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November 15, 2021

42nd Parliament, 2nd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2021-Nov-15 vol. A (PDF)

L017A - Mon 15 Nov 2021 / Lun 15 nov 2021

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Monday 15 November 2021 Lundi 15 novembre 2021

Royal assent / Sanction royale

Members’ Statements

Northern health services / Services de santé dans le Nord

Thanksgiving food drive

Optometry services

Thank-A-Vet

Affordable housing

Land use planning

Patty’s Place

Child care

West Lincoln Memorial Hospital

Question Period

COVID-19 immunization

Child care

Indigenous affairs

Curriculum

Optometry services

COVID-19 immunization

Government services

Hospital funding

Municipal planning

Nurses

Tenant protection

GO Transit

Education funding

Optometry services

Environmental protection

Introduction of Bills

Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur le Comité consultatif des subventions aux résidents du Nord de l’Ontario pour frais de transport à des fins médicales

Support Workers Pay Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur la rémunération des préposés aux services de soutien

Petitions

Affordable housing

Optometry services

Volunteer service awards

Optometry services

Optometry services

Addiction services

Optometry services

Community planning

Optometry services

Optometry services

Abuse awareness and prevention

Opposition Day

Government policies / Politiques du gouvernement

Orders of the Day

Build Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2021 / Loi de 2021 visant à protéger nos progrès et à bâtir l’Ontario (mesures budgétaires)

The House met at 1015.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Good morning. We begin this morning with a moment of silence for inner thought and personal reflection.

Prayers.

Royal assent / Sanction royale

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I beg to inform the House that in the name of Her Majesty the Queen, Her Honour the Lieutenant Governor has been pleased to assent to a certain bill in her office.

The Deputy Clerk (Mr. Trevor Day): The following is the title of the bill to which Her Honour did assent:

An Act to amend the Remembrance Week Act, 2016 / Loi modifiant la Loi de 2016 sur la semaine du Souvenir.

Members’ Statements

Northern health services / Services de santé dans le Nord

Mr. Guy Bourgouin: I rise in the House today to speak on behalf of the constituents in my riding of Mushkegowuk–James Bay about the crucial shortage of doctors and nurses in the region. Speaker, it has been a known fact for quite some time now that having access to family physicians in the north is an ongoing challenge.

Parlons plus particulièrement de la situation de crise dans mon comté. À Hearst, cette municipalité vit depuis quelque temps une pénurie de docteurs. Dans cette ville, il y a à peu près 1 500 patients orphelins, ce qui représente près de 29 % de la population. La salle d’urgence de l’Hôpital Notre-Dame de Hearst est toujours à un cheveu d’être obligée de fermer parce qu’ils n’ont pas de médecins disponibles pour couvrir.

Speaker, if the doctor shortage was not enough to deal with, hospitals in my riding are also having a nursing shortage. In Smooth Rock Falls, they have tried—and continue to try—to recruit by offering incentives to attract nurses, and they still cannot get the human resources they need to cover the shifts.

Monsieur le Président, je demande à ce gouvernement d’agir à cette situation de crise : qu’il investisse dans des programmes qui répondent aux enjeux et aux besoins spécifiques au Nord. Il n’est plus le temps de réagir; il est grand temps d’agir.

When will the Ford government learn to listen and commit to finally taking action to ensure everyone in northern Ontario can get a family doctor, and address the nursing shortage?

Thanksgiving food drive

Mr. Deepak Anand: The last 18 months have been tough. Food banks saw a 26% increase in first-time visitors across the province. COVID-19 has affected every fabric of our society.

However, that has not stopped our province—the people of Ontario—from working together to ensure no one is left behind. They have displayed the true Ontario spirit. I would like to spotlight our community ambassadors, Dev Tiwari, Cathy O’Connor, Sukhvinder Sharma, Keyur Shah, Bhavesh Patel and Angie Munnick, for stepping up and supporting our office’s community food drives.

I am thrilled to share that the ambassadors from Mississauga–Malton have collected over 1,500 pounds of food for Mayor Bonnie Crombie’s annual Thanksgiving food drive, to ensure fellow neighbours can enjoy meals with their loved ones during the festive season.

Achievements like this would not be possible without a true team effort. Thank you. Thank you to the residents of Mississauga–Malton and to my wonderful office staff for always being there to lend a hand to our community during tough times. I am looking forward to your support for the blood donation drive on December 18.

Let’s continue to work and serve the community through the Ontario spirit. That is what will get all of us ahead on the road to recovery.

Optometry services

Mr. Chris Glover: November 14 was World Diabetes Day, marking 100 years since Banting and Best discovered insulin in a lab just a few hundred metres from this Legislature, at the University of Toronto.

But as well as insulin, people with diabetes often need eye care. Jacob Wolfe lives in Spadina–Fort York and has type 1 diabetes. He has been unable to update his prescription because this government refuses to negotiate a fair deal, leaving optometrists paying an average $27 out of pocket to examine an OHIP-insured patient. It has been 76 days since seniors and children have been able to receive OHIP-covered eye exams. My constituents have sent hundreds of emails and thousands have signed petitions asking the government to negotiate in good faith with optometrists.

There are people like Dr. Melissa Yuen, of Dr. Yuen Optometry in Spadina–Fort York, who simply wants to assist her clients but can’t keep paying out of pocket for it. The impact is far-reaching, affecting people from the ages of seven to 70. Bob Whalen is 70 years old and a constituent and he can barely read because he needs a new prescription. Another constituent, Jagbir, has a seven-year-old daughter who needs prescription glasses but hasn’t been able to get an eye exam because of this government’s refusal to negotiate. He says that this is having a negative impact on her learning and her well-being.

Mr. Speaker, we are imploring this government to negotiate a fair deal with optometrists so that residents like Jacob, Bob and Jagbir’s daughter can get the eye care that they need.

Thank-A-Vet

Mr. Will Bouma: I rise in the House today to acknowledge a memorable event which recently took place in my riding of Brantford–Brant. For 24 years, on the Saturday prior to Remembrance Day, the Thank-A-Vet committee has chosen to honour local veterans, widows, widowers and Silver Cross mothers. For the past 22 years this took the form of a wonderful luncheon attended by local veterans and their families and members of the community.

The pandemic forced the organizing committee to pivot, and on Saturday, November 6, for the second consecutive year, I was able to participate in delivering gift bags to the homes of veterans and their families. The gift bags contained a wonderful assortment of community-donated gifts, including a gift certificate for a lunch at a local restaurant.

While we wish we could have honoured them collectively, this was still a wonderful way to remember the tremendous service and sacrifice of our veterans. I would like to give a special thank you to my newly elected colleague MP Larry Brock and the work his office staff also did in making this year’s event successful.

Thank-A-Vet provided an opportunity to salute our local patriotic men and women who served our great nation, and to thank them in person. While their number decreases year by year, their legacy of fighting to preserve freedom remains.

Affordable housing

Ms. Suze Morrison: If you ask any Torontonian what our national bird is, don’t be surprised if someone answers “the construction crane.” The Rider Levett Bucknall Crane Index tracks how many cranes dot the skylines of North American cities and found that Toronto has a whopping 43% of all the cranes counted in the 14 cities that they track.

The Conservative members opposite will cry all day that the source of Toronto’s affordable housing crisis is a lack of supply. But how can we have more cranes in the sky than all of Los Angeles; Seattle; Washington, D.C.; and New York combined and still manage to have a supply problem?

The problem, Speaker, is we aren’t building the right kinds of housing. We don’t need more multi-million-dollar condos on every single corner. We need investments in affordable housing. We need real rent control and stronger inclusionary zoning rules—rules that allow cities to require developers to build affordable housing within their projects.

I recently spoke with Darren, a constituent of mine who lives in the Church and Wellesley Village, who also wants to see stronger inclusionary zoning rules put in place. Darren lives in a behemoth 42-storey tower, but sadly, only half of the units on the second floor were designated as affordable rentals. But worse, because this building, this condo was built after 2018—when this government cut rent control protections—these units aren’t even rent-controlled.

We need this Premier and his Conservative government to stop pandering to the profits of developers and start putting affordability for tenants first.

Land use planning

Mr. Mike Schreiner: I spent constituency week meeting with people in Guelph, farmers in Wellington county, folks from Caledon, Vaughan, Halton Hills, Orangeville—all opposed to Highway 413; none of them a downtown Toronto elite.

I attended a rally in Bolton against the Premier’s highway schemes. Well over 100 people took time out of their busy Saturday afternoon to wave signs against Highway 413, the same signs on local people’s lawns along the highway’s proposed route. None of them are downtown Toronto elites that can afford a $1,000 fundraiser.

Speaker, let’s be clear: The only elites pushing for this highway are wealthy land speculators and PC donors who will cash in big time if the Premier builds this highway, paving over paradise to put up a linear parking lot.

People who live and farm in the area want to protect the farmland that feeds us. They are opposed to paving over the wetlands that clean our drinking water and protect us from flooding. They are opposed to putting more stress on the rivers they love to fish. They are opposed to paving over the greenbelt. They are opposed to the Premier making life less affordable for people by forcing them to commute farther distances to find an affordable place to call home.

They want $10 billion spent on better transit, affordable housing, health care, and climate action—not a highway that will pave over the places they love.

Patty’s Place

Mr. Stephen Crawford: It’s an honour to be in the Legislature here today and to bring awareness about important organizations in my riding of Oakville.

Last month, I had the honour of attending the virtual grand opening of Patty’s Place, a new dementia care facility operated by Acclaim Health. As the population ages, Patty’s Place will be critical in filling a growing need by servicing individuals living with dementia.

Patty’s Place is a state-of-the-art facility that is tailored to the needs of its clients. In fact, before construction, clients were consulted on the facility design and which features should be included to provide the best care for them.

Patty’s Place is a comfortable and inviting home. The features include an adult day program, and it is the only facility in Halton region to have beds for short overnight stays. The 3D immersive technology room, which is the first of its kind in Canada, is designed specifically for people with dementia.

I have a personal connection to Patty’s Place. It’s named after Dr. Patty Plaxton, who was my family’s physician for many years. In fact, it was Dr. Plaxton who delivered the wonderful news to my wife, Najia, and I that we would be having twins.

Dr. Plaxton is now living with early-onset dementia. She practised medicine in our community for over 20 years. Her dedication to the community is honoured in the name of the new facility.

I want to thank the residents of Oakville and Halton region for their support and contributions to building this fantastic facility. I also want to extend a personal thank you to everyone at Acclaim Health for the fantastic work you are doing. I am so grateful to you and all the members of Acclaim Health and all the members of the community that have participated in raising funds for this fantastic facility.

Child care

Ms. Marit Stiles: By the end of the last government’s term, Ontario had the second-highest child care fees in Canada and Toronto had the most expensive fees in this entire country. We have heard so many promises of change over the years, but the fact is that this Conservative government has failed to deliver on affordable child care.

