ... we’re prepared.” Seventy days ago, that’s what he said.

Why did the Premier claim he had a detailed plan and then fail to produce one?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the leader of the official opposition for the question. We are prepared. We have had a plan prepared since July 30. This was a long time ago. Of course, we are ready to roll it out imminently.

It is dealing with all of the issues that people are concerned about: dealing with testing; dealing with lab volumes; making sure that we can continue with the policies and procedures and surgeries that had to be postponed during wave 1; dealing with the upcoming flu season and making sure that we have the health human resources to be able to deal with a surge in cases, both in our hospitals and in our long-term-care homes, as well as in home and community care. There is a plan, it is ready to go, and it is going to be released immediately.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Parents missing a day of work to stand in line with children for eight hours to get tested, or learning this week that their child’s school is yet the latest one to be in an outbreak, don’t need a government that promises a plan. They need a government that has a plan.

The Premier claimed that he was ready with a plan months ago. The minister is claiming that there is a plan that was ready months ago. Why, then, did the government claim that they would be rolling out this plan back in July? And yet, to this very moment, we have yet to see a plan, while kids are going to school and outbreaks are happening and while parents are waiting literally hours and hours and sometimes days on end in lines for testing.

Hon. Christine Elliott: There is a plan, a complete, comprehensive plan, dealing with all of the issues that we need to face for a potential wave 2 of COVID-19. It is ready to go, and as a matter of fact, it is being implemented as we speak.

One of the issues that has arisen is the need for further testing. We are doing further testing, as I indicated last week. We are prepared to move up to 50,000 tests within the next week or so if we need to. On Saturday, we reached 40,000 tests in one day. That is a record for Ontario. We are moving forward. We have increased—we exceeded our capacity at 25,000 tests. We are now at 40,000, and we will be very shortly at 50,000 tests.

But with respect to the issue that the member has raised concerning the long lineups in testing, I can speak to the fact that we have significantly increased our capacity in a number of areas. I will deal with the east region, because I have heard a lot about Ottawa. We have increased significantly. I will speak further about that in my supplementary.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: When parents have to line up with sick children for hours and hours on end just for a chance to get a test result, something is absolutely not working.

On July 7, in a response to an NDP question, the Minister of Health admitted that we would need much more testing come the fall and promised that, as part of their detailed second wave plan for the fall, testing would be increased up to 50,000 tests a day. We’re not there yet, so there is something wrong with the minister’s claims and the Premier’s claims that they made back in July.

If the government had a detailed plan, Speaker, why are parents waiting and waiting and waiting in eight-hour lineups with their kids and sometimes still not getting the tests they need?

Hon. Christine Elliott: The plan is substantive. It is comprehensive. It is actually being rolled out, witnessed by the fact that we reached 40,000 tests on Saturday. We are well on our way to getting to 50,000 tests, and we’re going to increase from there.

But with respect to the issue of the lineups, we have increased significantly. We are planning a new location for Kemptville. Throughout the region, we have additional paramedic crews for surge testing and assessment. The Brewer Park arena, which serves both CHEO and the Ottawa Hospital, is a new location and increased capacity, plus 33% by October 1, plus 63% by October 31. Almonte General Hospital has increased capacity hours and is up by 140%. We anticipate that we will have a 133% increase in testing by September 30, and a 60% increase is planned for the whole region very shortly thereafter.

So the plan is there. The plan is working. We are getting to the testing that we need, and we are shortening the lineups.

Long-term care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, it’s September 21. I hope the minister realizes that the plan should have been in place and acted upon already.

My next question is also for the Premier. Thousands of people with loved ones in long-term care were told this spring that they were going to have no expense spared to protect their loved ones. This was a promise that the Premier made back in the spring. No money would be spared to protect people in long-term care.

Today, the Globe and Mail reports that for three months, the government has refused to act on recommendations from senior experts in infectious disease in order to build what we need in terms of prevention and infection control in our long-term-care homes. My question to the Premier is: Can the Premier explain why he has not acted on the recommendations from his own experts?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Long-Term Care.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you for that question. I want to assure all Ontarians that action is being taken. Actually, we have a situation in Ottawa where three homes—two, particularly—are of concern. I want to make sure that Ontarians understand that 99.7% of our homes are managing very well with COVID-19. Our attention is focused on an integrated effort with the Ottawa Hospital, the medical officer of health in Ottawa, taking every measure possible and making sure that the dollars flow, the $243 million that was set aside and allocated for improved staffing, surge capacity, infection and prevention control.

We’ve taken regulatory amendments, three packages of those; four emergency orders; and our IPAC specialists going in. On April 15, we had an action plan ready to go, and I can start to list the homes and the hospital partnerships. I’d be happy to clarify this misunderstanding.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, there can be no doubt whatsoever that we are definitely in the midst of a second wave, and once again, long-term-care homes are largely unprotected. You’ll know—I spoke about this last week—that three more residents have died at West End Villa in Ottawa just over this past weekend. That brings the number to 11 deaths in that facility. Sixty-one residents now have COVID-19 in that facility.

Facilities across the province are scrambling—scrambling—to find enough staff. Experts have been clear on the need for infection control within long-term care and a plan to deal with the dangerous, dangerous lack of staffing that has existed for a very long time in long-term care. So why are seniors in long-term care still waiting for the government to act on recommendations that were made three months ago—three months ago—by their own experts on long-term care?

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you for the question. Actions are being taken, and they have been taken all along. Our IPAC program, part of our action plan, from April is absolutely clear and proof that our homes are getting infection prevention and control efforts and getting the expertise from the local hospitals. I have said many times here, in this chamber: This is an integrated response between hospitals, medical officers of health, Public Health Ontario, the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Ontario Health, the Ministry of Long-Term Care and the Ministry of Health.

For a few examples, I can tell you that the homes are getting support. Over the last few months, Downsview and Humber River Hospital have been partnered; River Glen home and Southlake; Forest Heights and St. Mary’s hospital; Woodbridge Vista and William Osler; Altamont and Scarborough Health Network; Eatonville and Unity Health—Extendicare Guildwood, Orchard Villa, Lakeridge, Villa Colombo, Humber River Hospital, Hawthorne Place, North York General, the Ottawa Hospital and our homes in Ottawa. I can tell you—

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

The final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, with all due respect, hospitals are scrambling to take care of procedures and surgeries that were cancelled during the first wave. They are concerned about the flu that’s coming forward soon. This minister seems to not realize that hospitals are not going to be there to save the day like they were last time, because they have so much on their plate right now with the broken hospital system that existed before.

But over 1,850 people have lost their lives to COVID-19 in long-term care during this pandemic thus far. This wasn’t inevitable by any means. It was the result of a long-broken long-term-care system. The Premier has talked about fixing that system, but spent the summer campaigning instead of preparing and implementing a plan that his own health experts, his own infection control experts had provided him back three months ago.

At what point, then, Speaker, will this Premier actually understand that families desperately need a government that doesn’t wait for disaster to hit, but actually starts planning for that disaster before it hits?

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you once again for the question. The plan is ongoing. We are continuing to be adaptable and vigilant. There is ongoing surveillance in our long-term-care homes. We are increasing the layers of protection for our homes, whether it’s a mandatory management order or a volunteer management agreement; or whether it’s getting infection prevention and control or making sure that our staff in long-term care have N95s and access to those; or making sure that the homes have proper communication with family members and getting our caregivers back into the homes.

But I remind you: Only three homes out of 626 long-term-care homes in Ontario have more than three cases, and in two of those three, we are actively engaged. That’s 99.7% of long-term-care homes in Ontario that are managing very, very well. For the homes that are not, we are making sure every bit of effort and time that we have is focused on those homes. It is an integrated effort, and we will continue to fight COVID.

Long-term care

M me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour le premier ministre. Over the weekend, we learned of three more tragic deaths at West End Villa, a long-term-care home in Ottawa operated by Extendicare, a for-profit corporation. Workers at the home are coming forward, telling us that they could not and cannot access proper personal protective equipment.

