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April 27, 2021

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2021-Apr-27 (PDF)

L253 - Tue 27 Apr 2021 / Mar 27 avr 2021

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 27 April 2021 Mardi 27 avril 2021

Orders of the Day

Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 visant à assurer à la population ontarienne des déplacements plus sûrs

Members’ Statements

Laurentian University / Université Laurentienne

Small business

COVID-19 immunization

School facilities

Small business

Associations communautaires / Community associations

Waste reduction

COVID-19 immunization

Dave Kalil

Volunteers

Question Period

COVID-19 response

COVID-19 response

COVID-19 response

Towing industry

COVID-19 response

Employment standards

Road safety

COVID-19 immunization

COVID-19 immunization

Road safety

Laurentian University / Université Laurentienne

Employment standards

Youth services

Law enforcement

Employment standards

Correction of record

Notice of dissatisfaction

Royal assent / Sanction royale

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Government Agencies

Standing Committee on Estimates

Introduction of Bills

Advancing Oversight and Planning in Ontario’s Health System Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 visant à faire progresser la surveillance et la planification dans le cadre du système de santé de l’Ontario

Petitions

Optometry services

Addiction services

Front-line workers

Autism treatment

Long-term care

Autism treatment

Anti-vaping initiatives for youth

Multiple sclerosis

Broadband infrastructure

Orders of the Day

Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 visant à assurer à la population ontarienne des déplacements plus sûrs

Adjournment Debate

Youth services

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 visant à assurer à la population ontarienne des déplacements plus sûrs

Ms. Mulroney moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 282,

An Act in respect of various road safety matters / Projet de loi 282, Loi concernant diverses questions de sécurité routière.

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

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: I’ll be sharing my time this morning with the Associate Minister of Transportation.

It’s my pleasure to begin debate on the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, the MOMS Act, which, if passed by this assembly, would take strong action to protect road users against unsafe and aggressive driving and establish oversight for the provincial towing and vehicle storage industry. Specifically, this act proposes measures to combat stunt driving, aggressive driving and street racing and to update the way collision data is collected to enable tracking of dooring incidents.

The act also contains a proposal for a new stand-alone statute, the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, which is intended to result in improved customer protection and a level playing field for operators to reduce crime and fraud in the sector.

Mr. Speaker, all of us in this House understand the importance of transportation to our communities’ physical and economic health. Every aspect of our lives depends on an efficient transportation network. Transportation is so ubiquitous that it fades into the background, and the daily struggles—crowded trains, clogged highways, late shipments—start to seem like forces of nature. You can do as much about a traffic jam as you can about a thunderstorm. It’s no coincidence that new stations across the province report traffic and weather together on the 1s.

The reality is that the conditions that lead to traffic jams, overcrowded subway platforms, missed or late trains are the result of the decisions that we make as a society or as governments: decisions to advance a public transit project or not, decisions to build a new highway or not. Those decisions have a very real and tangible effect on our lives.

Ils peuvent déterminer si vous allez être coincés dans un embouteillage ou si vous allez pouvoir arriver à la maison à temps pour souper avec votre famille. Ils peuvent déterminer si vous allez avoir le temps ou non de lire une histoire à vos enfants et les border le soir. Et même si nous nous limitons aujourd’hui aux déplacements essentiels, nous dépendons toujours d’un réseau de transport sûr et fiable. Les travailleurs de première ligne et les travailleurs essentiels en dépendent pour se rendre au travail et rentrer chez eux en toute sécurité.

We rely on it so goods can get to market and so that we can send and receive the deliveries that are so important to the survival of so many local retailers and restaurants. You can see that transportation and a smooth-running transportation system are fundamental to a well-functioning and productive society. And the choices that we make today will have a lasting impact for the generations to come. Those choices aren’t just about the infrastructure that we build; those choices also involve how we manage behaviour on the roads and highways to ensure that they are as safe as they can be.

Make no mistake, Ontario’s roads are among the safest in North America. Let me give you an example: In an average year, approximately 10.6 million licensed drivers in this province travel more than 150 billion kilometres on our roads. On an average day, more than $785 million in goods are moved on Ontario’s highways. And despite all that traffic, between 2009 and 2018, the motor vehicle fatality rate dropped by 7%, ranking Ontario as the safest highway jurisdiction in all of North America. This occurred while the number of licensed drivers in the province increased by nearly 15% over the same period.

En fait, monsieur le Président, depuis deux décennies, l’Ontario se classe régulièrement parmi les cinq premiers endroits en matière de sécurité routière en Amérique du Nord. Et bien que nous devions être fiers de nos réalisations en matière de sécurité routière, nous ne pouvons pas être complaisants. En matière de sécurité routière, il est toujours possible d’en faire plus. C’est d’autant plus vrai comme nous prévoyons des taux de croissance incroyables dans cette province au cours des prochaines décennies.

People and businesses from around the world are moving to Ontario and the greater Golden Horseshoe for new opportunities. The GGH will attract one million new people every five years, reaching a population of nearly 15 million people by 2051. To put that in context, that’s about equal to the population of the entire province in 2019.

So, we need two things to accommodate this growth. First, we need new infrastructure, and we will build it. Second, we need new and improved measures to keep our roads safe, because the fact is that even though our roads are among the safest, we are starting to see incidents of unsafe and aggressive driving increase, and the consequences are extremely dangerous and, too often, deadly.

The increase in these incidents requires that we take a look at our current road safety measures and that we make the necessary adjustments to ensure that they remain effective. That’s what this legislation intends to do. The Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, if passed, introduces measures to take strong action to stop the rise in unsafe and aggressive driving and street racing, and bolsters protections for the province’s vulnerable road users.

Over the course of the pandemic, we have witnessed disturbing trends on our roads as it relates to dangerous and aggressive driving. Between March 1 and December 31 of last year, police laid a total of 796 stunt driving charges in the city of Toronto alone. That’s an increase of 222% over the same period in 2019—222%, Mr. Speaker. It’s astonishing.

And this isn’t just a Toronto problem; it’s a problem right across the province. York Regional Police report a 60% increase in stunt driving charges. In communities across the province, police are catching drivers who seem to think that the province’s roads and highways are their personal racetrack. Here are some examples: In Napanee in March of last year, the OPP caught someone travelling more than 200 kilometres per hour on the 401. In Ottawa around the same time, police impounded seven vehicles over the course of 7.5 hours, all for stunt driving.

Then there’s the example of the person caught speeding at 308 kilometres an hour on the QEW last spring. That’s more than 200 kilometres above the speed limit. To be travelling that fast means that a car is covering nearly the length of a football field every second. There is no excuse to be travelling this fast under any circumstance in any place in this province—none whatsoever.

These are just a handful of examples, and it’s important to remember that for every case that makes the news, there are others that we don’t hear about. The reality is that while we have seen an incredible spike in incidents of dangerous driving in the last year, these incidents have been on the rise since 2009.

Monsieur le Président, il ne fait aucun doute que la vitesse tue. Selon le rapport annuel de la sécurité routière de l’Ontario, en 2017, 42 % de toutes les personnes tuées sur les routes de la province sont décédées dans des collisions où la vitesse a été un facteur clé. Le mois dernier, la Police provinciale de l’Ontario a signalé que malgré la baisse de la circulation sur les routes de l’Ontario et la diminution du nombre d’accidents, les accidents qui se sont produits étaient plus meurtriers et la vitesse était un facteur. Et lorsque la vitesse est un facteur, trop souvent, l’âge l’est également.

Between March and June last year, young drivers between the ages of 16 and 25 were involved in more than 40% of all collisions that occurred at speeds 50 kilometres per hour above the posted speed limit. Drivers in this age group make up only 19% of all drivers involved in collisions in that period.

What drives people to engage in this kind of reckless behaviour? Why would they risk life and limb? Why do they so willingly endanger the lives of those around them? One potential answer to this question can be found in a book called The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Raising Adolescents and Young Adults by Dr. Frances Jensen. The book was recommended to me by a friend a few years ago when my children were approaching adolescence. Dr. Jensen writes, “The chief predictor of adolescent behaviour ... is not the perception of risk, but the anticipation of the reward despite the risk.

In other words, gratification is at the heart of an adolescent’s impulsivity, and adolescents who engage in risky behaviour and who have never, or rarely, experienced negative consequences are more likely to keep repeating that reckless behaviour in search of further gratification.”

