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July 7, 2020

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2020-Jul-07 (PDF)

L172 - Tue 7 Jul 2020 / Mar 7 jui 2020

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 7 July 2020 Mardi 7 juillet 2020

Orders of the Day

Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 pour connecter la population aux services de soins à domicile et en milieu communautaire

Members’ Statements

Government’s record

Places of worship

Arts and culture sector

Egyptian Heritage Month

Tenant protection

Tuxedo Court

Public transit

Automobile insurance

Canada Day celebrations

Mental health and addiction services

Question Period

Employment standards

Education funding

Long-term care

Transportation infrastructure

Long-term care

Municipal finances

COVID-19 response

Public health

Economic reopening and recovery

Child care

Workplace safety

Homelessness

Professional and amateur sport

Anti-racism activities

Deferred Votes

Smarter and Stronger Justice Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 pour un système judiciaire plus efficace et plus solide

Building Transit Faster Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 sur la construction plus rapide de transport en commun

Introduction of Bills

Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 sur la réouverture de l’Ontario (mesures adaptables en réponse à la COVID-19)

Seniors’ Advocate Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 sur l’intervenant en faveur des aînés

Petitions

Tenant protection

Broadband infrastructure

Long-term care

Broadband infrastructure

Health care funding

Economic recovery

Education funding

Municipal development

Orders of the Day

Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 pour connecter la population aux services de soins à domicile et en milieu communautaire

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 pour connecter la population aux services de soins à domicile et en milieu communautaire

Ms. Elliott moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 175,

An Act to amend and repeal various Acts respecting home care and community services / Projet de loi 175, Loi modifiant et abrogeant diverses lois en ce qui concerne les services de soins à domicile et en milieu communautaire.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I look to the Minister of Health to lead off the debate.

Hon. Christine Elliott: Today, I rise to begin third reading of Bill 175, the Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020. Before we get started, Speaker, I want to take a moment to acknowledge that I will be sharing my time with the member for Eglinton–Lawrence. I want to thank her for the support she has provided with respect to the proposed legislation before us today. She has done an amazing job.

I would also like to thank the members from Whitby, Mississauga–Lakeshore, Markham–Thornhill, Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry, Burlington, Scarborough Centre, Niagara West, Flamborough–Glanbrook and Scarborough–Rouge Park for all their hard work during committee.

Speaker, when we introduced this proposed legislation back in February, the world was a very different place. COVID-19 was a term we were just becoming aware of, and preparing for in the event that it came to Ontario.

At that time our government was focused on our comprehensive plan to end hallway health care. As part of that process, we brought forward this piece of legislation because we knew Ontarians were in need of a new, modernized method of delivery for home and community care services. There was, and still is, a significant need to bring this outdated system, designed in the 1990s, into the 21st century.

Then, on March 17, due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ontario, our government declared a provincial emergency under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. With this declaration, the people of Ontario were asked to remain home and to only go outside when necessary. Ontarians would begin physical distancing, wearing face coverings and would become even more vigilant about hand hygiene.

The global spread of COVID-19, Speaker, knows no boundaries. As a virus, it has no regard for international borders, and it also had no regard for the silos that had built up within our health care system. What it has done, though, is break those silos down. It has forced our health care workers on the front lines to come together in new and different ways to protect the lives of patients.

During this unprecedented time with COVID-19, we have seen more than ever how important it is for health care providers to work together as one team. Our hospitals, our primary care providers, our long-term-care homes, our laboratories, our public health units—all of these partners and more have had to come together, to work together as one, to fight the spread of COVID-19 in Ontario. Everyone has been united under the same common goal of protecting the health and well-being of Ontarians.

As we move forward with the potential of a second wave or the upcoming flu season, it is now more important than ever that this effort continues. Our government has been pushing for a more integrated health care system from the moment that we took office. The proposed legislation here is but the latest step in our ongoing effort to build better integrated health care.

In keeping with that commitment, we believe that home and community care should be part of an integrated health care system, not a stand-alone service. This direction is one that our sector partners have long called for—a direction that we heard numerous times through committee hearings is critical. It’s for this reason that, all these weeks later, and as we continue our efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19, we continue to move this proposed home and community care legislation forward. This is a long-term process that is going to take time.

Should this legislation pass, Ontarians can have peace of mind knowing that we are one step closer to building a stronger, more modern home and community care system.

To be clear, we need to keep things moving so that we can make the changes that need to be made. Breaking down the long-standing barriers separating home and community care from primary care would allow for a more seamless coordination of care and a more seamless experience for patients, and that is what it is all about—centring our health care system around patients.

Last year, more than 700,000 people received home care and over 600,000 people used community support services such as Meals on Wheels and client transportation. We know that at home and in the community is where people want to get their care, and during these unprecedented times, home is one of the safest places to be. More patients receiving care in their homes and communities also means greater capacity in our hospitals.

The reality, however, is that our current home and community care system is not keeping pace with the needs and preferences of Ontarians. The current legislation that guides it creates unnecessary barriers to care for the patients we have today, and it is stifling innovation to serve them better.

Ontario’s approach to home and community care has not changed much since the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994, was developed 25 years ago. It has not kept pace with the changing demographics of Ontario or the care needs of the people of this province. There has been a lack of integration with primary care and acute care. We’ve seen duplication in assessment and care planning, a lack of shared information access for the care team and patients, and a lack of coordination among care providers.

Since the onset of COVID-19, virtual delivery of home care and community services has become much more common. While there used to be limited access to patients and families, this is something that we would like to see more of for those who want it.

Our system lacked innovation. Our dedicated providers have not had the satisfaction of contributing all of their skills and knowledge and fully participating in decisions and comprehensive care as a team. None of this is the fault of the dedicated home and community care workers in this province. Our home and community care workers do an incredible job every single day of providing high-quality, compassionate care to Ontarians.

I think COVID-19 has only helped to raise awareness of the important work they do and the tremendous depth of their dedication to their clients, particularly during these unprecedented times. I’ve heard many stories of incredible care, and I’m sure every member of this House has as well.

We owe them a great deal of thanks for all of their hard work and we want them to know that what we are doing today is going to make it easier for them to continue to provide this high-quality, compassionate care.

If this proposed legislation passes, then they would be better able to collaborate directly with primary care providers, hospitals and long-term-care providers to ensure the needs of their clients are met as part of an Ontario health team.

Ontario health teams are already in development in communities across the province as a new way of organizing and delivering services for patients. As part of an Ontario health team, local health care providers will be empowered to work as a connected team, taking on the work of easing transitions for patients across the continuum of care. Ontario health teams are responsible for understanding a patient’s health care history and needs, drawing on the strength of all the providers in the team and directly connecting a patient to the different types of care they need.

If this outbreak has reminded us of anything, it is that Ontario has some of the world’s best health care workers and public health care services. We are incredibly proud of and thankful to them for all of the work they do. However, the system needs to be transformed to focus on improving the patient experience and strengthening local services. We want to ensure that patients and families will have access to better and more connected services and will wait less time to receive those services. We want to ensure that patients ready to leave a hospital can be discharged back into the community with the supports that they need and the right assistance to navigate these transitions.

Before the arrival of COVID-19, 24 Ontarian health teams were selected to move forward as approved OHTs, and they have been working tirelessly throughout the outbreak to serve the patients who have already come to rely on them. We’ve heard from Ontario health teams that the foundations formed as part of this work have enhanced their ability to rapidly and effectively respond to COVID-19 and have accelerated their partnerships. Our government has plans to introduce more of these Ontario health teams.

But Speaker, if we are to ensure the full spectrum of our health care system is represented under the umbrella of Ontario health teams, then we need to acknowledge the important role that home and community care plays in care delivery. To improve patient care, we want our health care providers to have a full picture of their patients’ needs, so if one provider identifies a need, then all of the other care providers are also aware of that need. That hasn’t been the case in our health care system for some time. Too often, one health care provider had no idea what another was recommending to the same patient.

As part of our larger framework of health care delivery, our government wants to deliver personalized, integrated care in action. Our new approach will expand access to services while removing barriers to ensure that the coordination between these services is seamless. But we can’t ensure that those services will be seamless if we don’t have all of the partners at the table.

Speaker, I want to stress that our primary care providers, our hospitals, our long-term-care homes and our home and community care workers will be empowered to collaborate directly to provide care that best meets the individual care needs of each and every patient they encounter.

The barriers that have made collaboration difficult in the past have contributed to some of the challenges our health care system has faced in terms of delivering coordinated care to patients. What we are proposing today will mean more flexible, responsive care that recognizes that a one-size-fits-all approach does not best meet individual care needs, and the need for support 24/7, not just during office hours.

Now we have taken steps to bring the other partners under the same roof, so to speak, but this bill is necessary to allow our home and community care providers to become a part of that overall team.

If this proposed legislation should pass, these Ontario health teams would, over time, be able to deliver home and community care services that better meet the needs of Ontarians.

Ontario health teams will be responsible for understanding a patient’s full health care history, directly connecting them to all the different types of care they need, and helping patients navigate the health care system 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Patients will benefit from more flexible and responsive care that recognizes that a one-size-fits-all approach is not the best way to meet their individual needs, as primary care, hospitals, home care service providers and long-term-care organizations would be able to collaborate directly. It will also recognize that patients need support every day, around the clock, and not just during office hours.

If the bill before us passes, patients will be better able to access home and community care services in the places they are already going to for care. Better integrated care will make transitions between types of care smoother and more patients will be where they want to be; for example, at home rather than in a hospital.

If passed, the Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, supported by regulations which maintain many key elements of the home and community care framework, will allow Ontario health teams to deliver more innovative models of home and community care.

What does this all mean for patients, Speaker? When we talk about better integrated care, we mean that all of these providers working together would be able to get a patient the care they need without fear of them slipping through the cracks. So when a patient is ready to leave a hospital after surgery, the hospital will already have been working closely with home care providers to help them go home with the supports they need right away and without any undue stress. Their home care provider would be part of the team working with the hospital to come up with the right plan for the patient.

And that home care provider isn’t going to have to ask the patient for their full medical history all over again, because that information is already going to be available for them as part of the Ontario health team that they’re a part of.

As part of our Digital First for Health Strategy, we have laid the foundation to enable Ontario health teams to collect, use and share information to allow for better patient care as well as patient outcomes. Not only that, but one of the key pillars of the Digital First for Health Strategy is to ensure greater data access for patients. That means more patients would be able to review their secure health record online and make informed choices about their own care. What’s more, if the patient has questions that the home care provider can’t answer, the provider, as part of an Ontario health team, would be able to reach out directly to get answers quickly.