The Premier has been told over and over that overworked staff in long-term-care homes were not able to access the equipment they needed to protect themselves and their residents. He promised that it would never happen again. Why is it that the staff at this long-term-care home are still coming forward, telling us that they are not able to access the personal protective equipment that they need to stay safe?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Long-Term Care.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you once again for that question. My heart goes out to everyone who has lost a loved one. I can assure this chamber and Ontarians that West End Villa has the PPE that it requires, including N95s, available to the staff to use. We are absolutely—24 hours a day—helping this home and making sure that it has staffing. Public Health Ontario, our medical officer of health and I have been in constant contact over the weekend and for weeks, making sure that this home has the support that it needs.

I’m going to mention again the comment that I made here in this chamber last week, that what is happening in our long-term-care homes, in terms of the spread of COVID and COVID getting into our homes, is a reflection of what’s happening in the community. Ottawa is struggling to keep its numbers down. Our medical officer of health is doing everything possible. We will continue to have an integrated approach. Long-term care will stay our focus and we will fight COVID in those homes—

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

The supplementary question.

M me France Gélinas: When the cameras were on, the Premier talked about the changes that are needed in our long-term-care homes. But once the cameras are off, he seems to listen to the well-connected Conservative lobbyists working for corporations like Extendicare. Meanwhile, staff are left scrambling—overworked, underpaid and without the PPE they need to stay safe.

On Friday, the Premier told us that he wanted long-term-care operators to take responsibility. But what about the Premier taking his responsibility? When will the Premier take any responsibility at all for the fact that (1) workers still cannot access proper protective equipment, and (2) seniors—our loved ones—are still dying of COVID in our long-term-care homes?

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you for the question. We need to deal with the facts, and the fact is that our long-term-care homes in Ontario are receiving the PPE they need. They have the PPE they require, including N95s. I have been absolutely clear on this, over the weekend, making sure that that is the case, despite the politicking done by the opposition.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: You’re saying the PSWs are lying?

Hon. Doug Ford: No, you are.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: I want to deal with the facts, and the facts are that our long-term-care homes have the PPE that they need—most of them have a week’s supply—and we are making sure that that is absolutely accurate. I have been on this. I know what is true. And despite the politicking that is going on in this chamber, I will continue to tell—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. I’m going to ask the Premier to withdraw his unparliamentary remark.

Hon. Doug Ford: Who me? Yes, okay. I withdraw. I don’t know what I’m withdrawing, but I’m withdrawing.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The procedure for withdrawal is to stand in your place and withdraw without qualifications.

Hon. Doug Ford: Speaker, I don’t know what I said.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask the Premier, again, to withdraw without qualifications.

Hon. Doug Ford: I will withdraw.

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

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. Start the clock.

The next question.

COVID-19 response

Mr. Deepak Anand: My question is to the Premier. Premier, my riding of Mississauga–Malton in Peel region has been one of the hot spots during COVID-19. Earlier this summer, we unfortunately saw one of the reasons why.

Premier, with 425 cases reported today, the highest since June 6, what is our government doing to ensure that the wild house parties like those we have seen are stopped, and those who think they’re above the law—

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

The Premier to reply.

Hon. Doug Ford: I want to thank the member from Mississauga–Malton for doing such a great job, and I appreciate what he’s doing.

Interjection.

Hon. Doug Ford: I hear an echo, Mr. Speaker. But I guess they get away with it.

As I stated previously, when individuals are reckless—and there’s a small group. There’s always a small group of bad apples out there that want to ignore the health and safety of the people in Peel and right across this province by recklessly holding these backyard barbeques. I’m not talking about 10 or 12 or 13 people; I’m talking 100, 150 people out there hooting and hollering, having a great old time. That’s fine; I’m not against having a great old time. What I’m against is when they’re having a great old time, not socially distancing, not masking and not following the guidelines from the chief medical officer.

What we’ve done is we’ve introduced amendments to the reopening Ontario act to set a minimum fine at $10,000 for any organizer that’s holding these parties, and for anyone that attends, a $750 fine. Hopefully that will deter the partygoers.

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

Mr. Deepak Anand: My supplementary question is also to the Premier. Premier, I want to echo your statement as well: We need everyone to be pulling in the same direction—and thank you for your leadership during these tough times.

Any increase or surge in the case numbers means that more resources are required in hospitals, puts our seniors and most vulnerable at risk and hurts our businesses and everyone who has sacrificed so much during this time. This represents real impacts to everyone involved and those we care deeply about.

Since the stricter enforcement measures were put in place, Brampton alone has seen 59 individuals receive summonses for fines up to $100,000, and the city has issued over 700 tickets for infractions related to COVID violations. Just this past Saturday, Hamilton and GTA police officers had to take time in a coordinated effort to shut down a 500-person impromptu car show that had been organized.

Speaker, can the Premier please share with the Legislature further information about what these measures will mean for our fight against COVID-19?

Hon. Doug Ford: Again, I thank the member for Mississauga–Malton. I agree with him. The vast majority of everyone is pushing in the same direction. You have a couple of bad apples that don’t want to follow the rules. Some other people want to play politics instead of supporting, but that’s neither here nor there, Mr. Speaker.

This targeted action is a direct response to the latest data which we have seen that tells us that increased cases are a result of private and large social gatherings. The new limits don’t apply to law-abiding, responsible restaurant owners, banquet halls, or any other organizations or companies that follow the guidelines. I think we’ve all gone in to support a restaurant, and the guidelines are incredible. They’re following the guidelines, following the protocols.

This is what we need the rest of the public to do: Stop the massive social gatherings, as we saw in Ancaster. I’ll be addressing that at my press conference.

Education funding

Ms. Sara Singh: My question is to the Premier. According to the Peel District School Board’s website, as of today, there are a total of 30 reported infections at public schools across the region, and those numbers are increasing daily. All of us—parents, educators and students—tried to go into the new school year hoping for the best.

The government knew that kids were going back to class in September, but the reality is that they were unprepared for this return to the classroom. Peel region and the city of Brampton simply do not have the dedicated resources they need from the province to fight this crisis and to prevent the crisis that is unfolding in our classrooms. Every day, Speaker, I receive calls, and I know people across the province are receiving calls, from students and parents who are upset and confused by this government’s broken back-to-school plan. In our community, they’re waiting hours in line for tests.

Why is the Premier, and this government, so unprepared to manage the crisis in our classrooms?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. Over the weekend, I joined Dr. Yaffe, where I facilitated calls with the directors of education, the chairs of education and the local health authority—we spoke with Dr. Loh and Dr. Hau, as well, the associate—the medical officers of health in Peel; likewise, with the directors of the public and Catholic school boards, and chairs. The message was one of unanimity, that we are working together to reduce the risk of transmission in our community, which, by extension, can and will enter our schools.

What we’ve heard from the chief medical officers in Peel was a message that the system of outbreak is working. Our outbreak protocol is working.

If I listen to other medical officers across the province: Dr. Charles Gardner, the Simcoe Muskoka Medical Officer of Health, said, “I think the outbreak protocol plan is well-crafted,” for example, Speaker; Dr. Kurji of Ottawa says, “The issue of returning our ... schools is something we can all agree is unanimous”—and extended support for our outbreak management protocol.

We put the resources in place, the training in place, and we will continue to do everything we possibly can, including growing our testing capacity, to respond to the risk within our communities.

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

Ms. Sara Singh: We all want our kids to be able to go back to school, but this is simply not happening. Parents also thought that they had options, Speaker. If they didn’t feel safe enough to send their children to school, they had the option to enroll them online. In Peel, we saw numbers of 10,000-plus students enrolling online, and now what we’re hearing is that those students are waiting until late November in order to access virtual learning options.

Because of this government’s backlog and lack of resources, people are waiting too long to access education in our communities. The opposition has been asking the Premier and this government for weeks, and yet, there is still no plan in place. Reducing social gatherings but still cramming 30-plus students into our classrooms is not the answer to stop the second wave.

Why won’t this Premier cap class sizes so that 15 students are what is limited inside of our schools?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: It was this government that stood very strongly in support of online learning. It was our party that stood alone in the defence of having an online learning option through the negotiations. We continue to believe that that capacity is a strength.

In this province, we have virtual schools being developed. We have allocated $30 million to hire principals for those schools to create accountability. We’ve set a very high standard: 75% each and every day of those 300 minutes of instruction must be live, synchronous Zoom-style learning. I hope that all members will agree now, upon reflection, when they opposed us in the spring, that that standard meets the needs of our kids, who deserve nothing but the best. The continuity of learning is important.