Today, parents in my riding of Davenport are paying a median fee of $1,578 a month, and that’s if they can find space at all. Most cannot. On top of that, COVID restrictions and staffing pressures have seen spaces close just as parents are returning to the workplace. Families at Rawlinson school, for example, are finding that their child care centre is turning them away and they’re letting children go because they are so short on rooms. Worker retention remains a major issue because wages have not kept up.

The one hope for families rests with an offer from the federal government, which has finally, finally come around to the idea of funding universal, affordable child care programs. Over the weekend, I was pleased to hear that Alberta became the latest province to sign up, joining seven other provinces and a territory. But Ontario is lagging behind once again, and we’ve got federal officials telling the Toronto Star last week that the province has yet to even submit a formal plan to them.

While this government drags their feet, families, especially women, are paying the price. It’s time for the government to stop wasting time. Sign the deal. Let’s deliver $10-a-day child care to the people of Ontario.

West Lincoln Memorial Hospital

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: The rebuild of the West Lincoln Memorial Hospital has been one of my top priorities since being elected as the MPP for Niagara West. I was born in the hospital, I campaigned for the hospital and I remain committed to seeing the rebuild of this hospital to completion, with shovels in the ground upcoming soon.

This summer, the request for proposals went out as part of a hugely important next step in getting these shovels in the ground. As part of our comprehensive plan to end hallway health care, the Ontario government made an additional investment of over $15 million earlier this year to support the planning and design of the new hospital. Once complete, this new state-of-the-art facility will replace the existing aged building, improving capacity, expanding access to quality care and helping end hallway health care for patients and families in west Niagara.

Getting to this stage of the project planning required an immense amount of work from the hard-working staff and planners who have helped us get here, and I want to thank them for that work.

Once complete, the new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital will have a modern, up-to-date facility with capacity for over 61 beds; a larger 24/7 emergency department; maternal and newborn services; modern surgical suites to deliver care with the best technology available; and outpatient care services, including minor surgical procedures such as endoscopies.

I want to thank our local municipal and community leaders, supporters, volunteers, doctors, nurses and front-line health care workers for their tireless advocacy. It’s one of the most important regional projects in Niagara West. I also wish to acknowledge the hard work that continues to go forward, and I look forward to seeing shovels in the ground. Together, we will build the new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital.

Question Period

COVID-19 immunization

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, my first question this morning is for the Premier.

As we all know, COVID cases are up in Ontario. About a month ago, the Premier asked for some advice as to the use of mandatory vaccine policies for schools and hospitals, but of course he got that advice and then flat out refused to take it. Instead, he listens to anti-vaxxers.

In long-term care, 98% of staff have had their first shot and 95% are fully vaccinated, which shows that this policy in fact works. Why will this Premier not guarantee the same level of protection for patients and students and stop coddling anti-vaxxers?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: Because of the great work of the CEOs and public health and the front-line health care workers, that’s the reason we’re at 98% of health care workers.

But we also have to keep in mind the backlogged surgeries, the diagnostics, the cancer screenings. That’s what we have to keep in mind. That’s the reason we sent out a letter to all the hospitals to get a better gauge on what’s going on. But I’m so proud of our front-line health care workers and the job they have been doing throughout the pandemic, and I’m so proud that they’ve hit 98%.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, the science table advised the government, “Requiring that health care workers be vaccinated ... is evidence-based and protects the public.” Long-term-care residents and staff are safer because of that mandate. Newborns in hospitals should be safe too, Speaker.

Fans at Raptors games need a vaccine, but the Premier doesn’t think workers in schools and hospitals should have it. How can the Premier ignore the best scientific advice for a mandatory vaccine policy and leave patients, students and staff at hospitals and schools at risk?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: Protecting the health and well-being of all Ontarians has been our primary objective since this pandemic began. That applies to everyone.

We appreciate that most of our health care workers and workers in schools have already been vaccinated. We’re very grateful for that. But the other reality is that, in addition to protecting people from COVID, we also have thousands and thousands of people who have been waiting for over a year to have necessary surgeries done: hip and knee replacements, cataract surgeries and other necessary surgeries. We need to make sure we have the health human resources available in order to do that so that people can be well, can be free from pain and can go back to work.

They can go back and enjoy the activities they want to enjoy. So this is not an easy determination to make. We have to weigh, on a basis of an assessment of risk, what is more dangerous: to require vaccination or to give up on all of those other people who need our help. We are not going to give up on them.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The bottom line is that vaccine mandates work. They protect staff and they protect the public. The TDSB had minimal disruption with their mandate. Many hospitals—the University Hospital Network, for example—already have mandates for vaccines as a policy in the hospitals. They know what this Premier refuses to acknowledge: that it is the best way to protect patients and staff.

When is the Premier going to stop listening to anti-vaxxers—stop coddling that segment of the population—and start listening to the advice of the science table and other experts who clearly say it is absolutely the right thing to do to have a mandate for vaccines in hospitals and schools.

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

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: I don’t know who the Leader of the Opposition is trying to convince. I have been out there for 20 months, every single day, promoting people getting vaccinations. As the Leader of the Opposition is—I don’t even know where she is. We’re going to continue making sure we encourage people, all front-line health care workers, to get vaccinated. We’re going to make sure all education workers get vaccinated. We’re out there every single day promoting it.

We allowed the hospitals to have the flexibility because what is good for downtown hospitals isn’t necessarily good for far, northern and rural hospitals that need more health care workers. We’re giving them the flexibility, because the difference between us and the NDP and the Liberals is that we believe the hospitals are experts. They know what they’re doing. That’s why we gave them the flexibility.

Child care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier. This morning, Alberta is signing a $10-a-day child care deal with the federal government. The Premier may not know it, but in fact families are struggling to make ends meet these days. The cost of living is up, rent is up, the price of milk is up. Ontario families need quality, affordable child care.

The question to this Premier is, why is he so unwilling to cut a deal for $10-a-day child care for Ontario families?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I want to thank the member opposite for the question. This Premier and our government has invested, every single year, $2 billion to help deliver quality child care and make it more affordable. Given that the former Liberal government increased child care costs—under the former Liberals, by 40% over the national average. The second province with the most expensive child care in Canada was Ontario under the former Liberals; the worst was the New Democratic province of BC. We know that we can do better than the NDP and Liberals. We know we can set a higher standard.

We also know the federal government needs to pay a fair share. They contribute 2.5% of Ontario’s contribution to child care, but they could do much, much more. We know, and we believe, that a good deal is on the horizon, but it requires the federal government to accept three core principles. The first is flexibility; the second is respect for all parents—all families deserve support from this federal government; and the third is sustainability, so we do not see a program that is viable for five years and then declines in year six, fees hike, and parents ultimately pay the price.

We want a long-term commitment that is going to benefit all families. That’s what we are fighting at that negotiating table.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The federal minister responsible said this: “We actually haven’t received any numbers from the government of Ontario.... Every other province has managed to send us an action plan from which we’ve been able to have negotiations. But quite frankly, we’re still waiting for Ontario.”

Parents need some breathing room. They can’t wait forever. The cost of child care, first under the Liberal government and now under this PC government here in Ontario, is the highest in the country. The fees, in some cases, can be more than the cost of a mortgage. So why doesn’t this Premier want to make life just a little more affordable for families with children by providing them with $10-a-day child care like the rest of the country has been able to do?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: In fact, the Premier does want to do that. That’s why in his first budget, he introduced a child care tax credit to reduce fees, and I will remind the member opposite you voted against that. So did the Liberals, by the way, in each successive budget. In the last budget, we enriched that tax credit to provide roughly $1,500 per child in savings. We recognize that that in itself is not going to make child care affordable, which is why we expect the feds to pay their fair share—2.5% is clearly insufficient.

What we’re doing on this side of the House—and I would expect all members to unify behind our government—is that there is a full-day kindergarten program in Ontario for four-year-olds and five-year-olds; 260,000 kids are getting full subsidies by the provincial taxpayer. Why is it that New Democrats and Liberals do not agree with the premise that the federal Liberal government should pay their fair share and support Ontario, which has one of the most mature programs of child care in the nation?

We’re proud of that. We know there’s more to do. We’re going to continue to advance flexibility, sustainability and a program that supports every mom and dad in the province of Ontario.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Tax credits don’t build affordable, quality child care spaces for families in this province. This government just doesn’t get what families are going through. In fact, their low-wage policies are hurting all Ontarians. High child care fees are squeezing families. The cost can be more than a mortgage, as I’ve already mentioned. Women who have been hit hard by this pandemic need affordable, quality, reliable child care to get back to work. Affordable child care is not just good for families, it’s good for the economy as well.

The question to this Premier is: Why is he so unwilling to get a deal for Ontario families to make affordable child care a reality here? Give those families a break, because the cost of living is going up and they need reliable, affordable child care. Why will he not provide it?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: We are working hard to get a good deal. If I could cite the day care operators of Ontario executive director, who said just days ago, “The wrong deal for Ontario could leave families with fewer licensed child care spaces and paying much, much more for them,” in the context of supporting Ontario’s independent licensed child care operators, who are encouraging the province to take the time to negotiate this with the federal government to get it right.

Mr. Speaker, we want a deal. We’ve been at the table for months. The member opposite may recall a federal election called by the federal Liberal government themselves impeded our ability to conclude it. But the Premier and this Progressive Conservative government believe at our core that the federal Liberals can give this province a better deal, with long-term sustainable investments that parents deserve. We do not want to sign a deal—maybe a good headline on day one and leads to higher prices in year five. We want something that is sustainable, that is enduring and that respects the interests of all families, of all parents in how best they choose to raise their kids.

Indigenous affairs

Mr. Peter Tabuns: My question is for the Minister of Indigenous Affairs. This weekend, the Toronto Star revealed that the Ford government has approved eight mining exploration permits. These permits will allow companies to drill for gold on the area that the Grassy Narrows First Nation has declared as an Indigenous protected area, but the government didn’t notify Grassy Narrows nor consult with them to get consent. Speaker, did the minister not realize that this was Grassy Narrows territory when he issued the permits, and how could that possibly have been missed?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply on behalf of the government, the member for Peterborough–Kawartha.

Mr. Dave Smith: Thank you very much for that question. It gives me an opportunity to clarify some things.

The exploration activity is not actually mining activity. Mining is a multi-step process that we have to go through, and it begins with the exploration permit. But an exploration permit does not allow the exploration company to engage in mine development, construction or production of the mine. It is a multi-year process that we have to go through.

Ontario is committed to the success of First Nations and seeks to work proactively with First Nations, including ANA, to achieve positive outcomes, including healthy communities, good jobs and economic prosperity.

Mining claim registrations in the area can likely be attributed to an increase in mineral commodity prices, absolutely. But the overwhelming majority of mining claim registrations and exploration projects do not result in an operating mine. I’ll have more to say in the supplementary.