Ontario health teams will be empowered to implement new models of care. In a neighbourhood model, for example, the patient would also benefit from knowing that they would have the same nurse or personal support worker visit them regularly because that nurse would be assigned to that patient’s neighbourhood. If the patient needed something, a personal support worker would never be too far away.

In another model, a patient with a chronic condition that is being managed by their primary care provider would have their home care provider embedded directly as part of their family health team. That way, the family health team is able to respond quickly to changes in the patient’s condition.

Ontario health teams are going to help ensure that patients get all of the right services for their needs.

With all that said, Speaker, I want to speak for a moment about the things that would not change under this proposed legislation. First, just like today, I assure you that eligible patients will have access to publicly funded home care at no additional cost. Our health care system will continue to deliver that ongoing quality, service, stability and publicly funded care that patients deserve and have certainly come to expect.

Our valued not-for-profit community agencies will remain the key providers of community support services. The legislation enables the current mix of not-for-profit and for-profit home care providers.

These providers will continue to experience the same strong oversight that they currently experience, with the appropriate enforcement in place when necessary. That enforcement process will continue to include ways for patients and families to register any concerns they may have with the providers and with the services that they receive.

That process will also include the continued right to appeal certain decisions to the Health Services Appeal and Review Board and the continued inclusion of home care in the jurisdiction of the Patient Ombudsman. The home and community care bill of rights will continue to have a place in the legislative and regulatory framework and will be updated to reflect the rights that patients deserve and expect today.

Now, Speaker, our government has always tried to be transparent with the people of Ontario. It is clear right now that with the 24 health teams in place, we do not yet have full coverage of the province with Ontario health teams. While we continue to do work with the OHTs to get even more of them to full maturity, we need to ensure the ongoing stability of service while home and community care transitions into Ontario health teams.

This proposed legislation is intended to enable home and community care delivery to become an important part of Ontario health team services. In the meantime, patients and caregivers will be able to access home and community care services in the same ways, using the same contacts at local health integration networks, known as LHINs. Ontario will wind down LHINs in a phased way as home and community care services are transitioned to Ontario health teams and other points of care over time.

During this process, our government firmly believes that the care that patients and families rely on every single day will not be interrupted or compromised. This is part of our government’s commitment to strengthen the publicly funded health care system by ensuring that not-for-profit health care providers, who know the patients best, at the core of the delivery model remain intact and doing their great work. If passed, the proposed Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, supported by regulatory changes, would allow Ontario health teams to deliver better connected care for patients, including more innovative models of home and community care.

Since taking office, our government has prided itself on listening to our partners in health care, including of course the clients receiving care. We heard that the people want more care in their community and they don’t want a lengthy wait in order to get it. We’ve heard from people who have grown frustrated at having to continually repeat their health care history each time they meet a new health care provider, and we’ve heard that they want compassionate care from a stable, trusted team that supports them every step of the way.

Ontarians have also shared with us that they want to have access to their own health information and more control over the planning of their personal care.

We’ve also heard from care providers who want the flexibility to respond to changing client needs based on their clinical expertise and without having to work through a middleman. They want to spend less time on administration and more time on actually providing people with the care that they need, and they want to move away from delivering care on a per-visit basis. Delivering care in this way has made recruiting and retaining staff more challenging.

We have also heard from so many people about the need to maintain high-quality care throughout the transformation process. We’ve heard from partners eager to support the implementation of Ontario health teams, as well as Ontario Health, and we were listening when our partners told us of their desire to expand home and community care in this capacity right across the province.

Speaker, the proposed legislation before us would also address a key recommendation of the Premier’s Council on Improving Healthcare and Ending Hallway Medicine in their second report, A Healthy Ontario: Building a Sustainable Health Care System. In its report, the council provided the government with a clear mandate to address home and community care, recognizing the important role it can play in ending hallway health care. It recommended that the Ministry of Health modernize Ontario’s home and community care legislation. The Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act is intended to do just that.

Speaker, our government has long believed that we need a more integrated health care system, and what we’ve seen throughout the COVID-19 outbreak has only further strengthened our resolve. But our vision of an integrated health care system is one where home and community care plays a key role in providing the right care for the people of Ontario.

I want to encourage all of my colleagues here today to support the passage of this bill, so that Ontario can continue to move forward with our plans to modernize the delivery of home and community care services.

With that, Speaker, I thank you for this time, and I would like to turn the discussion over to my colleague the member for Eglinton–Lawrence.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): The member from Eglinton–Lawrence.

Mrs. Robin Martin: Once again, I want to thank the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health for the opportunity to work on this important piece of legislation with her.

I want to add my voice, frankly, to thanking all of the health care workers who have been on the front lines during the COVID-19 outbreak, helping to protect and to save the lives of all Ontarians. I don’t think we’ll ever really be able to truly express the depth of our appreciation for all of them, but what we can certainly do is take this opportunity to learn from this experience.

I also want to take a moment to recognize everyone who took the time to provide their perspectives recently at our committee hearings. It was certainly valuable to hear a range of experiences and opinions about the delivery of home and community care and how it can be strengthened. This included the perspectives of seniors, of people with disabilities, of Indigenous peoples, among others. Whether they are patients, clients or consumers, their engagement will continue to inform our work to improve home and community care.

One thing that has come through loud and clear is the importance of having our health care providers working together to provide integrated care for patients. That means bringing all of our health care providers together, including our home and community care workers, because to provide for all of a patient’s needs, you really need to have everyone at the table.

Certainly, if you talk to these partners in care, some of them don’t always feel like they’ve been considered as part of the team. One thing we’ve repeatedly heard from personal support workers is that they do not feel like they are part of a larger health care team. When they are with a client who has health issues which are evolving, often our personal support workers really are not sure how to help that person get the care that they need so that those issues can be addressed. Not only are they not feeling connected to the rest of the health care system, but they’re also not always able to provide the best possible care for their patient, client or consumer, despite their best efforts.

Our government committed to modernizing the health care system to provide Ontarians with patient-centred care. One of the key ways that we can improve the experience of patients, clients or consumers is to provide them with better integrated care, so when a personal support worker sees that their client is in need of further assistance to deal with their worsening condition or changing condition, they know exactly what to do and who to call, and that the person they are calling, frankly, is someone they’re already familiar with because they’re already part of the same team.

The proposed Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020, is part of a larger legislative framework that, together with a series of regulatory changes, will embed the delivery of home and community care in the Connecting Care Act, 2019. This will support improvements for patients across the whole system, reverse the old way of thinking about these services as a stand-alone area of care and recognize the vital role of this area in a connected health care system.

This framework will also continue to deliver ongoing quality, service stability and publicly funded care under strong oversight and enforcement levers and avenues for patients and families to register any concerns. It will continue to directly fund home and community care in Indigenous communities, where this happens as part of a government-to-government relationship, ensuring that Indigenous partners will determine care priorities and how best to address them in their communities. And it will provide added clarity to help the public clearly identify Ontario health teams authorized by the minister.

The proposed legislation before us would reform the structure of our health care system to better connect it and bring home and community care into the Connecting Care Act, 2019. With home and community care integrated into the broader health system legislation, the government will get out of the business of prescribing programmatic elements in statute. Like other comparable jurisdictions, such as Alberta and British Columbia, programmatic elements of home and community care will be included in regulation.

We’ve received feedback on our proposed regulations and are continuing to work with stakeholders, including those who gave us advice on the legislative approach at our standing committee and who are at the table to help us refine these regulations.

We need to move away from the current transactional, piecemeal model of care, and move towards whole-person, coordinated care based on clinical expertise and supported by government oversight and standards. We have heard strong support for this shift in our public hearings, and we agree that it is past time to end per-visit approaches to care. That’s why we’re giving Ontario health teams the tools that they need to design care that works in their communities.

As we already stated in the

preamble to the Connecting Care Act, 2019, “The people of Ontario and their government ... are establishing a new model of integrated public health care delivery which will put each patient at the centre of a connected care system anchored in the community, and where possible, at home, all across Ontario and respecting regional differences.” That is what our framework aims to do.

Our legislative framework for home and community care also proposes changes that are going to help personal support workers. It prioritizes our personal support worker workforce, which is the cornerstone of the sector. Moving away from the piecemeal system we have now in our current system will help us to improve their working conditions. We’ve seen many thoughtful proposals already from Ontario health teams about how to better engage the home and community workforce as part of their team. And that is what we have heard from personal support workers—that they want to be engaged. They want to be part of a team.

They want to be able to share their knowledge of their patients with their partners in care.

I’m pleased to report that our government is already implementing changes that would improve working conditions for personal support workers, including better supporting shift work with more regular working hours. An example is client-partnered scheduling, an initiative that lets service providers

schedule visits directly with home care clients to better match personal support worker availability with client preferences. This can help more personal support workers have full schedules rather than split shifts. Other new models, such as cluster care, would stabilize personal support worker schedules and reduce travel time and costs.

New training pathways are also being pursued, including recognition of prior learning and alternative training models to improve recruitment into the workforce where they are needed.

We are also developing a comprehensive personal support worker strategy to address recruitment and retention. Legislation itself is not the place for human health resource strategies or for funding, but our legislation does establish a framework in which to address those concerns, establishing an integrated system based on the partnership and innovation of the health service providers who know patients best and who will have the flexibility to improve the working conditions of front-line providers. That’s the larger plan, and Bill 175, if passed, will be a vital part of that larger plan.

It proposes to bring our health care system together in an integrated way by ensuring that home and community care providers are able to participate in the new service delivery models as part of our Ontario health teams. Ontario health teams are already helping to break down the silos in our health care system by enabling care providers to work more closely together as a single team focusing directly on the needs of Ontario’s patients and their families. Speaker, you will have heard, I’m sure, from health care providers, as all of us have, I think, how excited they are about finally breaking down these silos and working together.

We certainly heard at public hearings strong support for the collaboration emerging among the Ontario health teams. For instance, at the hearings, we heard from the Alzheimer Society of Ontario and the Canadian Mental Health Association about how they have been engaged as full partners in planning for this integrated health care delivery. This is in a new, exciting—and for some health care providers, I’ve heard them describe it as a “revolutionary”—way of working together. It’s a wonderful change they’re all embracing.

At maturity, these teams will coordinate and deliver services to meet all of a patient’s health care needs including, importantly, home and community care, and patients would experience easier transitions from one health care provider to another. I would even say “easy transitions.” For example, patients would be able to go from a hospital into the care of a home care provider with one patient story, one patient record and one care plan.