In Renfrew, where we saw a school most regrettably close because of outbreak, in that school, within 24 hours, they pivoted immediately to online learning. We are grateful to that board. We expect that right across this province.

Long-term care

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Premier. The government’s response to the first wave of COVID-19 in long-term care can best be described as flat-footed. We’re now into the second wave. At Ottawa’s West End Villa, they’re experiencing the biggest outbreak since the first wave: 52 residents and 26 staff have COVID-19, and 11 residents have died.

Families, staff and home operators across this province are all begging for the government’s help. Donna Duncan of the Ontario Long Term Care Association has been calling for the government’s wave 2 action plan since July and described the situation as “terrifying.” Geriatrician Dr. Nathan Stall from Women’s College Hospital calls it, “very scary. We said we would never let this happen again.”

Speaker, through you, can the Premier explain why Ontario’s long-term-care homes are so unprepared for the second wave?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I recognize the Minister of Long-Term Care to reply on behalf of the government.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you for the question. Some 99.7% of our long-term-care homes in Ontario are managing very well. There are three homes that have more than three cases in the Ottawa area.

It is public knowledge that Ottawa, Toronto and Peel have larger numbers of COVID-positive cases. Our efforts are on supporting the homes in Ottawa in conjunction with the medical officer of health in Ottawa, Ontario Health, Public Health Ontario, and taking the advice the Chief Medical Officer of Health. This is an evolving science and evolution of understanding of this virus. We continue to consult our experts, our stakeholders and the sector to understand what more we can do.

We have acted all the way through the first wave, and we will continue to take action through this pending second wave. We will continue to act—

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

The supplementary question.

Mr. John Fraser: I don’t know how we find ourselves here. There is no plan for a second wave in long-term care, no plan to address chronic staff shortages. Those who helped during the first wave in hospitals and in schools are not available. And a month ago, pandemic pay ended, so PSW wages went down, not up. The government is not even listening to their own infectious disease experts calling for better prevention and control methods. Dr. Jeff Powis, medical director of infection prevention and control at Michael Garron Hospital, said, “We should have been doing this work well before now.”

The Premier promised an iron ring; that’s quite an image. Sadly, that image hasn’t appeared, just empty, hollow words. Speaker, through to you the Premier: How is it we find ourselves unprepared, yet again, to protect our most vulnerable from COVID-19?

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you for the question. Clearly you’ve highlighted staffing. Our government, the Ministry of Long-Term Care, has been working on the staffing issue ever since we became a ministry. We have an expert panel that provided a report which we are acting on. In the process of acting on that, we are working in conjunction with the Ministry of Health and other ministries to make sure that we address the issues, as much as possible, that are recommended in that report.

In terms of IPAC, that has been going on since the middle of April with a really heavy focus on understanding how COVID spreads. Whether it’s through surveillance, active screening, enhanced testing, improved IPAC and relationships across the sector with hospitals to provide the expertise, this continues.

We will continue to take every measure possible, and I remind you that 99.7% of our long-term-care homes are managing very well. Our focus right now is on the homes that are in difficulties. We will continue to take every measure and to take additional measures as needed, and I want to make—

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

The next question.

Hydro rates

Mr. Stan Cho: My question is for the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. Speaker, the vast majority of Willowdalers and Ontarians have done the right thing to stop the spread of COVID-19 by staying at home and working from home. Of course, Mr. Speaker, that means a lot more time at home cooking meals, lunch from home, leisure time at home with family. That means that they’re using more energy—more hydro—at home.

Mr. Speaker, through you: Minister, can you tell us what our government is doing to support those individuals who continue to do the right thing to stop the spread of COVID-19?

Hon. Greg Rickford: I want to thank the member from Willowdale for his work and his representation in his constituency.

Mr. Speaker, indeed, as a father of two young children at home, for almost 70 days there was a lot more laundry to do, the dishwasher was running more frequently. We knew, Mr. Speaker, that millions of people across the province were at home. They were at home working. Small businesses were facing challenges with their revenue streams, but still had commitments to have their lights on. Similarly, farmers were preparing for a season.

So 70 days later, after the heart and soul of the most profound shutdown, Ontario had provided more than $175 million worth of relief to families, small businesses and farmers by providing them with the off-peak rate and then moving to the fixed rate to provide certainty as we moved forward, and continue to provide certainty and value for the price of electricity for our homes, families and small—

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

The supplementary question?

Mr. Stan Cho: The minister highlights some very important points in his response. The people of Willowdale have told me how difficult this pandemic has been on not just their work life, but their home life as well. Many people don’t have that choice, Mr. Speaker, of shifting their consumption to off-peak hours, like doing their laundry later at night. Mrs. Park at Drewry’s Variety can’t shut down her store in the middle of the day, when time-of-use rates were mandatory.

Speaker, through you: Minister, can you please tell the House what you’re doing for Ontarians who have been negatively impacted by the time-of-use program in the past?

Hon. Greg Rickford: Indeed, this had been a challenge prior to COVID, so we took swift action to understand that there were indeed families who would struggle paying their bills through COVID. That’s why we put $9 million into a program for them and more than $8 million in a support program for small businesses.

When it came to time-of-use, obviously, we needed to focus on a rate that was competitive and fair for families who were still going to be home. In fact, there are many as we speak. The Canadian Federation of Independent Business said that they welcomed the leadership of the Premier for bringing an end to time-of-use electricity pricing for small business owners as of November 1 this year.

We’ll be rolling out a comprehensive energy plan that the province can actually look forward to, and I look forward to providing industrial A-class and B-class employers, who will put people back to work in this province, as part of our COVID recovery response, with fair, certain prices that provide great value for the people of Ontario.

COVID-19 response in Indigenous and remote communities

Mr. Guy Bourgouin: My question is for the Minister of Health. Minister, as of last night, there were 10 active COVID-19 cases in northern First Nations. There are six in Kasabonika Lake, one in Sandy Lake, one in Pikangikum and two on Moose Factory Island. As Ontario enters a second wave, this series of cases in remote First Nations is beyond alarming. With the housing crisis, chronic problems with clean drinking water and enduring illness affecting remote First Nations, this government should have acted proactively. Instead, it remains passive, only reacting to this reality.

Speaker, why has this government continued to drag its feet and failed to pre-empt this situation that risks spreading like wildfire in remote First Nations in Ontario?

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the member very much for the question. I know this is a matter of serious concern to you, as it is for us as well. This is something that we have worked on throughout this pandemic with members of First Nations communities, with the federal government, with the provincial government, working in a tripartite manner to try to protect and contain any outbreaks in First Nations communities, because we know that they are particularly vulnerable for a number of reasons.

But I can assure the people of Ontario and the member that this is something that we are working on right now through Dr. Dirk Huyer with the outbreak management team, to make sure, first of all, that they have the supplies that they need in order to provide people with the equipment they need. We’re doing testing. We’re doing isolation in situations where that’s possible, and moving people around to hospitals and other locations. This is something that we do take very seriously, and we have been working on this throughout, particularly now.

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

Mr. Guy Bourgouin: Speaker, back in March, the Minister of Health deemed the James Bay area as low-risk for dealing with COVID-19. This means that the Conservative government had put one of the most vulnerable populations in the province at the bottom of the list, so they had to wait for over three months to receive critical equipment like ventilators to prepare for what is today a reality.

As Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Solomon mentioned this week, the tests coming from James Bay are taken to laboratories in Timmins for processing, 300 kilometres south of Moose Factory Island. Results have taken four days to reach back to James Bay, which has delayed contact tracing.

Speaker, is the minister satisfied with this four-day waiting time, and why has she failed to provide rapid testing to First Nations, as was promised months ago?

Hon. Christine Elliott: I would say through you to the member, Speaker, that we have always considered all of our Indigenous communities to be subject to particular vulnerability with respect to COVID-19. That has always been the situation.

We have always worked throughout—including regular engagements with the Minister of Indigenous Affairs, as well as with myself—having close contact with members of the communities to make sure that they have the supplies, to make sure that the testing is being done, to make sure that they are protected, because we knew that this was a community that could be susceptible to COVID-19. That has continued throughout, and we have worked with the federal government as well, to make sure that they are doing their part as well.