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

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Again to the minister—that was one of the weakest first answers I’ve ever heard.

Anyway, the people of Grassy Narrows have lived through decades of pain with basic human rights denied and ignored by successive Liberal and Conservative governments. Now the Ford government is plowing ahead to do even more damage. Issuing these permits is a violation of the Mining Act and

section 35 of the Constitution, the duty to consult.

Grassy Narrows says the mining exploration will compound the harm that mercury and clear-cut logging have already done to their land and their people, and that harm has been considerable. You know that, Speaker.

Will the minister cancel these permits immediately and withdraw mining and clear-cut logging from Grassy Narrows territory?

Mr. Dave Smith: The ministry has worked in good faith with ANA and their neighbours to identify community views and positions on the no-harvest area and seek a balanced path forward that can be applied through the next decade with the Whiskey Jack Forest management plan.

The crown takes its duty to consult with Aboriginal communities very seriously. We’ll continue to consult with all First Nations on mining exploration and development activities where such activities have the potential to adversely affect a community’s established or credibly asserted Aboriginal or treaty rights. We are committed to satisfying this constitutional obligation.

Curriculum

Mr. Will Bouma: As Ontario begins to exit the Roadmap to Reopen, we are also proud of our school community that has continually been kept safe and learning since the start of this school year.

Beyond the measures that this government has taken, we know that many students that are racialized or from lower-income families are facing barriers to success in the classroom. Studies have found that students that are racialized, Indigenous or from lower-income families are disproportionately affected by academic streaming in secondary schools.

Can the Minister of Education tell this House what steps the government has taken to ensure that barriers are removed for all students to achieve their fullest potential?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I want to thank the member for Brantford–Brant for his question and the advocacy from so many families in this province to remove the barriers that many young people face every single day, particularly racialized and Black and Indigenous children in Ontario.

Our government and our Premier have made a commitment to dismantle those barriers, to take them on with a plan that is decisive that includes the end of streaming for grade 9 children. We started in grade 9 with math this past September—transformational in helping to create pathways for young people to pursue their full potential, including in the skilled trades, in college and university, as we hope to instill a greater emphasis on life and job skills, particularly the new math curriculum that deals with financial literacy and coding and the skill sets that young people need to succeed.

That is the same vision we have for all the curriculum we’re teaching children, which is why we were proud last week to confirm the province will end streaming in Ontario for grade 9, right across all grades, with the aim of lifting up the performance of all children and helping them succeed in this province.

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

Mr. Will Bouma: Mr. Speaker, I’d like to thank the minister for his response. It is great to see that Ontario students are being given an equal chance to succeed in math, something that the former government did not do for thousands of Ontario students.

Can the Minister of Education update this House on how he plans to ensure all students in grade 9 are given a fair chance at success in the classroom?

We know the disproportionality exists; that’s why the government took action last year to end streaming. It’s why this government for the first time in the history of Ontario brought in a supervisor in Peel region due to racism. We’re going to continue to confront racism in all of its forms and work hard to give every student a pathway to success in Ontario.

Optometry services

Ms. Jessica Bell: My question is to the Minister of Health. For four months now, seniors and kids have not had access to OHIP-covered eye care in Ontario—seniors like David Allgood, a resident in my riding of University–Rosedale. In October, David’s regular eye exam was cancelled because the Ford government refused to negotiate with optometrists. Just a few days later, David started experiencing vision problems which impacted his ability to read, write and drive. David pleaded with his optometrist for a visit but was declined and was referred to the emergency room.

David is angry that the Ford government put his eyesight at risk, and he’s angry the government is promoting unnecessary and costly visits to the ER.

This is my question: Why is the government further burdening hospital emergency rooms when they could just pay optometrists a fair price for their services?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you very much to the member for the question, because it gives me the opportunity to correct some inaccuracies that are out there right now. The first is that the government of Ontario has never refused to pay for OHIP services for children and for seniors. We are ready, willing and able to provide those services, but the fact of the matter is that the Ontario Association of Optometrists is not prepared to do so. We went to the table with them for mediation. They disagreed with some of the ways to proceed, but we decided to move ahead in any event. We did receive a letter that asked why we weren’t providing the services. The answer is we are ready to.

We are urging the Ontario Association of Optometrists to come back to the table. We want to reach a deal with them. We know they’ve been treated badly by other governments. We want to fix that, and I’ll speak in my supplemental about what we are prepared to do.

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

Ms. Jessica Bell: Back to the Minister of Health: David later learned he had a hole in his retina, which, left untreated, could cause permanent blindness. And David is just one of the thousands of people in Ontario who have had their eyesight put at risk because of this government’s failure to negotiate in good faith.

For decades now, successive governments have failed to increase OHIP funding to cover the cost of basic services like eye exams for children and seniors. We knew this situation was coming, and it could have been prevented. In fact, I sent a letter to the Minister of Health over a year ago, urging the minister to engage in dialogue with optometrists so service wouldn’t be restricted.

This is my question: When will this government stop putting Ontarians’ health and eyesight at risk and return to the negotiating table to reach a fair deal?

Hon. Christine Elliott: In fact, we take the health and well-being of every single Ontarian to be very important, and we are prepared to sit down at the table with the Ontario Association of Optometrists. Because of the fact that they haven’t had an agreement since 2011, we’ve already paid $39 million into their accounts to cover what they would have received had they been paid at the same rate as physicians for the last decade. That is what the association asked for.

We also agreed to go into mediation with them, which is what the association asked for. We agreed to the mediator that they asked for. We also have agreed that we would pay to start an 8.4% increase going forward but retroactive to April 1, recognizing, again, that they wanted to be paid at the same level that physicians would have been paid. And we are prepared to set up a working group to discuss the issues with respect to overhead that the association has asked us to do. We are ready to do that today if the Ontario Association of Optometrists will come back to the table. That’s all we’re asking them to do, and we’re ready to go.

COVID-19 immunization

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Premier.

Health Canada is expected to announce the approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children aged five to 11 within the next two weeks. This is good news, because one in five cases are those school-aged children here in Ontario. We know that immunization against COVID-19 will not only protect children from the Delta variant but their families and those around them as well. We also know that universal vaccinations have protected children and their families for decades here in Ontario.

Speaker, through you, will the Premier protect our children and their families by making COVID-19 vaccinations universal in schools, like we have done for so many other vaccines in this province?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you very much to the member for the question. What we are doing is finalizing our plan for the vaccination of children aged five to 11. This is something that each and every public health unit has been asked to do. They are ready to go. As soon as the approval from Health Canada comes forward, we will be ready to start those vaccinations.

The vaccination plan in every different region will look different, but it’s fair to say that many of the vaccination clinics will be done in schools, perhaps not during school hours. But we also have a vaccination line for people to call if they have questions about vaccinating their children. They can call the children’s hospitals, speak to a specialist, make sure it’s safe for their children. We receive a large number of calls to those clinics and we anticipate that most parents will move forward with having their child vaccinated. They recognize that that’s the healthy and safe thing to do.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Well, Speaker, the government can start today by adding those over 12 to the Immunization of School Pupils Act, because we’ve had those vaccines approved for months and months now. We’ve implemented universal vaccinations for polio, mumps, measles, rubella, meningitis, whooping cough and chicken pox. That system has been in place for decades, and it has actually helped schools and public health units manage infectious diseases and outbreaks. It has been there for decades. It’s a tool that’s ready to go.

The Ontario Public School Boards’ Association, Toronto District School Board, the Ottawa district school board and public health experts have all called for the government to make these vaccines part of that universal list. And it’s a reasonable thing for families to expect that.

So, Speaker, why is the Premier not listening to parents and experts and schools who are calling on this government to ensure kids aged five to 11 are vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to keep them safe?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Our government has been taking every step possible to keep everyone safe in Ontario, from children to seniors and everyone else in between. As of today, we have 88.7% of our population aged 12 and over having received one dose of the vaccine and 85.6% receiving two doses. That’s one of the highest rates, not just in Canada but in the world, and we’re going to continue to do that.

We have a last-mile strategy we are using, where we have GO-VAXX buses going to areas where we have large numbers of people who are unvaccinated. We’re still having the clinics; we’re still doing it through primary care. And we’ll continue to do that with the children as well. Currently, of 18- to 29-year-olds, 79.2% have been fully vaccinated; 12- to 17-year-olds, 80.1%. Some of that is because some of the children who were 11 turning 12 didn’t receive the notification that they could move forward until more recently. But our numbers continue to go up, and we’re going to get everybody vaccinated in Ontario who wants to be vaccinated.

Government services

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: My question is to the President of the Treasury Board.

In my riding of Niagara West, we’ve seen that the pandemic has revealed how Ontario’s programs and front-line services need to be more reliable, more accessible and convenient. We saw that the last government said no to reducing red tape, no to supporting small businesses and, frankly, no to supporting the people of this province.

My constituents want to know what this government is doing to make services more accessible, reduce red tape and simplify policies for all Ontarians. My constituents have long demanded simpler, faster and better services, but never more so than during a pandemic.

Speaker, my question through you to the President of the Treasury Board: How will the minister advance our public services and ensure that Ontarians are receiving these services in a rapid fashion?

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: I’d like to thank the member for Niagara West for that excellent question. With more and more people accessing digital services, we can’t afford to be an off-line government in an online world. The government is listening to Ontarians and is exploring how programs and services can be improved. We’ve worked hard to cut red tape, reduce inefficiencies and create a better experience for the people of Ontario.

While this work has proceeded, the COVID-19 pandemic has meant we had to accelerate and innovate our approach to moving Ontario onwards. Our government launched the $500-million Ontario Onwards Acceleration Fund to support this work. The fund will reinvest in public services and will accelerate transformation across government by supporting innovative ideas and providing opportunities to pilot new technologies.

Mr. Speaker, we are undertaking an across-the-board modernization of the entire government. We are moving Ontario onwards.

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

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: Thank you very much, Speaker. To the minister through you: I have to say, I have heard from many constituents who appreciate that they don’t need to spend as much time waiting in line for approvals; they don’t need to spend as much time waiting in line at ServiceOntario. But there are indeed ways that the government has cut red tape and ensured that we’re able to access government services in a rapid fashion.

But, Speaker, there is more that we can do. There’s more that we can do, and I want to hear a little bit more from the minister about what Ontario is doing to encourage and accelerate transformation across government, support innovative ideas and also provide opportunities to pilot new technologies. I am also wondering how the government plans to fund innovation in this province.

Hon. Prabmeet Singh Sarkaria: I would like to thank the member again for that very important question.

The world has changed, and our government must change with it. The new Ontario acceleration fund will help with the implementation of projects that will make a difference in how people and businesses experience services in Ontario. Mr. Speaker, everyone will benefit from a more efficient government. For example, a small business owner can register for licences online and permits online, and even open their accounts online; or Ontario farmers can choose to renew a farm vehicle online, rather than or instead of visiting a ServiceOntario location in person.