While our government has already launched several Ontario health teams across the province—as the minister mentioned, 24 so far—we still need to take the necessary legislative and regulatory steps to enable our home and community care partners to become an integrated part of an Ontario health team and these new models of care. To do that, we have to amend some of the existing legislation that guides our home and community care sector to fully bring them on board. That is what our government is proposing to do in this legislation, Bill 175, Speaker.

You see, right now, across the province of Ontario, home and community care is siloed in 14 local health integration networks that deliver and coordinate services. We know the home and community care providers who deliver these services are compassionate and dedicated individuals who work very hard to meet their clients’ needs. But the reality is, Speaker, that under the LHINs there has been a lack of integration with primary care and with acute care. In fact, the Auditor General has raised concerns about administrative inefficiencies related to that lack of connection.

And we have seen duplication in assessment and care planning; a lack of data for the care team, and for patients and their families; a lack of coordination among providers; limited virtual care delivery; and a lack of innovation. What’s more, we know that the demand for home care is rising. We have an aging population, patients who require more intense care and limited capacity in our long-term-care homes.

Currently, the delivery of home and community care is guided by the Home Care and Community Services Act, 1994. Developed over a quarter of a century ago, this act has not kept pace with the changing demographics and care needs of Ontarians, nor does it reflect our government’s plan for a connected care system. It also doesn’t adequately address the needs of patients in a world with COVID-19, where, more than ever, we need to ensure our care providers are working more closely together.

We know the findings of the Premier’s Council on Improving Healthcare and Ending Hallway Medicine established that there are barriers to greater innovation in the home and community care sector—barriers imposed by the outdated and rigid legislation covering this area. The council’s second report, A Healthy Ontario: Building a Sustainable Health Care System, was developed in consultation with more than 1,500 health care providers, patients and caregivers. This report provides advice and makes key recommendations on how to build a modern, sustainable and integrated health care system and solve the problem of hallway medicine.

This report provided our government with a clear mandate and direction for the modernization of home and community care legislation. It provided us with 10 recommendations to improve health care in the province. The fifth recommendation of that report proposes that the government modernize the home care sector. It suggests the need for better alternatives in the community for patients who require a flexible mix of health care and other supports.

In fact, the report proposes the government modernize home care legislation so that the innovative care delivery models focused on quality can spread throughout the province. The council even advised the government to provide flexibility to Ontario health teams and their partner organizations to provide all services and perform all home and community care functions, including all aspects of care coordination.

The council proposed that current rules around referral to community care should be relaxed so that Ontario health teams and groups of providers can connect patients easily to the care that is best suited for them. And the council proposed that we should establish an oversight model for congregate care to help ensure that the care is being delivered in the most appropriate environment, whether it be hospitals, long-term-care homes, clinics, supportive housing, retirement homes or other settings.

The council advised that the government should enable care coordination and navigation throughout the full continuum of care, rather than narrowly prescribing resources to a limited set of services. The council encouraged the government to review existing policies and make appropriate changes to support more innovation in the home care sector, suggesting that this might include policy changes that would facilitate more flexible staffing models and services to improve the range of supports available to patients.

Bill 175 is going to help us respond to these recommendations, as well as to all the feedback that we have received from the community care sector and our health care providers. By establishing a strong legislative framework, one that includes province-wide standards, oversight and accountability, we would be strengthening and transforming publicly funded home and community care and enabling innovative models such as Ontario health teams to better support local needs and coordinate care for patients.

It would also support our efforts to build home and community care sector capacity to expand staffing, to provide more front-line patient care and to support dedicated health care professionals so they work better together and focus their skills directly on patients.

Speaker, the changes we are proposing to make to our home and community care sector would make it easier for people to access home and community care in hospital, primary care or community settings. Hospitals and primary care settings and others would be able to arrange home care for patients. This would mean that instead of sending people off to a separate home care organization to arrange for their care, they would receive it from the team they were already working with, reducing administration and transition for patients.

I just want to pause to say that I’ve experienced that transition with my parents, in trying to get them from the hospital to home with home care supports that don’t come until later, with several assessments in between. It’s a very disorienting process, especially if you have never been through it before and you don’t know who’s going to be there to help you with the supports you need. So I think this is a really important part of what we’re proposing to do here today.

As well, our proposed legislation would continue to reinforce virtual care, something that we’ve seen a lot more of over the last few months, as people have been connecting with their care providers through secure video conferencing and other digital means. We expect to see more digital delivery in home and community care over the coming years; for instance, through the use of remote monitoring devices. People with chronic conditions, for example, could be monitored at home, with a nurse checking in as needed. Nurses and therapists could use video conferencing to work with a personal support worker in the home to provide more specialized care.

Speaker, what we are proposing would lead to more choice for people and enable those with high care needs to get the care they need in their own home or community, which is where people tell us that they really want to be. People could be discharged from hospital into a transitional care setting to gain the strength and functionality they need to return home.

This proposed legislation would help people stay healthier at home by empowering care teams to work together. We want to create teams that will work together to support patients, and we believe that the way to do this is to enable our front-line care providers, who do such a great job already, to make more decisions about care, to integrate home care into primary care and acute-care settings. We believe that breaking down barriers to allow the sharing of information will help to create teams that can work together to support patients.

Speaker, our intention is not to radically change what home and community care people receive, but to make critical and needed changes to how they receive it. People will continue to have access to the same range of services. There will be no changes to eligibility under our proposed regulatory framework. Our valued not-for-profit community agencies will remain the key providers of community support services.

We’ve all heard those expressions about having to break the eggs to make the omelette, but we can’t really afford to break any eggs as we improve our home and community care sector and our health system; that is, we certainly have to ensure that critical parts of care delivery remain in place while we drive change, and we want to make sure people are cared for. But what our government is proposing to do is to fix those parts of the system that are not working, while maintaining many elements that are working well in the system today.

Health service providers and Ontario health teams would still have the ability to deliver what we know as home care services indirectly through contracts, and we will maintain provisions regarding funding clients and families for self-directed care. There would be no changes to the restrictions around copayments for services. Instead, we would preserve the existing approach where only specified community care services can accept copayments.

Every provider will still be required to have a complaints process. Patients will still have the right to appeal certain decisions to the Health Services Appeal and Review Board. Home care will continue to fall under the jurisdiction of the Patient Ombudsman. And the bill of rights for home and community care would continue in regulation, updated to reflect the realities of modern home and community care.

The approach we are taking is to learn what has been working in our system and continue it, but also to take an objective look at what is not working and see how we can do better. We want to do this by finding innovative solutions to address the problem areas.

Now, while our government is proposing to transfer responsibility for home and community care over to Ontario health teams, we all recognize that this change is not going to happen overnight. Our government continues to work with many of the teams that have come together to get them to the point where they can be fully approved Ontario health teams.

Speaker, our government believes that home and community care is a valued and necessary part of our health care system. That is why we invested an additional $155 million to expand front-line home and community care services last year. There is no question that this funding helps meet the increased demand for these services. But for our home and community care sector to truly flourish, we need to bring it up to 21st-century standards.

I want to just take us back to second reading, I think it was, when the minister introduced us all to Gloria. Do you remember Gloria? I think it’s really good to look at this from the perspective of how it will be different for a patient, because that’s really what this is all about.

The minister painted a picture, at the time, of Gloria. She’s 83 and she lives in Barrie. She lives alone and her closest family lives in Toronto. Like many people with an elderly family member who lives alone—she’s worried about her ability to continue to live at home.

Gloria has been managing well on her own, but one day, Gloria has a bad fall, and Gloria is rushed to the hospital. On arrival she finds, as often is the case, that the hospital is overcrowded, and that means that Gloria needs to wait longer before she can see a doctor. When she does get to see a doctor, after a few tests, they determine that Gloria needs surgery. So the arrangements are made, and Gloria has her surgery, on her own.

Afterward, a hospital discharge planner comes to assess Gloria’s needs and develops a written discharge plan with her. The planner explains the plan to Gloria, but due to Gloria’s excitement about going home, she does not retain many of the details. Once she gets home, she is tired, but she is happy to be there. The written discharge plan she was given—well, it gets put down somewhere and forgotten.

At some point, Gloria has a question and she tries to find that discharge plan, but she is not sure where it went. So she waits. She waits at home without any support until a care coordinator from her local health integration network gives her a call to do another assessment. Gloria then must repeat her health history all over again to the care coordinator before she can get any answers to her questions, and she is forced to wait again for her services to start.

But when the nurse arrives, she doesn’t know the results of the assessment, and the nurse can’t answer her questions. What’s more, Gloria has to repeat her story over again to the nurse. I’ve seen this all play out, except my mom’s name was Ruth. But the same thing happened exactly, in every detail—and for sure, it’s not the nurse’s fault. We know that the home care nurses are dedicated professionals, but they don’t always have the information and support that they need to do their job.

One day, Gloria starts realizing that she is experiencing a lot of pain in her knee. She is not scheduled for a visit from the nurse that day, and she is not really sure who she is supposed to call. So Gloria reaches out to her family in Toronto, and her family want to help but they really don’t know what to do. They haven’t been kept informed about her care plan, and they don’t really have the answers that Gloria needs. So Gloria grows anxious about her pain. Deciding that she needs to see someone, Gloria goes to the emergency department of her local hospital to have her knee examined.

It’s another busy day, the hospital is over capacity, and while the nurses are sympathetic to her pain, it takes some time for someone to see Gloria. What’s more, they don’t have a room available, so she receives her treatment in the hallway. We all know, Speaker, that the hallway is no place to receive high-quality health care, but that’s the story. That’s where Gloria is waiting to get care again.

But in a transformed system, Gloria and her family would be at the centre of care using a model tailored to her needs. Through her Ontario health team, Gloria would be cared for by an integrated team of providers, including hospital, home and primary care. Because they’re working together as a team, they all know of her needs. Her team would be able to provide her with the support she needs to remain living safely and independently in the community, where she wants to be. Under the transformed system, Gloria would never need to wait for a referral for home care services. That’s because the home care provider would already be part of the Ontario health team, and the hospital would be too.

Instead, when Gloria is admitted for her knee surgery, an Ontario health team provider would do an assessment of her home care needs and support integrated care planning according to all of Gloria’s needs. All of this could be supported by our digital strategy as well, where the team can share information about Gloria with whoever needs to access it, so they can all have a picture of Gloria’s care needs. That would include her family, if Gloria permits them access to that record, so that they could also know what’s going on and not be in the dark when Gloria phones them. This, we think, would provide much better care to Gloria, and she would be in a completely different situation.

