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May 11, 2021

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2021-May-11 (PDF)

L261 - Tue 11 May 2021 / Mar 11 mai 2021

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 11 May 2021 Mardi 11 mai 2021

Orders of the Day

Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 ouvrant des perspectives dans les métiers spécialisés

Members’ Statements

Anti-racism activities

Bernie Daynes

Nurses

Ramadan

Nurses

Anti-racism activities

Ferguson Arthur Jenkins / Anti-racism activities

Nurses

Volunteers in Northumberland–Peterborough South

GO Transit

Question Period

COVID-19 response

COVID-19 immunization

COVID-19 response

COVID-19 immunization

Small business

Anti-racism activities

Border security

COVID-19 response

Small business

Border security

COVID-19 immunization

COVID-19 response

Affordable housing

Child care

COVID-19 immunization

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Government Agencies

Introduction of Bills

Anti-Racism Amendment Act (Anti-Asian Racism and Incidents of Hate), 2021 / Loi de 2021 modifiant la Loi contre le racisme (racisme envers les Asiatiques et incidents haineux)

Orders of the Day

Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 ouvrant des perspectives dans les métiers spécialisés

Private Members’ Public Business

Tenant protection

Adjournment Debate

Long-term care

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 ouvrant des perspectives dans les métiers spécialisés

Resuming the debate adjourned on May 10, 2021, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 288,

An Act to enact the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021 / Projet de loi 288, Loi édictant la Loi de 2021 ouvrant des perspectives dans les métiers spécialisés.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): When this House last debated Bill 288, I understand the member for Waterloo had the floor and has time on the clock. I recognize again the member for Waterloo to resume.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Yes, last night we concluded at 6 o’clock, and so I’m happy to spend the next seven minutes finishing up some of the points that I was trying to make at that time.

I did reference the lack of any sort of mention of women or Indigenous people in the bill, signaling that it was not constructed with an intersectional, gendered lens. There are very good reasons, as you know, Mr. Speaker, to include women, especially given the way that women have been negatively impacted during this pandemic. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce refers to it as a “she-cession,” and we need a “she-recovery” plan. As we have all acknowledged, the skilled trades are good jobs, and we want women to be part of the economic recovery for the province of Ontario.

Having legislation which acknowledges this gap would have been, I think, a progressive move for this so-called progressive government. So, I wanted to get that on the record.

And just a few stats, because identifying a gap and barriers to skilled trades for women and Indigenous folks needs to be acknowledged in this House. We do know from the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum that in 2012 women accounted for only 14.2% of all registrations of the trades. So we have to acknowledge that there is a barrier for women to even be attracted into the skilled trades.

We pointed out yesterday that, of course, the former Premier, Mr. Harris, ripped out and reduced the opportunities for the infrastructure in our schools for shops and for mechanics, and so that will have to be addressed, because the value, the power of the skilled trades is that it identifies experiential learning opportunities, acknowledging that we all have different strengths as learners. We will need this government to demonstrate that you are willing to invest in the infrastructure in our schools. The shops need to come back. There are good jobs, actually, to be created throughout that process.

While you’re at it, let’s upgrade the HVAC systems in all of our schools so that kids can actually stay in school, and address the ongoing health challenges that many scientists have identified.

Women’s representation in many trades, including automotive service technician, electrician and carpenter, is less than 5%. Yesterday, we heard the stat was at 7%, so we would encourage the government to embed an accountability factor in this legislation to track and to set targets, because you can’t measure what you’re not measuring; you can’t identify whether or not you’re being successful unless you do so.

The same CAF-FCA report said nearly half of Red Seal trades have no visible minority women and the other half only have between 1% and 12%. So a whole segment of our population of the province of Ontario is not being attracted to the trades, or the barriers are real. One of those big barriers, we know, is affordability. I did talk yesterday that my son Aidan has been on this journey. He’s very close to being an electrician; he’s about 400 or so hours shy of that 9,000-hour target. It has been a costly venture, in that there’s very little financial support for apprentices. The government needs to acknowledge that.

His friend group, who are all 22 now, have had real challenges finding employers to take them on as apprentices. The 2016 Auditor General report identified that those financial incentives—the tax credits, the bonus for completion—were not a successful mode of actually drawing apprentices into those employment opportunities, particularly for those first- and second-career apprentices. When Aidan is doing his trade school component, he’s working alongside 40-, 50-, 60-year-olds who have come back into the trade because they see that that’s where the jobs are. They want to be successful.

They want to reach their potential. I hope you can agree, Speaker, that you’re never too old to try to reach your potential. Some of us are still trying to achieve that on a regular basis.

The other component that we have some concerns about, primarily because of a long history of worker safety in the province of Ontario, is maintaining safety protocols throughout that apprenticeship experience. In Waterloo, when I was first elected in 2012, a young man, Nick Lalonde—and I talk about him each and every year, because he was 23 years old, he was in the construction trades and the training component had been little to none. The construction and the employer were actually fined.

He fell 11 storeys to his death, and every day when I’m going along King Street I think of Nick Lalonde, every single time, because there was no training protocol in place for him as an apprentice. The working-at-heights strategy had not been applied.

One of my first real, if you can even say, accomplishments was shaming the then Liberal government to act on the report on working at heights. It shouldn’t take that. We all want our workers, and especially those who are learning on the job—and that’s the connection for worker safety, Mr. Speaker. We have to acknowledge that there is a power imbalance between the apprentice—the trainee—and the trainer.

That has to be a sacred relationship in that the skills that are being imparted to that apprentice—those standards need to be very clear and that safety needs to be first and foremost, because, if you are learning about safety and you’re practising those safety measures, they will be part of your entire career as a tradesperson.

I do believe that it is time to streamline the apprenticeship program, having watched what my son has gone through. That process needs to be supported in very real and tangible ways—also financially—and we need, obviously, to address the stigma that still is attached to trades. Listen, my son is going to be making more money than me very soon, and I’m very happy about that. I’m also happy that he has found something he loves doing. Be it rewiring a basement, a kitchen, a bathroom, he loves what he’s doing. That’s what every parent wants for our children.

Let’s make sure that every parent in the province of Ontario who has a child who wants to go into the trades—that they do not face barriers along that route.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Questions and comments?

Ms. Jane McKenna: It’s great to hear about your son Aidan. I obviously talk about my son Mac on a regular basis. I’ll tell you two things I say to my kids all the time: “Don’t come and talk to me with a problem unless you have a solution,” and, “If you’re always looking in the rear-view mirror, you can’t move forward.” So, I say that in the House today because constantly talking about the past doesn’t help where we are today.

But I have a question. You talked about women at 14.2%. We realized, obviously, with my son going through school, but with counsellors—trying to get these kids into the skilled trades was very, very difficult. We’ve now, obviously, recognized kindergarten to grade 12. My question to you is, do you not agree that we needed a one-stop shop?

Ms. Catherine Fife: It’s interesting that the member from Burlington says that she doesn’t want to look back. I can understand why this government doesn’t want to look back, but the past can inform best practices. We need to learn what has happened in the past to correct our future action. That is what we are called upon as legislators, as lawmakers to, in fact, do. That is why we have not just rolled over on this piece of legislation. We’re going to do our due diligence to make sure that there are safety protocols, that it’s an inclusive process and that the barriers that still exist, which are systemic, are addressed.

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

Mr. Taras Natyshak: I’m so pleased to listen to my colleague from Waterloo, relaying the experience that her son is going through currently, real-time experience. It’s really wonderful to hear that he’s succeeding.

I remember being on crews in the construction industry where, as a rookie labourer, I didn’t know very much. I knew how to lift things that were heavy and move things around and put my body to work, but in terms of the skill, I was at the bottom of the barrel. Luckily, I relied on those veteran workers. There were many of them. Nine out of 10 were veterans, and I learned from them and they made me safer.

Does the member from Waterloo believe that a crew made up of veteran journeypersons is a safer crew, rather than inexperienced new workers who are put out without the training and safety protocols that we would expect veteran workers to have?

Ms. Catherine Fife: Thank you to the member from Essex for that. Obviously, the entire experiential learning opportunity and the strength of the apprenticeship program is predicated on the experience that the teacher has. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to many employers over my nine years here. They want to be those teachers. In fact, they even say that they need to be those teachers. But there is definitely a reluctance to take on apprentices, because there’s risk; there’s liability.

And clearly, the tax incentives and the tax breaks that the Auditor General had also identified were not sufficient. We need to make sure that those experienced journeymen have a very clear path and have a streamlined process whereby they can impart that knowledge. So I would agree with the member from Essex.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The member from Flamborough–Glanbrook has a question.

Ms. Donna Skelly: When we talk about looking back, I want to throw out Rae days. I think that that’s probably one of the reasons why we’re sitting over here and there’s going to be somebody sitting constantly on that side.

Interjections.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Order, please. Government members, opposition members, come to order, please.

Ms. Donna Skelly: Let’s talk about the journeymen. When I was first running for politics, I had met with a man who owned a plumbing company, and he wanted to hire his son. But because, at the time, the ratio was three journeymen per one apprentice, he couldn’t even bring on his own child, to act as a mentor. So we addressed that. The member opposite from Waterloo just raised the fact that it’s very difficult for young people to find journeymen to help them with their apprenticeship. Do you not believe that changing that provides more opportunities, changing the ratio from 3-to-1 to 1-to-1 gives young people an opportunity to enter skilled trades?

Ms. Catherine Fife: It’s interesting, because the member opposite brought up the past; I don’t know why they continue to do that. But we have to acknowledge what has happened in the province of Ontario, because if she’s going to bring up Bob Rae, I’m going to bring up Mike Harris. He was the Premier who ripped out the shops. You should be embarrassed. He ripped out the shops; he removed the infrastructure to impart the knowledge for the trades. He took this province so far back on the skilled trades front—never mind what he did to our long-term-care system.

Let me tell you this: However this piece of legislation moves forward, we’re going to make sure that the steps need to be in place and the due diligence has to happen in order for it to be successful so that people can actually reach their potential in Ontario.

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

Mr. Faisal Hassan: I would like to thank my colleague from Waterloo for her excellent presentation and also talking about the importance of the skilled trades in our economy and also the lack of participation of women and BIPOC people.

I know that this bill doesn’t set targets. I would like to ask my colleague from Waterloo the importance of a she-covery and why we need to have set targets for skilled trades.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Thank you very much for the question. Yes, you will never be able to actually say with any accuracy that you have successfully applied a program if you are not measuring it and setting targets and then reporting back in an accountable measure. Any legislation designed to make the province’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system more efficient, more accessible and easier to navigate should especially take into account making the system more accessible for women and other under-represented communities, more of whom are needed to deal with the shortage of skilled workers.

So, yes, to the member, it needs to be a very open and transparent process. That’s one of the major criticisms of the College of Trades for many years now.