Mr. Speaker, we are expanding the range of programs and services available online, simplifying the government’s role in people’s lives and their businesses. We are going to be putting people at the centre of everything we do, continue to reinvest in our services and accelerate transformation across government.

Hospital funding

Ms. Sara Singh: My question is for the Premier. Back in March, the Premier told the people of Brampton, “We’re building a new hospital. It’s going to be a beautiful, state-of-the-art hospital.”

The problem for Brampton, though, Speaker, was that the Premier hasn’t made the investments necessary to bring a new hospital to our community, and he certainly hasn’t put any shovels in the ground either. Now, folks in Brampton are once again raising concerns that this over-promised and under-delivered plan isn’t even going to meet the needs of our growing city. We learned last week that we may be only getting 250 beds over seven years, well short of the 850 beds that the city requested when they declared a health care emergency in Brampton.

So, Speaker, my question, again, through you to the Premier, is: When is this Conservative government going to stop playing political games with our community and finally commit to a stand-alone, brand new hospital for the people of Brampton?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you to the member for the question. Our government has made a commitment to the people of Brampton. We have been hearing, for a long period of time, about how this rapidly growing community needs more hospital development. We have made the agreement to revitalize the existing hospital, to create an emergency department there, to create an acute care centre there, and to build it up into a full-grown hospital. That is a commitment we have made and that is a commitment that we are going to keep.

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

Ms. Sara Singh: Speaker, families in Brampton are sick of Liberals and Conservatives using our community as election pawns. Decades of broken promises, underfunding and inaction from both Liberal and Conservative governments have had real consequences for the people of Brampton.

Our only hospital is routinely over capacity. People leave our community to get health care services. Surgeries are delayed, with exceptionally long wait times, and health care staff are run off their feet. Our city receives $1,000 less per capita in health care funding. My heart breaks thinking of what our community goes through. It is unfair, and the people of Brampton deserve so much better, Speaker. We deserve a full-service hospital, full stop. We need more than empty promises from this government. We need shovels in the ground and we need beds that keep up with the growing demand in our community.

When is Brampton going to get the new hospital that our community deserves and that we have been promised?

Hon. Christine Elliott: The member is absolutely right: The people of Brampton do deserve better, and they are going to get better. But let me just quote what the mayor of Brampton, Mr. Patrick Brown, recently said: “Brampton got nothing for two decades—for 20 years we were ignored despite having institutionalized hallway medicine. Frankly, this should have been done 15 years ago.

“We’re getting $1 billion, the largest investment in health care in our city’s history.

“This is a significant step forward, this is progress, and I don’t think there is any mayor in Canada that would not be elated with a $1-billion investment in their community.”

Speaker, the opposition party should listen to what Mayor Brown said when he encouraged people not to play politics with a new hospital.

Municipal planning

Mrs. Belinda C. Karahalios: Good morning. My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. On August 27, 2021, the minister approved an MZO request to fast-track the building of a one-million-square-foot industrial warehouse in the village of Blair, in my riding of Cambridge. The initial public consultation on rezoning the area was done in 2012, completed six years ago, and the consultation was done for a different use of the land altogether, not for one big, massive industrial facility.

Despite the fact that the consultation was done that long ago for a different facility, and the user of the new facility remains a secret mystery, and Blair residents are against the project, and Six Nations were not consulted on the development, the minister approved the project anyway.

My question for the minister is: Why did he approve the MZO?

Hon. Steve Clark: I want to thank the member for the question. Our government has been very clear on all minister’s zoning orders on non-provincially owned land: It comes at the request of the municipality. It has been very clear that the city of Cambridge has requested this order. I wrote the mayor and asked specifically: From a council perspective, had they done their due diligence in terms of consultation with the local community? The city came back and again confirmed not only that they had done their due diligence, but they also reaffirmed that they requested a minister’s zoning order.

Speaker, we have been very clear with the city of Cambridge, with the local council, on this project. We expect that they do their due diligence before they ask for this order.

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

Mrs. Belinda C. Karahalios: Well, despite this government’s claim that it is for the people, it isn’t listening to local voices when it comes to big government programs, instead hiding behind the decisions of local councils who are going rogue and not representing their constituents, whether it is approving the construction of the largest wind farm in Ontario, the Nation Rise Wind Farm in Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry; or allowing Cambridge city council to move forward with a request for a drug injection site; or now hammering through this MZO, all against the will of local residents.

This government is showing contempt for the province’s own consultation rules and residents of local communities. What assurances are in place to hold municipal councils in check when they go rogue on their constituents and try to hammer ahead with programs against the will of their residents?

Hon. Steve Clark: Again, in terms of this minister’s zoning order and this council—I’m not going to speak to those other two matters that the member brings up, because they have nothing to do with the minister’s zoning order in Cambridge—we’ve communicated to the mayor and the council. We’ve been crystal clear: If the community does not do the Indigenous consultation, I will revoke the MZO. I have written two letters to the mayor and indicated that it’s our expectation that they’re going to do these consultations, that they’re going to have these discussions.

I wrote them once; I wrote them again; and I’ve given them a deadline. They’ve got to move forward with those consultations or it will be revoked, plain and simple.

Nurses

Mr. Norman Miller: My question is for the Minister of Colleges and Universities. Speaker, as you know, Ontario is facing a shortage of nurses. In my riding, Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, West Parry Sound Health Centre and local long-term-care facilities all struggle to find enough nurses. There was a shortage of nurses before the pandemic, but COVID-19 has only made the shortage worse.

Can the minister tell us what tangible actions the minister has taken to address the nursing shortage in Ontario? And will the minister commit to creating more nursing spots and programs by the 2022 academic year?

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Thank you to the member from Parry Sound–Muskoka for that important question.

This past year, the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated how vital nurses are to our health care system. Our government has taken the necessary steps to address the nursing shortage in Ontario. Specifically, in my ministry we have worked in collaboration with colleges and universities to create programs to maintain excellence in nursing education, while also expanding choices for students. Last month our government said yes to new stand-alone, four-year bachelor of science in nursing degree programs at both Georgian College and St. Lawrence College. These programs are in addition to the 15 universities and 22 colleges offering baccalaureate nursing programs in collaborative partnerships.

By allowing both colleges and universities to have stand-alone degrees, our government is increasing choice and reducing barriers to access high-quality, local education for our students. This is a bold and progressive move under our government that will provide our students the opportunity to complete a highly sought-after degree close to home and ultimately keep the talent in local communities to help address any skills shortages.

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

Mr. Norman Miller: Thank you to the minister for that answer. It’s great to hear our government is actively taking steps to address the nursing shortage in response to the needs of our health care system.

When we consider the importance of nurses, we must also take into account the needs of the long-term care sector. Our government is mandating increased care in long-term care, and that, it seems to me, will require even more nurses. Speaker, through you to the minister: What is our government doing to support the addition of nurses to long-term care homes? And what is our government doing to support the upskilling of nurses and personal support workers?

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Thank you again to the member for that question. I was pleased to join the Minister of Long-Term Care in announcing our government’s investment of nearly $35 million to increase enrolment in nursing education programs. This investment will enable Ontario’s publicly assisted colleges and universities to accept an additional 1,130 practical nursing diploma students, as well as 870 bachelor of science in nursing degree students for the September 2021 and January 2022 intakes.

Increasing enrolment in nursing education programs is progress in ensuring that Ontario’s health care system has the highly qualified staff needed to provide world-class care for Ontarians and our loved ones. Just last week, we joined the Minister of Long-Term Care to announce two innovative programs, the Bridging Educational Grant in Nursing and the Nursing Program Transformation in Ontario’s Colleges, to increase access to nursing programs at publicly assisted colleges.

Our government will continue to say yes to our partners to provide students with the education and skills they need for rewarding careers that fuel a responsive and highly skilled labour market.

Tenant protection

Ms. Suze Morrison: My question is for the Premier. In 2018, this Conservative government legislated a massive loophole in rent control rules in Ontario. For tenants living in newly built apartments there is absolutely no limit to how much their landlords can increase their rent by.

I recently heard from Rahool, a constituent in my riding of Toronto Centre. He lives with his family in a new condo in the Church and Wellesley Village. Last month, Rahool received notice from his landlord that his rent would be going up by 23%, which is more than $400 a month, Speaker. Rahool and his family want to know when this government will finally help young families like his and restore rent control for all Ontarians.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Steve Clark: I want to thank the member for the question. We were clear in the fall economic statement in 2018 that we were going to commit, as we did during the election, to protecting tenants in rent-controlled buildings. We made a decision that has resulted in the most purpose-built rental construction in our province since 1992. So we’ve made a decision, on a supply basis, to have more purpose-built rental. It was part of our More Homes, More Choice Act, our housing supply action plan. We’ve been clear in our direction.

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

Ms. Suze Morrison: Respectfully, back to the minister: Allowing tenants like Rahool and his family to be gouged by their landlord is not protecting them. Rahool just wants an affordable home to raise his young family in. His income isn’t going up by $400 a month, and his family is unable to move while his wife recovers from a C-section after recently giving birth to their second child.

Rahool told me, “We had no idea our unit had no rent protections and weren’t told the unit had no rent control by our landlord when moving in. If we knew our rent could increase by any amount our landlord wanted, we would never have chosen to rent ... here.” He went on to say, “I wasn’t born here, but I didn’t think this kind of thing could happen in a country like Canada to my family.”

When will this government finally accept that its rent control loopholes are unfair, they are unjust and they are hurting Ontario families like Rahool’s?

Hon. Steve Clark: Increasing the supply of purpose-built rental is a priority of our government. We want to ensure that everyone who is a tenant has a safe, secure place to call home.

But again, we’re not going to go back to the “no” policies of New Democrats and Liberals. We want to build upon the fact that, as I said earlier, we have more purpose-built rental in this province than we’ve seen since 1992. And it doesn’t matter what metric you use, Speaker—it doesn’t matter whether you look at RBC in terms of their economics, Urbanation or CMHC—the numbers are there.

What do we have to do, Speaker? We have to build upon those numbers. We have to, again, work with our partners at the federal and municipal governments to build more housing supply. This isn’t a one-and-done policy, Speaker. We made our housing supply action plan, but there is much, much more we can do to increase the supply of housing of all types.

GO Transit

Ms. Kathleen O. Wynne: My question is for the Minister of Transportation. Speaker, the Milton GO corridor is the third-busiest GO Transit corridor in the GO system. Tens of thousands of jobs rely on the corridor. By one count, it’s 143,000 jobs. Milton is one of the fastest-growing communities in the country, and this corridor would provide service to thousands of families who are in need of better transit options.