In closing, Speaker, I want to thank the Deputy Premier again for her willingness to share her time with me to speak on this very important piece of proposed legislation, and I want to encourage all of my colleagues here at Queen’s Park to support our Connecting People to Home and Community Care Act, 2020.

As a lawyer, I’ve pored over the details of every word in this proposed legislation, and as somebody with a great deal of interest in public policy, and particularly public policy related to health care, I’m certainly aware of the huge volume of evidence and analysis out there that supports the concept of a connected system coordinating care for patients as the very best approach, and that’s certainly what we’re trying to enable in this legislation.

We want to make sure that Gloria is getting the care she needs and we really need to think about the patients at the centre of all of this. We know that the current system is leaving them in the lurch, that there are gaps, that they are dropped, that they are finding themselves sitting and waiting more often than not, repeating their stories over and over again for people and sometimes maybe forgetting important details.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve written down the list of medications several times to make sure that it is available because that can be very important in deciding on what is a proper care plan for somebody. It’s hard for an elderly person to remember, sometimes, all of the medications they’re taking and what dosages etc.

I think to help people like Gloria, to help people like my mother, who has passed now but at the time—and I think we’ve all experienced this; we’ve talked to many constituents who have experienced it. We really need to make these kind of changes. I truly believe that this legislation is going to help us to better integrate our health care system for the betterment of patients all across the province, like Gloria and like my mother, frankly, and like all of our constituents that we’ve talked to, so I urge you to support the legislation and look forward to the rest of the debate today.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Questions?

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: I listened closely both to the minister and the PA when they described the bill and, of course, there are some merits to the things that they are saying about coordination etc. They the use terms such as “modernization,” “innovation,” “method,” “delivery of care,” and that all sounds really good.

The only thing they haven’t included is a labour strategy in order to make sure that we retain and recruit front-line service workers. They talked about consulting with teams and how to make the systems of delivering care better.

Can I ask if they actually consulted with PSWs and front-line care workers, and what they’ve told them about the living wage and the conditions that they want to see in order to make their job better, to deliver the care that they’ve signed up for?

Mrs. Robin Martin: Thank you for the question.

Of course, we’ve consulted with PSWs and the PSW organizations, Home Care Ontario, the Ontario Community Support Association and all kinds of caregivers, and also family members and patients themselves about what we should do to improve this area. We had some PSWs actually come to the committee, and I think the members showed a great interest in hearing what they had to say—all of us—because it’s very important that we actually do improve the working conditions of PSWs. We know that recruitment and retention is very important in that sector for home and community care, but also for long-term care and hospitals.

So, definitely, we have consulted with them and we want to make sure that they have the support they need to do a great job.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: The COVID-19 crisis showed us a new scope of technology options, capabilities and methods which have never been thought about. It opened the way for new innovations to shine. Our government has taken steps to increase the availability of digital health services through our Digital First for Health Strategy.

My question to the PA: How does this legislation enable innovation and create more digital options for home care?

Mrs. Robin Martin: Thank you to the member for Mississauga-Erin Mills.

This legislation does help these digital improvements. It does help enable virtual care. We’ve seen some virtual care enabled throughout the COVID-19 crisis, which has been, I think, a great way of making sure people continue to have care.

Part of it is just the integration. We were talking about PSWs earlier, and one of the things that we’ve heard in discussing things with PSWs is that they are very concerned because they don’t feel that they’re a respected part of the health care team for a patient and they cannot be heard when they have something to say that they think is important to the patient’s care. So the enabling of information-sharing amongst the entire integrated health team is so important for this kind of team care approach to happen, and virtual technology allows that to happen. If you didn’t have the virtual technology, it would be much harder. That is enabling this great move toward integration.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

M me France Gélinas: Under the existing laws, community care services such as Meals on Wheels, friendly visiting etc. have to be delivered by not-for-profit agencies. Once this law passes, for the first time ever in Ontario, for-profit agencies will be allowed to provide community care. Is this something that the member is worried about, and if she is, why did you vote down the NDP amendment that would have prevented our community care sector from being delivered by for-profit agencies?

Mrs. Robin Martin: Thank you to the member opposite for the question.

Nothing in this legislation changes the existing delivery by not-for-profit community agencies in the community. In fact, we rely on them to keep doing that, and I think I said that in my speech. Things like Meals on Wheels—we’re not changing that. They’re going to be delivered by those same organizations. Some of them have copayments already, and that’s part of what is continuing. We’re not changing those things. I think I very carefully went through, as did the minister, the things that are not changing, and that is certainly one of them.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

Ms. Natalia Kusendova: Thank you to the member for her eloquent speech today.

She talked about Gloria and her experience of accessing home care services in our province. Of course, I have been on the other side of that equation, as an emergency room nurse, receiving these patients coming from the community with some home care services. Often, I would be left to question what services they had, how many hours, whether that wound-care nurse would come that evening to change that dressing, which was critical.

So I, for one, am very excited about Bill 175, because I know that this bill will allow me to see the care that has been provided to my patient and what the actual plan of care is, without me having to question what the next steps would be and whether that home care nurse will come that evening. So I know that this bill is empowering our front-line nurses, our PSWs.

Can the member talk a little bit more about the Ontario health teams and how they will allow home care clients to receive more customized care?

Mrs. Robin Martin: Thanks very much for the question.

Yes, I think that the Ontario health teams will allow patients to receive much more customized care, because the patient will be cared for by a team which is always looking after that patient’s needs and which is aware of that patient’s needs. For example, in this legislation, we’re taking out the service maximums that were in the prior legislation. If you hear about a patient, for example, who has extra needs to be cared for at home, there isn’t a barrier in the legislation to providing those extra services.

At the committee hearing, we heard from a young man whose mother had pulmonary fibrosis and had to go into long-term care even though she would have preferred to have home care, but they weren’t allowed to give her enough home care.

So this has the potential, without service maximums, to deliver the care needed in the community.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

Mr. Joel Harden: Thank you to the minister and the parliamentary assistant for their presentations.

I was proud to participate in these hearings, as well.

I must admit, what disappoints me today is the fact that there is nothing in this legislation that will allow the people of Ontario to see how the public’s money is spent in this sector.

Speaker, through you to the member: Five years ago, we had a report from the Auditor General detailing that 39% of public funds were being used in administration and not in face-to-face, hands-on care. There is nothing in this legislation, unfortunately, that allows the public to see the documents that publicly get filed with the Ministry of Health. I’m asking the member if she would consider an amendment in that regard to make sure the people of Ontario can see and know exactly how every dime is spent in this important sector.

Mrs. Robin Martin: To the member’s question, I don’t think that that kind of a change is necessarily something that should be in the legislation. If I’m not mistaken, the report that you’re referring to came through the Auditor General. The Auditor General will continue to do her good work assessing all the programs and making sure that the people of Ontario are getting value for money. There are many other parts of our health care system which assess these kinds of things; Health Quality Ontario and other organizations are always looking at those kinds of things.

Our government is driven by a desire to make sure that we spend as much money as possible on front-line health care, putting the patients at the centre, and certainly trying to spend less money on administration and making sure that the money is actually going to patient care, where I think we all agree it truly belongs.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Question?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Gloria is not alone. Balraj Grewal from Brampton has repeatedly complained how painful it was for him to go through multiple assessments before receiving home care services. Residents like Balraj are looking towards this government for solutions. I want to assure the residents that there is hope, that there is a light at the end of the tunnel today.

My question is for PA Martin. How will this Legislature streamline the process and get patients into home care faster so that people like Balraj don’t have to go through this pain again?

Mrs. Robin Martin: Thank you to the member for Mississauga–Malton for the question.

Yes, as I was saying, I think the legislation will streamline the ability of patients to get care. For example, if a patient is in the hospital, programs like the one at Southlake currently, Southlake@home, allow the care team in the hospital to say, “This is the kind of care we think you need at home,” and to actually arrange so that the home care provider maybe meets the person in the hospital and goes through what’s going to happen when you get home and when they will come etc. So there is already embedded in the hospital the care available.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Thank you.

Third reading debate deemed adjourned.

Members’ Statements

Government’s record

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: Throughout the pandemic, the people of Ontario have been looking to the Premier to act in their interests, but on issue after issue, the Premier says the right things but does the opposite of what he says.

On the long-term-care crisis, the Premier said he’s “going to fix the system,” and that he would put “an iron ring” around seniors, but instead he voted against a public inquiry and is now ramming through not one but two bills that further privatize senior care and deny justice for families who have lost loved ones.

Speaking about front-line and essential workers, the Premier said that it’s his “job to look out for them,” but two months after the pandemic pay was promised, thousands of front-line workers—heroes, as the Premier called them—have yet to receive a single penny.

When it comes to small businesses, the Premier warned commercial landlords, saying, “Don’t force my hand.” Then, the Premier folded, and passed a narrowly focused eviction ban that doesn’t help thousands of small businesses stay open. If this is the hand, then no bully is going to be scared of hurting the little guy.

The Premier issued a moratorium on residential tenant evictions and said, “If you can’t pay rent ... you don’t have to pay rent.” But as I speak, the government has a bill that makes mass evictions of tenants who have been unable to pay rent due to COVID-19 inevitable when the Landlord and Tenant Board reopens.

The people of Ontario have been getting the short end of the stick again and again. The Premier’s words and actions just don’t add up. We deserve better.

Places of worship

Mr. Kaleed Rasheed: Almost a month ago, the province of Ontario reopened places of worship with attendance limited to no more than 30% of building capacity and with physical distancing measures in place to ensure the safety of worshippers. My constituency has received positive feedback from worshippers of all faiths thankful to be able to return to their places of worship, even in a limited capacity. I am sure my colleagues in this House can say the same about their respective ridings.

Faith is such an important source of comfort and courage in the lives of many Ontarians, especially during these unprecedented times. I was honoured to work with the Minister of Labour and his team on consultations that brought together faith leaders from across Ontario to collaborate in the spirit of commitment to safely and responsibly reopen places of worship to the public. I took

part in several consultations with faith leaders, and I want to thank my colleagues who took

part in consultations with leaders of communities of faith for assisting with this tremendous effort. In particular, I would like to thank the places of worship of all faiths in Mississauga East–Cooksville who have stepped up efforts to reopen safely and responsibly.

We say a lot today about the new normal, and I agree, life may be different in many ways in the coming weeks and months, but—

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Thank you.