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

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: I, too, have two sons in the trades. One of the biggest obstacles they face is with the College of Trades. This was something that they’ve had an issue with for as long as they’ve been—one’s an electrician; one’s a welder. The OCOT’s inadequacy has been apparent from the outset. The member from Mushkegowuk–James Bay has even said that the College of Trades needs to be fixed.

In the face of a new system specifically designed to address said inadequacies by simplifying the overall process, the members opposite now suddenly oppose these improvements. Why do you oppose these improvements?

Ms. Catherine Fife: I wish the member had listened. We are not opposed. We recognize that improvements need to happen. That’s why our critic yesterday, for one full hour, identified how we are going to try to make this legislation actually very workable for the people who we serve. Obviously, as a parent of a young apprentice, I have seen what has been happening with the College of Trades, particularly with the fees.

Now, one of the changes says that the minister may collect fees for registering for training and certification, but various trades wanted to know what became of the fees that have been left over from the College of Trades. The government, to date, has not mentioned what has happened with those fees that have thus far been collected by the College of Trades. Is that money now going into this new agency?

There’s a need for transparency around where the finances are going on a go-forward basis.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The member from Hamilton Mountain has a question.

Miss Monique Taylor: I’m pleased to be able to join in the debate a little bit this morning and to thank my colleague from Waterloo for the time that she spent on laying out the concerns that have constantly been within the trades.

One of the things that was issued was the trades being taken out of our high schools. I remember myself being in electrical class, being in carpentry class, and what that did for my knowledge base in being able to perform things today as a single woman and being able to take care of my own home. But the importance for young girls to be able to see themselves in the trades would start from that high school level, would start from that school and that experiential learning.

Would she not agree that putting the trades back into our school program would increase the number of young women involved, but also increase the skilled trades themselves?

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The member from Waterloo has 25 seconds to respond.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Thank you for the question. When I was president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, skilled trades were on the radar. We needed to make sure that guidance counsellors were actually part of that equation. The problem is that the trades are experiential learning opportunities. They are hands-on. You need to have the resources in the schools, and that will require an investment on behalf of this government.

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

Ms. Donna Skelly: I’m so honoured to be able to rise in the House today to speak to the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act. The provisions in this act are designed to modernize and streamline apprenticeship training in Ontario. This proposed legislation will help apprentices prepare for jobs that are in high demand. It will allow apprentices to complete their training faster. The measures our government is introducing will help tradespeople get their certification from one reliable, streamlined destination. They will do this through a new crown agency called Skilled Trades Ontario. That would replace the Ontario College of Trades.

This proposed legislation is intended to make the province’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system more efficient, more accessible and much easier to navigate. Under the proposed legislation, Skilled Trades Ontario would become the province’s industry-informed training authority to lead the promotion, research and development of the latest apprenticeship training and curriculum standards. It will also provide a seamless one-stop experience for client services, including apprentice registration and the issuance of certificates and renewals. It will also allow assessments to be conducted in one place, with many services offered digitally.

The skilled trades sector is the engine of our economy. Under the current system, responsibilities are shared between the Ontario College of Trades and the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development. This causes confusion and creates an added burden for individuals wanting to pursue a career in the skilled trades. Under a system that creates this kind of chaos, employers struggle to find workers skilled in the trades that they so desperately need. That is why our government is building a skilled trades system that will be easier to navigate and will entice more people into the trades.

These are well-paying and rewarding careers in the trades that can be truly life-changing. My son is a hairstylist who operates his own salon in Hamilton. He provides employment for 12 people: stylists, colourists and support staff. He actually followed in his late father’s footsteps.

I have to tell you a story, and it’s something that the member opposite from Waterloo talked about. It’s about the stigma. When my son finished high school, like so many parents, I encouraged him to go to university, and he did. He went to business school. But he wanted to do something else. I didn’t know that he had been cutting hair since he was 14. He’d been doing a lot of things since he was 14 that I didn’t know about, but I didn’t know he was cutting his friend’s hair when he was 14. It was his friend who said, “Why don’t you become a hairstylist?” I just about fell off my chair.

I thought, “Why would you do that? Why would you want to give up your university degree and pursue hairstyling?” But he did, and now he has 12 people. He pays taxes and they pay taxes; they support their families. I’m very, very proud of him. He kept that legacy of his father’s business going.

But the reality is, it was my problem. I think a lot of us who are parents are embarrassed, perhaps, that our children aren’t continuing on to university, because we don’t hold the glass of wine in the social circles saying, “This is what my son is doing,” or “This is what my daughter is doing.” But I think most of us now recognize we should be standing here and celebrating that our children have chosen a career that will not only help them buy a home and provide for themselves, their friends and their families with good-paying careers, but it’s a choice that they want to do. We should be celebrating that.

I think that this legislation goes a long way to addressing the stigma around the trades.

Simplifying the process is another issue. When my son was trying to get a hairstyling certificate, you would swear he was going to be conducting brain surgery. What you had to do to try and get a certificate to cut hair was unbelievable. It was because of all the layers of bureaucracy and certification, and it was difficult to navigate.

My nephew is also in the trades. His parents reached out to me because they couldn’t understand how he could become an apprentice and pursue his desire to get into the trades, because it was so complex. It took a number of people to figure out the process that he needed to follow when he was a 19-year-old young man, wanting to contribute to society, to get into the trades and to follow this career path, but it was just so complex.

We are going to simplify the process for people who want to enter the trades and make it easier for employers to find workers with the right skills. That is absolutely crucial. We know that Ontario is facing a looming crisis in the skilled trades sector. There are more jobs in the trades than skilled workers available to them.

Again, I want to speak to my experience on SCOFEA, the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. When we travelled the province prior to the pandemic, we met with a number of employers across Ontario. It didn’t matter what region we were in or what sector; they came to our committee to say, “We need help.” I remember being in Timmins. They needed drivers. They needed all kinds of employees. They needed people to work in the mining sector. Regardless, in Ottawa, in Hamilton, in Kitchener, employers would come to us and say, “Help us. We have a significant, serious, critical shortage of people right now. We have the jobs. We cannot find the skilled trades.”

That’s what this legislation is doing. It’s going to present opportunities to a number of young people. It’s also going to address that critical shortage that exists in Ontario today. Our economy is facing a huge gap between jobs and skilled workers. The need to replace retiring workers is greater within the skilled trades sector than for other sectors in this economy. In 2016, nearly one in three journeypersons were over the age of 54. And while I think that’s young, it isn’t, and they’re going to be retiring soon. We have to address that. In construction alone, Ontario needs more than 100,000 skilled workers over the next decade. How do we get there?

The current system is difficult to navigate because of the maze between the Ontario College of Trades and the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development. In-demand, high-paying jobs in the trades have been ignored for years because students have been steered, as I mentioned, towards one path, and that is university. It’s not surprising that young people don’t automatically think of the trades as a career. They’ll tell you they know how to become a doctor, but they have no idea what it takes to become a plumber or an electrician.

How to become an ironworker or millwright should be as obvious as how to become a firefighter or police officer. Our government wants to make it easier for young people to learn about their options and start on that pathway to their apprenticeship. We want to make young people aware that the skilled trades offer good jobs and rewarding careers that can be lucrative and life-changing.

Ontario’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system is a vital component of our province’s economy. More than 140 trades not only offer rewarding and lucrative careers, they benefit employers right across Ontario.

As I said just a minute ago, we need to encourage an even greater number of apprentices and employers to participate in the apprenticeship process. That is why our government is introducing these legislative changes. We want to make the system more responsive to the needs of apprentices, employers and to Ontario’s economy overall.

Since 2013, Ontario’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system has largely been administered by two entities: the Ontario College of Trades and the provincial government. This co-delivery system has led to challenges for the skilled trades, the apprentices and employers. Our government has an opportunity right now to strengthen the skilled trades and apprenticeship system. Our government would do this by introducing a new service delivery model to replace the current co-delivery model and enable the wind-down of the Ontario College of Trades.

Our government is proposing a new regulatory and policy framework to support the new model, including statutory amendments that would maintain the classification of trades as either compulsory or non-compulsory. Restricted activities would be removed altogether.

Early last year, the ministry received approval to move forward with a skilled trades strategy focused on three main areas: as I mentioned, breaking the stigma in an effort to attract more young people, men and women, to the skilled trades; simplifying the system; and encouraging employer participation in the apprenticeship process.

Our government believes that these initiatives will lead to the creation of many more jobs, and our government also believes that jobs—these jobs—truly can change lives. These efforts will support increased prosperity and help get our economy back on track.

The panel was asked to engage with stakeholders and provide advice and recommendations to our minister—recommendations that reflect a broad industry perspective, are responsive to the diverse nature of our skilled trades right across Ontario and will modernize the skilled trades and apprenticeship system. The appointment of the panel was announced last fall. Shortly thereafter, the panel reached out to a broad range of industry stakeholders, including skilled tradespeople, apprentices, training delivery agents, unions, associations, individuals and businesses of all sizes.

The stakeholders included organizations from each of the four trade sectors: construction, industrial, motive power and service.

Throughout the submissions and discussions, a number of themes emerged. Many stakeholders stressed their commitment and desire to participate in and advise on various aspects of the trades and apprenticeship system. They identified a need to modernize, streamline and update Ontario’s system. Consultations with apprentices, tradespeople, unions, employers and trainers underscored the importance of their on-the-ground experience being taken into consideration. Stakeholders were clear about not wanting to return to the system that was in place prior to the Ontario College of Trades.

The layers of bureaucracy resulted in a system that got bogged down in paperwork. Issues raised would get lost in the system or simply take too long to be addressed. Despite their central role as drivers of the skilled trades and apprenticeship system, the industry had few channels through which to offer input.

There is general recognition that the current co-delivery model has resulted in tremendous confusion across the system, from stewardship and governance to service delivery. This confusion is compounded by the fact that so many simple functions are still being done in person and on paper when they could be completed digitally. Stakeholders overwhelmingly support the creation of digital tools to streamline and modernize how services are delivered. Youth and young adults considering a career in the trades were clear: They would rather work with a system that is digitized.

Now I’d like to focus on the key recommendations. Establishing a new crown agency to simplify and streamline the apprenticeship system was a recommendation from the Skilled Trades Panel’s very first report. The recommendation is that the ministry should provide system oversight and be responsible for regulatory decisions and financial supports. It should also take on responsibility for compliance and enforcement of the skilled trades. This builds on existing expertise, best practices and a robust inspection network that’s already in place right across Ontario.

Last fall, the Minister of Labour, Minister McNaughton, committed to keeping whole trades, not breaking them up into skill sets and restricted activities. Phase 1 of the Skilled Trades Panel’s work provided recommendations on a new service delivery model to replace the Ontario College of Trades. The panel examined which functions should stay and which should go. The panel put out an open call for ideas. They received 67 written submissions and held 24 meetings. It was clear from the beginning that the stakeholders had two main concerns.