I would also indicate that we have spent money. We know that we need to provide additional services. We provided $37 million to these communities in the face of COVID-19, which includes $16.4 million to help with the distribution of goods; transportation support for urban Indigenous people; self-isolation; prevention awareness; and pandemic planning. We have also spent $10 million to ensure continuity of services, $7.4 million to ensure that social service providers have the—

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

The next question.

COVID-19 response

Mr. Stephen Blais: My question is for the Minister of Health. Ottawa’s chief medical officer has declared that our city is in a second wave of COVID-19, with case counts that we haven’t seen for months and a testing strategy so flawed that people stand in lines for hours before the centres open. There was a line one kilometre long on Moodie Drive last week, 11 new tragic deaths at the West End Villa long-term-care facility and now an elementary school, the first in the province, is going to be closed for two weeks because of extensive COVID-19 exposure.

The government is sitting on billions in federal COVID-19 assistance, and they’ve promised for months that they have a fall second wave plan. Fall begins tomorrow. The second wave is here. Where is the plan?

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the member very much for the question. We have already taken action with respect to some of the long lineups. In Ottawa, as I indicated earlier, we have increased capacity by extending the hours of a number of the assessment centres. There are 41 assessment centres in the entire east region. The total daily average visits are 5,100 people. We’ve already taken action by having those assessment centres expand their hours of service, and we also have some mobile testing services that are available in pop-up centres in those areas where the greatest lineups are occurring.

We are also looking at bringing others on; we are looking at expanding capacity by having other organizations provide service. That is being taken care of.

With respect to the advent of a second wave, we have prepared for a second wave. We have a plan that is about to be released. It’s going to be released immediately, but that doesn’t mean we’re not already implementing parts of the plan. We will be discussing that with the members of the public, but the plan is being implemented as we speak.

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

Mr. Stephen Blais: My supplementary is also for the minister. If the government has a plan for a second wave of COVID-19, how does the Premier roll into Ottawa last week and immediately contradict the Chief Medical Officer of Health on who needs a COVID-19 test? They don’t have a plan to improve physical distancing in schools; we know this for a fact, because they voted against it last week.

The iron ring around long-term care has crumbled, and despite what we heard earlier from the Minister of Long-Term Care, I want to quote an employee at the West End Villa: “[Workers are] going from room to room, working with these residents, caring for them, and they do not have the proper N95 masks to use....”

The Financial Accountability Officer has confirmed that the government has only contributed three cents on the dollar for COVID-19 supports, yet there remain billions in federal dollars available to the government in their accounts.

We’ve known that a fall second wave is coming. Where is the plan and why won’t they show it to Ontarians?

Hon. Christine Elliott: As I indicated earlier, there is a plan, it is being implemented and it is going to be released immediately, but it does address all of the issues that you have referred to.

Our government is putting hundreds of millions of dollars into protecting Ontarians’ health and well-being, and we have been in discussions with the federal government with respect to the monies that are available to us for expanding our testing and lab facilities, for contact tracing and for mental health facilities.

All of these options are being developed. They are ready to go. They are in our plan. They are being brought forward. We have already substantially increased our testing capacity, which was at 25,000. We’re now easily at 35,000 and close to 40,000. We will be at 50,000 available tests in a very short order.

So we are fulfilling our plan; we are increasing our testing and our lab capacity. We are ready for the fall and everything else that it will bring with it, including the flu, and making sure that we can continue with the surgeries and procedures that were postponed—

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

The next question.

Ontario Digital Service

Ms. Natalia Kusendova: Ma question est pour le président du secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, government and businesses in Ontario have had to adapt by using digital tools and technology. We all had to adapt our work routines; for example, using Zoom or StreamYard to conduct meetings or town halls.

Business owners in my riding are telling me that purchases are increasingly being done online, business meetings are conducted through video chat, and e-signatures have replaced pen and ink. Many of these changes have proven to improve the quality and speed of doing business.

The government and the public service as well have had to change with the times. We have seen, over the past several months, the use of virtual doctors’ visits, online court tools and several products rolled out by the Ontario Digital Service.

Mr. Speaker, my question is for the President of the Treasury Board: Could the honourable member inform this House about the recent work of the Ontario Digital Service?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: I thank the fine member from Mississauga Centre, including her work as a registered nurse on the front lines through the pandemic.

I’m very proud of the work that the Ontario Digital Service, which is now part of the Treasury Board, has done over the last couple of months. They are digital experts, they are data scientists, and they are working to make things simpler and faster and better to help protect Ontarians and all health and safety for everyone.

Just last week, the Minister of Education, through the Ontario Digital Service’s work, created a screening tool to allow parents and students to check on the website to find out whether they should be coming to school or not. If some of the others had actually done that screening, they might not have gone to school.

Mr. Speaker, we are embracing technology for the lives of Ontarians and the health and safety for Ontarians, and we’ll continue to do that on behalf of all Ontarians.

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

Ms. Natalia Kusendova: Thank you to the minister for his answer. It’s great to hear about the work of the Ontario Digital Service. I understand that the Ontario Digital Service worked with the Canadian Digital Service to develop and launch the free COVID Alert app. The app notifies users who may have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19, and by doing so supports early detection, testing and self-isolation.

This made-in-Ontario tool is a growing success, with Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick actively supporting the use of it, with more provinces to come. It’s great to see that more than 2.6 million people have downloaded the COVID Alert app.

Can the President of the Treasury Board tell the House more about this new, innovative digital tool?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Thank you again for the question. I just checked, and I got a green thumb on my app. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to do that, but I just did.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): You’re not, but you can conclude your answer.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for that intervention.

I will say, without using any material, that the app is working. More than 2.6 million people have downloaded the app, and I’m very pleased to say that Saskatchewan and New Brunswick have just joined the family of COVID Alert apps across this country that started in Ontario, a made-in-Ontario app.

In fact, a few weeks ago, CTV reported that earlier this summer, an individual was notified through the app that they were exposed to COVID-19. That individual and their friend both got tested, and both were positive for COVID-19.

Let’s all do our part. I encourage all Ontarians, all members of this House, to do their part to protect others, protect yourselves and protect Ontario. Download the COVID Alert app today.

School transportation

Mr. Jamie West: My question is to the Premier. On Labour Day, one day before the start of school, Sudbury families learned that 25 school bus routes had been cancelled. You can only imagine how angry and upset students and parents in Sudbury were when they found out the day before school started. When reached by the Sudbury Star, the executive director of the Sudbury Student Services had this to say, Speaker, “For some drivers, when they found out that the return would be regular capacity on our school buses with only children from grades 4 to 12 needing to mask, they decided not to come back.”

Speaker, if the Conservative back-to-school plan is so amazing, why are so many school bus drivers deciding not to come back to the profession that they love?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: In the province of Ontario, for many, many years, we have faced—across this country we’ve faced—a shortage of drivers within our schools. This has been a real challenge that the former government faced and this government faces. What we have done to help counter that trend, given that many of these workers are older—and, of course, I can appreciate their own considerations and their own health in the context of returning to work—is we have provided the extension of the driver retention program, a $40-million allocation; essential wage enhancements to incentivize these workers to stay.

We’ve provided the complete offering of PPE, including face shields and masks. We’ve provided more latitude for cleaning. In fact, we’ve mandated a higher standard of cleaning within our buses.

We’re doing everything we can, working with the Ontario school bus drivers’ association, to ensure that our school bus drivers are there for moms and dads in this province so that, ultimately, kids can get to class safely each and every day.

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

Mr. Jamie West: The government, in fact, is providing everything but limiting the amount of kids in schools.

During the first week of school, 25 routes were cancelled in Sudbury. Last week, parents found out that 19 bus routes were cancelled. I checked two days ago, on Saturday, and no routes were cancelled. I checked again this morning. Fifteen school bus routes were cancelled in Sudbury. Imagine the uncertainty for Sudbury families.

The root cause of this is school bus drivers don’t trust the Conservatives’ flawed back-to-school plan. They simply don’t, no matter what the minister says. The majority of our bus drivers are either vulnerable seniors, or parents with preschool-aged children. They want to work, they absolutely want to work, but they can’t risk their health or the health of their families.