Arts and culture sector

Ms. Jill Andrew: Thank you to every musician, author, publisher, independent bookstore owner, poet, actor, dancer, visual artist, arts collective, comedian and fashion designer in St. Paul’s and across Ontario who has shared their craft virtually during COVID-19. You have also donated homemade PPE to those in need.

While you have provided us with the invaluable social medicine, the mental sustenance we’ve all benefited from during this pandemic, your work has gone unpaid and many of you have gone into great debt. Many of you cobbled several jobs together before COVID-19 to make ends meet, and now those jobs are gone. Our concert venues, theatres, bookstores, festivals and arts and dance studios have shuttered, and many will not reopen.

By the way, dancers need space to practise. Like sport athletes who have been able to practise in their facilities since May, dancers like those at our St. Paul’s renowned Canada’s Ballet Jörgen, home to elite athletes, as well as Taghi Abdolhosseini’s dancers must also practise.

Culture employers struggling to survive will need clear, comprehensive and timely reopening guidelines from this government and emergency stabilization funds and tax credits—not loans—to cover mounting PPE retrofit expenses. Film, TV, live entertainment workers and unions have been advocating for workers’ health and safety and economic reform during this storm, and arts educators and students are asking me, “What will happen this fall to arts education?”

We need a doubling of the Ontario Arts Council budget, basic income and extended federal wage subsidies during COVID-19, and a direct residential and commercial rent subsidy—a long list of things that I have mentioned in my “Save Arts and Culture” letter.

Egyptian Heritage Month

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Friends, this month of July commemorates the first-ever official Egyptian Heritage Month since it was passed in the House last year. On that note, happy Egyptian Heritage Month to all Ontarians and those who are celebrating.

It brings me great joy to have brought this act forward, being the first Canadian member of Egyptian origin to be elected and sitting in Parliament, to commemorate all the hard work and accomplishments that Canadian Egyptians show every day.

I want to thank our Premier, our Minister of Finance and our Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries for helping to make the Egyptian Heritage Month possible for Canadian Egyptians and Ontarians. Without your support and guidance, this would not have been possible.

I want to also take this time to thank all Canadian Egyptians for continuing to be economic, professional and cultural contributors to our great province of Ontario.

I would like to thank the Egyptian government for the cabinet statement that thanks the Ontario government for recognizing Canadian Egyptians and Egyptian Heritage Month, as well as all the ministers who congratulated us.

I want to also thank the Canadian Egyptian Heritage Association for adapting and transitioning to virtual celebrations, and creating new and innovative ways for all Ontarians to enjoy Egyptian heritage safely. I thank you for your commitment in creating a program for the full month of July and finding ways to make this celebration virtual and fun for all. Thank you.

Tenant protection

Ms. Suze Morrison: I rise today to sound the alarm on illegal evictions that are happening right now across Ontario, despite the temporary ban on evictions.

Speaker, my office recently heard from Theresa, a tenant in Barrie who was forced from her home in the midst of a pandemic. After Airbnb-ing an apartment in January, Theresa entered into a month-to-month tenancy with her landlord. In June, despite having a valid tenancy under the Residential Tenancies Act, her landlord had her illegally evicted. There was no eviction order issued, but when the landlord called the greater Simcoe county police, they threatened to charge her with trespassing, as if she was still an Airbnb tenant who had simply overstayed in her unit.

Theresa presented evidence to the police, including communications with the landlord, and had her lawyer on the phone at the time. But that day, the police in Barrie acted as judge, jury and executioner, and Theresa and her husband had only a few hours to pack up their belongings and get out. Theresa pleaded with the landlord and the police to take into consideration her husband’s respiratory issues, which make him particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, before they heartlessly tossed them out on the street.

Theresa works from home for a college. She’s had her work severely disrupted. She is now living out of a hotel and is dealing with the stress of a court case.

Instead of stopping illegal evictions and helping tenants like Theresa stay housed in the midst of a global pandemic, this government is fast-tracking an eviction bill through this House.

Speaker, through you to the Premier: Where are this Premier’s priorities to help families like Theresa’s, and what do you have to say to Theresa right now, who has been illegally evicted from her home?

Tuxedo Court

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: It’s an honour today to recognize the important work that’s being done in Tuxedo Court, in the Woburn community in my riding of Scarborough–Guildwood. Tuxedo Court is home to several densely populated residential buildings, which are home to a high proportion of residents living below the poverty line. The community includes newcomers, youth, low-income residents and many seniors who are living in isolated buildings.

Last week, the outreach team at Global Kingdom Ministries, located just across the street from Tuxedo Court, distributed refurbished desktop computers to 80 families in the building. This donation will help youth access educational resources, recreation, and reduce isolation among seniors.

Community leaders from the Tuxedo Court community are also partnering with the TTC as part of the agency’s commitment to distribute one million masks to Toronto residents.

I continue to call on the Minister of Health to provide public health units with additional funding to source and distribute masks, as well as opportunities for people to self-isolate in communities like Woburn so that we can keep people safe.

Toronto Public Health COVID-19 data shows that the Woburn community continues to be a hot spot. As the province opens up, low-income residents need to have reliable access to masks and places to self-isolate to protect themselves and others.

There are many things that people need to keep themselves safe, and we have to respond in a timely manner.

Public transit

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: The health and well-being of Ontario’s transit passengers and employees is a top priority for the Ontario government. It is also important to recognize that municipal transit agencies across the province are facing significant financial challenges as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. To ensure the safety of Ontarians, the Ontario government is taking important steps to keep transit riders and operators safe and help in reducing the transmission of COVID-19.

Speaker, it is wonderful to see that the Ministry of Transportation is providing $15 million to 110 municipalities across the province to support enhanced cleaning of public transit systems and help stop the spread of COVID-19. Out of this, a funding of over $602,000 has been allocated to the Brampton municipality, which will support our local transit system in Brampton as the province gradually reopens and people return to work.

Enhanced municipal transit cleaning funding builds upon the recommendations in the recently released safety guidelines for public transit agencies, which supports safe, reliable public transit that will get people moving, reduce congestion and drive economic growth.

I would like to put on record my appreciation to the Minister of Transportation and the Premier for making municipal public transit systems safer by helping to reduce the transmission of COVID-19 through such critical measures.

Automobile insurance

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: When Ontario went into pandemic lockdown in mid-March, our packed streets became open roads. And with traffic way down, so were accidents. In Toronto alone, there were 74% fewer accidents, meaning insurers were paying out fewer claims and pocketing even more profit than usual.

So to ensure drivers were treated fairly, Ontario’s NDP called for an immediate 50% reduction on auto insurance premiums during the lockdown. Premiums are based on risk, and the risk of accident was way down, whether a driver’s car was parked or not.

Instead of taking a strong approach to protect drivers, this government gave insurers permission to give out rebates but did not require them to. This approach relied on the goodwill of the auto insurance industry to share the massive amounts of money they were saving with drivers.

With drivers left to haggle with their insurers, the result has been predictable. A recent survey by insurancehotline.com has revealed that only 30% of Ontario’s drivers have experienced some form of relief, and what they got was usually next to nothing. But even worse, drivers are telling me that they are getting massive rate increases when they have renewed their policies during this pandemic. Of course, nobody knows what’s going on because the government has been hiding this year’s auto insurance quarterly rate approvals and letting insurers do whatever they want.

It’s time that the government admit it: Their oversight of auto insurance during COVID-19 has been a failure. Rather than stand up for Ontario’s drivers, this government has taken them for a ride.

Canada Day celebrations

Mrs. Nina Tangri: As we all know, last Wednesday, July 1, was Canada Day. Typically for our communities, Canada Day is a day of gatherings and festivals to celebrate our great country; however, this year was anything but typical. I was pleased, though, to attend a number of much smaller events in my community of Mississauga–Streetsville this Canada Day to commemorate the occasion of our nation’s 153rd birthday.

First, the Streetsville Legion Branch 139 hosted a socially distanced colour guard parade and ceremony at the Streetsville Village Square. While nowhere near the scale of our traditional celebrations, the act was a small reminder of years past and the sacrifices that those have made to ensure we have the freedom that we enjoy today.

I then had the opportunity to join the local congregation of Dawoodi Bohras to participate in a virtual flag-raising alongside seven other congregations right across Canada. The event was the first of its kind, and the act of raising the Canadian flag at the same time across the country was a symbol of our unity and strength. It was a pleasure to see and hear from various leaders, including the member for Richmond Hill, in her community. Following a tour of their beautiful new mosque, I ventured to the Streetsville Legion to join members on the patio to chat and catch up, and let them know we are all available to them.

In this time of adversity, it was heartwarming to see our community come together and find new ways to celebrate our country. l look forward to next year’s celebrations.

Mental health and addiction services

Ms. Natalia Kusendova: Over the past few months, Ontarians have been living in difficult and unprecedented times. When people are experiencing something new and unfamiliar, it can cause stress and anxiety, among other mental health challenges.

We know that many Ontarians are still worried about their health and the future of their livelihoods. That is why our government took immediate action to help support those who may be struggling. At ontario.ca/coronavirus, Ontarians can now easily find information about mental health supports, such as connexontario.ca or Kids Help Phone, available to them.

We also know the mental and physical strain that our front-line workers and our first responders are facing. For months, many have been working tirelessly while being forced to make tough decisions every single day. I have seen first-hand the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of our health care heroes. I want them to know that this government has their back. Whether by providing child care or online supports such as Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy, we are here to support them every step of the way.

I recently held a tele-town hall with the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, as well as some key partners, such as the Canadian Mental Health Association. We heard that the emergency funding of $12 million provided by our government to increase online access to mental health and addictions services has been key in supporting people experiencing anxiety, depression, addictions and other challenges during this pandemic, and has provided alternatives to in-person counselling.

During these unprecedented times, our priority is to ensure all Ontarians have access to the quality services and supports they expect and deserve—because mental health is health.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I want to compliment the members for their statements this morning, but I would remind all of them that the statement time should be about 90 seconds, ideally.

It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the member for London West.

Ms. Peggy Sattler: I seek unanimous consent for the official opposition to stand down our leads.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for London West is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to stand down the lead questions for the official opposition. Agreed? I heard a no.

Once again, it is now time for oral questions.

Question Period

Employment standards

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My first question this morning is to the Premier. In Vaughan, a COVID-19 outbreak at Ravine Mushroom Farms has grown from one worker, infected on June 27, to 24 this past Friday, and now 30 workers are infected. Let that sink in for a minute.