I know that there has been a protracted discussion with CP Rail in order to ensure safe passage of both freight and passenger trains, but my understanding is that those discussions have progressed and that it’s now time to take action. On September 14, Mississauga called on the federal and provincial governments to work together to complete full-day, two-way service to Milton, and this was in response to the August announcement of the federal commitment to fund 50% of the cost of delivering this expanded service. In fact, I believe that the federal minister is at Queen’s Park today.

Mr. Speaker, will the government commit to matching federal funding to deliver two-way, all-day GO train service every day from Union Station through Mississauga to Milton?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: I thank the member opposite for the question. It’s an important question, because we know that the Milton GO corridor is really among the most congested corridors in Ontario and more needs to be done to ensure safer and more efficient travel. As the population in the region grows, transit needs to grow with it.

But, Mr. Speaker, I find the member opposite’s question ironic. She and her government had 15 years to make two-way, all-day GO service to Milton a reality, but they failed to deliver. In fact, in 2014, Mr. Del Duca told members of this House, “Our government has a commitment and will deliver two-way, all-day GO service to Kitchener-Waterloo, to Milton, to Barrie and along all of our corridors over the next decade. That’s our plan; we’ll get it done.”

The member opposite is correct: I have a meeting this afternoon with the federal Minister of Transport to discuss how we can move forward on this. There are commercial negotiations under way. Our government is committed to moving forward with this. We know how important it is, and unlike the previous government, we will get it done.

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

Ms. Kathleen O. Wynne: You know, Mr. Speaker, one of the reasons that governments like the previous Conservative government under Mike Harris don’t invest in long-term infrastructure projects is that you don’t get to cut the ribbon. The reality is that most of the projects that this government is involved in, and is going to cut ribbons on, were begun under a Liberal government, because under Conservative governments those projects don’t start.

So, Mr. Speaker, yes, we did not get to the point where we were delivering full-day, two-way GO service to Milton, because those conversations with CP that I talked about were ongoing. Now they are completed, because they were started under a Liberal government.

Mr. Speaker, I am asking the minister: It is not 1916, when what this province did was build roads. It is not the Department of Highways. Highway 413 is not necessary. What we need is two-way, all-day GO service. Will the government commit to pay its share of the funding, to which the federal government has already committed?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: I thank the member opposite for the question. She might not like it, but as she knows, our government unveiled the most ambitious transit expansion plan for the greater Toronto area, more than any government ever has, with $28.5 billion. We achieved—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. I would like to hear the Minister of Transportation answer the question, and I could hear her, perhaps, if the members of the government side weren’t yelling at the same time.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Ottawa South is going to come to order.

Start the clock. The Minister of Transportation.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

We unveiled the most ambitious transit plan in the history of Ontario. The member mentions and is asking about working with the federal government. We understand it’s important to work with other levels of government. In fact, it was our government that achieved a historic partnership with the city of Toronto, York region and the federal government to deliver on transit. We are going to continue to work with our partners to deliver value for taxpayers in the province of Ontario and transit, unlike the previous government.

In 2015, Mr. Del Duca again told members in this House, “The Milton corridor itself will have service every 15 minutes or better during the morning and afternoon peak travel periods.” It’s another empty promise by the Liberals. We know how important it is to work with all levels of government—

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

Education funding

Ms. Marit Stiles: This question is for the Premier. Speaker, in this month’s fall economic update, the base funding for education was cut by half a billion dollars, down from $31.3 billion in March to $30.8 billion. For families who have seen their kids packed into classrooms like sardines or struggling through hybrid classes that put saving money ahead of learning and support, the fact that this government would be making deep cuts to our community schools is just unconscionable.

Can the Premier explain to parents how he can possibly justify cutting half a billion dollars from Ontario’s schools?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Mr. Speaker, that is simply utter nonsense. The government, in the fall economic statement, increased investment by $230 million more than we were projected to spend—the last budget, up $600 million year over year, as reported by the public accounts. It’s black and white for every member to see.

Everyone knows that this Premier has increased investment every single year, the highest level of investment in public education in the history of this province, because we believe in public education: an over $1.6-billion investment in COVID resources; a $600-million historic investment to improve air ventilation, given the massive repair backlog inherited from the former Liberal government. We are investing $85 million in learning recovery, a leading investment focused on early learning, on reading, as well as mathematics, and we’re investing more to support tutoring in Ontario, to help more students get access to the reading gaps they deserve.

We’re going to continue to invest in mental health, a four-times increase, and make life better for families, for students and for education staff in this province.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: Speaker, the minister is spinning so fast, he’s going to lift off. This minister’s weak excuses—no one is buying them.

Read your own fall economic update: $500 million cut, half a billion dollars cut. Parents, school boards, education workers and all our kids have done their very best to make this fall semester work. After 26 weeks of school closures, our kids should be getting more support right now, not less. There is no news in there about the second half of COVID funding to help boards plan for next semester. There is nothing in there on the rapid testing program, which is just confusing and inaccessible. Vaccine rates among eligible youth continue to lag. And the plan for the five- to 11-year-olds has been left to public health units to figure out.

Speaker, will the Premier commit today to reversing these planned half a billion dollars in cuts to schools and step up to help address the challenges that they are facing, yes or no?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: We increased investment last year, in the last budget, by $600 million year over year. In the most recent fall economic statement, as reported within our fiscal plan, there’s a $230-million increase in investment when it comes to what we’re expected and projected to spend this year. We’re investing more than we even anticipated, which is a $600-million increase.

We have put $1.6 billion in COVID resources, $85 million in learning recovery. Mr. Speaker, we’ve increased for school boards the vehicle by which we provide funding, the grant for students, by an additional $561 million. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Investments are up in every measurement.

In mental health, something I think all members are committed to, we have increased investment by four times what the former Liberal government was investing. This year alone, we’ve hired 1,200 net new teachers. And the hiring continues: 2,000 more staff in school boards right across Ontario, reported by the boards themselves.

We’re committed to safe schools. We’re proud that two million children are learning within our school system today. We’re proud of the ventilation system that has been improved in every school.

We know there is more work to do. With high vaccine rates, we know we can continue to keep kids—

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

Optometry services

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Good morning, Speaker. My question is for the Premier. A veteran approached me after Remembrance Day ceremonies in Guelph last Thursday. His eyesight has declined and he desperately needs access to an optometrist, but neither he nor his grandkids can make an appointment for eye care.

It’s wrong that seniors and children cannot access eye care in Ontario. It is wrong that optometrists lose over $30 for each OHIP eye exam. On behalf of this veteran and thousands of people across Ontario, I am asking the Premier, will he do basic math and cover the full operating cost of delivering an OHIP eye exam in this province?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you to the member for the question. I can certainly agree with you that it is wrong that people are not receiving the services that they need to receive, to receive quality eye care. That includes seniors. That includes people under age 18. But the government of Ontario is ready, willing and able to pay for these OHIP-covered services. Sadly, the Ontario Association of Optometrists is not.

Now, I think it’s very important that anybody who needs eye care should know that the College of Optometrists requires the optometrist, even if they are not providing the care themselves—for someone who needs urgently required health care, the college says that the optometrist must refer them to someone who will provide that service. That is important for everybody to know: to first discuss it with your optometrist and then get a referral to somebody who can help you.

However, I think it’s also important to say that we are ready, willing and able to sit back at the table at mediation with the association. We have asked them to do so several times. We have made a $39-million payment into their accounts already. We’re ready to increase their fees by 8.4%, retroactive to April 1, and we are ready to sit down and have a working table today if they’re willing to go back to the table to talk about their overhead costs.

We know that they have been put back by previous governments. We want to make it right with optometrists. We want them to come back to the table so that we can continue to provide those services—

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

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Speaker, with all due respect to the minister, I ran a small business for many years. You cannot have your business continue if you are losing money on each exam. So, yes, the government says it will continue to pay OHIP eye exams. But if you’re losing $30 every time you give an exam, how can you continue to do that? The government says, “We’ve offered an 8% increase.” That means instead of losing $30, they’re losing around $27. It’s still not sustainable.

Hon. Christine Elliott: I would say the answer is many. As I mentioned, in the letter I received from the leader of the official opposition and the president of the OAO, they asked me, in my capacity as minister:

“That you direct the Ministry of Health to immediately commence intensive negotiations with the OAO concerning OHIP optometry fees.

“Further, the negotiation process must include a mediation and fact-finding process that results in a public report in the event that the parties are unable to reach an agreement.”

We said yes. We honoured the OAO’s request to commence mediation, only to have the OAO reject the mediator’s terms and walk away from the table.

The Ministry of Health has agreed to the conditions required by the mediator to resume negotiations and is ready, willing and able to continue those discussions with the OAO. But I would say that given the OAO’s engagement of legal counsel to support their negotiations and the mediator’s regular outreach to counsel to explore the continuation of our talks, the OAO is very well aware—

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

Environmental protection

Ms. Jennifer K. French: My question is to the Premier. I was proud to stand recently with the leader of the official opposition, the MPP for Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas, councillors from the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, Regional Councillor Dies, EANAP and many community and environmental voices at Carruthers Marsh in Ajax. We were there to commit to protecting this vitally important area and to adding the Carruthers Creek headwaters to Ontario’s greenbelt when the NDP form government in 2022.

The Carruthers Creek headwaters are comprised of prime agricultural lands containing sensitive hydrological features and are completely surrounded by greenbelt. The watershed is vulnerable and invaluable, and we must protect it.

The Ontario NDP is committed to protecting the Carruthers Creek headwaters when we form government; however, Speaker, it needs to be protected now. Will this Premier commit to adding the Carruthers Creek headwaters to the greenbelt?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Steve Clark: I want to thank the member for her question. As she knows, from February to April our government launched a 61-day consultation to grow the greenbelt, which could lead to its largest expansion since its inception in 2005. We made a commitment in both the 2020 and the 2021 budgets that we were committed to not just protecting but expanding the greenbelt as one of our greatest treasures.

We are still consulting in terms of urban river valleys and the Paris-Galt moraine. We’ll continue to work with our partners on their advice as we move forward. Thank you for the question.

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

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Again to the Premier: Talk is cheap with this government. A three-year-old PC Party campaign promise made by the now MPP for Ajax and a recent and reactionary damage-control Facebook post isn’t good enough.

The MPP for Ajax has been in cabinet for the last three years with the exception of his short but infamous vacation, and yet he still said nothing about this until the NDP raised the issue. He was silent during his time as environment minister and was silent during the government’s consultations on expanding the greenbelt, which recently concluded with absolutely no commitment to adding the Carruthers Creek headwaters to the greenbelt. Clearly, if this government wanted to protect the Carruthers Creek headwaters, it would have done so.

The minister can knock on doors and say whatever he wants, but I can’t imagine that that member speaks for the government. Is the MPP for Ajax again going rogue by making environmental commitments, or will this government make the right decision and add the Carruthers Creek headwaters to the greenbelt?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.