Bus drivers and parents want to know why COVID-19 best practices like social distancing are enforced everywhere but on the school buses that transport our children. Will the minister commit today to capping buses at 50% capacity—that can be the everything that you’ve done—to better protect students and drivers while preventing the spread of COVID-19?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: We have provided school boards with an additional $75 million in support for transportation, recognizing the difficulty this year especially, but a difficulty that has existed in this country for all provinces and, really, for all parents for well over a decade.

What we have done, as I affirmed, is provided route protection funding to the extent possible for school boards that deliver buses and bus transportation to parents, that they have more funding to help backstop them. We’ve also provided an extension of the driver retention program to help retain these workers within our—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. The member for Davenport, come to order.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: We’ve provided PPE and training for these workers, and we continue to be there for them. It’s why, just a few weeks ago, the Premier and I announced an additional investment for school bus cleaning.

We have ensured all layers of prevention are in place. We’ve also ensured assigned seating within our buses, from a contact management process, so that the integrity of that process is retained, when and if these challenges arise.

In every area, we’ve followed the public health advice. We’ll continue to be there for parents, for school boards and, of course, for the children of our province.

Forest industry

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: My question is to the Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry. As the province continues to safely and gradually reopen, our government is committed to encouraging economic growth and job creation in the forest sector.

Sustainable Growth: Ontario’s Forest Sector Strategy couldn’t come at a better time. It is our government’s plan to create jobs, supporting the Indigenous, northern and rural communities that depend on this sector, while ensuring the province’s forests are managed sustainably for generations to come. All around the world, people are looking to industries and products that are sustainable.

My question to the minister is: How sustainable are Ontario’s forest management practices?

Hon. John Yakabuski: I’d like to thank the member from Perth–Wellington for that great question. What better time to talk about forestry than during the 100th anniversary of Forest Week here and across Canada?

Stewardship and sustainability is the number one pillar of our new forest sector strategy, which people have been waiting for for years in the province of Ontario, a province where so many people, so many communities, depend on this bedrock industry, one of the ones that established this province.

Here in Ontario, here’s our pitch: If you harvest trees, you replant trees. For every tree that we harvest, three are planted; three take root. We have 71 million hectares of forest in our province of Ontario, of which 28 million hectares are crown-managed. Do you know what we harvest? Less than one half of 1% of that crown-managed forest each and every year. Under our program, in the way that we consider sustainability a bedrock principle, we will have forestry to supply and provide jobs for generations to come.

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

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: I want to thank the minister for that response. It’s great to hear how sustainable our forestry practices are, but we are all wondering these days about our job prospects. COVID-19 has been challenging for us all, and we in this government are focused on a recovery that puts our health and safety right on par with job creation.

Ontario’s forest industry is critical to the provincial economy and many communities, generating over $18 billion in revenue and supporting approximately 147,000 direct and indirect jobs in regions with few other industries. Our province is home to an abundance of renewable natural resources, but we know that it can be difficult to get them to market, as many are found in the northernmost parts of the province. What specific actions has our government taken to make it easier for forestry to grow and thrive?

Hon. John Yakabuski: Thanks again to the member for that question. The United Nations has predicted that demand for forestry products will grow by 30% between now and the year 2030. Through this COVID crisis, we’ve seen how important our forest industry is. Just try to get some lumber these days; it’s in short supply.

We’re going to make sure that Ontario can sustainably harvest more timber than it used to. It has only been harvesting about half of what it did only 20 years ago, yet we plant 73 million trees a year in Ontario and drop 365 million seeds to ensure regeneration. Our forests are sustainable, with 147,000 direct and indirect jobs in the province of Ontario. There are products now that could replace so many single-use plastics because of modernization in our forestry industry.

There are good times ahead in forestry. Our forest sector strategy supports that. I want the people of Ontario to know that forestry in Ontario is a great business: great today, great for the future.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: My question is to the Premier. Recently, I received an email from a constituent. After exhibiting symptoms, he visited the Carling Heights testing centre in London in the hopes of getting tested. He arrived at 10:45 a.m. He was there until 3 p.m., when he finally got to the preliminary testing, and he was told it would take three hours to get tested. He had to go to work, so he left without getting tested. He couldn’t afford to miss work.

A six-hour wait time to get tested is unreasonable. Both testing centres in London have routinely been overcapacity and one is closed on the weekend. Will the government commit to adequately funding and resourcing public health units to decrease the wait times at testing centres?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you to the member for the question. We are certainly aware that there are parts of Ontario where there are long lineups for assessments, but we are taking steps immediately to reduce those lineups, because we want everybody who feels that they have symptoms, who may have been exposed to somebody with COVID-19, to get a test and have a timely response to it. That applies both to students who are returning to school or colleges and universities now and people who are returning to work.

Right now, there are 36 assessment centres in western Ontario, where the total daily average number of visits is 5,600. But we are increasing the hours for these assessment centres to be open so that they can deal with and test more people without having to wait in a long lineup. We’re also opening new centres and pop-up centres to allow for people to be able to have a test in a more timely manner.

Just with some specifics, there is a new location planned for the Norfolk General Hospital as of September 21; Northern Bruce Peninsula, an increase of—

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

Supplementary question.

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: With people across the province going back to work and kids going back to school, the increased demand for testing was inevitable. The government had months to fully prepare for the second wave. People feel like this government is throwing away all the hard work Ontarians have done these past six months to keep the spread of COVID low.

With rising case counts and longer-than-ever lineups for testing, the anxiety in London is growing. What is the government doing to protect the people of London?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Well, first, Speaker, let me say to the member, through you, that the health and well-being of all Ontarians is our top priority. It always has been since this pandemic first struck us. We are taking every step that we can to make sure that they are protected. We are increasing our resources to make sure that we can increase our testing and our lab capacity, so that once the tests are taken they can be processed quickly; to be prepared for upcoming flu season; and to make sure that we can have the health human resources that we need in hospitals, long-term-care homes and home and community care.

We are doing all of that. We have a plan. The plan is going to be released immediately. We are spending more money. We have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to increase this capacity. We have increased the number of tests to 40,000 and we are well on our way to 50,000 tests. We are going to make sure that we protect people across the province, including, as the member suggested, in western Ontario, but it will be across the entire province.

Curriculum

Miss Christina Maria Mitas: My question is for the Minister of Education. Speaker, I have heard time and time again from parents in my riding how concerned they are with the decline in math education that they’re seeing in their children’s schools over the last several years. Kids are struggling with basic math concepts, while their parents are at their wits’ end. They know how important math is for their children, and they know that their children are falling behind their international counterparts when it comes to mathematical scores in ways that are both substantial and very worrisome.

Can the minister please share some details of how we are preparing our children to get the math skills they need to succeed and why it is so very important that we tackle this problem immediately?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I want to thank the member from Scarborough Centre for her leadership and also for her insight as an educator and as a parent here in Toronto.

Speaker, as we respond to this pandemic, I think we cannot lose sight of what we are here to do in the Ministry of Education: yes, to keep kids safe, but to ensure quality learning continues. That is our obligation. When over half the student population of grade 6 are not meeting the provincial math standard in this province, at a time when we see massive economic disruption to the labour market and more fierce competition for good-paying jobs, we have to do more and step it up when it comes to math performance and really embracing that area of STEM education.

It’s why this government announced a four-year math strategy: $200 million focusing on the foundations of math and numeracy skills that are going to give our kids a leg up and a competitive advantage in the labour market.

Our focus is on improving performance. It’s about solving every day problems and increasing employability in the labour market. We’re going to continue to focus on raising the standard of math in our province.

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

Miss Christina Maria Mitas: I’m so pleased to hear that our government is taking math education so seriously. After years of Liberal mismanagement, our government is doing what is right: We are prioritizing math education.

Speaker, part of our math strategy is to ensure that educators have fundamental knowledge of the math and core math skills that are embedded within our provincial curriculum documents. Can the minister tell me why this is so very important to our children and to the parents of Ontario?

Our commitment is to raise the bar for educators by investing in professional development, and raise the bar for our students by giving them every opportunity to learn math in this province using a modern curriculum.

Schitt’s Creek

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I understand the member for Toronto–St. Paul’s has a point of order.