On June 27, York Region Public Health was first alerted to one case. Ten days later, that’s grown to 30 cases. Many of the workers are living at the facility, meaning they’re living with and working alongside their infected coworkers.

Is the Premier satisfied that the employer has taken all precautions necessary to control this outbreak at yet another agribusiness in our province?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: Well, I thank the leader of the official opposition for the question, but I can certainly assure you that we are aware of this situation and that public health has reacted immediately, that they have gone in, that they are doing the necessary work with the workers on the mushroom farm, doing the necessary contact tracing and doing the testing that needs to be done.

We can expect that as time goes on, there will be periodic outbreaks of COVID-19 in different areas. But our system has been developed to be resilient, to be nimble, to be agile and to move when it needs to do so. That’s what’s happened in this particular situation, which is now under control.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Many of the employees at Ravine Mushroom Farms are migrant workers. In the past, they have formed organizations to stand up for their workplace rights. Now their infected colleagues are supposed to be self-isolating, and public health officials say that there is limited chance for the infections to spread. What we don’t know is if the workers are being properly housed, separate from the other employees at the mushroom farm.

Can the Premier confirm whether or not the employees infected with COVID-19 are being properly housed, and what steps his government has taken to control the further spread of this outbreak on the farm?

Hon. Christine Elliott: The safety of all workers in agriculture in Ontario is important, whether they are from other countries, whether they’re migrant workers or otherwise. Everyone is important. Everyone deserves to be protected and to work in a safe environment.

That is why public health has moved in, has taken the necessary precautions and is making sure that if there are patients, people who have been diagnosed as positive, they are going to receive the care they need; that testing is going to be done, and if there are groups that are together that are positive, they will be quarantined away from the other workers at the farm until such time as they are no longer symptomatic; that they have been examined by a qualified health practitioner, with an interpreter there, if necessary; and that there is a plan in place by the employer in order for them to be kept safely in a separate area, away from the other workers until they are well.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, over a year ago, women who had been working at Ravine Mushroom Farms pleaded with this government to regulate the temporary agencies that sent them to work 12-hour days for as a little as $5, once the agencies had collected their fees. Health officials warned that agencies that move workers from farm to farm could be contributing to COVID-19 outbreaks in Windsor-Essex. Sounds pretty familiar—kind of like what happened in long-term care.

Will the government commit today to regulate these agencies and ensure that workers currently employed at this facility have access to sick pay and safe housing?

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

Hon. Monte McNaughton: I thank the Leader of the Opposition for this question.

The health and safety of every single worker in the province is our government’s top priority. We especially value those in the agricultural sector who continue to work every single day to put food on our table.

I’m proud to say that since I launched a blitz in April of farms and agricultural businesses across the province, as of this morning, we’ve done 371 inspections and we’ve issued 121 orders to improve the health and safety of these workers on farms.

But I have to remind the Leader of the Opposition that the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the living quarters or bunkhouses of these workers are the responsibility of the federal government. I’m proud to say that two weeks ago, the federal government did step up to join with us and local public health to begin inspections of living quarters for these migrant workers.

Education funding

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier—but I would remind the minister that the regulation of temporary agencies is your responsibility.

Speaker, the Premier expects parents and educators to juggle a pretty much impossible

schedule in September. Moms and dads are anxious about how to go back to work while the kids are at home multiple days a week or multiple weeks every month. Apparently, the government expects our teachers and educators to juggle teaching kids in the classroom while teaching kids at home and online at the very same time.

Instead of keeping class cohorts small by keeping half the kids at home, will this government commit to hiring more teachers, educational assistants and educational workers—like cleaners, for example—so that we can have more, smaller classrooms to protect our children from COVID-19?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: What this government is going to do is ensure that we are ready for all scenarios for September. The focus of the government is to ensure that safety remains our paramount priority. What we’ve asked school boards to do is to be ready for three scenarios. That is prudent, given what we have learned from COVID-19. We must be ready for the challenges on the horizon. It is possible there could be challenges that manifest this problem. If they do, we are going to ensure the continuity of learning in Ontario.

But our priority is to get kids back into class in a conventional model, day to day. That is the aspiration, but it has to be safe. I’d like to believe that would be a concurrent position from the members opposite. Safety must guide our position, and the Chief Medical Officer of Health, no less, SickKids and a variety of some of the best pediatric doctors in the country have informed us on this plan. It is why we’ve added more funding for, yes, staffing, $200 million to the Support for Students Fund, of which half of it—$100 million—is provision for more staff, more money for cleaning and more clear protocols. The aim is to get this right and to keep kids safe.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Parents all over the province are worried about the impact of reduced school days and lack of a clear plan or timeline for return and what that’s going to do to their families, frankly. They’re very, very concerned, and some are even considering quitting their jobs because they can’t get access to the child care that they’re going to need this fall. By what the minister is saying, there’s no plan. There’s no plan for school, there’s no plan for child care. So how the heck are parents going to plan, Speaker?

Last year, the Premier announced a plan to fire 10,000 teachers. Will he commit today to putting teachers and education workers back in the classroom as part of a plan to ensure that our schools can reopen safely for children so that they can get the education they deserve?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Indeed, schools are reopening in September. That is the plan that was announced by the government. But we did suggest and we did recommend and give guidance to school boards to be ready for all circumstances. That just so obviously is the prudent lesson learned from what we just went through in the province of Ontario—to have a credible online learning program that drives quality of education in the province, should we need it.

The preference is everyday in-class learning. That is clearly what we want—and, I’d like to believe, every member. But safety must be the prerequisite. It’s not the member opposite, it’s not the politicians in this Legislature who are going to guide the decision to get kids in class; it is doctors and public health. That is what our government believes. It’s what we’re going to continue to pursue, with more training of our staff, with more funding of cleaning, with more hiring of custodial staff in the province—$100 million to hire upwards of nearly 2,000 custodial staff, should school boards need it. Every board has more funding. Every board will have the support to succeed in September.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Suggestions and recommendations are not plans, and what the public wants from their government is a plan. So we look forward to when that plan actually arrives. Families need to plan for the return to school and to find the child care that works if they’re going to be able to return to work themselves. School boards are going to need support to deal with an increased need for everything from cleaning to a doubling of classrooms, and a hundred bucks a school is not going to cut the mustard, Speaker.

Our schools and our child care providers are facing an unprecedented challenge, and the Ford government’s funding to boards, no matter how the minister spins it—and I can just predict he’s going to be doing that again in a minute—is less in real terms than it was when they came to office.

Why is the Premier shrugging off his responsibility to parents, to students and to educators?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Mr. Speaker, it is this government that stood firmly in defence of live synchronous learning over the past months when students could not be in class. It was the members opposite who opposed that, who thought it would not be in the interests of quality education to have an educator in front of our students in a circumstance where they needed community and they needed support. If we’re going to suggest standing up for quality education, then stand up to all those involved in the education system, to ensure quality is a universalized experience, not just in some schools, but in every school in the province of Ontario.

Why we are ensuring that we are prepared for the three scenarios in September is out of an abundance of caution, because we just don’t know—the variability and the difficulty of not knowing what no government in this country, including our New Democratic colleagues in British Columbia, knows. The reality is, we have to be prepared for this circumstance. It’s why Ontario, like virtually every province, is following a plan to be ready. But the priority of the government remains to get kids in class with funding in place in every school board in the province. In Hamilton and in Toronto, funding is up.

In fact, it is up in every one of our ridings, by design—to ensure it is safe, to ensure it is successful in the province of Ontario this September.

Long-term care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is for the Premier—but I would remind the minister that millions of families across Ontario have not seen a universal experience when it comes to education in the last number of months, and they’re certainly hoping for something of that nature in the future.

To the Premier again, Speaker: This morning, I was joined by a woman named Susan McHardy, another Ontario person whose family was hit hard when COVID-19 tore across our system and tore through the long-term-care home her mother was in. Both her parents were residents of Extendicare’s West Park Long-Term Care Centre in Etobicoke. Both contracted the virus and, tragically, her mother passed away.

Susan has many questions about the failures of the for-profit company that did not protect her parents, but her top priority now is to ensure that she can see her father, who has survived. She wants to see him regularly and safely.

Will the Premier ensure more safe, consistent access for families who want to check on their loved ones in long-term care?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker, to the Leader of the Opposition: Yes, that’s our goal, to make sure that people go in there and visit their loved ones. It’s been very difficult for everyone, especially the people who can’t visit their loved ones on the first floor, if you’re on the second floor. We’re doing everything we can to make sure that happens.

I understand with my mother-in-law, that’s happening this week. You’re allowed to pick one person within the family—a supervised outdoor visit. I think that’s the safest way to go. We just want to make sure we protect the most vulnerable, which we have been. We’ve been doing that right from day one, doing everything we can to make sure that, as we say, we put an iron ring around long-term-care homes. Hopefully, people will be able to see their loved ones this week. I understand it may be starting.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, Speaker, with no consistency and no rules, “hopefully” is not good enough for all of those people who are in anguish over having an opportunity to connect with their loved ones in long-term care.

Once Susan’s father was hospitalized, he was barred from returning to his West Park room, even though they continued to charge him $3,000 a month for his space. He spent a total of 14 weeks in hospital, during which, tragically, his wife passed away of COVID-19. So Susan was actually forced to choose between trying to keep him in the hospital, where she could see him multiple times a week, or moving him back to his long-term-care home, where she would be restricted from comforting him in person for more than a few minutes a week.

When will the government offer clear and consistent rules and ensure that all for-profit homes apply them fairly and consistently so that the loved ones of people in long-term care can actually get some time with the people they love?

Hon. Doug Ford: I agree; we need to have time to see our loved ones. But I’m not too sure what the Leader of the Opposition is saying. I’m not too sure if she is saying just to open up, wide open, and just let everyone go in there. We’ll end up with the same problem as we had before. So they should be outdoors, they should have supervision there—and that’s how these most elderly people and the most vulnerable people ended up getting this in the first place. They didn’t get it by themselves. It came from outside—no fault of anyone’s, be it visitors or anyone else. And that’s what we’re trying to avoid.

We want to make sure that we protect them, and I think this is the right process. I know each and every long-term care, all 626 of them, are putting guidelines in. I think it’s a smart thing to do. Let’s start off slow. I understand the pain that people are going through—but it’s to protect the most vulnerable and that’s the reason we’re doing it.