They had some reservations about some aspects of the skilled trades system administered by the Ontario College of Trades, and they were equally concerned about going back to a system that allowed the Ontario government to manage day-to-day operations.

In those days, multiple government ministries were involved in various aspects of the system. At that time, the government was involved in curriculum and standards, compliance and enforcement, in-class training and certification exams. The skilled trades sector also felt that it did not have a loud enough voice in decisions that directly affected them.

The recommendations in phase 1 of the report stipulated that stakeholders did not want the ministry to be responsible for the entire system. They wanted a regulatory body that was agile and responsive. The panel recommended a clear separation between training and certification, and compliance and enforcement.

Regarding training and certification, it recommended that matters should be under a board-governed crown agency accountable to the minister; specifically, that the agency’s board of directors would be appointed by the government to reflect competencies aligned with legislative objectives and that the agency would be led by an appointed CEO. Compliance and enforcement would be under the ministry’s expanded occupational health and safety inspectorate. This would reduce perceived duplication of inspections while leveraging existing resources.

Mr. Speaker, additional recommendations were made on features and improvements to programs, services and delivery, and this proposed legislation will incorporate the Skilled Trades Panel recommendations and our government’s prior commitments. This new approach is being applauded by stakeholders within the skilled trades sector.

Stephen Hamilton, chair of the Ontario Skilled Trades Alliance, says they “welcome a new agency that takes a fresh approach and genuine interest in advancing Ontario’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system.” The alliance would like to see Skilled Trades Ontario focus “on its mandate to promote the trades and encourage employers to play a greater role in mentoring aspiring tradespeople from the start” of their apprenticeship right through to the finish.

Joe Mancinelli, the international vice-president of LiUNA, who is from my hometown of Hamilton, applauds our government for exemplifying “collaborative and strategic leadership in eliminating red tape for apprenticeship training and” enhancing “opportunities in the skilled trades.” Joe Mancinelli goes on to say that the new Skilled Trades Ontario will be a more “responsive apprenticeship model for the future.” It will modernize the skilled trades and optimize “career building opportunities.” LiUNA is in favour of removing barriers and empowering “Ontario’s future workforce.”

Patrick Dillon, of the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario, says the new Skilled Trades Ontario will “protect the construction trades classification system.”

Our government is being commended by the Central Ontario Building Trades for presenting a plan to streamline and simplify the skilled trades and apprenticeships system by restoring whole trades and establishing Skilled Trades Ontario. Business manager James St. John says he’s looking “forward to working with” our “government on the compliance and enforcement framework.”

Mathew Wilson, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, says, “Manufacturers have been proactively advocating for new approaches to streamline apprenticeship processes and improve the training for skilled workers.” Mathew Wilson sees Skilled Trades Ontario as “an important step to address labour and skills shortages facing manufacturers by simplifying apprenticeship requirements and attracting new skilled workers to the sector.”

The Ontario Hairstylists Association says, “Launching a new system that is easier to navigate is a step in the right direction” in an effort “to help tradespeople move through, and into the system with greater ease.” The association is optimistic that this new system will help “grow businesses and get people back to work,” following, of course, our lengthy shutdown due to COVID.

Merit Ontario, which represents the province’s open shop construction sector, “welcomes the building opportunities in the skilled trades act.” They see it as an opportunity to “further modernize the ... trades and reduce the barriers to entry faced by marginalized groups.”

Mr. Speaker, our government has heard loud and clear from apprentices, journeypersons and employers alike that the Ontario College of Trades simply isn’t working. At times, the Ontario College of Trades was paralyzed by its bureaucracy and a lack of clear direction. Its governance structure has been criticized for allowing particular groups and stakeholders to dominate the system. Our government has learned that the system must refocus its attention on skilled trades as a whole. And to this end, our government has encouraged the valuable input of stakeholders.

If this proposed legislation is passed, implementation would begin immediately. It would include consultation and development of the proposed regulations, beginning this summer. The recruitment of the Skilled Trades Ontario leadership would be initiated over the summer as well so that the appointments of the board and CEO could be made by the end of the year, and existing college service delivery would be transitioned to Skilled Trades Ontario by December.

By making changes to help apprentices prepare for in-demand jobs and complete their training fast, it will help our economy recover stronger and faster from the impacts of the pandemic.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Your first question comes from the member from St. Catharines.

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: It’s always a pleasure to be able to rise on a debate early in the morning; I guess it’s almost—not as early as I thought. I’d like to thank the member from Flamborough–Glanbrook for her presentation today. I listened intently to what was said.

I just want to highlight on St. Catharines, the riding that I represent. St. Catharines had a local factory recently volunteer to shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic, which brings up the province’s record for enforcement and investigations throughout COVID-19, which, in my opinion and some businesses’ in St. Catharines, has been a complete failure.

This legislation does outline that compliance and enforcement will come back under the ministry. Given the recent failures to keep workers safe during COVID, the initial concern is, does the ministry have the resources to appropriately enforce regulations in this sector?

Ms. Donna Skelly: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. The legislation that we’re presenting today is legislation that is aimed at encouraging more and more people, obviously, to get into the skilled trades, and I think that it goes a long way. We had the Ontario College of Trades and, from the extensive work and consultation that we did across Ontario, it was clear that the people who were involved in the sectors, regardless of what sector and what part of the province, didn’t like what existed. They wanted something that would address all of the problems, including licensing, being able to encourage more people to enter, certification etc.

I think that the opportunities that this proposed act presents will address issues of governance. It will address issues of encouraging people to get into the trades and, of course, ensuring that people are actually playing by the rules while implementing all of these changes.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Your next question comes from the member from Kitchener–Conestoga.

Mr. Mike Harris: It was really great to hear the member from Flamborough-Glanbook—Glanbrook; it’s a tough Tuesday morning here in the Ontario Legislature—talk quite a bit about digitization. I know the Minister of Government and Consumer Services is here as well, and I know she’s a big advocate for seeing modernized services here in the province of Ontario.

I know this is one thing that, when we look at how the private sector and different people or organizations interact with the provincial government, they always tell me, “We’re 10 years behind. We’re 10 years behind.” How is this bill going to change that? How is this going to move us truly into the 21st century and really get things back on track here in the province of Ontario?

Ms. Donna Skelly: Of course, our government has been focused on getting rid of the outdated, cumbersome, paper-based way of governing and doing business. This piece of legislation, along with so many that we have introduced in the House since we formed government, will target that.

As I said, as a mom of a young man who entered the trades, it was unbelievable that you couldn’t go online and go through the process digitally. Our kids, who we’re trying to recruit into these jobs, are comfortable navigating in an online, digital setting. They grew up with a mouse in their hand. They feel very comfortable. In fact, they want the convenience of a digital process. That’s what this will do.

I really do believe that many ministries within our government today are focused on bringing our government into the 21st century.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The member from Essex has a question.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Joining a union has a lot of benefits for workers in the province of Ontario. Unionized construction workers make more than $5 an hour more than non-unionized; unionized women in any sector make more than $7 an hour more. You also get access to some of the best, most world-class training built into those union halls. They have devised incredible training centres that I have had the pleasure of visiting all across the province of Ontario.

The way to join a union in the construction trades is through card-based certification. That’s a process that the government and the PC Party has attacked many times over the years. I’m just wondering if the member still believes that card certification should be attacked and eliminated in the province of Ontario, as many of her colleagues have proposed bills to state just that.

Ms. Donna Skelly: What our government doesn’t believe in is that Social Contract under the Bob Rae days. I know that it hasn’t helped you with trying to form government. It’s still a hangover and it actually alienated the relationship between the New Democratic Party and unions.

As you see in the number of stakeholders that have supported this, they believe in what our government is bringing forward. They don’t believe in the policies of the parties opposite. They believe that what we have presented in this proposal will help them attract more and more people into the trades. We have heard from LiUNA. From my hometown, Joe Mancinelli, as I read in my comments earlier, is very supportive. He was one of the stakeholders that we consulted and worked with.

We have the support of unions across Ontario; I hope we soon get the support of the NDP.

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

Ms. Jane McKenna: I want to actually talk to the member, because we have had numerous conversations about our sons, with the stigma that was attached that was obviously our issue, not theirs. But I want to just do a shout-out to her son Dane. He’s done a phenomenal job at Maddison Avenue and I’m very, very proud of him as well. He’s obviously a chip off the old block.

I just had a quick call from somebody, so I wanted to state this and give you a quick question. Somebody just asked me, with the Skilled Trades Ontario, will there be any disruption to the services for apprenticeship and business? I just want to be clear there will be no disruptions at all with the transition.

Can the member from Flamborough–Glanbrook explain why our government is introducing this legislation now and why it’s so important?

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The member for Flamborough–Glanbrook.

Ms. Donna Skelly: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s Maddison Avenue, and he’s a great barber. So if anybody is in Hamilton and you’re looking for a haircut, please head off to Locke Street South. He would be great with your hair too, by the way. He’d probably have a field day with that.

Yes, I think the reason that we’re introducing it now is because it’s time. The Ontario College of Trades is outdated. As the member from Burlington mentioned, one of the biggest problems with encouraging people into the trades was this complex system of trying to navigate and understand how you become a tradesperson, how you become an electrician, a millwright, a hairstylist. It was very, very confusing.

If we want more people to enter them and address the shortage that we have heard and we know exists in Ontario, we have to make it much more interesting. We have to educate people, and we certainly have to make the system much easier to navigate.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The member from Scarborough Southwest has a question.

Ms. Doly Begum: I want to thank the member for her presentation. My question is very simple, because I really appreciate the member speaking so highly about the skilled trades of all the workers in our province.

One of the things I noticed throughout this pandemic, however, is that workers have been left behind by this government. More specifically, when we’re talking about women and racialized workers who are skilled workers, who are in the skilled trades, sometimes whether it’s automation that caused them to lose their jobs—and I have talked about this in the House, Speaker, quite a few times, when I talked about a factory in Scarborough.

My question is, when we talk about construction workers or whatever the work may be, can these workers count on this government? Because we have seen this government vote against mental health support, paid sick leave and any sort of supports that workers need during this pandemic, really.

Ms. Donna Skelly: I want to share a story about when the Premier came to Hamilton and we visited one of the training centres. We met a number of women who were in the trades, and I had an opportunity to spend a couple of hours with them. It was amazing how talented they were and how excited and proud they were to be in the trades.

These women were of all ages. There were women in their twenties, and women in their forties and fifties. I asked them, “Why would you get into the trades?” It was such an unusual career, as we know by the statistics, for a woman. The answer was very clear: It gave them independence, financial security. If they went through a divorce, if they wanted to remain single all their life, it empowered them. We are doing everything to reach out to more women to get into the trades so that they are empowered.