I am the parent of driving-age teenagers. Being the parent of teenagers on the cusp of driving is challenging at the best of times. It’s even more so when you’re the Minister of Transportation, because not only are you bombarded with the regular questions about when they can get their licence, but they also want to know if you can speed up the process for them. And, no, I cannot. But one thing I can do is everything in my power to make the roads safer, not just for my kids but for all of us.

Je ne suis pas la seule à vouloir rendre nos routes plus sûres. C’est un objectif partagé par tous les membres de cette Chambre et par d’autres à travers la province, et c’est l’intention de la Loi visant à assurer à la population ontarienne des déplacements plus sûrs. Ce projet de loi a été élaboré en réponse aux appels lancés par les intervenants de toute la province, y compris des députés de tous les partis, qui nous demandent d’en faire plus pour réduire les risques sur les routes.

If passed, this act would strengthen penalties for stunt driving, street racing and other high-risk driving behaviours. It would also enhance protections for vulnerable road users, improve commercial vehicle and highway worker safety and strengthen the province’s oversight of the towing sector.

We are proposing a series of escalating sanctions for aggressive driving behaviours that focus the serious repercussions on the worst offenders. These are people who regularly disregard the law and put the lives and safety of other road users in jeopardy. We’re sending a clear message to the province’s bad drivers: Driving is a privilege, and those who threaten the safety of others have no place on our roads.

Mr. Speaker, this new legislation proposes meaningful steps to curb unsafe and aggressive driving, but don’t take my word for it. Bonnie Crombie, mayor of Mississauga, said, “This new legislation sends a strong signal that dangerous driving simply won’t be tolerated.”

Scott Butler, executive director of the Ontario Good Roads Association, calls this legislation “an important first step toward realizing a future where Ontarians are no longer fatally injured or seriously hurt on our” highways.

And Thomas Carrique, commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, said, “The Moving Ontarians More Safely Act ... is an important step towards addressing the serious road safety issues created by aggressive drivers.”

Les propositions contenues dans la loi visant à assurer à la population ontarienne des déplacements plus sûrs, si elles sont adoptées, auront un impact important sur la réduction des comportements de conduite agressive et à haut risque, qui affectent tous les usagers de la route. Cela comprend les usagers de la route vulnérables, comme les piétons, les travailleurs sur les routes ou à proximité et les passagers des tramways.

Mr. Speaker, I now want to go into more detail about the measures contained in this act that, if passed, would target the bad actors on Ontario’s roads who put everyone’s safety at risk. First off, the bill contains measures to combat stunt driving, aggressive driving and street racing. My colleague the Associate Minister of Transportation will be discussing these measures in more detail, but I did also want to spend some time discussing them, given their importance.

We unfortunately do not have to look very far to see that stunt driving and street racing continue to be a major issue in this province. Just this past weekend, police in Ottawa pulled over a driver and charged him for stunt driving. It was his fourth such charge. That same day, police also pulled over someone on a motorcycle who was driving 143 kilometres per hour in an 80-kilometre-per-hour zone. Again, this is just one weekend in one location of the province, a snapshot of something that happens nearly every day.

With the proposed measures in this act, we are saying that enough is enough. We recognize that the current measures are not having the impact to deal with these rising incidents, and we need to get stronger. Recognizing this fact, we have worked with many stakeholders on this issue, including road safety organizations, municipalities and enforcement agencies, to make sure that we get it right and achieve the outcomes that we are seeking. These stronger proposed measures would target those engaged in these behaviours immediately.

First, drivers caught speeding will face a 30-day roadside driver’s licence suspension and a 14-day vehicle impoundment. This is an increase to the current penalties of seven days for both a driver’s licence suspension and vehicle impoundment. We are also proposing escalating post-conviction driver’s licence suspensions for individuals convicted of street racing to align them more closely with those imposed for impaired driving.

As the case I mentioned in Ottawa demonstrates, the current system is not acting as enough of a deterrent for those repeatedly engaging in this behaviour. By introducing escalating suspensions, we are letting those bad actors and the public know that stunt driving and street racing are as serious as impaired driving, and we will continue to tackle this issue with the same energy and vigour as we have dedicated to that issue.

We are also proposing a lower speed threshold for stunt driving offences on municipal roads. While stunt driving and street racing are reprehensible no matter where they occur, lowering the threshold on municipal roads will ensure that it is treated with the appropriate seriousness, given the increased danger that is present when driving so recklessly in our communities.

Bien que nous soyons convaincus que ces mesures proposées auront des répercussions réelles et immédiates, je tiens également à vous faire savoir que nous ne nous arrêterons pas là. Tout comme ces mesures répondent aux dernières tendances, mon ministère continuera de travailler avec nos partenaires en sécurité routière pour évaluer la situation et s’assurer que nous avons le bon système en place pour la combattre.

Nous poursuivrons les consultations avec nos partenaires et avec le public, y compris les jeunes, pour nous assurer que nous entendons le point de vue de ceux qui sont touchés par ces comportements. Nous continuerons à éduquer le public afin qu’il soit conscient de ce problème et de ses conséquences.

We will continue to explore further measures aimed at reducing and preventing unsafe driving, including potential fine increases for speeding. We need to keep evolving to address these issues and keep our roads as safe as possible. In speaking with the Premier, my colleagues and our stakeholders, I know that all of us are committed to that responsibility.

Second, we are proposing measures to strengthen protections for vulnerable road users in the province. Anyone who frequently takes the streetcar in Toronto can tell you that it’s not uncommon for cars to speed past the doors when they’re trying to exit. Whether the driver is distracted or trying to make the green light, passing a streetcar at a stop is illegal and dangerous. These actions are carelessly dangerous and put people’s lives at risk. We’ve all heard of these horribly unsafe incidents, and I think that members on all sides of this House can agree that greater measures are needed.

According to Stuart Green, senior communications specialist for the TTC, between 2016 and 2018 they had at least 31 incidents where someone has been injured by a passing car while boarding or exiting a streetcar: 25 while exiting, six while boarding. We can put up all the decals, all the signs, all the flashing lights on streetcars, but we need to have the necessary tools in place to enforce consequences and hold people accountable for their dangerous choices.

In response to requests from the city of Toronto and others, the bill would allow municipalities to use traditional methods and cameras to enforce illegally passing streetcars with doors open to pick up or drop off passengers, creating new vehicle-based offences. These cameras will allow municipalities to quickly identify and fine drivers who drive past stopped streetcars. We’re taking action to support the province’s municipal transit systems to ensure that people can have confidence in their safety when riding streetcars.

Partout en Ontario, le cyclisme, tant pour les loisirs que pour le transport quotidien, est devenu de plus en plus populaire. Au cours de la dernière année, les magasins de vélos continuent de signaler des ventes en plein essor. Le vélo est pratique, abordable et constitue un excellent moyen d’améliorer notre santé et notre bien-être général, tout en réduisant les effets de la congestion urbaine. C’est aussi une activité familiale amusante que j’apprécie personnellement, aux côtés de mon mari et de mes enfants.

Sadly, with this growth comes the all-too-real possibility of cyclists being doored; that is, you’re biking along and minding your own business when a car door opens directly in front of you, knocking you to the ground. It’s dangerous and it can result in serious injuries. That’s why we’re proposing amendments to the Highway Traffic Act that, if passed, will enable changes to how we collect collision data so that we can track dooring incidents involving cyclists and stationary cars.

This will improve the quality and integrity of the data that the province relies upon to develop and evaluate our road safety policies and programs. It also means that cyclists involved in a dooring collision will be able to receive a collision report at the scene, the same as drivers who are involved in a motor vehicle collision. Through our measures to specifically address dooring, we can reduce serious cycling injuries in communities across the province and help drivers learn how important it is to share the road with vulnerable road users.

We also propose to take measures to improve the safety of road workers through the proposed authorization of the use of automated flagger assistance devices. Mr. Speaker, roadside construction sites can be dangerous places, with heavy machinery taking place feet from passing traffic. We need to take every opportunity to make them as safe as possible to reduce injuries and death. The automated flagging devices will do just that, by making it so that fewer workers have to interact directly with traffic. As a result, if permitted, these devices will mean fewer workers are put in harm’s way in construction zones, which means fewer fatalities and serious injuries for workers on job sites.

The province’s construction industry and its workers are instrumental to building up Ontario and its critical infrastructure. This proposal will go a long way to ensuring the safety of road workers in Ontario. As Bryan Hocking, chief executive officer of the Ontario Road Builders’ Association put it, “Initiatives that crack down on stunt driving, that allow for the use of automated flagger devices are important tools that will make construction zones safer for workers and make our roadways safer for all Ontarians.” This proposal is an important step forward in creating a safer work environment for the men and women who build, maintain and repair Ontario’s roads.