Hon. David Piccini: Thank you to the member for that question. It’s under our Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing that we’ve launched an expansion of the greenbelt—as he said, potentially the largest expansion in Ontario’s history, but, Speaker, we’re not done there.

Some of my first actions as minister were to expand our green space in the province. We expanded Normandale beach, adding it to Turkey Point Provincial Park. We expanded the waterfront trail, an important asset as that member would know, and we would continue to encourage that member to engage her constituents and constituents throughout the Durham region on important investments that can be made, including as part of our greenbelt consultations.

Under the previous Minister of the Environment, we launched Ontario’s Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan, which led to the largest freshwater cleanup of its kind, again, important to the residents of Ajax and Durham.

We’re going to keep acting on the environment, keep expanding green spaces and leading historic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. We’re going to keep doing that, and I’d encourage her to join us in that.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): That concludes our question period for this morning.

This House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1135 to 1300.

Introduction of Bills

Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur le Comité consultatif des subventions aux résidents du Nord de l’Ontario pour frais de transport à des fins médicales

Ms. Monteith-Farrell moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 46,

An Act to enact the Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee Act, 2021 / Projet de loi 46, Loi édictant la Loi de 2021 sur le Comité consultatif des subventions aux résidents du Nord de l’Ontario pour frais de transport à des fins médicales.

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

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Would the member care to briefly explain her bill?

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell: The bill enacts the Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee Act, 2021. The act requires the Minister of Health to establish an advisory committee. The committee’s mandate is to make recommendations for improving the facilitation of reasonable access to health services for people in northern Ontario by means of reasonable, realistic and efficient reimbursement for travel costs. The committee is required to consult with all relevant stakeholders, including, at minimum, the stakeholders specified in the bill.

The committee is required to report its recommendations to the minister. The minister is required to inform the assembly of the recommendations that the minister will implement.

Madame Collard moved first reading of the following bill:

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

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I would like to invite the member for Ottawa–Vanier to briefly explain her bill.

Support Workers Pay Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur la rémunération des préposés aux services de soutien

Mr. West moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 48,

An Act respecting minimum pay for support workers / Projet de loi 48, Loi concernant la rémunération minimale des préposés aux services de soutien.

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

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I invite the member for Sudbury to briefly explain his bill if he wishes to do so.

Mr. Jamie West:

An Act respecting minimum pay for support workers basically is an opportunity for this government to amend what they have been doing with these temporary enhancements to public support worker pay.

As we know, many seasoned PSWs have teenage and young adult children who are making more money than they are. We all recognize in this House how important PSWs’ work is, and that they’re underpaid and undervalued.

In order to attract PSWs to the role and retain them, we need to pay them a livable wage, a fair wage. This act would ensure this happens and that it is continually evaluated so that the pay never falls backwards due to cost-of-living increases.

Petitions

Affordable housing

Mr. Chris Glover: My petition is entitled “Affordable Housing.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas under Conservative and Liberal governments, rent prices have skyrocketed, home ownership is completely out of reach for many, and affordable housing and assisted living space wait-lists far outstrip availability;

“Whereas in Ontario, half of renters give more than 30% of their income to their landlords, and where 20% of renters give more than 50%;

“Whereas Ontario’s wait-list for affordable housing has grown to more than 185,000 families, and seniors now account for over 35% of the people waiting for affordable housing, putting Ontario on the brink of a homelessness humanitarian crisis;

“Whereas instead of tackling the housing problem, the Conservative government cancelled rent control on new units, forcing double-digit increases in rent, has refused any direct relief for renters during the COVID-19 pandemic, and abandoned Ontario’s target of ending homelessness by 2025; and

“Whereas everyone deserves a home—a stable, decent, place they can afford;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to build 100,000 homes over the next decade consisting of 70,000 affordable housing units, as recommended by the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association and the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, and 30,000 supportive housing units with wraparound supports for people with mental health issues and addictions, as recommended by the Canadian Mental Health Association.”

I fully support this petition. I will endorse it and pass it to page Nathaniel to take to the table.

Optometry services

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I have a petition signed by hundreds of London West seniors and families who depend on their local optometrists for high-quality eye care. I’d like to thank the offices of Dr. Allan Bernardi, Dr. Greg Cook, Old South Optometry, Byron Optometry and FYidoctors for sending in these petitions.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

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

“Whereas the government only pays on average $44.65 for an OHIP-insured visit—the lowest rate in Canada; and

“Whereas optometrists are being forced to pay substantially out of their own pocket to provide over four million services each year to Ontarians under OHIP; and

“Whereas optometrists have never been given a formal negotiation process with the government; and

“Whereas the government’s continued neglect resulted in 96% of Ontario optometrists voting to withdraw OHIP services beginning September 1, 2021;

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

“To instruct the Ontario government to immediately commit to legally binding, formal negotiations to ensure any future OHIP-insured optometry services are, at a minimum, funded at the cost of delivery.”

I support this petition. I will affix my signature and give it to page Isabella to take to the table.

Volunteer service awards

Mr. Will Bouma: “To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas army, sea and air cadets are some of the best of our youth;

“Whereas the young men and women of Canada’s cadets volunteer and serve their communities with honour and distinction; and

“Whereas their development and service within our community are admirable and should be emulated; and

“Whereas their teamwork, dedication, and discipline are qualities worthy of recognition; and

“Whereas the Cadet Citizenship Recognition Act, if passed, would create an annual award for a nominated cadet from within each local cadet corps to celebrate their remarkable acts of citizenship;

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

“That the Legislative Assembly of Ontario vote on and pass the Cadet Citizenship Recognition Act.”

I fully support this petition, will be affixing my signature thereon and giving it to page Hayden.

Optometry services

Ms. Sara Singh: I’m honoured to present this petition to save eye care in Ontario. I’d like to thank Dr. David Bookman at Vodden Medical Centre and patients at the clinic for bringing this petition to our office.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

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

“Whereas the government only pays on average $44.65 for an OHIP-insured visit—the lowest rate in Canada; and

“Whereas optometrists are being forced to pay substantially out of their own pocket to provide over four million services each year to Ontarians under OHIP; and

“Whereas optometrists have never been given a formal negotiation process with the government; and

“Whereas the government’s continued neglect resulted in 96% of Ontario optometrists voting to withdraw OHIP services beginning September 1, 2021;

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

“To instruct the Ontario government to immediately commit to legally binding, formal negotiations to ensure any future OHIP-insured optometry services are, at a minimum, funded at the cost of delivery.”

I am happy to add my name to this and send it off with page Joel.

Optometry services

Mr. Joel Harden: I have a petition to save eye care in Ontario.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

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

“Whereas the government only pays on average $44.65 for an OHIP-insured visit—the lowest rate in Canada; and

“Whereas optometrists are being forced to pay substantially out of their own pocket to provide over four million services each year to Ontarians under OHIP; and

“Whereas optometrists have never been given a formal negotiation process with the government; and

“Whereas the government’s continued neglect resulted in 96% of Ontario optometrists voting to withdraw OHIP services beginning September 1, 2021;

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

“To instruct the Ontario government to immediately commit to legally binding, formal negotiations to ensure any future OHIP-insured optometry services are, at a minimum, funded at the cost of delivery.”

I’m happy to sign this petition and send it with page Isabella to the table.

Addiction services

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell: This petition is entitled “Prevent Overdoses in the North.”

“Whereas northern Ontario has some of the highest rates of opioid-related deaths in the province and this number continues to grow; and

“Whereas we need urgent action from the provincial government to save lives in the north;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to declare the opioid overdose crisis in northern Ontario a public health emergency, and commit funding for comprehensive, evidence-based local health and community initiatives such as harm reduction strategies, awareness programs, anti-stigma training, residential treatment, and overdose prevention services.”

I am sad to sign this petition but will sign it and give it to the page to bring to the table.

Optometry services

Ms. Marit Stiles: I’m pleased to present this petition on behalf of the thousands of residents in my riding who have signed the petition and written to me about this issue. It reads as follows:

“Petition to Save Eye Care in Ontario.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

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

“Whereas the government only pays on average $44.65 for an OHIP-insured visit—the lowest rate in Canada; and

“Whereas optometrists are being forced to pay substantially out of their own pocket to provide over four million services each year to Ontarians under OHIP; and

“Whereas optometrists have never been given a formal negotiation process with the government; and

“Whereas the government’s continued neglect resulted in 96% of Ontario optometrists voting to withdraw OHIP services beginning September 1, 2021;

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

“To instruct the Ontario government to immediately commit to legally binding, formal negotiations to ensure any future OHIP-insured optometry services are, at a minimum, funded at the cost of delivery.”

I could not agree more with this petition, and I’m pleased to affix my signature and hand it over to page Joel.

Community planning

Ms. Jessica Bell: This petition comes from the Kensington community. It reads:

“Give Communities a Say on Cannabis Retail Licensing.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas cannabis is a legal, regulated product and should be available in a way that meets community needs; and

“Whereas the Ford government’s licensing approach has led to communities with no retail stores at all while other neighbourhoods are seeing increasing concentrations of them at the expense of other shops and services; and

“Whereas municipalities have no authority to determine the location of cannabis retail shops in a given area or their proximity to one another...;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to...:

“—align the process for new cannabis retail licences with that used for liquor licences;

“—give municipalities and, through them, the local community, a greater say in the licensing process;

“—ensure access to legal cannabis is maintained without pushing out diverse businesses that make our local economies thrive.”

I fully support this petition. I’ll be signing it and giving it to page Nathaniel.

Optometry services

Mr. Chris Glover: I read this petition that was submitted to me by Dr. Abraham Yuen of Richmond University Vision Care.

“Petition to Save Eye Care in Ontario.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

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

“Whereas the government only pays on average $44.65 for an OHIP-insured visit—the lowest rate in Canada; and

“Whereas optometrists are being forced to pay substantially out of their own pocket to provide over four million services each year to Ontarians under OHIP; and

“Whereas optometrists have never been given a formal negotiation process with the government; and

“Whereas the government’s continued neglect resulted in 96% of Ontario optometrists voting to withdraw OHIP services beginning September 1, 2021;

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

“To instruct the Ontario government to immediately commit to legally binding, formal negotiations to ensure any future OHIP-insured optometry services are, at a minimum, funded at the cost of delivery.”

I fully support this petition. I will sign it and pass it to page Alfie to take to the table.

Optometry services

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell: This petition is from many citizens in Thunder Bay.

“Petition to Save Eye Care in Ontario.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

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

“Whereas the government only pays on average $44.65 for an OHIP-insured visit—the lowest rate in Canada; and

“Whereas optometrists are being forced to pay substantially out of their own pocket to provide over four million services each year to Ontarians under OHIP; and

“Whereas optometrists have never been given a formal negotiation process with the government; and

“Whereas the government’s continued neglect resulted in 96% of Ontario optometrists voting to withdraw OHIP services beginning September 1, 2021;

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

“To instruct the Ontario government to immediately commit to legally binding, formal negotiations to ensure any future OHIP-insured optometry services are, at a minimum, funded at the cost of delivery.”