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

Mr. Faisal Hassan: It is an honour to rise on behalf of the decent, hard-working people of York South–Weston to speak to the bill that was introduced by the labour minister, entitled

An Act to enact the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act.

Mr. Speaker, this bill appears to build on and help fill the void left when this government effectively dissolved the College of Trades that had been in place since 2009. The government announced it was winding down the Ontario College of Trades in the fall of 2018. Last year, the Skilled Trades Panel was appointed to recommend what the replacement of the college will look like.

As the official opposition critic for youth opportunities, I can strongly state that employment, and employment in meaningful jobs with decent pay, is what young people need. The skilled trades are clearly a fantastic avenue for those young people. The problem I see is how we best encourage folks to look into the skilled trades for employment. How do we let young people know that it is an option, just as a university diploma is an option?

This government and this labour minister have publicly stated that the current skilled trades and apprenticeship system is confusing and difficult to navigate. They claim the new Skilled Trades Ontario will be a simplified system that makes it easier and faster for people to get trained. I hope that is the case.

I would suggest that having the paper trail be easier and faster is great, but actually training young people in apprenticeships requires not fast and easy, but careful, safe and deliberate, so that someone gets the full training they need to best learn their trade and, as importantly, that they learn by observing and by doing the safe practices needed to prevent workplace injuries. Safety and learning must be paramount.

This minister also talks of young people not even being aware of what trades are all about. What is a welder? What is a millwright? And what do they do? Well, part of the problem the labour minister speaks about is a direct result of the fact that we do not have woodworking, auto, machine and drafting shops, which used to exist for years in our schools. This government’s former leader, Mike Harris, removed shop from the school curriculum back in the 1990s. It is no wonder young people are not familiar with the trades or consider skilled trades as a career path.

As this government appears to be wanting to push students to online learning and away from physical schools and the in-person learning that takes place there, I suggest that is a wrong approach. I believe we need to put shops back in schools and even, perhaps, create stand-alone trade schools.

The government talks of a skilled trade shortage. That is true. But what are they actually doing to address that? What is this bill really doing to address that skilled trade shortage? We need women in skilled trades. We need racialized and First Nations people in the trades. We need to put in place actual measures that ensure we attract and recruit specifically from these communities. I see nothing in this Bill 228 that addresses that.

We need investment in infrastructure by this government. My riding of York South–Weston has been subjected to flooding time and again. Infrastructure investment is needed in flooding mitigation. Our riding, like much of the GTA, could benefit from infrastructure investment by this government in the way of affordable housing, good transit hubs and good green environmental improvements. Mr. Speaker, those investments would create jobs, and those jobs should be filled with local workers and local young people given an opportunity to learn a trade.

Every penny the province spends on infrastructure improvements should have an eye to how we can employ local workers and how we can create opportunities for young people to learn some skills in the trades.

Mr. Speaker, I did mention I am the critic for youth opportunities for the official opposition, and as such, I look at things in the province through the lens of how we can improve the lives of young people and how we can make their lives easier by opening some doors for them. I did have a motion in this Legislature passed in 2019—to be exact, February 28—that spoke to work-integrated learning. I believe that this government should be interested in finally putting the money towards implementing this motion that they did support.

Work-integrated learning called for the creation of 27,000 new paid work opportunities for students, recent graduates and unemployed youth in the public and private sector and the skilled trades, so that they can have the ability to move into the workforce with real-world experience and a path to full employment. Mr. Speaker, the labour minister should know, when he did his research for Bill 288, that Ontario’s youth unemployment rate is persistently higher than the national average, and in fact, the pandemic has made that number rise even higher, to unacceptable levels.

In my riding of York South–Weston, we are home to many essential workers, and we are a COVID hot spot and one designated as high-risk. I have mentioned frequently in this House that our decent, hard-working residents have been treated as an afterthought by this government. Essential front-line workers and their families have been left with no permanent vaccine facility and a real lack of mobile pop-ups for vaccines.

Our community is neglected as well when we see high rates of youth unemployment in York South–Weston, and no real plans or strategies by this government to address that.

We can help break the cycle of poverty with a plan like work-integrated learning. It is vital that young people see a clear path forward from school to employment and that we provide support during those critical periods of transition. A young person’s destiny in York South–Weston or indeed anywhere in Ontario should not be predetermined by their financial means or by the connections their families may have.

Young people need opportunities, Mr. Speaker. My motion called for equal-opportunity paid placements as a signal to young people that their hard work would not be overlooked and a promise to the rest of the province that we are identifying and nurturing our talent, and not letting that talent fall through the cracks. Bill 288 could have gone in that direction.

Mr. Speaker, when we talk of skilled trades and internships, including placements and co-ops, that sometimes means students are working for free or for a very much reduced wage. That leaves many people behind who simply can’t afford the financial sacrifices needed. We need to find ways to include those who may be left behind through no fault of their own. Ontario has thousands of young people who are not in education, employment or training. It is more important than ever that we as a society help those young people to have a future for themselves. For many of those young people, it is simply about being given an opportunity, a chance to learn a trade or a new skill, to be more job-ready.

We all have a vested interest in ensuring that young people are able to support themselves and participate fully in our society. The government’s role is to step in and help bridge the gap between our education system and our workplaces in ways that will help young people gain employment. I’m hoping that Bill 288 would address our skilled trades shortage and also take into account our aging population and demographics that point to the need for people to be ready to step in as retirement rates increase to support our economy, to support our public services and to ensure our aging population is cared for.

The pandemic has recently shown us how vulnerable our elders can be, and we need a society where seniors can live in dignity and in affordable conditions. The burden placed on coming generations is large, and we need to be innovative and aggressive in job creation and training.

Back in June 2016, the Ontario government at the time had what was termed a highly skilled workforce panel. This panel released a report entitled Building the Workforce of Tomorrow: A Shared Responsibility. The panel recommended that Ontario should commit to ensuring that every student has at least one experiential learning opportunity by the end of their secondary schooling and, further, that every student has at least one experiential learning opportunity by the time they graduate from post-secondary education.

We commissioned many reports and studies in this Legislature, and I only wish we would take their findings to heart and actually implement them. This panel’s report and suggestions regarding young people and training were excellent, but I have seen no evidence of follow-up. As young people in this province struggle with the pandemic and the previous government cuts to OSAP and financial support, they’re looking for any opportunity. This government should restore the cuts made and make every effort towards young people learning a trade, getting a good education and being able to better themselves.

The Minister of Labour may be better informed with Bill 288 by looking towards research done in America by the National Association of Colleges and Employers. This research is particularly relevant to my past motion regarding work-integrated learning that we are still waiting to be implemented to this day. That was February 28, 2019. An interesting comparison was made towards students who have participated in unpaid work-integrated learning versus paid work-integrated learning. It seems that paid work opportunities give students a definite advantage going into the labour market.

Students who participate in paid programs are much more likely to get job offers when they graduate and have higher salaries. My motion suggested just such a plan, like Bill 288 hopes to do. It will build opportunities.

I’m hopeful the government consulted with unions, educators and tradespeople when they developed this bill. I certainly speak to unions on a regular basis in my community. This bill was once again tabled at the last minute by this government, leaving the opposition little time to reach out to stakeholders who would be affected by this bill. The minister has spoken about wanting to get this bill right, but he didn’t feel affording the opposition time to really look into this bill was important. This is a strategy this government uses time and again, and it is very disappointing in that the approach does not best serve the interests of Ontarians.

This government previously brought forward the Modernizing the Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Act in 2019 that was met with outrage by the labour community. Fortunately, this government was made to feel the errors of its way and they reversed course with the appointment of the Skilled Trades Panel.

The government’s record towards workers in Ontario is not one to be proud of, and here we are in National Nurses Week with the government capping wage increases and taking away bargaining rights through their Bill 124. When I see a bill such as this one from the labour minister, I must admit I approach it with caution and I look to read the fine print.

It is not only this government before us that has attacked labour and the skilled trades. The previous Liberal government acted in very much the same way. Back in 2015, the former Liberal leader made big changes to the Apprenticeship Training Tax Credit, with the result being that employers found it much more difficult to be able to take on apprentices. There was also once a youth jobs strategy that helped young folks find jobs. The Liberals cut that before the Conservatives had a chance to do the same.

The regard shown to workers and the safety of those workers is shown in their approach to apprenticeship ratios. When business owners are excited about a ratio of 1 to 1, it needs to be looked into further about what it will mean to health and safety and not what it means to the business’s bottom line: profit maximization.

J.G. Burtch, owner of Construction Enterprises Ltd., was recently quoted bragging to the Ontario Home Builders’ Association, “I can hire three journeymen and three apprentices.” The CD Howe Institute is also on board with these changes. The reasoning for business is that apprentices are paid much less than journeymen, and they are easier to replace.

Apprentices, just like interns in the business world, have been used as cheap and disposable labour for years and years. I have heard disturbing stories from young people of employers hiring them on as apprentices, since they were affordable, and letting them go just before their time was up to qualify and thus get paid a good rate. The employer would replace them with new apprentices and start the vicious cycle again and again. This is unacceptable, and Bill 288 does nothing to address that reality.

I worry about an increase in workforce injuries and the lack of training and supervision that can take place with those ratios. A 1-to-1 ratio means a workplace could be balanced exactly between experienced and brand-new workers. This comes with the risk that the experienced worker will be too busy to adequately train the new person.

James Barry with the IBEW Construction Council of Ontario was recently quoted in the media. He stated:

“On large construction sites you would not want half the employees to be apprentices....

“Ratios are important as it ensures a proper balance of trained journeypersons to apprentices. We want an apprentice to get a range of experiences but also have the oversight and guidance to learn and be safe on the job and successfully complete an apprenticeship”—wise words that the government should listen to, but this government doesn’t listen to their own health table about the pandemic, so I’m not hopeful they will take the advice of labour.

The ratio is all about money, and the question is, at what cost? Will the apprentices get the real quality training and on-the-job learning required, and will they be able to do so safely?

As I said, this bill, Bill 288, was thrown at us rather quickly, and I continue to look closely at it. The devil is always in the details, and reading the fine print can never be truer than when dealing with this government.

I see in

section 3(2), “A committee established under subsection (1) shall consist of one or more individuals including individuals who shall have experience in the trades and apprenticeship system.” I would like to see a clarification of who can join the committee. Will there be a neutral third-party view or is the committee in danger of being skewed to a particular bias? Very much like many of this government’s bills, it is vague on actual specific details and, conveniently, future regulations will guide the true direction of the bill.

Some outstanding questions for me surround the concentration of setting training standards; the timelines of implementation of provisions of the act regarding the transition period, as we go from the College of Trades dissolving to the enabling of Skilled Trades Ontario; who will actually determine the scope of practice and what constitutes a compulsory trade; who will make up the board at Skilled Trades Ontario; and, of course, my previously mentioned concern regarding safety on building and construction sites with the current apprentice-to-journeyman ratio.