Monsieur le Président, j’aimerais attirer l’attention de la Chambre vers l’annexe 3 du projet de loi. Les conducteurs de dépanneuses de l’Ontario jouent un rôle essentiel en assurant la sécurité de nos routes et en favorisant la circulation sur nos autoroutes. Chaque jour, ils aident les gens qui sont dans le besoin, et les efforts qu’ils déploient pour répondre aux incidents sur nos routes et les dégager sont essentiels pour assurer la fluidité de la circulation.

Many of Ontario’s tow operators are safe and reliable and provide good customer service. But in recent years, we’ve seen some alarming instances of violence, fraud and criminal activity in the towing industry. We have all seen the headlines, Mr. Speaker. I’m sure everyone here shares my opinion that these types of violent incidents are abhorrent and wholly unacceptable. Our government is committed to stamping out this criminal behaviour and restoring people’s trust in the industry. And that’s why we have acted to address this alarming issue.

Last June, we struck a provincial Towing Task Force to find ways to make the industry safer. The task force included representatives from the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of the Solicitor General, the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ontario Provincial Police and municipal police.

The task force was asked to develop recommendations on ways to increase safety and enforcement, clarify protections for customers, improve industry standards and consider tougher penalties for violators, in response to concerns about violent and criminal activity in the industry. They consulted closely with stakeholders in the towing, consumer, automobile insurance, municipal and law enforcement sectors. In the winter, we launched a public consultation to get feedback from the public on their experiences with the towing industry.

Last month, the task force released their report, a series of recommendations to:

—promote road user and tow operator safety to prevent death and injuries on Ontario roads;

—ensure drivers are protected and treated fairly after they experience a collision or a breakdown;

—create a level playing field with clear requirements that allow legitimate operators to prosper;

—enhance intelligence gathering and enforcement and take action against violators; and

—prevent crime and fraud throughout the towing experience.

We have already moved quickly to adopt several of their recommendations. For example, the OPP and municipal police services are forming a Joint Forces Operations team to investigate criminal activity in the towing industry, with the goal of enhancing consumer protection and public safety. The Joint Forces Operations team will shut down criminal activity in the towing industry that puts Ontarians in danger on our roadsides. It will root out criminals and ensure that decisive actions can take place to address incidents of violence in the towing industry.

We are forming a new technical advisory group made up of representatives from towing companies, consumer advisory groups, automobile insurance companies, municipalities and law enforcement organizations. This group will make sure that we are making informed decisions every step of the way and that our trusted partners are part of that decision-making process.

Of course, this summer, we will be launching the first phase of a pilot that will introduce restricted tow zones on designated sections of provincial highways that will help clear highways faster and more safely. During the first phase of the pilot, we will be designating four restricted tow zones on sections of the highways in the greater Toronto area:

—Highway 401 from Highway 400 east to Morningside;

—Highway 400 from Highway 401 to Highway 9;

—the QEW from Highway 27 to Brant Street; and

—a fourth zone that includes Highway 401 from Highway 400 west to Regional Road 25, Highway 427 from the QEW to Highway 409, and Highway 409 from Highway 427 to the 401.

Chaque emplacement pilote a été soigneusement choisi en fonction du volume de trafic et des données sur les collisions. Chaque zone sera restreinte, ce qui signifie qu’une seule entreprise de remorquage sera engagée par contrat pour chaque zone de remorquage et autorisée à retirer les véhicules nécessitant un remorquage. Cela veut dire qu’aucune autre entreprise de remorquage ne pourra solliciter le remorquage de véhicules dans une zone de remorquage restreinte.

Le projet pilote durera deux ans, avec la possibilité de deux prolongations d’un an. Nous procéderons à une évaluation continue tout au long du projet pilote pour nous assurer de son efficacité.

The goal of the pilot is to ensure tow operators have the training, the experience and proper equipment to clear highways safely and efficiently, to reduce congestion and delays on provincial highways by clearing the highway more quickly, and to help ensure reasonable tow rates for drivers by providing standard pricing and invoicing for towing services in the restricted tow zone.

One of the key recommendations from the towing task force was to bring forward legislation that would strengthen oversight and enhance standards in the industry. I am very pleased to say that we are taking that step today.

This bill contains a proposal for a new stand-alone statute, the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, by amending the following statutes: the Consumer Protection Act, the Highway 407 Act, the Highway Traffic Act and the Repair and Storage Liens Act. This proposal will help make our roads safer, by introducing improved customer protection and a level playing field for operators to reduce crime and fraud. It proposes requiring certification for tow operators, tow truck operators and vehicle storage operators.

This will require them to meet a set of prescribed requirements and standards to practise in Ontario, including standards for customer protection and roadside behaviours. There will be penalties for failing to meet those standards. And we have proposed to establish a director of towing and vehicle and storage standards to help us strengthen provincial oversight.

These proposed actions will improve customer protection for all drivers of passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The proposed legislation would mean drivers can have confidence when they break down or are involved in a collision. They’ll know that the tow truck driver helping them has been properly trained, that the tow truck has been properly inspected and is suitable for the job, and that they will be treated fairly. Increased oversight, combined with the other actions our government is taking to reform the towing and vehicle storage sectors, will result in safer roads, reduced delays resulting from accidents and breakdowns, and improved customer and driver confidence.

Mr. Speaker, before I close, I’d like to acknowledge the work done by members on all sides of the House to improve the safety of Ontario’s roads: first, my predecessor, whose work this legislation builds on, the current Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. I also want to thank the member for Mississauga–Streetsville, who introduced a motion in this House last month urging us to take action to address stunt driving. That motion was adopted unanimously by this House. This bill is partially a response to that.

In that spirit, I want to thank my friend and colleague the Associate Minister of Transportation for her hard work in helping to develop this legislation, and her work on the stunt driving file in particular.

When the House debated the motion from the member for Mississauga–Streetsville, many members expressed their support for renaming the Highway Traffic Act offence of stunt driving to something that better conveys the risks of the behaviour. To try and find a consensus on a new name, the Associate Minister of Transportation will undertake consultations on the best way to move forward.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge all members of this House who have expressed a desire to improve the safety of Ontario’s roads and highways. Road safety is not a partisan issue; it’s a concern that we all share and something that we can all agree upon. That’s why, in developing this bill, we have listened to the concerns as they have been raised on all sides of the House.

We know that distracted driving is dangerous. This is especially true for teenagers and young drivers. In The Teenage Brain, Dr. Jensen cited a statistic that has stuck with me: Distracted driving is a factor in 87% of incidents where adolescents die in automobile accidents.

Here in Ontario, we have been tracking behaviours and attitudes towards distracted driving since 2011, and we are undertaking a survey that is also set to be complete next month. This survey will inform our further work on this issue as we continue to find more ways to improve the safety of our roads.

Mr. Speaker, the work of road safety is never finished. It must evolve to address new behaviours, new technologies and changing attitudes. Because of this, we will continue to work with our road safety partners in communities across the province to find new and effective deterrents to high-risk and aggressive driving, including potential increases to speeding fines.

We will not tolerate high-risk and irresponsible driving, nor will we tolerate criminal activity. There is no place on our roads for this kind of behaviour, and we will continue to target these drivers with increased suspensions and penalties rigorously.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The minister did say she would be sharing her time. We turn to the Associate Minister of Transportation.

Hon. Kinga Surma: Thank you very much for Minister Mulroney’s leadership on this file. I am pleased to rise today and say a few words about the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, also known as the MOMS Act.

Our government is determined to keep Ontario’s roads among the safest in North America, and the MOMS Act is a vital continuation of the work we are already doing to strengthen road safety. Road safety is fundamental to not only a well-functioning transportation network, but to a well-functioning society.

It’s a credit to our network and the many people who have a role to play in its operation that, for many, road safety is at the back of their minds. Millions of cars travel the province’s roads and highways every year, and for most of those millions of trips, they pass without incident.

Whether it’s driving to an appointment or a truck delivering essential goods, we are lucky to have a system and a network where you can feel safe while travelling. But that does not mean we can ever stop being vigilant in our pursuit of the safest roads and highways possible. That’s why we introduced the MOMS Act yesterday, as part of that endless pursuit.