I will sign this petition and give it to page Ella to bring to the table.

Abuse awareness and prevention

Mr. Michael Mantha: Once again, I want to thank Charmaine Loverin for presenting me with these many petitions. The petition is entitled “Loverin’s Law.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the government of Ontario does not provide direct use of education and real life skills language, nor prevention tools about abuse in elementary (specific to first reader ages Grade 1+), middle schools and high schools; and

“Whereas the government of Ontario does not provide direct use of education and real life skills language, nor prevention tools for five top abuse situations facing many Canadian and diverse families today: physical, neglect, emotional, verbal and sexual, grooming; and

“Whereas abuse affects ages younger than 5 and 93% of abuse happens in the hands of those that young people or youth are supposed to trust; and

“Whereas statistically two in five girls and one in six boys are currently abused in Canada today, not including unreported; and

“Whereas abuse has no culture, status nor religious divide and is a long-term injury that causes stigma, shame, guilt, anxiety, even isolation that can result in bullying, self-harming behaviours, depression, youth addiction and even suicide; and

“Whereas early education, including evidence-based and new community prevention programs, will greatly benefit intervention, awareness and empowerment for prevention of bullying, addiction and suicide for victims and early offenders;

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

“Request

an act to designate an ‘annual awareness of abuse prevention week’ in all Ontario primary, middle and high schools, and to provide for abuse curricula for healthy families and safe community policies, administration and accountability” by 2020—we are now in 2021.

I agree with this petition. I will affix my name and present it to page Felicia to bring to the Clerks’ table.

Opposition Day

Government policies / Politiques du gouvernement

Ms. Andrea Horwath: I move opposition day motion number 4:

Whereas the cost of living is the number one concern for many Ontarians, and many are worse off than they were in 2018; and

Whereas hydro rates have increased every year since the Ford government took office despite the Premier’s promise of a 12% rate cut, and skyrocketing costs for food, housing, transportation, auto insurance and gasoline are higher than ever while wages remain flat; and

Whereas the Ford government’s three-year, ongoing low-wage policies are among the leading reasons for low and stagnant wages across Ontario; and

Whereas the previous Liberal government’s inaction on the minimum wage from 2014 to 2017 added to the challenges faced by Ontario’s lowest-paid workers and increased the gap between the very wealthy and working Ontarians; and

Whereas Premier Ford’s 2018 cancellation of the minimum wage increase hit front-line and essential workers hardest, resulting in at least $5,300 in lost earnings since January 1, 2019, for full-time minimum wage workers, and the proposed $15 minimum wage fails to keep up with inflation; and

Whereas government inaction on the housing crisis, affordable child care, paid sick days and meaningful supports for struggling small businesses has caused more and more everyday Ontarians to fall behind;

Therefore, the Legislative Assembly calls on the Ford government to end its low-wage policies and develop a meaningful plan to tackle Ontario’s cost-of-living crisis by restoring the lost earnings of workers affected by the Premier’s minimum wage freeze; taking real action on unaffordable rent and soaring home prices; working with the federal government to implement $10-a-day child care; providing financial assistance for small businesses affected by the pandemic; and keeping its promises to lower the cost of hydro, auto insurance and gasoline.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Ms. Horwath has moved opposition day number 4.

I look to the Leader of the Opposition to lead off the debate.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Thanks very much, Speaker. When we filed this opposition day motion, I was a little concerned because we thought we might be in a situation where the $10-a-day child care commitment would have been made by this Ford government—the deal would have been struck by the time we got to the debate of this particular motion. Of course, we learned this morning, just today, that Alberta has struck a deal on $10-a-day child care, and that families in Ontario are still waiting for their government to provide some relief.

As I said earlier today, it’s shocking to see how out of touch this government is, not understanding how expensive child care is in our province. That’s something that they could have fixed right now. That’s one little bit of help that families could have right now if the government got its act together and pulled together that $10-a-day child care deal.

But of course, they’re dragging their feet, and it’s families and children who suffer—and particularly women, who are impacted significantly harder by the pandemic in terms of economic impact than any other group and need that affordable child care to re-engage in the workforce. As we all know, affordable child care is not only good for families, but it’s also good for the economy. Women do need to have child care available for their children if they’re going to get back into the workforce.

No matter where we live in Ontario, no matter who we are, what part of this province we live in, where we call home, when we made Ontario our home, people have a desire for some of the same basic things—things like making sure you can build a good life for you, for your family in a community that you love. That’s something that no matter where I travel in this province, whether it’s Thunder Bay, where I was just last week with my colleague the MPP for Thunder Bay–Atikokan; whether it’s in the Niagara region, which is where I was on Friday with the MPPs from Niagara Falls, from Niagara Centre and from—where is the other MPP from? Who am I missing?

Interjection: St. Catharines.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: The MPP for St. Catharines.

We talk to families, we talk to people when I travel around the province. No matter if it’s the communities I’ve mentioned or if it’s Windsor or it’s Kingston or it’s my hometown of Hamilton or London or Oshawa or Pickering or Ajax, the bottom line is, people have the same fundamental desire to build a great life, to work hard and be able to have their dreams come true.

What we know for sure is that people are not feeling that optimistic these days about being able to build their dreams, to be able to give the next generation the opportunities that, for some, are the kinds of opportunities that their parents had or their grandparents had. For others, it’s having a brighter future, building a brighter future than what their parents or grandparents had—doing things like buying a home, getting ahead of the bills, saving for the future, enjoying quality time with your loved ones because you have some financial security. That’s not how Ontarians are feeling these days, and the government can and should be doing something about it.

We know that, for years, everyday folks have been working very, very hard to achieve the life that they strive for. But what we now see is, for everyday working folks, much of their struggle continues to become worse as this government ignores many things that they could be putting in place that would help people to benefit from the very economy that they in fact fuel. I think a troubling piece, really, is that people work hard—we watched it through the pandemic: The hard-working front-line folks who allowed the rest of us to stay home are the ones this government treated very, very badly all the way through.

That continues to be the case as we speak today. Cancelling that minimum wage was a big mistake that this government made early on, and people suffered $5,300 in losses—just to have that minimum wage increase gone forward the way it should have. So those folks could have been better off, but after several years now with this government’s low-wage policy, in fact, they aren’t better off. They’re struggling, and they continue to struggle.

Prices in the meantime, of course, are going up. Wages are stagnant, and prices are going up. Everything from, as mentioned in the motion, Speaker, gasoline to auto insurance to transit costs is going up. Buying or renting a home is becoming very, very difficult for people. The cost of groceries, putting food on the table, milk—these are all things that are going through the roof in terms of price increases.

Electricity, hydro: Let’s face it. After the former Liberal government privatized Hydro One, hydro bills just continued to skyrocket and go through the roof.

The cost of telephone—well, people, I guess, don’t have land lines anymore, but certainly the contracts for cellphones, the Internet and so much more continue to skyrocket.

Families are not seeing their wages go up to pay for those extra costs.

We know the Liberals had 15 years and they really didn’t do anything to help people out in this regard. We watched as they, as I said, sold off Hydro One and drove the prices through the roof. We watched as housing prices began to spiral out of control in those 15 years of Liberal government. We also saw a lack of any attention whatsoever to affordable housing, to help people make sure they could keep a roof over their heads.

We saw as that Liberal government allowed child care costs to spiral out of control, creating a situation—which, of course, this government continues with—that has led to families literally having child care costs that are the same as mortgage costs, $1,800, $1,700 a month for child care. People can’t afford that, Speaker.

That’s why we watched as many women chose to—well, they didn’t have much of a choice, actually. They ended up having to stay home and not go back to work post-pandemic—or since the workplaces have opened up again, at least. We’re not quite post-pandemic yet. They don’t have the choice because they just can’t afford to pay for the child care they need to make sure their kids are getting the early learning and attention—of high quality at a decent price.

When you think about the Liberal government—it was pretty frustrating to watch as the minimum wage stagnated between 2014 and 2017. We all watched how that government didn’t do anything until they thought they were going to lose the election, and then, all of a sudden, the announcement came on minimum wage.

Shamefully, this government cancelled that minimum wage increase. They should not have done that.

We have called time and time again for this government to do things like regulate gas prices at the pumps. There are many states in the US and there are provinces here in our country that have regulated the price of gasoline. Why? Because we see people constantly get gouged when it comes to the price of gasoline. I was talking about having been up in Thunder Bay. You can ask any one of our northern members the difference between the price of gasoline here in the south versus the north. Even between northern communities, sometimes the prices are significantly different. We need to have some consistency there.

There’s no doubt—and I think northerners know this—that there might be a small difference because of transportation costs. But it’s horrendous—what’s the price of gas up in Manitoulin Island right now?

Mr. Michael Mantha: It’s $1.59.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: It’s $1.59 in Manitoulin Island now. That’s a lot of money for gas.

Interjection: It’s cheaper to buy pop.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: It’s cheaper to buy pop. It shouldn’t be that way, Speaker.

Even in southern Ontario, we see that the prices have gone up. We also know that there’s disparity—I have a brother who lives and works in Woodstock. He tells me about travelling the back roads as he’s winding around southern Ontario, and he has told me that he has skipped a particular gas station, thinking he has enough gas to get where he’s going, only to find when he gets to the destination that the gas is five or six cents more expensive at that next gas station. There’s no need or reason for that.

There needs to be regulation of gas at the pumps. That’s something that my colleague the member for Timmins has raised a number of times in this Legislature. Stopping the pain at the pump is something that the government could do to try to give people some relief.

We saw with the low-wage policy here in Ontario, as this government decided that they were going to disrespect, devalue some of our public sector workers by bringing in a piece of legislation that holds back their wages—so, of course, they’re now in a situation that inflation is eroding those wages. That not only impacts those particular people, but it impacts all of Ontario. When you have low-wage policies, all of Ontario is negatively impacted. So that’s another thing this government can do—get rid of Bill 124. Take the wage cap off of our valued public sector workers, health care workers, education workers.

All kinds of staff who help us to have a good life here are being really hurt financially by this government, and with the costs of everything going up, that needs to be fixed.

It really does seem like when it comes to the Premier’s buddies, they get a lot of attention, they get whatever they ask for, but everyday folks are ignored. If you don’t happen to be a buddy of this government—one of the cabinet ministers or the Premier himself—then you’re out of luck, then you suffer and your life gets harder, while they get all the benefits and all of the attention from this government.