Mr. Speaker, it is my hope that the government allows for time for a proper debate at the committee that it did not give here in this Legislature as it rushed this bill through at the last minute. Getting young people into skilled trades is such an important initiative. Giving those young people the proper training needed to successfully learn their trade so they can go on to teach others is vital. Ensuring those young people learn and work in a safe environment is of the utmost importance.

I urge this government to take the time to get this bill right, to listen to unions and tradespeople, to seriously take into account the suggestions made by the opposition. Young people and workers in this province—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Thank you. We likely have time for two, possibly three, questions. The first one goes to the member from Burlington.

Ms. Jane McKenna: We are all in agreement that skilled trade workers are a crucial part of our economy. Why does the member from York South–Weston resist legislation explicitly intended to retain and attract people to an industry we unanimously understand is crucial?

Mr. Faisal Hassan: Thank you for the question from the member, on the part of the government. I think the idea is, we want young people to have opportunities. As you know, in the province, youth unemployment is above the national, and giving young people that opportunity is very important. It’s also very important for young people to have safety, but when you simply take advantage of young people by not providing them an experienced tradesperson, not consulting with unions and tradespeople, the community will not really put this as the right approach. What I am saying is, we need to not rush bills like this. We need to work with everybody to make it better.

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

Ms. Doly Begum: I want to thank the member from York South–Weston for his presentation. I know he’s been a very strong advocate for young people in his riding as well as for his community. He’s doing a fantastic job throughout, especially during this pandemic.

My question is—obviously, you just ran out of time at the end there. You were ending off about the importance of involving young people and how we could have done better with this legislation, in terms of the proper skills they needed. Do you want to expand a little bit on that?

Mr. Faisal Hassan: Thank you to my colleague from Scarborough Southwest. It’s very important: Yes, we need to ensure that those young people learn and work in a safe environment. It’s very important. It’s also of the utmost importance because their safety is very important. Also, this government needs to take time to get this bill right, to listen to unions, to tradespeople, and to seriously take into account the suggestions made by the official opposition. Young people and workers in this province deserve no less.

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

Mr. Mike Harris: Just off the top, Speaker, I want to make it very clear that it was the Wynne government that started to pull trades and shop class and different things from high school. When I was in high school, Mike Harris was Premier and we had a shop class in my publicly funded school in North Bay.

But I will ask this question, Speaker, because I didn’t fully understand the answer—

Interjection.

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

Mr. Mike Harris: —to the member for Burlington. She’s asking why won’t that member stand up here and support, and he says because there haven’t been enough consultations with unions and there haven’t been enough consultations with tradespeople.

There was a panel, Mr. Speaker, that went through all of these consultations. I know, as members, at least on this side of the House—I don’t presume to speak for anybody on that side—we hear time and time again that people in the skilled trades are sick and tired of the College of Trades. They can’t get in, they can’t find a journeyperson to apprentice with, and they want it gone. Why won’t this member support this bill?

Mr. Faisal Hassan: I would like to remind the member of the government that his father, Mike Harris, was the one who removed the skilled trades in the schools—

Mr. Mike Harris: But he didn’t.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Kitchener–Conestoga will come to order.

Mr. Faisal Hassan: That’s a fact.

Interjection.

Mr. Faisal Hassan: Yes, you’re right. Also, the Liberals—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The House will come to order now. The member for Burlington, come to order. The member for York South–Weston will take his seat.

The member for Burlington, come to order. The member for Kitchener–Conestoga, come to order.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): It is now time for members’ statements.

Members’ Statements

Anti-racism activities

Ms. Catherine Fife: As elected officials, we need to speak up when we see hate and racism in our communities. And if we are courageous, we need to acknowledge that racism is violence.

For the fourth consecutive week, anti-lockdown protesters gathered this past Sunday in KW. These gatherings are irresponsible and fuelled by a total lack of consideration for members of our community. The organizer, the member from Lanark–Frontenac–Kingston, is not welcome in our community.

Another rally, where people gathered safely and virtually in Wilmot, focused on challenging racism and a growing and concerning white lives matter movement. My colleague for Kitchener Centre said of this rally, “It’s about white allies joining in the fight in very real, very concrete ways. It is about not being silent. It is about standing up and speaking out in a place where your power and your privilege will allow your voice to be heard.” That gives me some hope in the midst of a pretty trying time.

Racism is real in Waterloo region, and it compromises health. In our community, if you identify as a visible minority, you are three times more likely to contract COVID-19. If you identify as Black, you are five times more likely. Across the province, over 70% of COVID- related workplace deaths are racialized people.

Racism is impacting the health and well-being of Ontarians. We all have a role to play in addressing racism in our communities. Staying silent is not an option.

Bernie Daynes

Mr. Dave Smith: One of the passions I’ve had long before I was ever in politics has been inclusion in sport. I want to talk about one individual in my community who is working very hard to make sure that every athlete of every ability has an equal opportunity to play.

Bernie Daynes has spent the better part of the last decade volunteering his time to enhance an already successful Challenger Baseball organization in Peterborough. That success culminated with the first team of special-needs athletes to represent Canada at the Little League World Series back in 2019.

Bernie’s latest project is to build a field of dreams. Imagine a baseball diamond designed and built as a fully inclusive and fully accessible sporting field. Imagine a sports field designed in a way that an athlete with a mobility challenge can play. Imagine a sporting field designed in a way that an athlete who may experience sensory overload can still play. If you design it in a way that anyone who has an exceptionality can play, it’s also designed in a way that anyone who doesn’t have an exceptionality can play.

I want to say thank you to Bernie for his efforts. He has a vision that he’s working towards, and that vision will make our community not only more inclusive, but demonstrate that if you build it, they will come.

Nurses

Mr. Faisal Hassan: It is my pleasure to rise today and acknowledge that this week is National Nursing Week. We all need to honour and thank nurses, who, particularly during this last year of the pandemic, have shown their commitment and dedication to patients and residents.

Nurses are the true front-line heroes, doing the most important of tasks imaginable. This government has not treated these valuable health care providers as heroes and, through Bill 124, has actually taken away their rights to bargain for their wages and working conditions.

This government has not met with the Ontario Nurses’ Association, so I will tell the House a few items that ONA is seeking. They want registered nurses and other health care professionals exempted from Bill 124. They ask for financial compensation for nurses who continue to care and fight for patient safety and quality care during COVID-19. The nurses ask that the government begin discussions on the diversity and specializations within nursing to support continued education and retention in the nursing profession.

In the midst of this pandemic and government inaction that has led us down a dangerous path, I ask that it is not too late to begin listening to and respecting health care voices, such as nurses’. I thank them for their work, their patience and their dedication.

Ramadan

Mr. Rod Phillips: Yesterday, I joined the Islamic Society of Ajax in Masjid Quba to celebrate the Ramadan food drive. As we all know, Muslims across Ontario and around the world are currently observing the month of Ramadan and, in just a day or so, will be celebrating the festival of Eid-Ul-Fitr.

Ajax has a vibrant and active Muslim population, with three mosques that play a vital role in the spiritual and social lives of many thousands of Muslims and, indeed, the rest of our community. Throughout the month of Ramadan, Muslims in Ajax have prayed, fasted and reflected upon the spiritual and physical well-being of our community. Our Muslim community has been a model of charity and good citizenship throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, through their adherence to public health guidelines, food drives and other charitable efforts.

This week, I joined my friends Waqqas Syed of the Islamic Society of Ajax and Zahid Rafique of the Sayyidah Zainab Muslim Community Centre as they celebrated Eid-Ul-Fitr safely and in accordance with all public health guidelines. I am proud to support our Muslim community in Ajax and across Ontario, and wish them a blessed and prosperous Eid Mubarak.

Nurses

Mr. Taras Natyshak: It’s a pleasure to rise today, and members of the House would know that this is Nursing Week in the province of Ontario, where we celebrate and honour those who are on the front lines. We call them “front-line heroes,” but they’re really the last line of defence in absence of good, critical leadership and public health leadership through the province of Ontario. They are decrying the actions of this government throughout the pandemic.

First and foremost, if we indeed believe that they are heroes, as they are, let’s pay them like heroes. Let’s not freeze their wages through this really egregious Bill 124, which has not only frozen their wage at a 1% increase—lower than inflation—but also removed their collective bargaining rights.

Look, they are going through some of the most traumatic, challenging times in the history of the profession. We’re seeing stress, anxiety, depression and mental health needs in our nursing capacity. We need to be there for them like they are there for us, and this government has abandoned the nurses in the province of Ontario.

Today, New Democrats stand in solidarity with nurses across the province to let them know that we understand them, we see them and we honour them. We are fighting for them and with them in this House to ensure that they are compensated, treated fairly and treated safely so that they can care for all of the residents across the province of Ontario.

Anti-racism activities

Mr. Michael Coteau: Every day, we’re hearing more about incidents of anti-Asian racism that are seriously traumatizing the community. I have spoken to organizations and community leaders, and their fear is growing. This pandemic has led to a sharp increase in anti-Asian hate and has exposed, once again, this government’s inaction when it comes to addressing racism. This government has failed on numerous fronts:

—a lack of leadership, with no minister clearly in charge and responsible for the file;

—disbanding community committees and subcommittees;

—the government’s resounding silence in the midst of clear and increasing anti-Asian racism in Ontario, despite the fact that we’re one of the only jurisdictions in North America with a directorate; and

—the stagnant data collection and lack of policy innovation and direction based on that data collection.

I’ve heard the Premier and the minister get up to say plenty of nice things, but there is no tolerance for racism in Ontario. Fighting systemic racism is about action, not platitudes, and this government has shown virtually no action on this file.

Ferguson Arthur Jenkins / Anti-racism activities

Mr. Rick Nicholls: Major League Baseball is now just a few weeks into the 2021 season. This morning, I just want to briefly talk about history. I want to start off by talking about a local hero from Chatham that some may already recognize, Ferguson Arthur Jenkins. Now, Fergie originally signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1962, but it wasn’t until he was later traded to the Chicago Cubs that he became a starting pitcher. Fergie won 284 games, with a total of 3,192 strikeouts, and set a major league record for having six consecutive winning seasons of 20-plus games. I believe that feat will never be broken.

For this reason and for many more, he was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 1987 and later into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame in 1991. He was the very first Canadian to be inducted into Cooperstown, only to be later joined by Larry Walker from BC.

For the love of the game, Fergie’s family was also involved in baseball. His father, Ferguson Jenkins Sr., was a Canadian baseball player, starting his career for baseball playing for teams in Detroit. He later joined the Chatham Coloured All-Stars in my hometown of Chatham. Chatham Coloured All-Stars, as they were known back then, were trailblazers.