The unfortunate truth of the matter is that there has never been a better time to bring forward this act. Among the countless impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a disturbing increase in incidents of high-risk driving. The statistics cannot be ignored, and they paint a troubling picture. Driver’s licence suspensions issued at roadside for stunt driving and street racing increased by 52% between March and August of last year compared to that same time frame in 2019. Between March and June 2020, a driver involved in a collision was 65% more likely to exceed the speed limit compared to the year prior.

When you look at this data as it relates to young drivers, the picture becomes even more problematic. Between March and June of last year, nearly one in five drivers involved in a collision was between the ages of 16 and 25, yet young drivers are involved in 42% of collisions where the recorded speed is 50 kilometres per hour or more above the posted speed limit. Just think about that for a moment: 50 kilometres per hour or more above the posted speed limit is alarmingly fast. Imagine going 150 kilometres per hour on the 401 or 90 kilometres per hour in your local school zone.

The dangers of such reckless behaviour are devastatingly real and life-altering. The risk of fatality or serious injury is approximately 11 times greater when vehicles are involved in a collision at 50 kilometres per hour or more above the speed limit—11 times greater of a chance lives will be forever changed.

To be clear, this isn’t just a COVID problem. The pandemic has only accelerated an alarming trend that we were already seeing within this province. For instance, between 2013 and 2019, street racing or stunt driving caused the number of licence suspensions issued at roadside to spike 130%. There was also a 46% increase in the number of repeat suspensions for stunt driving or street racing between 2014 and 2019.

These statistics, inflamed by the pandemic, demonstrate that existing penalties and sanctions are no longer effective in deterring stunt driving, street racing and other high-risk driving practices from taking place on our roads and our highways. Since day one, we have been vocal. Like the Premier said himself last June, we will not sit back and do nothing while drivers are found speeding well over the limit and being reckless on our roads.

As I speak in the House today, I am thinking about 37-year-old Karolina Ciasullo and her three beautiful daughters, six-year-old Klara, three-year-old Lilianna and one-year-old Mila, all killed on the afternoon of June 18 last year. Four lives filled with hope and possibility ended when their SUV was struck at such a high rate of speed in Brampton that it was forced into a light pole. I think of Michael Ciasullo, who has been robbed of his family. He won’t get to see his daughters graduate and follow their passions.

He won’t get to send them off on their first dates or walk them down the aisle or watch as they become parents themselves. He won’t get to celebrate becoming grandparents with his wife—no more anniversaries, no more holidays, no more growing old together.

Drivers who put lives at risk are on our radar. We will not stand for their careless disregard for the general public. That’s why the MOMS Act contains a series of severe sanctions to address these behaviours in order to protect the lives of Ontarians. Through these proposed measures, we are sending a strong, clear message that stunt driving and street racing should be treated with the same severity as alcohol- and drug-impaired driving. We as a society need to confront the dangers of these behaviours in the same ways that we have tackled and stigmatized impaired driving.

Through this act, we will ensure that the penalties will make no mistake about the seriousness with which we hold these actions.

For starters, we are proposing to increase the period of roadside driver’s licence suspensions from seven days to 30 days. The duration of vehicle impoundments would be extended as well from seven days to 14 days. These swift punishments ensure that those caught engaging in these behaviours will immediately feel the consequence of losing a vehicle or a licence for longer.

One of the trends that has been observed during the pandemic is an increase in the number of people getting caught street racing and stunt driving who had previously received suspensions for the same actions. This is a worrying trend, Mr. Speaker, because it demonstrates that we are seeing this activity persist even after someone has been caught and has had to face the consequences of their actions. Again, this has made it abundantly clear that the penalties and sanctions are not having the desired impact of deterring these reckless drivers on our roads.

The penalties for these behaviours cannot be considered a slap on the wrist. That’s why we are targeting repeat offenders by introducing post-conviction licence suspensions for drivers convicted of street racing and stunt driving, ranging from a minimum of one to three years for a first conviction all the way to a lifetime suspension. The message is clear: If you are careless enough to repeatedly engage in this behaviour, we will take away your ability to make that mistake again. And it’s not just a matter of taking away your car or your ability to drive; you may also face up to six months in jail.

Furthermore, we are also proposing to lower the speed threshold for stunt driving charges. Because stunt driving and speeding are not the same across the board, we need to ensure that we are combatting this behaviour where it is most dangerous to the public and other road users and pedestrians. As part of our proposals, drivers caught going 40 kilometres per hour or more above the posted speed limit of less than 80 kilometres per hour will be penalized.

This means that those who are speeding on our roads within our towns, cities and neighbourhoods, where the public is most at risk, are held to a tougher threshold for their irresponsible behaviour. These are substantial increases to the existing penalties that send a strong message to reckless drivers: Your behaviour will not be tolerated.

As I mentioned earlier, we recognize that street racing and stunt driving offences are often committed by young and novice drivers. The measures and penalties I’ve just described complement existing sanctions and conditions imposed on these drivers under MTO’s graduated licensing system as well as other programs. This is particularly important, as behaviours learned at an early age of driving can become habitual or regular practices. We need to take action early and often so that young drivers who are engaging in these reckless behaviours quickly learn that there is no tolerance for that type of driving.

To help get this message across, young or novice drivers who consistently commit dangerous driving offences, including street racing and stunt driving, are subject to the ministry’s Novice Driver Escalating Sanctions Program. Under this program, they risk their licence being cancelled for repeatedly engaging in street racing, stunt driving and other threatening behaviours that put the public at risk. This program applies in addition to the new penalties proposed under the MOMS Act.

But all of us here know, addressing these types of issues is not just about punishment. It’s also about public education and making sure that everyone, especially young people, understand the risks and consequences of their actions. That’s why, in conjunction with the measures proposed in this act, our government will continue to work with impacted stakeholders on public education and communications to further deter and denounce high-risk and aggressive driving behaviours.

We will not only be communicating the dangers, but we will also be implementing a mandatory drivers education course for those who have been convicted of stunt driving or street racing. This training will include educating individuals on the risks and consequences of these behaviours so that those who have been caught face the hard reality of the destruction their actions could cause.

We also know that we are not alone as a government on this issue. I consider it a reflection of the strength of our province that we have so many hard-working people and organizations that are dedicated to the important issue of road safety. We enlisted the help of that valuable network when we were developing the measures within the MOMS Act. Municipalities, road safety stakeholders and enforcement officials were all consulted to ensure that the measures being proposed struck the right balance to address these issues and effect change.

We were happy to hear that stakeholders were supportive of the proposals to enhance penalties for stunt driving, street racing and high-risk offences. Those supportive stakeholder organizations included the Ontario Safety League, Teens Learn to Drive and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. It included municipal partners, like the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Ontario Traffic Council and the city of Toronto, and, importantly, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. We thank those groups for their feedback and support to date, and we will continue to engage this network and utilize their many valuable perspectives, experiences and resources.

We will be launching further consultations on stunt driving and street racing to ensure that we are reaching these stakeholders and the public, especially young people, to make sure we are taking the right approach and putting the brakes on these unacceptable behaviours. I will personally be holding these consultations to ensure we are taking a strong, meaningful and smart approach to reduce both incidents and impacts. We all have the right to feel safe while driving to see loved ones or when we’re heading to work or running some errands. Driving is a privilege, and those who don’t respect that privilege will be shown the error of their ways.

While my remarks have focused primarily on stunt driving and street racing, we know there are other unsafe driving habits that need to be addressed. As Minister Mulroney has described today, we are also dedicated to fighting distracted driving. The measures included in the MOMS Act target these bad actors on Ontario roads who put everyone’s safety at risk and help protect vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and highway construction workers.

We know that responsible driving makes roads safer for everyone. However, even with all the good that is in this act, we cannot stop there. We must never stop pursuing ways to combat reckless and unsafe driving. That is why MTO monitors trends and driving behaviours so that when we see concerning patterns, we can make decisive changes to the rules and penalties based on evidence.

Again, we do not undertake this work in isolation. We work closely with stakeholders, municipalities, enforcement agencies and other jurisdictions to better understand the data and trends to ensure that we are utilizing all of the best available research and tools to help combat this issue. We will use this research and data to continue to explore further measures aimed at reducing and preventing unsafe driving. One death or serious injury on our roads is one too many, and we will never stop in our pursuit to make Ontario’s roads the safest in North America.