Ms. Jill Andrew: It’s a very, very happy one. As we know, of course, the arts have been saving our mental souls during this difficult time, and I just wanted to take a chance and say congratulations to Schitt’s Creek, our made-in-Canada comedy show that won seven—seven—Emmy Awards in the comedy category, a first in Emmys history. So congratulations to the cast and crew of Schitt’s Creek.

Notice of dissatisfaction

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Pursuant to standing order 36(a), the member for Ottawa South has given notice of his dissatisfaction with the answer to his question given by the Minister of Long-Term Care concerning a second wave of COVID-19 in long-term-care homes. This matter will be debated Tuesday at 6 p.m.

There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1156 to 1300.

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

Mr. Jeremy Roberts: I beg leave to present the fourth interim report, Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Municipalities, Construction and Building of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Mr. Roberts has presented the committee’s report. Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Mr. Jeremy Roberts: The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs is pleased to present this, our fourth interim report, this time touching on the impact of COVID-19 on municipalities, construction and building.

The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing appeared as the first witness for these hearings. Following the minister’s update, the committee received submissions from dozens of organizations, businesses and individuals from across the province representing Ontario’s municipalities and construction and building sectors.

On behalf of the committee, I would like to take a moment to thank each and every one of the witnesses who took the time to share their views and opinions with us. I would also like to take the opportunity to thank our Chair, who couldn’t be here today, the members of the committee, the Clerk of the committee and the committee staff for their commitment, hard work, and co-operation over the course of this study.

Report presented.

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Forest firefighting / Lutte contre les incendies de forêt

Hon. John Yakabuski: I rise today to recognize the exceptional efforts of staff in my ministry in protecting our province during this year’s wildfire season. Our firefighters, pilots, emergency personnel and the support staff responsible for coordinating their efforts have always been a source of pride for us, delivering world-class wildland fire protection here at home, in other provinces and, as our capacity permits, around the globe whenever called upon. They deliver this service year after year, protecting people and property from wildland fire in some of the most hazardous of conditions, and offering support and expertise to other jurisdictions in their hour of need.

This year, our staff have had to contend with a fire season like no other. The COVID-19 outbreak, which has caused so much disruption to our economy and our way of life, made the logistical and technical challenges of combatting fires much more difficult. Nothing is more important than protecting the safety of the people and communities across our province, including our staff. That’s why we put measures in place at the start of this year’s wildland fire season to strengthen emergency preparedness and to protect our fire rangers.

It gives me immense pride to report that our fire personnel took on the unprecedented challenges of fighting fires during a pandemic with the professionalism, dedication and courage that we’ve always known them for. Thanks to these admirable qualities and a depth of experience, our province is an internationally recognized leader in wildland fire management.

Ontario’s wildland fire program is led by the Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services branch within the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. My ministry is the lead organization responsible for protecting people, property, communities and resources from natural hazards, including wildland fire. Their efforts are coordinated through my ministry’s emergency operations centre, which is headquartered in Sault Ste. Marie.

The ministry emergency operations centre coordinates the protection of some 90 million hectares of crown land throughout the province.

Protection on this scale is no small undertaking. It’s a vast and complex logistical challenge, and the Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services branch has significant resources and personnel at its disposal to combat these fires. This includes 32 fire management facilities across the province, eight aviation bases and an extensive inventory of fire suppression equipment. Approximately 800 highly trained professional fire rangers fight fires on the ground, with an additional 80 private sector fire crews and another 320 personnel able to be brought in as needed.

My ministry also maintains a fleet of specialized aircraft that are used to detect and suppress wildland fires across Ontario and provide other aviation services. This includes nine CL-415 heavy water bombers, six Twin Otters, five Turbo Beavers and eight helicopters. To pilot and maintain this fleet, my ministry has a crew of 51 fixed-wing pilots, 17 helicopter pilots and almost 50 aircraft maintenance engineers. It also takes over 500 support staff to coordinate fire protection efforts: operations officers, planners, managers, technical analysts and logistics personnel. Their technical expertise and strategic acumen are vital to the process.

Fire protection is truly a team effort, and my ministry doesn’t do it alone. In fact, we rely on collaborative relationships with many partners here in Ontario, in other Canadian provinces and, as I said earlier, around the world. We have arrangements with municipalities across the province to extinguish and control wildland fires within their boundaries and to coordinate training, compliance and suppression activities. We also have agreements with northern fire departments, Indigenous communities, Canada’s national parks and the Department of National Defence.

We work with volunteer departments and Indigenous communities to offer training, community wildfire protection planning and wildland fire hazard risk assessments.

Our province is party to numerous mutual-aid agreements with provinces across Canada and other countries around the world. These agreements allow for the sharing of resources to minimize the burden on any single jurisdiction during an exceptional fire season. Many in the Legislature will recall the 2018 fire season in Ontario. That year was one of the worst fire seasons on record, and it tested my ministry’s firefighting capacity to its limits. It also showed us very clearly the value of having strong partnerships in place.

To assist us during those extraordinary circumstances we were sent firefighters, support staff and equipment from partners in other provinces, American states and from as far away as Mexico.

Just as we’ve benefited from support from partners in our time of need, we offer our help when our friends need it. In late 2019 and early 2020, my ministry deployed 35 fire personnel to Australia to help with an unprecedented bushfire season that made headlines around the world. We were also proud to send 120 fire rangers and four support staff to Quebec this June to help combat the massive Lac Saint-Jean wildland fire.

And just last week, our province deployed 19 specialized staff to help manage fire operations on the ground in Oregon as the west coast of America deals with a devastating wildland fire situation, battling dozens of catastrophic wildfires across a large swath of land. Our thoughts are with the people of California, Washington and Oregon as they face this unimaginable situation. Partnerships like the ones I’ve described provide certainty in dealing with fires, which are by definition unpredictable—certainty that help will come if it’s needed.

The year 2020 will be remembered for many things, but surely most of all the COVID-19 pandemic. For many of us, the measures to slow the spread have caused major upheavals in our daily lives, keeping loved ones safe and managing busy households and work schedules under lockdown. But for those on the front lines, their day-to-day jobs had to continue, despite being put at higher risk of infection by the very nature of their work.

We’ve seen countless examples of everyday heroism from front-line workers during this pandemic, from health care workers to grocery store employees, to public transit operators and law enforcement. Our fire rangers and support staff have also been on the front lines while preparing for the 2020 season, and then fighting fires.

Our government took additional steps this year to protect people and property during the fire season. That includes an increase in base funding for emergency forest firefighting by $30 million this year. This allowed us to strengthen our preparedness for any emergencies and to ensure safety measures were in place to protect our fire rangers from COVID-19.

On April 3, the province also took immediate action to ensure our emergency response system remains strong during the outbreak by implementing a restricted fire zone across Ontario’s legislated fire region. This was an important measure to reduce the risk of preventable human-caused fires in the spring. It allowed our emergency responders to focus their efforts where they were needed most, as we fought to stop the spread of the virus. While the restriction was lifted on May 16, we have continued to take steps to keep people safe as the fire season unfolded.

My staff adapted to the evolving threat of COVID-19 with remarkable agility, merging the recommendations of the Chief Medical Officer of Health into their practices. They trained using physical distancing and housed fire crews differently, all while carrying out their usual preparations under this new reality. Ministry staff recognized that the pandemic could aggravate any emergency fire situation, adding a new dimension of risk for firefighters and communities threatened by fire. To stave off this compounded risk, they placed an even stronger focus on early detection and combatting detected fires with full force in order to keep them small and more manageable.

Since April 1, there have been a total of around 600 fires on the landscape, which is far below the 10-year average at this time of year of 847. The total area burned so far this year is around 15,500 hectares, which is less than 10% of the 10-year average of more than 162,000 hectares. However, two fires this summer prompted community evacuations, those burning near the town of Red Lake and Eabametoong First Nation.

Conducting these evacuations amid the COVID-19 pandemic amounted to an emergency within an emergency. In addition to the significant logistical challenges of moving people to safety on short notice, these evacuations had to be conducted observing strict public health protocols and ensuring that there were adequate personal protective equipment and other precautions in place.

Thanks to the heroic work by all involved, both of these fires are now under control and residents have been able to return to their communities. In fact, they are now considered to be out.