In St. Marys, Ontario, you will find the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. I strongly support the initiative to induct the 1934 Chatham Coloured All-Stars into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame for the year 2022. They’ve been a key

part in laying the foundation for the future of youth of colour to compete as equals, and I believe in celebrating their success. I can only hope that the committee will take their successes into consideration.

Nurses

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: I stand today in honour of nurses week. Decision-makers in this chamber and across Ontario have expressed genuine gratitude for the experience of our front-line health care workers over the past year, especially our nurses. That expression of gratitude is deep and genuine. So, thank you to the nurses and to all front-line workers.

As a former front-line health care worker, I know that it is not enough if the words taper off on Sunday and result in no meaningful actions. Nurses in their break rooms across the province are looking for more than small token gifts. They are looking for more than being labelled heroes.

So my commitment to all nurses in St. Catharines and across the Niagara region and Ontario is this: to push for more meaningful action in this Legislature, and to hold those to account when their actions do not match their words. That means resources when nurses need them to feel safe. That means isolation pay that does not have an end date. It means not calling nurses heroes from one side of your mouth while overriding collective bargaining agreements with the other. It means challenging the public sector wage cap by this government every step of the way.

My gift to nurses and all front-line health care workers is that after nurses week ends, I will not stop. My colleagues will not stop. I will continue to push for the actions that matter to nurses, not only kind words that taper off after nurses week.

Volunteers in Northumberland–Peterborough South

Mr. David Piccini: Kindness and generosity abound in Northumberland-Peterborough South, and I rise today to highlight a few of the many great community initiatives in my community.

Cobourg Collegiate Institute is hosting a rain barrel fundraiser in support of the environmental initiatives at the school—and I’m pleased to be picking up my own soon.

The Lofty Kitchen in Colborne is fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society with a daffodil campaign shortbread cookie fundraiser. You can purchase a daffodil-decorated shortbread cookie made by Roda’s Kitchen, with $5 going towards the campaign.

Roda’s Kitchen has also been a part of a fundraiser with Community Care Northumberland to benefit Meals on Wheels.

Rotary Club of Campbellford is raising funds for their community initiatives through an Oktoberfest Fling, with meals prepared by Caper’s Tap House, a favourite of mine in Campbellford.

The Old Newcastle House is a proud community supporter, donating whatever possible to local fundraising initiatives. Most recently, they’ve been working with the new Durham Region Hospice.

Ignite Cobourg has done a one-hour fitness class, Strong as a Mother, and raised over $1,500 on Mother’s Day for the Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre.

Northumberland Players continues to fundraise scholarships for six post-secondary students. Earlier this month, Best Western Plus Cobourg Inn and Convention Centre partnered with Northumberland Players for a takeout dinner, and they raised over $3,500.

Mr. Speaker, wherever you look in Northumberland–Peterborough South, kindness, generosity and our community spirit are alive and well.

I would like to thank all of the businesses and many remarkable organizations for stepping up and supporting our community.

GO Transit

Mr. Mike Harris: Mr. Speaker, as you and all my colleagues who have visited Waterloo region know, we love the words “two-way, all-day GO.”

One of my top priorities is delivering faster, frequent, reliable GO train service on the entire Kitchener line. So I was absolutely thrilled to join the Minister of Transportation and the Associate Minister of Transportation to announce the approval of the preliminary design business case for the Kitchener GO rail expansion project. This is a huge win for Waterloo region.

In less than three years, our government has doubled the number of trains coming all the way to Kitchener. We’ve added a mid-morning train from Union and increased evening service, which now includes a second express train.

Excavation work on two tunnels under Highways 401 and 409 have been completed, and with the release of RFQs for further infrastructure, more shovels will be getting into the ground very soon.

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the work of our tireless local advocates, including the Connect the Corridor Coalition, headed by Ian McLean, Regional Chair Karen Redman and, of course, all of our local mayors.

Ms. Catherine Fife: And Catherine Fife.

Mr. Mike Harris: Well, yes—do you know what, actually? Definitely, thank you to the MPP for Waterloo as well, because she has also been a strong advocate for this for many years. And, of course, thank you to the minister, the associate minister and all of my government colleagues who have advanced this forward. Like I said, this is a top priority here locally in the region, and I’m pleased to deliver tangible improvements and progress to my community, who have waited for this project for years.

Question Period

COVID-19 response

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My first question this morning is for the Premier. We know the long-term care commission obtained notes from the Minister of Long-Term Care regarding what was happening in long-term care with COVID-19. On April 17, 2020, last year, when we were in the first wave, this is what the minister had jotted down in her notebook: “Military plan needed, get them within 24 to 48 hours ... homes spiral down quickly.”

The Premier didn’t ask for the Canadian Armed Forces to help Ontario until five days after that note was jotted down, and they didn’t arrive until 12 days later; in fact, they didn’t arrive to Downsview until early June. So the question is, why did the Premier wait five days after this note was written by the minister to actually call the CAF to get some help to those homes?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply, the government House leader.

Hon. Paul Calandra: The Leader of the Opposition is correct in how important the Armed Forces were to helping us stabilize some of the homes through the first wave. Mr. Speaker, as you know, there was a whole-of-government effort, especially during the first wave, to improve capacity in our acute-care system, as well as assist in the long-term-care system.

As I mentioned yesterday, we were on the defence for a better part of a year when it came to fighting the first wave of COVID, ostensibly because of the situation that we had been left in by the previous government. We are making significant progress in ensuring that our long-term-care system is better equipped not only to handle future pandemics—God forbid that that should happen again—but to provide the best quality of care for the people of Ontario, who have been so important to helping to build this province.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, the military debriefing notes tell quite the horrifying story of what they found in long-term care when they did arrive. Two homes, Downsview and Hawthorne, were infested with cockroaches. They also found 26 seniors who died when all they needed was water.

The Minister of Long-Term Care knew that the Canadian Armed Forces were needed on April 17, and yet they didn’t arrive for over 12 days. The Premier didn’t even ask for them until five days after she was aware that they were necessary. Did the Minister of Long-Term Care not bring this necessary request to the Premier’s attention, or did the Premier simply not act on it quickly enough?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Look, as I’ve said—I’ll say it again, and I’ll say it throughout question period, I suspect—the Armed Forces were a very important

part in helping us stabilize a number of long-term-care homes in the province of Ontario through the first wave. We saw across Canada, in fact, that our long-term-care homes in many provinces needed the assistance of the Armed Forces, in particular in both Ontario and in Quebec.

We were moving very, very quickly throughout the first wave, as I said. I’ll repeat again, Mr. Speaker, that we were left on the defensive posture for much of the first wave as we attempted to catch up to the lack of investment that we had inherited, whether it was infection prevention and control measures, whether it was renovating old homes that needed to be fixed, quite frankly, or the addition of greater capacity in the system, or dealing with the health and human resources. There was a lot of work that needed to be done that we inherited. We’re getting it done—

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Back to the Premier: The military are people who are trained for combat. They are actually trained to expect the worst. The military staff, in the notes we saw, indicated that they were horrified at the very idea of having to return to any of these homes. In fact, the very thought of it, in one person’s words, is that it “sucked the life right out of you,” the idea of having to return. One medic said that they saw more death in one week in their long-term-care stint than they had in all of their other tours of duty combined.

On April 17, the Minister of Long-Term Care indicated that she needed to get the CAF, the Canadian Armed Forces, into long-term care immediately, but there was a delay. So the question is, who was responsible for the delay? Was it the Premier who delayed or was it the Minister of Long-Term Care who didn’t identify to the Premier quickly enough to get the—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Government House leader.

Hon. Paul Calandra: As I said, the Canadian Armed Forces played a vital role, especially in the first wave, in helping us address some of the shortcomings that became evident in long-term-care homes when the request was made. We were very appreciative of the Armed Forces coming in. They did it as quickly as they possibly could in both Ontario and Quebec, Mr. Speaker.

But the whole system highlights, and the commission report highlights, the problems that we inherited in the system, whether it was underfunding, whether it was homes that were old and in desperate need of renovations or whether it was the health and human resources—these PSWs who had been working so hard for so long but were underfunded.

We moved quickly before the pandemic, during the pandemic and since the pandemic to address some of the problems that we knew were happening in long-term care, whether it’s four hours of care or hiring 27,000 additional PSWs. The Armed Forces were an important part of the first wave, Mr. Speaker, and we appreciate all of the work that they did for us.

COVID-19 immunization

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also to the Premier. This one is going to be about vaccinations, and particularly the second doses.

People are very anxious to know when it is that they’re going to be able to get their second shot. They want to know so they don’t have to scramble at the last minute like they’ve had to do for the first shot. A full four months is what was expected, but now, apparently, that may change because vaccines are coming more quickly.

So my question is, what is actually the government’s plan to get the second shot into people’s arms?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: We are in phase 2 of our rollout of the vaccines, and we are now receiving sufficient quantities, particularly of the Pfizer vaccine, that we will be able to provide people with their second shots at the appropriate time.

We have booked—actually, yesterday we did 112,000 vaccines, and we are at a total of 6,350,000 right now. We are on track to deliver vaccines to 65% of adults over age 18 by the end of May, and of course we can now provide the Pfizer vaccines to young people aged 12 to 16 as well. So that is rolling out.

People will be able to receive their vaccines at the appropriate time. Because we have additional supplies, if we are able to reach that target and people are coming forward, we may be able to shorten the time frame, but people already have their appointments for their four-month shots and so they will receive them, maybe sooner than that, but they definitely will receive them within that time frame.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: People don’t know when they’re getting their second shot. Those shots are not booked. I haven’t got—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Member, please take your seat.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government side will come to order. The Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry will come to order. The member for Niagara Falls will come to order.

I’m going to ask the Leader of the Opposition to withdraw—

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Withdraw, Speaker.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): —and finish her question.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, the government’s rollout of the vaccinations has been a mess. It has been chaotic. In fact, it was—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. The Solicitor General will come to order. We’re not going to have this.

I apologize to the Leader of the Opposition. Please start the clock.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: It has been saved by the public health units—thank goodness for them. They have to fix the rollout problems, Speaker. Instead, they’re busy with a blame game, always pointing at somebody else.

Look, the sign-up system was convoluted. It excluded family doctors. The rollout meant that people who needed the vaccines the most got them at the end instead of at the beginning. So the question is, what is the plan to fix this chaotic system for the second dose? Can the government show us one?

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. The Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry is warned. You know what that means: If I have to speak to you again, you’ll be named.

Please start the clock. To reply, the Minister of Health.

Hon. Christine Elliott: Contrary to what the leader of the official opposition says, Speaker, we have a very organized rollout. Our vaccination campaign is rolling out well, by virtue of the fact that 6.3 million doses have already been administered—that’s almost half of the population of Ontario—and we are on track to book and vaccinate over 65% of the adults over age 18 by the end of May. I don’t know anyone who would call that a failure. It’s moving forward.