Mr. Speaker, I want to close with one final statistic, if I may: Every three and a half hours, someone is injured in a speed-related crash in Ontario. That means that by the end of today, at least six people will have been injured due to reckless driving. They could be your son, your daughter, your parent, your wife or your husband. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Together, we can work towards a safer future. The stronger initiatives put forward in this act and the actions we will continue to take around it will help put us in a better position to achieve that outcome.

Mr. Speaker, I am very much looking forward to the debate this week, and I want to thank Minister Mulroney for her leadership.

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

Mr. Jamie West: I want to thank the Minister of Transportation and the parliamentary assistant for the debate. It’s an interesting conversation about safety because one of the best safety controls is an engineering control: For example, changing a two-lane highway to a four-lane highway will reduce injuries. For example, Highway 69 is the main artery from the GTA to Sudbury and back, so it’s important to the economy of Sudbury but also important to saving lives.

They started the four-lane project more than 10 years ago because of the number of people who have died on that highway. There are currently 68 kilometres untendered. It was untendered during the Liberals and remains untendered under the Conservatives. I’m wondering if the Minister of Transportation can commit to finally tendering those last 68 kilometres, so we can finally finalize the four-laning of Highway 69.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: I thank the member opposite for the question. He’s absolutely right that looking at ways to improve the engineering around our highways is a key element to improving safety, which is why we’ve approved a pilot project in the north for just that, looking at some methods that have been used in other parts of the world: the GEMS project. We’ve approved a pilot project there to see if there are other engineering approaches we should be looking at in Ontario to do that.

With respect to Highway 69, I know it’s a project of importance to the member opposite, as it is to members of our caucus as well. We have been continuing to work to widen Highway 69 between Parry Sound and Sudbury to four lanes to improve safety.

We are continuing to work. The widening of a 14-kilometre

section of Highway 69 is continuing. It’s a $200-million investment in Highway 69 that we are undertaking—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Thank you. The member for Scarborough–Rouge Park has a question.

Mr. Vijay Thanigasalam: In the past year, members on both sides have risen in this House to propose solutions to the stunt and dangerous driving that we have seen on our roads. The member for Mississauga–Streetsville received all-party support for her private member’s motion calling for higher penalties for stunt driving offences.

Can the Minister of Transportation detail to the House why the MOMS Act demonstrates the government and the Legislative Assembly see eye to eye on the dangerous risks posed by this high-risk driving?

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Back to the associate minister for a response.

Hon. Kinga Surma: I certainly thank the member for that very important question. As Minister Mulroney and myself have elaborated in our remarks, we have seen this trend unfortunately growing within the province of Ontario since 2013. What has made this situation much worse are lower traffic levels as a result of the pandemic, because people are listening to the health protocols and the advice given by the Minister of Health, our Premier and our caucus.

Because of lower traffic volumes, as well as things like nicer weather, unfortunately there have been bad actors that have taken advantage of that and have participated in stunt driving and street racing. The fact that it has been truly exacerbated right now—we are still dealing with a pandemic situation. The warmer weather is coming, and so we have to be proactive to address and curb this trend moving forward.

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

M me France Gélinas: Speaker, I can tell you that everybody wants our roads to be safer. I represent a northern, rural riding where speeding doesn’t happen very often—not because we are better than anybody else. It’s simply because our roads are so bad—they are so poorly maintained and full of potholes—that it is impossible to even do the speed limit.

But there are special areas in Nickel Belt that are especially dangerous, and that’s Marina Road on Highway 144. I have written to the minister on a number of occasions. Most of the time, they wait until a fatality before they actually do the work that we all know needs to be done. Another area: Highway 17 and Highway 537 in Wahnapitae is also very dangerous.

I’m all for safe roads. I want to make sure that the roads in the north are safe for the people of the north.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Back to the minister to respond.

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: As I said in my remarks, Ontario’s roads are among the safest in North America, but we cannot rest on our laurels. We still have to continue to invest in the upgrade of our current road system, as well as the expansion.

We have several projects under way to expand our northern highway corridors. The member opposite has written to me on a number of occasions about some of the roads in her riding. We’re certainly looking to improve and upgrade the quality of our roads across the north.

We have an ambitious highway program where we’re investing $2.3 billion in highways this year. We’re committing, in this fiscal year, $625 million to expand and to repair our highways in the north. Those investments will also bring more than 4,300 jobs to northern Ontario.

We are deeply committed to getting these dollars invested across our highway system. Not only do they improve road safety, but they also create jobs.

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

Mr. Jeremy Roberts: Thank you to both the minister and the associate minister for their remarks this morning, talking about this incredibly important topic of making our highways safer. Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have been doing the weekly commute down the 401 from Ottawa to Toronto, and I’m always struck by how many dangerous drivers there are, who go speeding by you much too fast and, certainly during the winter, make it all the more risky for everyone else on the roads.

The associate minister highlighted in her leadoff remarks that every three and a half hours in Ontario, there is a speed-related crash that results in an injury to a road user. I’m wondering if the minister could explain how the MOMS Act proposes changes to address these types of crashes and why it’s important to reduce these types of incidents.

Hon. Kinga Surma: Thank you to the member. Hearing that statistic certainly opens our eyes. I just want to encourage everyone in the House to reference that statistic as much as possible.

Minister Mulroney and myself have provided harsher penalties to really deter and curb this behaviour, certainly amongst repeat offenders. But part of presenting the legislation in the House today is so that we can start having this conversation, so that we can raise awareness, so that we can educate especially our young drivers who, unfortunately, are participating in this type of behaviour. We don’t want this to become a regular pattern, a regular habit.

I just want to encourage everyone in the House to please speak about this as much as possible. Certainly, the penalties are very, very strong in terms of discouraging this behaviour on our highways and roads.

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

Mr. Gurratan Singh: The legislation put forward addresses reforms for tow truck drivers but, once again, leaves dump truck drivers out. Dump truck drivers have been struggling with new regulations put forward by SPIF, which are forcing them to take on a huge financial burden. Many dump truck drivers have expressed to me their inability now to even drive. They may have to pull the trucks off the road.

My question to the minister is, why is the Conservative government continually leaving dump truck drivers behind? Why aren’t they giving them the support they need so they continue to contribute to our province?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: For decades, we have known that heavy vehicles put stress on our roads and on our highways, especially our municipal roadways. Prior to the implementation of the SPIF regulations, extensive consultations were held with industry stakeholders, including the Ontario Dump Truck Association, for at least the last 10 years. The majority of the industry supports the SPIF model.

I take issue with what the member opposite said. These are not new regulations. These have been in place—they were implemented back in July 2011, signed by the former Premier when she was Minister of Transportation.

So let me be clear: This regulation will remain in place. But carriers who have been unable to comply with the regulation will not be pulled off the road. They will be permitted to operate at lower capacity, at reduced weights.

Mr. Speaker, we have been working closely with stakeholders on this for the last decade, but this regulation will remain in place.

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

Mr. John Vanthof: It’s always an honour to be able to stand in this House, and today do the lead on Bill 282,

An Act in respect of various road safety matters. I’d like to first make it known that I am not the critic on this issue, but because of the pandemic and because we are doing cohorts, the critic couldn’t be here today. The critic is the member from Oshawa. I would also like to make the House aware that, although we just got the bill yesterday, I got some briefing notes at 2 o’clock this morning from the member from Oshawa.

There are not too many people in this House who are as serious about their responsibilities to their constituents and to their colleagues as the member from Oshawa, and I would like to commend her for that. I hope I do her justice by actually using some of her briefing notes, because I’m not famous for that.

But before I get into the bill, I would like to say—I don’t know how to start—we’ve all been affected by COVID, and this place as well. One of the things about COVID that has changed this place as well is there’s less personal interaction. When people watch on TV, all they see, most of the time, is the—and there’s much more to this place than that.

I would like to tell a personal story about the Minister of Transportation. She’s grimacing, Speaker, but she doesn’t need to. Before COVID—one of our issues in northern Ontario is winter road maintenance, and we make regular attacks on the minister regarding the lack of winter road maintenance. One day after question period, I was in the cafeteria, and the minister was right behind me.

I turned and I said, “Minister, Highway 11 was closed on the weekend again.” And she replied, “Yes, I know.” I don’t remember the exact numbers, but I remember her saying, “It was closed two lanes from 11 till 11:45, and then one lane from”—and she knew how many times the sand truck had gone by. She knew how many times the salt truck had gone by.