Transportation infrastructure

Mr. Jim McDonell: My question is for the Minister of Transportation. Our government was elected with a strong mandate to get Ontario back to work, and that meant putting people back to work. That means getting things built around the province once again, because there’s no better way to get people to work, to stimulate the economy, to drive investment and to create jobs. And getting things built, getting infrastructure built means roads, bridges, highways, transit and subways.

These infrastructure projects serve our communities, and building them will put tens of thousands of people back to work. Our government is committed to restarting jobs and development for the people in my riding and throughout the province.

Can the minister share with the Legislature our government’s commitment to get transit infrastructure built in this province once again?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: I would like to thank the member for Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry for the question. He is correct: Our government is focused on getting the province moving. It’s how we’re going to create opportunities for people, and it starts with getting shovels in the ground on major infrastructure projects. That’s why our government is investing $2.6 billion in highway construction projects this year alone. We’re widening Highway 3 between Essex and Leamington from two to four lanes, we’re widening the 401 between London and Tilbury from four to six lanes and we’re twinning the Garden City Skyway on the QEW into St. Catharines.

These are just some of the projects that we’re investing in and making to upgrade Ontario’s highway system. For $1 million spent on highway projects, we generate $660,000 in GDP. That’s $660,000 in economic activity through direct and indirect construction jobs. These are the kinds of investments that Ontarians need, and these are the kinds of investments our government is committed to doing.

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

Mr. Jim McDonell: Back to the minister: Minister, those are vital projects, and the economic output you mentioned should make every Ontarian feel hopeful about our future once again. Now more than ever, these investments are critical to getting our economy back on track. That’s why our government is committed to ensuring that we help build our highways faster—because people are tired of potholes and people are tired of getting stuck in traffic. So we’re going to repair, resurface and widen these roads.

Our government is committed to helping put affordable home ownership within the reach of more families. We know people are looking for affordable places to live, and we know people want to live close to transit, good schools and good jobs. This dream shouldn’t be out of reach for so many people.

Speaker, can the minister elaborate on our government’s future actions on strengthening transit infrastructure projects for our province?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Well, the member is correct: We are focused on getting things built because we’re focused on getting Ontarians back to work. We believe that it is key to our economic recovery.

Our plan for developing transit-oriented communities will allow us to develop complete communities that are focused on connecting people to jobs and to housing that is safe and affordable. Much like our plans to deliver our four priority transit projects faster, we’re developing the tools that we need to help us accelerate major highway projects as well; for example, by shortening the time frames related to land assembly.

We will always treat people fairly and we will appropriately compensate landowners, tenants and others who are impacted by these projects. This will never change. But if we want to get shovels in the ground quickly, we need fast access to construction sites so that we can get shovels in the ground, and we will do that while balancing the rights of property owners.

Our transit-oriented communities program and our “building transit faster” plan will create tens of thousands of new, well-paying jobs and will make our roads safer, reduce gridlock and give Ontarians more access to home ownership.

Long-term care

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: My question is to the Premier. After being isolated for the last few months, family members and staff have noted a marked decline in the physical and mental health of residents in long-term care. Family visitation was supposed to be a shining hope, but many are finding these guidelines vague, arbitrary and inefficient. Staff and family alike are asking why family caregivers need to get biweekly testing just to sit outside, six feet apart with masks on, while not even being allowed to touch their loved ones. It has been distressing for families to see their loved ones become inconsolable, that their family is so close but still so far.

Family caregivers are not just visitors. Will this government revise the guidelines to reflect that family caregivers are essential to the care of residents and their loved ones?

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

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you for the question.

Our government has been absolutely clear about its commitment to all residents of long-term-care homes, staff and families about the priority being safety, health and well-being. That has been absolutely clear.

We have had a thoughtful process to understand how we can allow residents to have their visitors, as they so rightly deserve. Their families want this. We understand this. And that’s why, in a gradual, phased approach, we are allowing visitors back to see their residents, to see their loved ones—and eventually, into the homes.

I remind everyone: We are still in a state of emergency. This is not a normal time. We must be vigilant and we must be adaptable. These are critical issues for families. The testing is critical to make sure that our residents are safe. Safety is the priority.

I appreciate your concern, and I want everyone in Ontario to know that we’re working very hard to make sure we can get families together safely.

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

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: Speaker, my question is back to the Premier. Not only are folks required to spend the time and effort to get biweekly testing; seniors are also having to spend money out of their own pockets for those same sorts of tests.

A 92-year-old man in my riding was excited to see his wife of 65 years when he was told that he needed to get tested first. Hoping to avoid the crowded assessment centre, he asked his retirement home if they could perform the test on him. They said they could, but for a $20 service fee per COVID-19 test. That’s $40 a month just to see his wife, who lives in a long-term-care home across the street.

Why are seniors having to pay out of pocket to see their spouses, Speaker?

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: I appreciate the question—just to make sure that it is clear that retirement homes do not fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Long-Term Care, but I’m pleased to answer that question.

Our government believes that the safety of residents, whether it’s in retirement homes or in long-term-care homes, is a priority. In long-term-care homes, if there is information about someone being charged $30 for a test, I would appreciate hearing about that. Certainly, we have an action line with inspectors, and that feedback is greatly appreciated. I would encourage anyone to let us know if that’s happening.

First of all, a home must not be in outbreak. That is the first criteria. Then, we have to follow the protocols set by the Chief Medical Officer of Health and our health experts—that’s an imperative as well—and the infection and prevention control standards must be met. These are not negotiable.

There are processes by which our residents and families will be tested, including the staff, and I’ve asked to make sure that anyone going to a testing centre, if they need a chair to sit on, some shade, that these be accommodated, and that the chair be cleaned. These are important measures. We must maintain the safety of our long-term-care homes. Evidence and scientific knowledge is evolving, and we must learn, with all the processes that we have in place, to understand the measures that are needed.

Municipal finances

Mr. Stephen Blais: My question is for the Premier. Premier, cities and towns across Ontario are struggling under increased public health expenses due to COVID-19, lower user fees, property tax deferrals and lower transit ridership. Due to provincial inaction, their options are bleak. Municipal leaders will soon be forced to make what some Royal Bank economists have described as “draconian” cuts to important city services like youth job training, public transit and public health—or they can introduce massive, unaffordable property tax increases that will cripple families and stifle the economic recovery.

Either of these options will only hurt those who have been hurt most during this pandemic: women, young people and low-income Ontarians.

My question is very simple: When will the government take action to support Ontario residents by supporting the towns and cities they call home?

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

Hon. Steve Clark: Speaker, through you, I want to thank the member for the question.

I was proud to stand with the Premier last week as we increased, again, our commitment to municipalities under our Social Services Relief Fund. We added an additional $150 million to the already $200-million fund, making the total contribution to our municipal partners $350 million.

I will take this opportunity to thank the Premier for his incredible leadership with other Premiers from other provinces and territories in his discussions with the Prime Minister. There has been no one—and I want to stress this, Speaker, no one—with a stronger voice than Premier Ford, who has been standing up for our municipal partners. He has been very clear that given the size and magnitude of this problem, we need the federal government to come to the table.

I want to thank the Premier for his commitment to our municipal partners.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

The supplementary question?

Mr. Stephen Blais: I think the Argos are back in town, given how much the government is punting the ball to the feds.

My supplemental is for the Premier. Every day, millions of Ontarians take public transit to work. Many of them are essential workers. As the economy comes back, more and more people will be riding public transit. Now is absolutely the worst time for service cuts in public transit.

Ontario’s large urban mayors have projected a transit revenue shortfall of over $400 million from April to June. We’re now in July, and nary a word from the government on supporting cities with their public transit needs. Cities are going to be forced to either raise fares or cut routes.

My question to the government is simple: Will they support cities and public transit to avoid service cuts and an increase in bus fares?

Hon. Steve Clark: Speaker, again through you to the honourable member: Our government has been very clear, right from the start, that we support our municipal partners. The Premier and I and other ministers have stated publicly that we support the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and their ask to the federal government. We have stated very clearly that we support the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the AMO ask that they’ve done in conjunction with CUPE. And we support the large urban mayors’ ask of the federal government.

We will be at the table with our share, but because of the magnitude of this problem in not just Ontario municipalities, but every municipality in every province and every territory in the country, we need the federal government—to join Premier Ford in asking for that desperate financial support.

M me Natalia Kusendova: Ma question est à la ministre des Affaires francophones. La communauté francophone en Ontario joue un rôle important dans la province et elle contribue au tissu social de notre province, tant par sa langue que par sa diversité.

J’aimerais remercier la ministre pour sa participation à une séance de discussion virtuelle avec des organismes francophones à Mississauga au sujet d’aide d’urgence, en pleine crise de la pandémie de COVID-19, disponible aux Franco-Ontariens et Franco-Ontariennes. Notre gouvernement est d’avis que, maintenant plus que jamais, il est important que tous les Ontariens aient l’accès à l’information rapidement.

Madame la Ministre, est-ce que vous pouvez informer les députés ici présents de ce que notre gouvernement a fait pour servir les francophones dans ces temps sans précédent?

À cet effet, le gouvernement a pris des mesures concrètes. Nous nous sommes assurés d’avoir des campagnes de santé publique dans les médias francophones, des messages bilingues sur les lutrins et la traduction simultanée pour les conférences de presse quotidiennes du premier ministre.

D’ailleurs, Carol Jolin, le président de l’AFO, a dit : « Au nom de l’AFO et des 744 000 Franco-Ontariens qu’elle représente, j’aimerais vous remercier pour votre travail à mettre sur pied la traduction simultanée. À notre connaissance, c’est une première dans l’histoire de la province. Vous avez fortement contribué à la création de ce précédent intéressant pour notre communauté. »

Pour faire suite à ma question précédente, j’aimerais parler d’aide économique. Sachant que la communauté franco-ontarienne participe activement au développement économique de la province, j’aimerais demander à la ministre : comment aidons-nous économiquement la communauté francophone, et plus particulièrement, les organismes francophones?

L’hon. Caroline Mulroney: Je sais à quel point les organismes francophones font face à d’importants défis. C’est pourquoi j’étais fière d’annoncer que nous avons agi sur ce dossier en lançant l’édition 2020-2021 du PAFO.

L’an dernier, le PAFO a aidé près de 50 organismes francophones à mieux servir les Franco-Ontariens et les Franco-Ontariennes. Mais nous savons que les francophones ont besoin d’encore plus dans ces temps difficiles. Alors en plus du PAFO, notre gouvernement a mis en place des investissements de 17 milliards de dollars, annoncés par le ministre des Finances, pour aider tous les Ontariens, y compris les Franco-Ontariens, à traverser cette période sans précédent.