We have our booking system where people can book online, or they can call to book an appointment. They can receive their vaccines through a mass vaccination clinic, through pop-up clinics, through pharmacies—more and more pharmacies are being added every day—or through primary care offices. We’re making it as easy as possible for people to be vaccinated, and we already have another four million people booked to receive their vaccines. So I would call that a coordinated system.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, public health units and communities have come together to try to fill the holes in this government’s vaccine rollout. In fact, people are calling it a scavenger hunt to try to get a vaccine. They’re relying on things like Vaccine Hunters Canada to get a vaccine here in Ontario. It has been a mess.

The question I have for the government—which is very, very focused on partisan ad campaigns, but not so focused on cleaning up the vaccine rollout. There is an increased supply, and I think we’re all pleased about that, but the question still remains: Who is going to get their shots? When are they going to get their shots? How are they going to get their shots for the second vaccine? That’s what people need to know, and that’s what this government should be able to provide in terms of information.

No more excuses. The vaccines are here. What’s the plan to get the second shot into people’s arms?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Well, the facts speak for themselves: over six million doses already administered; four million doses already organized and booked. We are rolling this vaccine plan out. We’re making it very easy for people. We’re offering more and more pharmacies to be able to offer vaccines. Some of these pharmacies are open 24/7, or you can walk in. We have the mass vaccination clinics. We have clinics that are going to people’s workplaces. We have a plan, the plan is being delivered and the plan is working.

COVID-19 response

Mr. Gurratan Singh: Two weeks ago, all of Canada was talking about Brampton’s COVID-19 crisis. We had one of the highest positivity rates in the entire country. Countless people were getting sick and many were dying. Tragic stories from Brampton were being heard across our nation, from the utterly devastating accounts of loss of life to essential workers who had to choose between going to work sick and paying their bills.

But despite all this national attention, two weeks later, the Conservative government continues to fail Brampton. We still have one of the highest positivity rates in the entire country, and essential workers are still getting sick. Workers are risking their lives every single day, moving this economy so others can work from home. They deserve more than three paid sick days. Will the Conservative government commit today to treating workers with the dignity that they deserve by bringing in two weeks of paid sick days?

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

Hon. Monte McNaughton: I want to begin by thanking the member opposite for supporting our government’s legislation to pass a comprehensive package that includes 23 days of paid sick leave in record time here in the Legislature. Thank you to the NDP, thank you to the independent Liberals for joining with our government to ensure that workers do not have to choose between their jobs and their health. I can assure the member opposite: We’re going to continue working every single day to protect the health and safety of every single worker until we defeat COVID-19 once and for all.

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

Mr. Gurratan Singh: Back to the Premier: When you’re in a crisis, you don’t do the bare minimum. You pull out all the stops. You do everything possible to save lives. But from the beginning of the pandemic, we have seen a clear track record from the Conservative government. They are continually doing the least possible to help Ontarians. Half-measures are continually being brought forward, and not enough help is being given to communities that need it the most.

Now, the Conservative government is warning that Ontarians should be prepared for at least two weeks of a stay-at-home order and closure. But while they’ve warned of longer lockdowns, the truth is that the Conservative government had every opportunity to stop the third wave, just like they had every opportunity get this crisis under control sooner, both times. Instead, they chose to stand by and do nothing.

We need more paid sick days, we need more vaccines and we need more support for hot-spot communities. We’re in a crisis, and people are dying. When will the Conservative government start acting like it?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: We have been taking action throughout this pandemic, especially as far as Peel and Brampton are concerned. They are receiving their fair share of vaccines. In fact, in the month of May alone, we will be allocating 432,960 doses to Peel region, which will make Peel the public health unit with the second highest doses rate per capita in the province. So we are sending sufficient quantities to Peel—and to Brampton, of course, specifically.

In terms of places where they can be received, there are over 150 pharmacies, seven of which will be running 24/7, four hospitals and hot spot pop-ups. We have 40 primary care sites in Peel region, and we also have workplace clinics at Maple Leaf Foods, Maple Lodge Farms and Amazon. We know that there are 25 postal codes that have been designated as hot spots in Peel region, and the entire region is receiving sufficient quantities to make sure that anyone who wants to receive a vaccine in Peel will be able to receive them.

COVID-19 immunization

Mr. Stan Cho: This week, I’ve been having many encouraging conversations with my constituents in Willowdale. It has to do with Ontario’s COVID vaccine campaign, which has clearly moved into the next gear, as doses enter the province at almost double the previous rate. Over the last few weeks, Ontario has had an army of health care workers who have set records when it comes to needles in arms, and we’ve soared past the goal of 40% of Ontario’s adult population getting at least their first dose by the end of April.

It’s very encouraging to hear, in fact, from the health minister that over 6.3 million doses have been administered, with—perhaps best of all—the last million doses being administered in nine days, and the million doses before that in just eight days. That’s really good news, Speaker, and very encouraging for my constituents in Willowdale.

Speaker, my question is for the Solicitor General. With so much forward momentum on the vaccine front, what can members expect moving forward with Ontario’s vaccine campaign?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Thank you very much to the member from Willowdale. These are exciting times, as we see the increase in doses coming from the federal government. We know that Ontarians are very excited about the rollout of Ontario’s vaccine campaign, and there is a lot to celebrate. As you said, after smashing through our goal of 40% of adults receiving at least their first dose by the end of April, we’ve set an ambitious goal for the end of May: 65% of adults receiving at least their first dose. And we are well on our way. Ontario is expected to surpass 50% of adults in the next 48 hours who will have received their first dose. It’s incredible.

With a daily average of 120,000 vaccines being delivered every single day, we can all be proud of the tireless work of thousands of health care workers and many, many volunteers who are assisting in this rollout campaign. It’s exciting news, it’s great news, and we are well on our way to seeing the end of COVID-19 in Ontario.

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

Mr. Stan Cho: I share that sentiment of excitement, and so do the people of Willowdale and Toronto. After such a difficult year, this is the good news I think we’ve all been waiting for. In the city of Toronto, Speaker, where I represent, nearly 1.3 million vaccine doses have been administered, and this represents approximately half of the population in our great city. It’s clear that with the vaccine supply ramping up in the province, the goals that we’ve set for the month of May are well within reach.

Speaker, given these developments in the vaccine rollout, I’m hoping the Solicitor General can update the House on what expansions to vaccine eligibility have been introduced this month and what will be introduced in the weeks ahead.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Thank you for your enthusiasm on this very critically important stage.

With stability in vaccine supply comes stability in our ability to expand the eligibility range. That’s why we started off the month by expanding eligibility to all of those 18 and above in the 114 hot-spot neighbourhoods across 13 different public health units, as well as a series of planned expansions based on age and risk. Starting today, for example, individuals with at-risk conditions, such as dementia, diabetes and sickle cell disease, as well as the second phase of people who cannot work from home, including grocery store, restaurant and transportation workers, are eligible to book an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

In addition, due to the increased vaccine supply, we are adding at-risk health care workers and dialysis patients to the list of those eligible to book. It’s exciting news, and I hope that people take advantage of, when you book, booking quickly, because we have a vaccine for you.

Small business

Ms. Catherine Fife: My next question is to the Premier.

“A nightmare.” “Ridiculous.” “Just an awful experience.” “It just looks like rank amateurs, top to bottom.” “The government simply doesn’t seem to know what it is doing.” These are quotes from business owners describing the Ontario Small Business Support Grant program.

Countless MPPs in this House have now shared stories of the significant problems their constituents have experienced with this program. The government needs to correct these issues. You need to expand eligibility—you should not be stalling on this any further—and you need to ensure that businesses that are closed through this third wave can receive additional support. Will the government commit to doing that today?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply on behalf of the government, the member for Willowdale and parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Finance.

Mr. Stan Cho: I appreciate the member from Waterloo bringing up the small business support grant program, a grant program that has helped over 109,000 small businesses receive $1.5 billion. In fact, over 75,000 businesses have received a second iteration of that grant program. That’s $1.1 billion. It’s a total of $2.6 billion paid out to these small businesses, with an average wait time of 12 days to get cash in hand.

Of course, there is a large volume of businesses that have applied to this good program, and that’s why we have doubled up on the resources available to get through that backlog. But what’s very curious is that the member stands in her place today and calls for further supports when she has voted against every single one of those support measures, including the doubling of the small business grant, which has helped about a thousand businesses in Waterloo region weather the storm that is COVID-19.

My question to the member is, hopefully, if the government does introduce new measures, will she support these small businesses with—

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

Ms. Catherine Fife: Are you going to do that? That’s what we’ve been calling for since last April. Come to the table.

Another quote, Speaker: “I’ve never seen a program that just didn’t have anyone there.... There’s no one you can write to, no one you can call, there’s no other number to ask to be elevated to speak with someone else. Ever.” This lack of meaningful support or information is an issue not only with the grant program, but with the highly affected sectors, like tourism and event venues—in Waterloo region, Bingemans and the Princess Cinemas. All of us have examples. They have not been able to generate revenue for a year.

Businesses are about to be closed for another two weeks. That’s another two weeks that business owners will be on their own, without help from this government. They are at the breaking point. You need to do something to support businesses for our economic recovery.

When are you going to fix the small business program? When are you going to put some additional funding on the table? When are you going to expand the eligibility—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. The member for Willowdale.

Mr. Stan Cho: To answer the question of when, well, from the very beginning of this pandemic, this government has been there with—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The opposition, come to order.

Mr. Stan Cho: —working with all levels of government. What the NDP has in common with all those support measures that they now call for is that they have voted against every single one, whether that was a PPE grant for the smallest of small businesses; a permanent reduction to small business property taxes of up to 30%; broadband infrastructure investment; the elimination of the EHT, a tax on jobs, for the smallest of small businesses; or the Digital Main Street program to help businesses retool and sell their products online.

Of course, this is a tough time for small businesses. That’s why this government has been there for them. The question is, why hasn’t the NDP?

Anti-racism activities

Mr. Michael Coteau: Mr. Speaker, my question, through you, to the minister responsible for anti-racism: Can the minister update and inform this House about the alarming and unacceptable increase in anti-Asian racism and how these extreme forms of hate have impacted Asian Canadians in our province over the last year?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: The member opposite is absolutely right: There has been a disturbing increase. We all appreciate and understand that it is coming from misinformation and misinformed individuals who are targeting a particular group, suggesting that that is the cause of the COVID-19 outbreaks. It’s terribly unfortunate. We have been working within the Anti-Racism Directorate—and, frankly, across government—to educate, inform and ultimately go after and shut down these individuals who are misinformed and are hurting our communities in a way that is truly, truly indefensible at this time.