There are many people to acknowledge in the successful evacuations of Red Lake and Eabametoong First Nation and in the fight to contain the fire that threatened them. Ministry personnel fighting the fire in Red Lake would not have succeeded without the exceptional co-operation from the municipality of Red Lake, from the Ontario Provincial Police and the local emergency management team. They also received generous support from local business owners who stayed behind to provide critical services and supplies to aid in the firefighting efforts—things like gasoline, groceries, jet fuel and bulldozers.

Nearby Manitoba also joined the fight against the Red Lake fire, providing water bombers and air tankers to combat the blaze.

The evacuation of the Eabametoong First Nation succeeded thanks to assistance from members of the community, federal partners, Emergency Management Ontario, and the generosity of the communities that hosted evacuees: Timmins, Kapuskasing and Thunder Bay. On behalf of a grateful province, I would like to acknowledge the contributions of these individuals, organizations and municipalities. Thanks to their tireless efforts under trying circumstances, we have been able to protect Ontario from a fire season like no other.

It is a

chapter in our history that proves we are capable of prevailing against any manner of threat through our ingenuity, organization, generosity and collaborative spirit. We will need to draw on these qualities more than ever as we move beyond 2020. I ask all honourable members to join me in recognizing the extraordinary work of our firefighters during this year’s extraordinary season.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Responses?

M. Guy Bourgouin: C’est un honneur de me lever aujourd’hui au nom du caucus néo-démocrate pour parler des garde-feux—comme nous, on aime les appeler, les sapeurs de feu—et de leur rôle dans la région du Nord.

Tout d’abord, j’aimerais remercier tous et toutes les garde-feux de l’Ontario pour leur travail constant, pour leur passion pour notre forêt.

Vous savez, le métier de garde-feu est incroyable. Il exige du côté physique et mental mais aussi du flanc émotionnel. Souvent les garde-feux passent des semaines loin de leur famille et doivent faire face à des situations à très haut risque, où la ligne entre la vie et la mort est souvent très, très mince. Ça prend vraiment de la détermination, de la force, une concentration incassable et, par-dessus tout, un bien-être des autres pour être un garde-feu.

Le travail de garde-feu et la vie en forêt touchent aussi une corde sensible pour moi. Mon neveu Travis Vernier, par exemple. J’aimerais dire bonjour à Travis. Je sais qu’il ne m’écoute pas comme c’est là; il a son arc en main puis il court probablement après un orignal, mais salut, Travis. Il était technicien en gestion de feu de forêt à Geraldton. Il m’exprimait des expériences qu’il avait, comment ils se font déposer dans des marécages, que souvent ils sont juste déposés là et ils sont pris pour aller se battre contre les feux. Je peux vous dire que ça prend un physique puis un mental très forts.

Tout ça pour vous dire que les efforts de travail des garde-feux est un élément essentiel dans la gestion de nos forêts chez nous dans le nord de l’Ontario. Vous avez entendu le ministre parler des pilotes, des sapeurs de feu, et comment ils sont habiles, comment ils font la différence quand ça vient au feu. On oublie aussi que quand les forêts passent au feu que la forêt n’est pas perdue. On a une vitrine pour être capable d’aller chercher ce bois-là puis l’amener au moulin à scie pour être capable de ne pas perdre cette grande ressource-là en province.

Puis on parle aussi de l’impact économique de l’industrie forestière. Vous savez, dans ma région, une grande région, où notre industrie forestière est l’industrie la plus importante de notre région, comment c’est dévastateur quand on a des feux, pourquoi c’est tellement important d’avoir ces sapeurs ou ces garde-feux,sans mentionner les communautés, aussi, des Premières Nations. Le ministre en a parlé, qu’ils sont obligés de se faire déplacer, combien d’impact cela a sur leur communauté, sur leur vie.

But there are critical regional, historic and social and even cultural aspects that are part of an integrative forest management plan, and oftentimes neglected.

Indigenous leadership, stewardship and knowledge play an increasingly important role in forest management and sustainability, but we are still a long way from a balanced partnership.

Some good news: First Nations have increasingly gained leadership roles in forest management units. A business operated through a partnership of three First Nations will develop the 10-year management plan for Ogoki forest.

Here are some of the issues that call for improvement: Out of some 31 forest management units in Ontario, fewer than five are governed by Indigenous companies. Also, as massive forest fires consume large portions of forests and human and financial resources, and as climate change points to an increase in the severity of frequency of wildfires, Indigenous knowledge can and must be effectively incorporated into forest management practices. And the Ontario government needs to remember that it has a legal duty to consult First Nations on any decisions or actions that impact treaty territory.

Last July, First Nations across northern Ontario expressed their concerns that they were not consulted before Bill 197 was passed—all of this despite the fact treaty rights to consultation.

Speaker, we know how fragile our forest industry is. The balance between growth, sustainability, heritage and Indigenous stewardship is at risk.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: It’s an honour to rise and respond to the minister’s statement on wildfire management, and to honour our firefighters. I appreciate the words—both the minister and the NDP response—acknowledging the hard-working men and women who protect us from forest fires: the first responders, municipal leaders, OPP officers, the people on the ground protecting us. They deserve our sincere thanks and gratitude for putting their lives on the line to protect us.

I especially want to acknowledge the communities of Red Lake and the Eabametoong First Nation, who experienced evacuations this year. I was on a Zoom call just a couple of weeks ago speaking with members of the Red Lake community, and one told me the story that she and her daughter were out blueberry-picking that morning, and they could see the smoke building, so they rushed home and then they learned of the evacuation order. It highlights the importance of things like early detection, rapid response, the hard work to control fires.

It also highlights the importance of Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous leadership in forest management, and how, too often, settler communities have ignored the wisdom of Indigenous leaders who have managed forests and managed fires in sustainable ways as stewards of this land for centuries.

Speaker, I’m going to have to mention something, and I want to do this to honour the firefighters. The minister used words such as “unprecedented”, “record-breaking,” “catastrophic,” “unimaginable” to describe the fire season, and all those words apply. But there’s one word the minister didn’t use. That word is “climate change.”

Mr. Percy Hatfield: That’s two words.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Sorry; two words. I appreciate the member.

You might want to say “climate crisis” or “climate emergency” or “climate catastrophe.” But the bottom line is, if we’re going to honour the people who are protecting us from wildfires, we have to honour them by acting on the climate crisis. Any mention of honouring these folks without saying that we are going to take concrete steps to address the very emergency that’s threatening all of us—my brother lives in Oregon. He called me and talked to me about the fact that his children can’t go outside and play because the air is so toxic. I said, “That toxic air—you can see it in Ontario.

You can see the haze in Ontario.” We felt it in Australia last year. Literally, the world is on fire, and the link between climate change and the increasing severity of forest fires is undeniable. That link isn’t just in California, Oregon, Washington or the west coast; that link is in Ontario.

I want to talk about a study that said that, according to scientists, western Canada will see a 50% increase in the number of dry, windy days that let fires start and spread through the ongoing climate crisis, but eastern Canada will actually see a more dramatic increase, a 200% to 300% increase in the kinds of fire weather that is leading to the kinds of forest fires that we’re seeing on the west coast right now. Those researchers concluded—and I want to quote them: “Climate change is probably going to have the biggest impact in northwestern Ontario because that’s where it’s already the driest.”

Mr. Speaker, if we’re going to honour the forest firefighters, we have to honour them by fighting climate change, which is driving the very forest fires that threaten their lives and our lives.

Petitions

Long-term care

Mr. Percy Hatfield: I have a petition today entitled:

“Support Bill 153, the Till Death Do Us Part Act.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas there are 35,000 people on the wait-list for long-term care; and

“Whereas the median wait time for a long-term-care bed has risen from 99 days in 2011-12 to 152 days in 2018-19;”—Speaker, in parts of my riding it’s three to four years to get in certain homes—“and

“Whereas according to Home Care Ontario, the cost of a hospital bed is $842 a day, while the cost of a long-term-care bed is $126 a day; and

“Whereas couples should have the right to live together as they age; and

“Whereas Ontario seniors have worked hard to build this province and deserve dignity in care; and

“Whereas Bill 153 amends the Residents’ Bill of Rights in the Long-Term Care Homes Act to provide the resident with the right upon admission to continue to live with their spouse or partner;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to direct the Minister of Long-Term Care to pass Bill 153 and provide seniors with the right to live together as they age.”