That personal interaction showed that we were both doing our jobs. She knew I was going to come after her, and she was prepared for it. There were a bunch of people in that line who, I’m sure, thought, “Whoa, that was pretty cool.” I give credit where credit is due. We’ve had a couple of interactions, the minister and I, and I give credit where credit is due. I don’t agree philosophically. We don’t agree, and that’s pretty obvious. But when she was ready, she knew it was coming in that lunch line.

That’s what we’re missing now. That’s what all workplaces are missing. But I’d really like to put on the record that I hope that when COVID is over—and we all need COVID to be over at some point—we can return to that type of interaction, because we’re losing that. We really are. I just want to get that on the record.

Road safety is something that we are all concerned about. We have different views on some of those issues, but it is something that unites us—and divides us.

I will talk about the bill, but as they were talking about stunt driving—and I have to say one other thing with COVID that has changed for me: I don’t think we’ve ever been at a more serious time, at least in my life, for the province, but when things are most serious, sometimes you have to laugh because if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry, and if you cry all the time, you’re not effective, either. At least I’m not. So sometimes I have to laugh, and sometimes it’s inappropriate, and I hope no one is offended. But that’s the way many of us operate.

So, when I heard the minister and the associate minister talk about stunt driving, and we will get into it after—which is a very serious issue and I’m not discounting the issue—and I listened to the minister talk about The Teenage Brain, which I am going to put on my reading list, I was thinking when I was a teenager—I’m going to date myself, but I look pretty dated anyway. When I was 16, 17, the car that I had was a 1976 Ford Pinto, and in a 1976 Ford Pinto, if you could reach the speed limit, you were doing extremely well.

I had to think, the teenage brain back then, we were just happy to get going. You know what I mean? If I had had the wherewithal and the ability to have a car that went a lot faster, I would have needed better regulations too, but in 1976, the biggest thing you had to worry about—and I’m still a Ford owner, although I almost changed after the last election. Ford is not going to like this comment, but the biggest thing you had to worry about with a Ford Pinto was getting rear-ended, because as you will recall, they exploded because of where the gas tank was, and there were some very serious accidents.

And that’s also a part of road safety if you think about it, right: making sure the vehicles that are on the road are safe.

Just in my last couple of minutes, an issue that we used to hear a lot about, and we don’t hear as much anymore thankfully, is wheels flying off trucks. We don’t hear it, or maybe I’m just not hearing it anymore, but we used to have that issue a lot. We have lost people in my constituency being hit by transport wheels, and that has changed, and that’s a good thing. I’m sure something was changed to make that part of the industry safer. So regulations and work do make things better.

Road safety is a constant issue. It’s an issue that always needs improvement, an issue there are aspects of in this bill that all members of this House have spoken to and are in favour of.

The one part of this bill, or the one issue—and it gets back to the Legislature running the way it used to, the way it should—is the government has had time to consult on this bill because they knew it was coming. We saw it yesterday, so a lot of my comments this afternoon and from our colleagues will be without—we’re talking to stakeholders now and we’ve talked to stakeholders before, but not specifically about the regs in the bill or about the bill, because we didn’t know what was in the bill.

Hopefully, we can get back to the point where a bill is introduced and the opposition actually has the time to do its job to bring forward voices who may not agree or who may not be comfortable telling the government that they don’t agree. That is much better done if you have longer than 26—it was introduced yesterday at 1 o’clock, so 28 hours—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Pardon me. I am so sorry to interrupt the member from Timiskaming–Cochrane, but the clock is such that the time for debate on this matter is now over for the moment. You will have an opportunity to continue your debate the next time this is called.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Members’ Statements

Laurentian University / Université Laurentienne

M me France Gélinas: Today I’m asking the government to restore all courses and jobs cut from Laurentian University and to put in place a moratorium on any further cuts. This is in order to ensure that all students are able to continue their education and graduate as planned.

I’m also calling on the government to make sure that the current students in all of the programs affected by the restructuring of Laurentian University are able to obtain a diploma or degree in the same program or major in which they were registered as of April 9, 2021, without additional courses, without additional costs or having to transfer out of our area. There is an urgent need to act now to stop students from being forced to leave our region and to ensure that they can build the life and career they chose for themselves in Sudbury and in the north.

La communauté francophone a exprimé le désir, qui date des années 1960, de rapatrier les programmes francophones de la Laurentienne dans une université pour, par et avec les francophones. J’appuie la communauté francophone.

The CCAA process closed the Indigenous program, Speaker—one of the best of its kind in Canada. It is a real blow to reconciliation.

I am calling on the government for unconditional support for Laurentian University. We, the people of Sudbury and the northeast, deserve equity of access to university education.

Small business

Mrs. Daisy Wai: The COVID-19 pandemic has created many challenges for businesses, especially small businesses. Our government has taken actions to help, but we also know how powerful local support can be in helping businesses get through these challenging times.

I am thankful for the support provided by the Richmond Hill Board of Trade, the Richmond Hill BIA, the Richmond Hill Chinese business association and the Richmond Hill economic development office of the city. Together they form the Recover Richmond Hill Task Force. Because of their efforts, we witnessed the success of businesses in Richmond Hill.

The 30th Richmond Hill business achievement awards held last week clearly demonstrated that this success will continue, even during hard times. Having received this award myself in 1998, I know how helpful it is in uplifting small businesses. With a positive outlook, and through the support of the local BOT, BIA and CBA, we will surely have a speedy economic recovery once the pandemic is under control.

Please join me to congratulate and recognize the successful businesses and award recipients, including Carcone’s Auto Works, Canada China Trade Innovation Alliance, Sweetwater Gourmet Catering, Richmond Hill Soccer Club, United Canada, C17media, Bamboo Dental, Rudner Law, Quality Meats and Poppa G’s Wings.

COVID-19 immunization

Mr. Faisal Hassan: I rise today to give voice to the members of our community of York South–Weston who are deeply concerned about their lack of access to COVID vaccines. Essential workers and their families want to know why their community has zero mobile pop-up clinics and not one permanent vaccine facility.

It is well recognized by Toronto Public Health and the province that York South–Weston is a hot spot and one of high risk of COVID transmission. How can this government acknowledge that alarming fact and not provide the vaccines to those that need them the most?

Essential workers in my community need the vaccines and they need the paid sick days this government has voted against over 25 times and have, late to the game, finally promised but not delivered on. Every day that goes by that an individual in high risk has to go to work sick and every day they haven’t yet received their vaccine puts an entire community at risk.

How is it we can have 1,500 cases per 100,000 people and, still, nothing is done to help our community? When will the government acknowledge the risk our community faces and provide us with what other communities have: mobile clinics and a permanent COVID vaccine facility? We need the government to step up to the plate, take aggressive action and stop the vaccine inequities and disparities that exist, and make real plans to provide for hard-hit communities like York South–Weston.

School facilities

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: Last week, I was pleased to make an announcement that was great news for our community of Oakville North–Burlington: The governments of Ontario and Canada have jointly invested $3.7 million in 32 schools in my community through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program. This funding will help to protect students and staff from COVID-19 by improving ventilation and upgrading IT, outdoor learning and other safety measures. It will also support building retrofit and upgrades to local schools and child care facilities located in schools. Other upgrades include installing water bottle refilling stations and new walls and doors to enhance physical distancing.

This funding builds on the more than $1 billion the Ontario government has invested since 2019 in new schools and child care spaces. As well, every year, the Ontario government invests $1.4 billion in maintenance and improvements to school facilities.

I’m pleased that 32 of our schools are getting the funding and attention they need to improve safety for students and staff. Ours is a fast-growing community with young families, and our government is funding three new schools and a major addition. I want to thank the Minister of Education for his work to ensure that schools in Oakville North–Burlington get the vital support they need.

Small business

Mr. Jamie West: Speaker, the Ontario Small Business Support Grant is failing many small business owners in my riding of Sudbury.

Here’s what has been happening: They apply for the grant, they’re denied, and they don’t understand why. They apply, they’re told they are approved, yet never receive a dime. They apply, they make a small error and have been trying to rectify it, with literally no response from the ministry at all.

A local salon owner told me, “Since February, I have received emails stating my banking information is incorrect. I had it rectified with an approval email.”

However, “six weeks later, I” still “have not received any grant money. I have called several times.” I’ve “emailed them. I have not gotten any response.”

Mark Browning has four businesses in Sudbury: Tucos Tacos Lounge, Beards, Flurple’s and the Vinyl Emporium. His four businesses run under one umbrella company, so Mark can only apply for the small business support grant once, even though he has four businesses. Mark made a small error in his initial grant application in January. The ministry said that they would help him resolve this. However, nearly three months later, Mark is still waiting for details.