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

Mr. Michael Coteau: I want to thank the minister for the answer, but the government has, frankly, done little over the last year to combat systemic racism and stop hate.

Last week, I asked the minister why the new anti-racism strategy, the updated strategy, did not mention the word “Asian” even once in the entire document. Instead of pledging action, the minister made reference to a grant, of which a small portion of that grant actually benefited one organization that’s combatting anti-Asian racism.

Speaker, we need this government to stand up to hate and to protect the rights of all Ontarians, including Asian Canadians, and it starts with this government taking initiatives and creating a strategy to tackle anti-Asian racism. But because of the minister’s continued lack of focus on one of the fastest-growing forms of hate in Canada, I plan to bring forward a change to the legislation, the Anti-Racism Act, today. I want to know if the minister will support those changes to include anti-Asian racism within the act.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I look forward to reviewing the private member’s bill. Obviously, I have not had any insight into what he is bringing forward, but I’m happy to review it.

I think it’s important that we talk about the actions that our government has taken. You mention grant programs like they’re inconsequential. I think that is very unfortunate, because of the enthusiasm and the encouragement that we have received in talking to organizations saying, “This will help us. This will help us educate. This will help protect us, and ultimately, it will help inform all Ontario citizens.”

Again, I will remind the member, the Anti-Racism and Anti-Hate Grant will provide $1.6 million in total funding, will be accessible to communities throughout Ontario and provide investments to community-based projects. The organizations and the communities asked us for these investments. We have done that. They are very pleased, and I’m happy to be working with them on this.

Border security

Mr. Stan Cho: I continue to have some frustrating conversations with my constituents regarding our border control measures from the federal government. We know that the majority of cases today are variants of concern. These are dangerous. It’s a pretty clear message from the Prime Minister that this just isn’t a priority for him, tightening up our border controls. This is problematic for the people of Willowdale and our province, because we know that these variants originate from outside of Ontario. While our government continues to urge our federal partners, to request real action to secure our borders—we’re going to continue calling on them in a vocal way.

It’s not just international travellers that are the concern. Of course, there are people carrying the variants coming in from other provinces. My question is for the Solicitor General. I’m hoping that she can share with the House what our request is to the federal government when it comes to these domestic travellers, to make sure that Ontarians can remain safe from these dangerous variants of concern.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Our request to the federal government was really very simple. It was three: to actually shut down the land and water international travel that is happening between our southern partners; it was to make sure that when domestic visitors come in, they get tested immediately at the border.

What we are finding, as we’ve highlighted previously, is that when a domestic traveller comes into Ontario and goes back to their place of residence or where they’re visiting, then books an appointment, then gets the test, then waits for the results of the test, how many people did they interact with? How many people did they put at risk? We’re seeing the variants increase. There’s a very simple fix that the federal government could do, and that is test people when they arrive at the border.

The third and final thing, of course, is make sure that when individuals self-isolate, they do the proper follow-up and make sure that they’re doing the right—

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

Mr. Stan Cho: I hope I don’t sound too frustrated in the Legislature today. It’s just that the frustration of my constituents is at a boiling point, because it has been a tough year and that has been the case for people all over the province. After making those sacrifices over a very difficult year, it’s fair of Willowdalers to expect some sort of action from our federal cousins on getting these borders under control and protecting us from these dangerous variants of concern—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Mr. Stan Cho: I know the Liberals are heckling me and calling this about xenophobia. It’s absolutely not about race. This is about protecting Ontarians against these dangerous variants of concern and putting in safeguards at the federal level to make sure that we protect all Ontarians.

Back to the minister: Can she provide examples of the concerning trends from incoming travellers at Toronto Pearson, Pearson being, of course, Canada’s largest airport right here in the region of Peel?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Yes, unfortunately, it is a disturbing one and a very direct one. We know that the P1 variant of COVID-19 has been connected to a massive outbreak in Brazil, and we know that travel remains a major vector for transmission. Just across the border from Hamilton, the Buffalo airport has a full web page dedicated to transportation for Canadians. I don’t need to remind members of how some travellers move across the border to avoid airport quarantine.

Even though our government is taking extra precautions by closing our interprovincial land borders to help keep out the variants, we do not control our international borders. All levels of government must work together to keep our citizens safe, including those carrying variants of COVID-19 travelling into Ontario, which is why we will continue to call on the federal government to help secure international entry points and further strengthen screening at our borders.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Rima Berns-McGown: My question is for the Premier. Beaches–East York is home to communities of essential workers who have no choice but to work precarious jobs with no benefits. They’ve watched neighbours evicted—no work, no home. They can’t take that risk, so they go to work, sick or not. The Premier stayed home for 14 days to ensure he wouldn’t get his family sick, but he’s only willing to give three days to essential workers. As a result, they and their families are ending up in the ICU.

As much as the government would like everyone to believe that the COVID fire raging in Ontario is entirely due to planeloads of foreigners, the science table and critical care doctors have been clear: It is driven by workplaces.

When is the government going to put in place a program of paid sick days that will allow workers to stay home when they are sick, and Ontario to heal?

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

Hon. Monte McNaughton: Again, I would thank the member opposite for her support in our province’s paid sick leave plan. In fact, we were the first province in the country to bring forward paid sick leave for workers. It’s a comprehensive plan of 23 days so workers don’t have to choose between their jobs and their health.

The health and safety of every single worker in this province, their families and their communities is our government’s top priority. We will continue to stand with workers every day until COVID-19 is defeated.

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

Ms. Rima Berns-McGown: What we have in Ontario is a perfect storm of bad policies. Last March, the Premier promised that nobody would lose their housing due to COVID, but that turned out to be a fairy tale. Thousands upon thousands of people who lost income due to COVID have been or are being evicted to couch-surf or into homelessness because there’s no moratorium on evictions for arrears and no rent relief.

Essential workers in Beaches–East York are terrified of losing their housing. Three days of paid sick days is simply not enough to allow people to stay home or to stem the tide of workplace infections, and ultimately, all of Ontario is suffering as a result.

When is the Premier going to do the math and give people the paid sick days they need to stay home when they are sick, so that we can end the devastating cycle of lockdowns and begin to rebuild our lives?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Before I ask the minister to respond, I’m going to caution the member on her use of language.

I now ask for the reply from the Minister of Labour.

Hon. Monte McNaughton: Again, I thank the member opposite and her NDP for supporting our comprehensive package to support workers. Twenty-three paid sick days are available to workers in this province.

Mr. Speaker, we’re going to continue to ensure that every worker is protected so they don’t have to choose between their job and their health. We’ll be with workers every single day until we defeat COVID-19.

Small business

Mr. Mike Schreiner: My question is for the Premier. Small businesses are hurting, barely hanging on if they haven’t gone out of business already. The third wave has forced small businesses to close for a third time, and there is speculation that they will remain closed well into next month.

Small businesses are doing their part to save lives, but they need the government to have their backs. So, I have a simple yes or no question: Will the Premier triple the Ontario Small Business Support Grant to help small businesses survive the third wave?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply, the member for Willowdale.

Mr. Stan Cho: I think I’ve mentioned this outside. I have a great deal of respect for the member from Guelph. We’ve had many conversations about the small businesses not just in his riding, but throughout this province, through our work with the finance committee, listening to the very difficult times they’re going through, from the beginning of this pandemic.

That’s why this government has responded, in step with our partners at other levels of government, to provide a blanketed measure of support. We’ve introduced a series of supports, not just the small business support grant program, but help with hydro; with fixed costs, like property taxes; reducing or eliminating in many cases a tax on jobs, the EHT, for the smallest of small businesses, in fact.

It’s curious to hear that the member from Guelph is calling for a third round of the small business support grant program when he voted against the second round. So the question—yes or no—is, if we introduce more support measures, will the member finally support and vote in favour of the supports?

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

Mr. Mike Schreiner: I think small businesses wanted a “yes” response to my previous question. The bottom line is that wave 1 and 2 supports, and citing those, will not get small businesses through wave 3, especially when the current program is broken.

I just want to quote one of the many small businesses that have reached out to me: “I just got off the phone with the call centre and I got a hurry up and wait, that they don’t have any timelines on payments.”

Speaker, businesses simply cannot hurry up and wait. I can tell you as a long-time small business owner that cash flow is critically important. I will support a third round of funding in a system that is fixed.

Speaker, through you, I ask the government: Will you expand the eligibility criteria of the small business support grant, bring in a third round of funding and fix the existing broken system?

Mr. Stan Cho: I appreciate the passion from the member from Guelph, and it’s encouraging to hear that he will consider changing the voting record and supporting small businesses for supports moving forward.

It’s important to talk about the supports that businesses in Guelph have received. In the first iteration of the grant program, they received over $11 million. This helped well over 700 businesses in the area of Guelph. The member voted against that. But in the second round, these businesses will be given more support.

Of course, we are not through this storm that is COVID-19. I will work with that member and his constituents and small businesses to make sure that we are listening to them. But where these targeted measures can best help these small business—because what I have in common with that member is I, too, am from a background in small business. My family made a new life for themselves in this, the best country in the world, based on small business.

We need to help them, so I encourage that member to reach out to my office. Let’s get the job done. Let’s put COVID-19 in the rear-view mirror and make sure these small businesses are not just prosperous again, but are the most successful that we have in the entire world.

Border security

Mr. Stan Cho: My question is for the Solicitor General. Since first learning of COVID-19 last year, I know that our government has been committed to taking all the necessary steps to ensure that our communities remain safe and healthy during these unprecedented times. Protecting Ontario includes taking swift action to make sure that our borders are secure from all travellers entering our province who are carrying these dangerous variants of concern.

Now, Speaker, we heard extremely concerning news recently that cases of the P1 variant have quadrupled from Thursday to Sunday in the Hamilton region. As we continue to manage this third wave of the virus in this province, I’m hoping the Solicitor General can address the continued need for strict measures at our border now, so that the P1 variant doesn’t grow from what it has already become.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Solicitor General.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: The member from Willowdale is absolutely right. In the case you mentioned in Hamilton, they’ve seen a number of cases tied to the worrisome COVID-19 variant first identified in Brazil more than quadruple in the past week. As of Sunday, the P1 variant, considered more spreadable and possibly more dangerous to young people, has been confirmed in 14 Hamilton residents, up from just three cases reported Thursday. This is how quickly variants can move through our communities.

We’ve been testing for the P1 variant, and it wasn’t there last month. Although we have identified P1 in Ontario, there are many more variants and mutations that have not yet been detected in Ontario. Our current cases are dominated by variants that come from other jurisdictions and all of which were introduced into Ontario through travel. Once again, we ask the government to take action to keep these variants out of Ontario and our community.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): And the supplementary?

Mr. Stan Cho: We continue to hear, I think in all of our ridings, these concerning stories from constituents about what they feel are very weak border measures to protect against these variants of concern. I know I certainly heard my share from