I fully agree, I’m going to sign it and pass it along to the table officers.

Optometry services

Ms. Catherine Fife: I’d like to thank Pierce Family Vision for providing these names. It reads as follows:

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Ontario government has underfunded optometric eye care for 30 years; and

“Whereas optometrists now subsidize the delivery of OHIP-covered eye care by $173 million a year; and

“Whereas COVID-19 forced optometrists to close their doors, resulting in a 75%-plus drop in revenue; and

“Whereas optometrists will see patient volumes reduced between 40% and 60%, resulting in more than two million comprehensive eye exams being wiped out over the next 12 months; and

“Whereas communities across Ontario are in danger of losing access to optometric care;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To instruct the Ontario government to immediately establish a timetable and a process for renewed negotiations concerning optometry fees.”

I fully support this petition and will affix my signature.

Documents gouvernementaux

M me France Gélinas: J’aimerais remercier Joanne Gervais, la directrice de l’Association des communautés franco-ontariennes, mieux connue sous l’ACFO, pour ces pétitions.

« Alors qu’il est important d’avoir le nom exact des personnes sur les cartes émises par le gouvernement, tels la carte santé ou le permis de conduire;

« Alors que plusieurs personnes francophones ont des accents dans l’épellation de leur nom; » incluant moi.

« Alors que le ministère des Transports et le ministère de la Santé ont confirmé que le système informatique de l’Ontario ne permet pas l’enregistrement des lettres avec des accents; »

J’appuie cette pétition. Je vais la signer, et je l’emmène aux greffiers.

Climate change

Ms. Jessica Bell: This is a petition to the Ontario Legislative Assembly.

“For a Meaningful Climate Action Plan.

“Whereas our planet is undergoing significant warming with adverse consequences for health, for agriculture, for infrastructure and for our children’s future;

“Whereas the costs of inaction are severe, such as extreme weather events causing flooding and drought;

“Whereas Canada has signed the Paris accord which commits us to acting to keep temperature rise under 1.5 degrees...;

“We, the undersigned, call upon the government of Ontario to develop GHG reduction targets based on science that will meet our Paris commitment, an action plan to meet those targets and annual reporting on progress on meeting the targets. We call on the government to commit to providing funding through carbon pricing mechanisms for actions that must be taken to meet these targets.”

I fully support this petition, I’ll be affixing my signature to it and giving it to the usher.

Social assistance

Ms. Jill Andrew: I stand proudly on behalf of my constituents in St. Paul’s, especially Liza Butcher, and others across Ontario who have signed this petition with over 40,000 online signatures.

“Raise ODSP/OW shelter and basic needs allowances now.

“Whereas the COVID-19 crisis means that more people than ever are relying on support from the government to help pay rent and keep food on the table;

“Whereas most people in Ontario who receive social assistance aren’t eligible for the new, $2,000-a-month Canada Emergency Response Benefit—they’re expected to get by on as little as $650 a month; and

“Whereas affordable, subsidized, rent-geared-to-income housing is unavailable at this time and may be unavailable for the next 10 to 20 years due to a huge waiting list and zero vacancies; and

“Whereas clients need to eat, as well as pay rent, and since clients would still have to dip into their basic needs allowances to cover rent because even doubling the shelter allowance still won’t cover all of the rent at today’s prices, needed meds and other things not covered by the MSN forms have to be paid for out of basic needs, and some of these items are very expensive, including medical cannabis;

“Whereas Bill 47 erased many of the legislative gains achieved through Bill 148, the fair labour laws and working conditions that had a particularly positive impact on women and other marginalized people;

“Whereas statistics show that women, particularly women of colour, are most likely to be employed in precarious work, and the Bill 47 amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000, and Labour Relations Act, 1995, create conditions that lead to a growth in precarious employment while also eliminating protections for millions of Ontario workers;

“Whereas Bill 66 further erodes women and marginalized people’s social and economic rights;

“Whereas the Ford government continues to remove, cancel or freeze funding for other support programs and regulations that would increase women’s equality in the workforce and beyond;

“We, the undersigned, call on the Premier of Ontario to double Ontario disability support, ODSP, or Ontario Works rates to bring them in line with the CERB, because if laid-off workers need $2,000 a month to get by, so do people who receive ODSP and OW.”

I firmly support this petition. Thank you, St. Paul’s. I affix my signature, and hand it to the table.

Long-term care

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I want to thank the family council network for their advocacy on this file, and Carolyn and Wally Kitchen of Brantford for signing this petition.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas quality care for the 78,000 residents of LTC homes is a priority for many Ontario families; and

“Whereas the provincial government does not provide adequate funding to ensure care and staffing levels in LTC homes to keep pace with residents’ increasing needs and the growing number of residents with complex behaviours; and

“Whereas several Ontario coroner’s inquests into LTC homes deaths have recommended an increase in direct hands-on care for residents and staffing levels and the most reputable studies on this topic recommends 4.1 hours of direct care per day;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to amend the LTC Homes Act (2007) for a legislated minimum care standard to provide an average of four hours per resident per day, adjusted for acuity level and case mix.”

I fully support this petition, sign it and give it to the table.

Long-term care

M me France Gélinas: I would like to thank Diane Généreux from Val Therese in my riding for this petition. It reads as follows:

“Support Bill 153, the Till Death Do Us Part act.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

“Whereas there are 35,000 people on the wait-list for long-term care; and

“Whereas the median wait time for a long-term-care bed has risen from 99 days in 2011-12 to 152 days in 2018-19; and

“Whereas according to Home Care Ontario, the cost of a hospital bed is $842 a day, while the cost of a long-term-care bed is $126 a day; and

“Whereas couples should have the right to live together as they age; and

“Whereas Ontario seniors have worked hard to build this province and deserve dignity in care; and

“Whereas Bill 153 amends the Residents’ Bill of Rights in the Long-Term Care Homes Act to provide the resident with the right upon admission to continue to live with their spouse or partner;”

They petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To direct the Minister of Long-Term Care to pass Bill 153 and provide seniors with the right to live together as they age.”

I fully support this petition, will affix my name to it and send it to the table.

Long-term care

Ms. Catherine Fife: This petition is entitled “Support Bill 153, the Till Death Do Us Part act.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas there are 35,000 people on the wait-list for long-term care; and

“Whereas the median wait time for a long-term-care bed has risen from 99 days in 2011-12 to 152 days in 2018-19; and

“Whereas according to Home Care Ontario, the cost of a hospital bed is $842 a day, while the cost of a long-term-care bed is $126 a day; and

“Whereas couples should have the right to live together as they age; and

“Whereas Ontario seniors have worked hard to build this province and deserve dignity in care; and

“Whereas Bill 153 amends the Residents’ Bill of Rights in the Long-Term Care Homes Act to provide the resident with the right upon admission to continue to live with their spouse or partner;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to direct the Minister of Long-Term Care to pass Bill 153 and provide seniors with the right to live together as they age.”

It’s my pleasure to support this petition—because it’s mine—and also affix my signature.

Health care funding

M me France Gélinas: I would like to thank Manon Emond from Hanmer in my riding for this petition. It reads as follows:

“Neurological Movement Disorder Clinic in Sudbury.

“Whereas northeastern Ontario has a high rate of neurological movement disorders; and

“Whereas specialized neurological movement disorder clinics provide essential health care services to those living with diseases such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, dystonia, Tourette’s and others; and

“Whereas the city of Greater Sudbury is recognized as a hub for health care in northeastern Ontario;”

They petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“Immediately set up a neurological movement disorder clinic in the Sudbury area that is staffed by a neurologist who specializes in the treatment of movement disorders, a physiotherapist and a social worker, at a minimum.”

I support this petition, will affix my name to it and send it to the table.

Long-term care

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I want, once again, to thank Mark Darrah of Brockville for sending this petition.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the province of Ontario requires a minimum but no maximum temperature in long-term-care homes;

“Whereas temperatures that are too hot can cause emotional and physical distress that may contribute to a decline in a frail senior’s health;

“Whereas front-line staff in long-term-care homes al