Nous continuerons à travailler avec la communauté pour déterminer la meilleure façon d’aller de l’avant. En fait, mon comité consultatif ministériel sur la relance économique post-COVID-19 a terminé ses réunions et est prêt à déposer ses recommandations au comité de la relance sur comment faire avancer les choses pour aider la communauté francophone à continuer de prospérer.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: My question is for the Premier.

Speaker, the Conservatives say that they’ve got a handle on testing, but I keep hearing from people in my community who are being failed by this government’s new testing regime. Josh, a constituent of mine, reached out to say that despite having all the symptoms of COVID-19, he has been waiting for over a week for test results. Nobody is returning his phone calls, and his doctors don’t have answers for when he’ll get the results he needs to get back to his job.

Despite the government’s super-agency Ontario Health taking over testing, it’s clear they’re still not getting it right. The Premier promised that they would be laser-focused on fixing the antiquated health lab systems left behind by the Liberals. Why is this testing plan still failing those who need it most?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the member very much for the question, but in fact, our testing strategy has been extremely successful—so much so that we are now averaging about 25,000 tests per day, with the results coming in within 24 hours. We’re going to increase that up to 50,000 because we know that as we go into the fall season, with flu season approaching and perhaps a second wave of COVID-19, we’re going to need to do even more testing to determine whether people have COVID-19 or whether they have the usual flu, which can be deadly in and of itself.

Our testing strategy is focused on several main areas. One is expanding testing to the general public. People do not need to wait for appointments; they can go and be tested straight away. We’re opening assessment centres. We have over 100 of them now for people who want to be tested. We have asymptomatic surveillance testing in long-term-care homes and other congregate living centres, and an outbreak response management.

We’ve seen by what’s happened within the agricultural community, including the mushroom farm in Vaughan that was recently discussed today, that the system is working.

If you have someone who is not receiving their test results in a timely manner, I’d be happy to obtain that person’s information, with their consent, and follow up on it.

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

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: Speaker, people who have been tested are waiting for days or weeks to get their results back. Five, six or seven days of not knowing whether you have the virus or not is just unacceptable, especially as we move to stage 3 and more and more people get back to work and to their daily lives again. Without timely test results, it makes it harder to reopen the economy and it makes it harder for public health to contact-trace.

Speaker, if everyday Ontarians don’t have faith in our testing system, how does the government expect us to have faith in this government’s recovery plan?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Mr. Speaker, I would say through you to the member opposite: I don’t understand how that can be in your particular riding, that you have so many people who aren’t receiving testing in a timely manner, because we have over a 96% return across the province within one day—maximum two days. So I do not understand how that can be.

We have over 100 assessment centres. We have connected labs. We have over 30 labs that are doing the testing. There is no reason why there should be a complete delay in your particular area, so I’d be happy to follow up on the specific issue that you have, because we are increasing our testing capacity every day and our returns are within a maximum of two days. So I’d be happy to follow up with you.

Public health

Mr. Randy Hillier: My question is to the Premier. Like the COVID-19 command table, our local health units are now embracing secrecy and behind-closed-door discussions with unknown people to make masks mandatory. The letter I received last week shocked me, Premier. The letter confirming mandatory face masks states, “A poll was conducted in Ottawa recently, and 91% of the public who responded agreed with mandatory mask use in indoor public spaces.”

To the Premier: Why is the Premier allowing pollsters to run our public health system and create policies for us?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the member very much for his question, but I want to assure him that any of the decisions that are being made by public health and by politicians are being made on the basis of evidence, of scientific fact, not on polling. Polling is not the basis for the policy that is being made here. We are making policies for the health and safety of all Ontarians.

We rely on the evidence and the information provided to us by not just Dr. Williams, our Chief Medical Officer of Health, but by a whole group of public health doctors, who are specifically knowledgeable in this area and are among the best in the world. So that is what forms the basis of our policy—evidence and scientific decision-making.

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

Mr. Randy Hillier: Back to the Premier: I’ll send over the letter from Dr. Paula Stewart, the medical officer of health for Lanark, Leeds and Grenville.

The Premier has hidden behind the COVID-19 command table for far too long. Behind these closed doors, unknown people are deciding the future of our province and our democracy. There’s the letter, confirming the new law. It makes face masks mandatory, and it’s based on a poll—no science, no evidence, no data; just poll results. We may as well hire a huckster or a pollster to make our COVID-19 policies.

My question to the Premier again is: How much longer will he allow our democracy to be subverted by hucksters and pollsters?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Premier?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker, I don’t have a clue what he’s talking about. I’m sorry, my friend, but he’s out to lunch, in my opinion. We don’t rely on pollsters; we rely on health and science.

What he’s saying right now is that—he’s insulting every single doctor around the health table and every professional in public health and Ontario Health. It just doesn’t happen. I just can’t even imagine some guy looking at a poll and saying, “We’re going to make a decision.” The doctors don’t play that way. As a matter of fact, the doctors are non-political—absolutely zero politics involved. They’re looking out for the best health and safety of our province and our people.

I don’t have a clue what he’s talking about, to be honest with you. I don’t.

Economic reopening and recovery

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: My question is for the Minister of Finance. In my great riding of Mississauga–Erin Mills, members of our community are eager to see Ontario’s economy thrive again as soon as possible. Throughout this crisis, I have been inspired by the resilience and the spirit of Ontarians. And as our economy continues to safely open, the strength and determination of the people of this province continue to shine.

I know that the minister has seen first-hand the resilience of Ontario’s business community. Can the minister please share with the House what he has seen in the business community across the province?

Hon. Rod Phillips: Mr. Speaker, through you: Thank you to the member from Mississauga–Erin Mills. I was here for the members’ statements and was pleased to congratulate the member as well on being the first Egyptian Canadian MPP, and introducing legislation around Egyptian Heritage Month. Congratulations on that.

As our economy continues to reopen, I and my colleagues, I know, are seeing the benefits of that reopening. I had the opportunity, with the member from Mississauga Centre, to travel to see the work that was being done at Square One back in June, before their June 24 reopening. I know we were quite impressed.

Mr. Speaker, with the move to stage 2 across the province of Ontario, almost 160,000 small, medium and large businesses across Ontario are able to reopen. This is just the beginning of getting our province back on track in a safe way, and we look forward to that work continuing.

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

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Thank you, Minister, for the great job and great energy. The health and safety measures taken by the team at Mississauga’s Square One are indeed impressive.

In my riding, many small local businesses have safely reopened by continuing to follow all the advice from our public health officials, like physical distancing, regular and thorough handwashing, and working from home whenever possible.

Our government has long recognized the vital nature of small businesses to the success of our provincial economy. We know that now, more than ever, the success of Ontario’s economy depends on the strength of small businesses.

Could the minister please inform the House about the positive developments he’s seen in small businesses across the province?

Hon. Rod Phillips: Mr. Speaker, the member is correct. I and my colleagues have been seeing that resilience, that Ontario spirit that the Premier talks about so often.

Small businesses in my own riding of Ajax, and in Barrie, Innisfil, Vaughan, Peterborough and Markham—these are some of the places where I’ve had the opportunity, with my colleagues, to speak to small businesses.

The member from Barrie–Innisfil introduced me to Stephanie Gourlie, the owner of Discount Granite Plus. She had some great things to say about how using the appropriate protections for her customers, her business had been able to reopen.

Just last week, the member from Peterborough–Kawartha introduced me to Black’s Distillery, a craft distillery that had answered the call by producing over 7,000 hand sanitizer kits—but now their owner, Robert Black, was turning them back to being a distillery.

Mr. Speaker, now more than ever we, as members of this Legislature, need to get out to see what our small businesses are doing, understand how they’re adapting to the conditions as we prepare for stage 3, so that the Ontario economy can come back stronger than ever.

Child care

Ms. Peggy Sattler: My question is to the Minister of Education. Speaker, Danielle Deans is a teacher from London West. Her daughter was in child care and her son will be starting JK. The shortage of child care and the uncertainty about the school year is creating significant stress for Danielle, who wonders how she can go back into the classroom if she can’t find care for her own family.

Sue Pullam, also from London West, has five school-aged grandchildren whose parents are returning to work. Sue’s husband has a health condition, and like many grandparents, they can’t be expected to provide child care if school is part-time.

Speaker, if neither educators nor parents can find child care, how does this minister expect students to be able to return to school?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Thank you for the member opposite for the question.

Indeed, Speaker, the government has permitted child care operators to reopen in the province of Ontario. We’re seeing reopenings happening in all regions of Ontario, including in London, and across that part of the province. They’re reopening because the province has provided sufficient funding and operating supports, of course, in conjunction, in collaboration with the federal government, to ensure they remain sustainable. But beyond ensuring the sustainability of our operators, we are providing an assurance to parents that that funding is contingent on a commitment by operators not to increase fees on working parents, and more so not to remove their space in the child care centre.

Mr. Speaker, we’re going to continue to support parents through an investment that we’re making to operators to ensure that they remain viable and sustainable. Child care operators are opening using a cohorted model of eight students with up to two ECEs. We’re doing that on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health. I would hope the member opposite would support the medical advice and support our plan to keep kids safe.

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

Ms. Peggy Sattler: Speaker, another London West constituent told me that his wife is an ECE and has been recalled to work. Their daughter had been attending the same child care centre his wife works at, but spots were raffled and they did not get a space. Their other two school-age children will also need care if school is part-time.

My constituent has been working throughout the pandemic but is considering taking a leave from work to stay home with the kids. He was told by his employer that there are too many employees already on COVID-19 leave and he may have to quit instead.

Speaker, does this minister think that forcing people to quit their jobs because they can’t find child care will do anything to help Ontario’s economic recovery?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: The government is ensuring that we’re able to recover from the challenges of COVID-19 with a plan of growth to create jobs and sustain the workforce in the economy. But we also recognize that in order to do that, we need to have a sustainable and a viable child care system in the province of Ontario. It’s why, when we implemented the phase 2 plan, we also enabled child care operators to reopen. We did that with a commitment to fund additional supports for operating costs in our child care centres. We did that with additional support for PPE and for cleaning.

We also did it with guidance on health and safety protocols, a clear plan to cohort children—up to eight—to allow them to play together and be as normal as possible together under this new COVID-19 reality.

Speaker, our plan is to ensure parents are protected, with consumer protection in place, by ensuring fees cannot increase and, likewise, that child space cannot be given to another person. That i