Everything is skyrocketing, and the government is not doing a single thing to help families through. In fact, when—this was unbelievable, but it happened. People weren’t driving during the pandemic, especially between the first and second waves. Cars were not on the road. All of a sudden, instead of having a reduction in auto insurance for drivers because they weren’t driving and there were much fewer accidents, the government actually allowed insurance giants to raise the rates, to increase their profits. It makes no sense.

People were so frustrated and angry that their government—instead of having everyday families’ backs, they had the backs of the insurance industry. It’s shameful—completely wrong-headed priorities with this government.

Certainly, we know that people who are interested in growing their family and having children have put those decisions off because they can’t afford the costs of child care in this province. People deserve so much better than that.

In a province with such wealth, it’s absolutely disgraceful that we see people struggling the way they do.

What the government needs to do is to actually start having the backs of middle-class families, of everyday working families. That’s what the government should be doing.

We can take real action on sky-high rents and housing costs. We can take action to bring down the costs of hydro, of auto insurance, of gasoline. We can actually make some decisions and get that $10-a-day child care implemented here in Ontario.

We also have to think about all of those businesses that were suffering through the pandemic. We can actually help them as well, with another set of grants to help them get through. They’re still not at the kind of capacity that they were at before the pandemic hit. There are still people who are not going out and frequenting the small businesses that they used to. We need to help those folks to not only see the end of the tunnel but get well beyond the end of the tunnel. That’s why we need to be helping those small businesses as well.

Look, $5,300 is what people lost. What we know for sure is that the minimum wage should be at least around the $17-an-hour mark. This government needs to abandon its low-wage policies and bring back the type of wage where people can actually have a chance at building a decent life.

What I’m hoping for is that all of these great ideas are taken up by the government.

Let’s start to repair decades of damage from the Liberals and the Conservatives, who spent a lot of time looking after their buddies and their insiders—but not so much on affordability of everyday life for families.

As we know, this government tends to just walk away, ignore, not pay attention to what’s happening as crises spiral out of control. We’re in an affordability crisis right now. This government has tools it can undertake to help families get through it.

What I would ask is that every party here, every member here, support these suggestions and help give some relief to everyday families in this province.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Lisa Gretzky): Further debate?

Ms. Jessica Bell: When I go door to door in my riding and ask people what matters to them, affordability is the top issue that comes up, and the biggest expense that people face is their housing costs. University–Rosedale has some of the most expensive housing in Canada, and average rent for all properties is now close to $2,400 a month.

Over a third of Ontarians now pay unaffordable rent, meaning that they are forced to choose to make that impossible choice between rent, food and paying the bills.

And owning a home? That is completely out of the picture for anybody who doesn’t already own one or who isn’t one of the wealthiest high-income earners in the country.

A new National Bank of Canada report that recently came out showed that in Toronto, a household now must make $205,000 a year of household income to afford an average home, must save for 28 years for a down payment. Let’s just put that in a historical context: That is five times more than what previous generations paid—five times more. That is how unaffordable the housing sector has gotten.

What is this government’s response to the housing affordability crisis? Let’s see. In their fall economic statement, the government said that they were going to establish a task force to study the problem. Studying the problem is the oldest trick in the book to convince people, who are not going to be convinced, that you are interested in taking action on a problem that you already know exists and that you’re actually going to take steps to address the problem.

Now let’s be super clear: This government has shown no interest in taking any reasonable steps to address the problem at all. In fact, this government has made it worse. This government has made it very clear that in Ontario, it is investors first and homeowners, and renters way back there, when, in fact, homes should be for people first. That should be the priority.

If this government is looking at solutions that they can think about in their task force, they can bring in real rent control to apply to all buildings, to help people who cannot afford their home anymore. They could ban needless above-guideline rent increases. They could build supportive housing.

The city of Toronto is asking for $45 million so that they can address the homelessness crisis we have in our city. You could implement that, instead of cutting funding to housing in municipalities—which you’re doing in your fall economic statement.

This government could clamp down on speculation and bring in a vacant-home tax. Get this: The OECD says that there are 1.3 million vacant homes in Canada and there are 235,000 homeless people. So there are five vacant homes for every homeless person in this country. We brought in a motion to bring in a vacant-homes tax—and what did you say? “Not interested, thank you.”

This government won’t take action. They can’t do it. You’re beholden to investment interests. We will. An NDP government will prioritize making homes affordable for people so our province becomes more affordable for all.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Lisa Gretzky): Further debate?

Mr. Chris Glover: It’s so important that we speak about this issue. This is the number one issue that I’m hearing about from both residents and business owners in Spadina–Fort York: It’s the unaffordability of Ontario in the wake of this pandemic—but it’s the growing unaffordability that has been happening for decades.

Businesses are continuing to struggle, particularly arts and tourism businesses, and this government is not giving any more support.

People are struggling because of skyrocketing housing prices and food prices, gasoline and utility prices.

We have the highest daycare costs in Canada, and this government is refusing to sit down with the federal government and sign the deal, like every other province in this country has done, for $10-a-day daycare.

You froze the minimum wage three years ago, and that cost minimum wage earners $5,300, because you froze it below $15 an hour. Those are the lowest-paid workers in this province. You took $5,300 out of their pockets.

The impact of this unaffordability—I see it at the door; I hear it from constituents.

Last week, I met the Fraser family. The person who came to the door was Marion Fraser. She’s a great-great-grandmother. She has been living on the street where she lives for 81 years, as have all of the generations who followed her, and I met at the door four of those generations. Her great-granddaughter Amanda has just had a baby of her own. The family is concerned because housing prices have gone up so much that she’s afraid that the family is going to have to move out of this neighbourhood, where they’ve lived for 81 years.

And yet, this government has done nothing to make housing more affordable. In fact, they cut the Ministry of Housing’s budget by $161 million per year when they got into office in 2018.

Another person I spoke to is Stephanie Reid. She’s a single mother in a condo in my riding. She says that her costs are exploding. Her utility bills have been over $220 some months, she has to pay another $225 for parking, and her rent was raised in the middle of the pandemic. So after all of these expenses—she is working extremely hard, but she’s struggling to make ends meet for her and her daughter.

Zach Greenwald wrote to my office and said, “I grew up in Toronto and there is nothing I want more than to be able to raise a family here but it is so far-fetched and it doesn’t feel like anyone truly cares. I have worked hard, have a BSc degree and earn a decent salary.... Despite all that, I am burdened with student loans and insane housing costs that make a future in this city feel impossible.”

Business owners are echoing the same issues. They are saying that they need more government support to get through the rest of this pandemic.

It’s time for this government to step up and make housing, to make costs more affordable for both residents and small business owners.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Lisa Gretzky): Further debate?

Ms. Sara Singh: It’s always an honour to rise here, and I’m happy to speak today to the motion to help make life more affordable for people in Ontario.

As we heard from the Leader of the Opposition, essential workers across this province are exhausted. They are burned out, and their mental health is suffering. This government hasn’t done anything to help make life easier or more affordable for those essential workers who put their lives on the line for us throughout this pandemic—people like our health care workers, who are being stifled because of Bill 124, which is going to keep their wages stagnant.

The government has an opportunity to repeal Bill 124 to help make life more affordable for our front-line health care workers, but they have chosen time and time again not to support those health care workers and help them make life more affordable and help them deal with the stresses that they have to incur.

The other challenge that we hear—and I’m sure every single riding in this province hears from small business owners who are struggling and have been forced to close their doors because of rising costs. Insurance is something that this government has the power to regulate. They have a majority government. With the stroke of a pen, they could help regulate the rates, whether that’s our auto insurance rates, whether that’s commercial insurance, whether that’s fleet insurance for our trucking industry.

They have chosen time and time again not to support any motions that the official opposition has brought forward to help make insurance cheaper and more affordable for people in this province, and in the city of Brampton in particular. We pay some of the highest auto insurance premiums in the province, Speaker—rates that most drivers in Brampton have actually seen increase rather than decrease, despite the fact that many of them have been parked.

Last week, I met with owners in the trucking industry. I want to thank Kamal Singh from Sun Transportation, who highlighted how fleet insurance is crushing the trucking industry and making it harder and harder for their businesses to stay afloat. As well as folks in the taxi industry—Yadwinder Dhillon, for example, shared with me that his business did not even get any support from this government through the Ontario small business grant, and they are struggling. These are taxi drivers who put their lives at risk throughout this pandemic to help keep people moving.

The list goes on and on of small businesses that I’ve heard from and I’m sure others are hearing from.

I want to highlight one last thing here, Speaker, in my last few moments. We talk about the rising cost of living, but often we forget about people who are on fixed incomes, like people with disabilities, who have not seen an increase to their ODSP rates, despite the rising cost of rent, despite the increasing cost of food and all of the other expenses they need to incur.

People in this province deserve better. This government has the power to make life more affordable for Ontarians across the board. I urge them to help people in this province get through this pandemic, but also to think about how to make life easier and more affordable for everyone.

The Acting Speaker (Mrs. Lisa Gretzky): Further debate?

M me Lucille Collard: We know, based on ample evidence, that life is becoming increasingly unaffordable for Ontarians. Family budgets are being squeezed from all sides. People are having a hard time making ends meet. Child care and housing costs are now huge expenses, and families must sacrifice other living expenses to ensure that they can keep a roof over their head and bring food to the table. This is not a sign of prosperity; it’s a sign of poverty that looms for many.

Ontario has one of the hottest housing markets in the country, and this has resulted in more people and families having to make very difficult choices, the kinds of choices that none of us here who have the privilege to serve in this House has to make—choices like choosing between medication and rent, or clothes and groceries; or choosing between buying auto insurance and signing up a child for a hockey team.

Many women are deciding to abandon their careers because the cost of child care is prohibitive. This has led to a she-cession in Ontario, with women returning to work in lower numbers than men. Fortunately, the federal government has a plan to reduce child care costs to $10 a day. Unfortunately, this government has not been able to conclude a deal as a first step in making life more affordable for families. Ontario has now become the last province without a plan to help families struggling with child care costs.

Having a roof over your head is a very basic, primary need to ensure you have the ability and the motivation to contribute to the collective prosperity.

To allow every Ontarian to be working together towards a better Ontario—an Ontario open for business, an inclusive Ontario—we need to take care of everyone. This means supporting our students with adequate assistance so that everyone can create a future of their own. This means being there for people with disabilities so that they, too, can live with dignity and contribute to society. This means allowing immigrant workers to be part of our economic recovery by allowing them to work in their field of expertise by recognizing foreign credentials and expanding bridging programs.

This means ensuring that our province offers quality health services and education in French to guarantee equal opportunities.

Taking care of everyone also means helping our small businesses survive COVID-19 so that they can continue to bring us local excellence in goods and services.

And let’s not forget our parents and grandparents, who need high-quality care and the ability to stay in the comfort of their home as long as possible.

We need to look upstream to identify the gaps in our system to better support all layers of society, so that we can ensure a dignified and rewarding lifestyl