As Mark said, “I’m currently floating on $60K of borrowed money so, knowing I’ve got roughly half of that coming later this year would help me sleep at night.”

New Democrats believe that small businesses have suffered enough. I am hearing similar stories from small businesses across my riding and from the small businesses in my colleagues’ ridings. The government must take a look at this program immediately so that business owners can access the support they were promised.

Frankly, it’s not too much to expect that the ministry answer their phone when small businesses call.

Associations communautaires / Community associations

M me Lucille Collard: Au courant de la dernière année, nous avons tous été témoins de la résilience de nos communautés dans ce combat contre la pandémie. Nos associations communautaires jouent un rôle important dans nos communautés et font un travail exceptionnel, qui mérite d’être souligné. Les membres de ces associations communautaires sont des bénévoles très dévoués, qui concentrent leurs efforts afin d’aider leurs voisins et leurs quartiers.

Since elected, I have continued to appreciate the essential role that community associations play in politics. The added value of community associations is the proximity they have with our constituents. Working with them allows us to better understand the needs and interests of the residents, and we draw great benefits from working with them on local issues.

Given their important work, I believe that giving the community association a more formalized role in our political system would be beneficial. We all know that these associations suffer from a lack of resources and depend entirely on their volunteers and the civic duty of the community. While I am impressed and grateful for all they manage to accomplish, I believe that they need more support from the different levels of government.

Providing the community associations with the ability to more effectively accomplish the work they already do for the residents of all our ridings would in fact assist us in doing our job as elected officials. I certainly hope we can make some progress on that front soon, which will require, of course, a great deal of collaboration.

Waste reduction

Ms. Christine Hogarth: It’s always a pleasure to rise here. Today, I’m rising to commend a young man who has invested time and effort into raising awareness of litter in one of our most beautiful resources: Humber Bay, in Etobicoke–Lakeshore.

Mark Turezki became a certified scuba diver a year ago and decided to use his skills as a diver and a photographer to record images of the floor of Lake Ontario around Humber Bay. Unfortunately, what Mark saw was alarming and disappointing. He found a tremendous amount of litter scattered on the floor of the lake. Alongside the flora and fauna, Mark found brand names and logos, coffee cups and COVID masks, cans, bottles and bags.

Mr. Speaker, I believe we can all do better. I am proud to see Ontario is working to keep our neighbourhoods, parks and waterways clean and free of litter and waste by reducing and diverting waste from landfills, looking for opportunities to recover waste and resources and finding new purposes for packaging and products.

We are working on a draft blue box regulation that makes recycling easier for Ontarians by standardizing what goes into the blue box and expanding services to more communities across the province.

The proposed changes would make the producers of products and packaging fully responsible for the waste they create, starting in 2023. The new goal of this new regulation is to improve recycling and address the pollution and litter, while saving taxpayers money.

On Tuesday, May 11, as we observe Ontario’s Provincial Day of Action on Litter, I hope that everybody will pause and think of Mark’s video of litter on the floor of Lake Ontario and thank him for reminding us that to reduce, reuse and recycle is not just a phrase, but a way of life.

COVID-19 immunization

Mr. Kevin Yarde: In Brampton North, my riding, and in Brampton we continue to see increasing cases of positivity. Recently, Brampton’s positivity rate was 22.2%. In Mississauga, it was 14.5%. What does this mean? It means that one in five COVID-19 tests are coming back as positive. Peel regional health mentioned that if you’re out shopping, just assume that the person next to you may have COVID.

The government must immediately upgrade Brampton to a hot-spot category for vaccine supply and open up more pop-up clinics for those 18 to 49, as this age group is in need of it. The urgency and intentionality with which we’ve seen Toronto Public Health working is incredible. We see it on TV every day: lines of people, 18-plus, going to get vaccinated.

My question to the government is: Why is Brampton not getting its fair share of vaccine allocation? Why is Brampton not included in the 18-plus pop-up clinics like they’re seeing in Toronto and Durham and in other regions? We need this government to stop hiding behind accusations of supply and start doing better for our region. Our community and organizations are willing and ready for pop-up clinics.

Dave Kalil

Mr. Jeremy Roberts: Dave Kalil has been known as Ottawa’s piano man for over 44 years now. Born and raised in Ottawa, attending the old Laurentian High School in Ottawa West–Nepean, he started playing at Jay’s Steakhouse on Wellington Street in 1976. Kalil has played all over Ottawa and across Canada at The Nozzle, Whispers, The Saucy Noodle, Down and Under, to name just a few.

For the past 19 years, he has been part of Ottawa’s original duelling piano show with Tyler Kealey and Todd Huckabone. They’ve wowed crowds at Fat Tuesdays, The Marshes, Sens House, as well as many weddings and festivals.

When the pandemic hit, we know that musicians were hit hard. Mr. Kalil decided to play a few songs on a Facebook livestream on March 14, 2020. Thirty people watched. From then on, he’s played a show called Take a Break every Saturday and sometimes twice a week. They recently celebrated their 50th show and are still going strong.

“My shows typically draw between 100 and 150 people now,” Mr. Kalil said. “One night, someone offered $1 a person to my favourite charity.” Since then, they have raised over $56,000 to go to support local charities, like the Ottawa Food Bank, the Ottawa Mission and the Perley and Rideau veterans’ home. Mr. Kalil summed it up as a “beautiful, organic movement of generosity.”

Speaker, Take a Break is online every Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on Dave Kalil’s Facebook page. Please log on, enjoy and consider making a donation.

Volunteers

Mr. Billy Pang: This month, I was delighted to host my first consultation for my private member’s bill, Bill 270, Senior Volunteer Appreciation Week Act, 2021. The level of support I received on this bill was remarkable, and it was wonderful to connect with the residents of Markham–Unionville to hear their personal experience with volunteering.

There’s one I want to share in this House today. Mr. Arun Prasad has been an active volunteer for more than 10 years. Throughout these years, he has been involved in a wide range of activities, from modifying homes and teaching students how to manage money to currently volunteering for the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Mr. Prasad expressed the personal satisfaction that comes with volunteering and stressed his belief that it’s a beautiful way to open new opportunities. His strong desire to give back to the community began before his retirement and continues to this day.

Bill 270, if passed, will proclaim the first seven days of June as Senior Volunteer Appreciation Week and encourage Ontarians to wear a yellow-coloured item to display their appreciation. I want to thank members from all sides who support and spoke on this bill during the second reading.

Ontario is home to a vibrant community of seniors, and Bill 270 is another step forward for Ontario to recognize our older adults who selflessly continue to serve their communities.

Speaker, I look forward to speaking more about this bill as it goes to third reading.

Question Period

COVID-19 response

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My first question this morning is to the Deputy Premier.

Our ICUs remain overrun with patients who are struggling to breathe. Hospitals are preparing triage protocols that mean that they are going to need to ration life-support services, and they have to then tell families when their loved one is not going to be able to get life-support services.

The question to the Deputy Premier is, does she agree that we are currently in a serious and urgent crisis here in our province?

Hon. Christine Elliott: There’s no question that the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has been very hard on our hospitals. They are very hard-hit right now. There are a record number of people in ICUs. However, it is also very important to note that no triage protocol has been authorized by the ministry. Instead, what we are doing is building capacity to make sure that anyone in Ontario who requires an intensive care bed, whether it’s by reason of COVID or for another reason, will receive one.

We have been building capacity since the beginning of this pandemic with the beds we’ve created, increasing our acute-care capacity by over 14%. We’re also opening mobile hospitals at Sunnybrook and in Hamilton, and we are obtaining the health human resources we need in order to manage them. The people of Ontario can rest certain in knowing that if they need to be admitted to an Ontario hospital, they will receive the excellent care and treatment that they expect and deserve.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: It has been about five days since the Premier of this province promised the best paid sick days program in all of North America. Today, we find out from reports in the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail that rather than pass legislation here in this chamber that would actually bring paid sick days to Ontario workers, this government wants to piggyback on a broken federal system that is not working for working people.

My question is, why would this government throw money at a failed federal program instead of stepping up and providing paid sick days to workers in this province and saving their lives?

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

Hon. Monte McNaughton: We don’t want workers to choose between their health and their job, Mr. Speaker. That’s why we’ve approached the federal government. We’re calling on the federal government to double the payments from $500 to $1,000 for four weeks of paid sick days. The province of Ontario will cover 100% of the cost of doubling this program. We joined with other provinces, like British Columbia, to call on the federal government to be our partner to ensure that workers, not only in Ontario but across the country, are paid more than minimum wage. Mr. Speaker, this will ensure that workers in Ontario who are sick will be paid $1,000 per week.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, workers are dying. People are dying in this province, and paid sick days can save lives. We all know that. We also know that the federal program simply does not work. In fact, the feds are rebuffing the Premier’s advances when it comes to their failed benefit program. We know that paid sick days would work, and this government, instead of supporting that, instead of doing the right thing here and stepping up, has voted 25 times in this Legislature against paid sick days.

The question is: Those paid sick days could be passed today. We have bills that we could pass today. Will the government do that? Will they support paid sick days today and start saving the lives of Ontario workers?

Hon. Monte McNaughton: We support the health and well-being of every single worker in this province. That’s why we have worked with the federal government since day one, since the pandemic came to Canada, to ensure that the benefits are paid out to workers much more quickly. In fact, now over 80% of the federal program is directly deposited into workers’ bank accounts between three and five days because of our advocacy.

Mr. Speaker, we advocated months ago to the federal government to ensure that workers could apply more than once. That is now happening, and because of Ontario’s leadership; we ensured that there are now four weeks of paid sick days in Ontario. We’re asking the federal government to double that today. Ontario will pay 100% of the doubling.

We join with British Columbia to ensure that we have a federal partner to ensure that workers are kept safe in Ontario.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Deputy Premier, but I have to say, doubling down on a broken system, a broken program is not going to help Ontario workers.

Since the government defeated the NDP paid sick days bill back on March 1, about two months ago, 126,905 people have been infected with COVID-19. Since March 1, when they defeated our bill, 955 people have died.

In fact, Dr. Gaibrie Stephen, an ER doc at Credit Valley Hospital, says this: “955 people have died since the last paid sick days bill was voted down on March 1st.

“How many lives is this government willing to sacrifice?”

Will this government answer the doctor’s question: How many lives are they willing to sacrifice?

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

Hon. Monte McNaughton: Mr. Speaker, the very first action our government took when the pandemic hit Ontario, supported by all parties in this Legislature, was to bring in job-protected leave. If any worker in the province is in self-isolation, in quarantine, if they have to stay home and look after a son or a daughter because of the disruptions to the school system, they can’t be fired for that. Mr. Speaker, we eliminated the need for sick notes during COVID-19. And we went further, Mr. Speaker: We were the very first jurisdiction to bring in job-protected leave for those workers to get vaccinated.

But we’re calling on the federal government to ensure that workers in the province of Ontario are not paid below minimum wage. We want $1,000 a week for four weeks. Ontario will pay the full cost of doubling this program.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, there are 875 people right now struggling to breathe in intensive care units in our province. The government should be doing what the science table recommended, and what they’ve been recommending for a year, Speaker. We need paid sick days in this province. We need to rush vaccines to the hot spots, to the most affected parts of our province. We need to make sure that the government is closing non-essential businesses and providing them and their workers with the support they need to get through these next several weeks.

Instead, what we get from this government is delay, deny, deflect, but not doing the right thing. On all of those counts, they are not doing the right thing.

Ontarians don’t want any more excuses. They don’t want any more delays. They want a government that will step up and do the right thing: provide paid sick days, save lives, save our province from the crisis that we’re in.

Hon. Monte McNaughton: We know that the biggest gap in the program today is that workers in Ontario and, quite frankly, across the country are being paid below minimum wage. That is an injustice of the federal program. That’s why last week we went to the federal government to tell them that we want to double the program to $1,000 a week for four weeks.

But, Mr. Speaker, we talk about the gaps in the federal program. The Leader of the Opposition said that “the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit pays less than minimum wage.” The member from London West said, “The federal benefit pays less than minimum wage, and every worker in this province, even the lowest-wage, should be working at minimum wage.”

Mr. Speaker, our plan would pay $25 an hour, $1,000 a week, for four weeks. That’s how we’re going to support workers in this province.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, maybe the government hasn’t noticed, but we are in a crisis here in Ontario. We have ICUs that have almost 900 people struggling to breathe. We have hospitals that are preparing to triage patients and trying to figure out how they’re going to explain that to family members of people who won’t be able to get life-saving supports. We have parents in this province right now who are literally planning the funeral of their children, and this government continues to not act.

My question is back to the Deputy Premier and the Minister of Health for this province: How can this government justify even one more second of delay? Bring paid sick days to our province. We know it will save lives. We know it will stop the spread of COVID-19. Why can the Premier and this Minister of Health not bring themselves to do the right thing by Ontario?

Hon. Monte McNaughton: Mr. Speaker, we want a paid sick day program that’s paying $1,000 per week to every worker who needs to stay home because of COVID-19. But we also want to go further. We want to make this program retroactive for 60 days to ensure that workers have the money in their bank accounts to pay their rent, to ensure that they can put food on the table.

But let’s be clear: The federal government, with the flip of a switch, can ensure that workers in Ontario are paid $1,000 a week, and our government will pay 100% of the doubling.

COVID-19 response

Mr. Gurratan Singh: My question is to the Deputy Premier. COVID-19 is devastating Brampton right now. Countless people are getting sick and countless more are dying. We have a COVID-19 positivity rate of 22%, and it’s ravaging our community.

Brampton has been a COVID-19 hot spot since the beginning of this pandemic, but let’s look at the Conservative government’s track record for Brampton. When this pandemic first started, we weren’t getting the testing support that we needed. We were then not given the COVID-19 resources we needed to fight this virus. Then during the vaccine rollout, initially, not one single vaccine was located in Brampton. Now, per capita, Brampton has some of the fewest pharmacies in Ontario giving out vaccines. And when we look at COVID-19 vaccine pop-ups, for the entire city of Brampton there is only one pop-up—which is not located in Brampton and doesn’t even service our entire community.

Why is the Conservative government not giving Brampton the support we need to fight COVID-19?

Hon. Christine Elliott: I would vigorously disagree with what the member has just stated, because Brampton has been treated fairly throughout this pandemic. Recognizing now that Peel and Toronto are the hot spot areas, we have allocated more resources there for a long period of time. In fact, in the month of May alone, speaking forward, because we are going to be receiving many more doses of Pfizer, we will be allocating 432,960 doses of vaccine to Peel region, which will make Peel the public health unit region with the second-highest doses per capita in the province, second only to the city of Toronto.

There are 25 postal codes that have been identified as part of our hot-spot strategy in Peel, and there are a number of locations that I would be happy to discuss in my supplementary that are responding to the need in Brampton and Peel.

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

Mr. Gurratan Singh: Back to the Deputy Premier: Yesterday I spoke with Radhika Gandhi. Her father, Kanaiya Gandhi, died earlier this year from COVID-19. He was from Brampton. Last year, Kanaiya Gandhi started to exhibit COVID-19 symptoms. He later then tested positive for COVID-19.

Kanaiya Gandhi worked at a factory. It turned out that many of the workers at that factory tested positive for COVID-19. When Kanaiya’s condition began to worsen, he was admitted into Brampton Civic, but because of surging COVID-19 patients there, he was then transferred to Newmarket. It was in Newmarket where Kanaiya Gandhi died from COVID-19. The last words that he said to his daughter Radhika were, “I want to come home.” He was never able to go home.

Radhika told me that she thought paid sick days would have saved her dad’s life, because it would have prevented workers from having to make that terrible decision between going to work sick, spreading COVID-19, and paying the bills. When will the Conservative government finally listen to the experts, listen to people like Radhika who have lost family members, and bring in paid sick days and save lives?

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

Hon. Monte McNaughton: Certainly, our condolences go out to that family that the member opposite raised, and of course to everyone across the province and, quite frankly, across the country who has been impacted by COVID-19.

Mr. Speaker, the very first initiative our government brought in was job-protected leave so that if any worker is in self-isolation and quarantine, they can’t be fired for that. We eliminated the need for sick notes. But, Mr. Speaker, we have to have a federal partner to ensure that we have paid sick days for all workers in the province. That’s why we’re calling on the federal government to double their program to $1,000 per week, $25 an hour, and make it retroactive for 60 days.

Mr. Speaker, the other reason why it’s so important—the federal government has that infrastructure already set up. As well, we need to ensure that self-employed people and gig workers are covered as well. So $1,000 a week for four weeks, and Ontario will pay the doubling of that program.

Towing industry

Ms. Christine Hogarth: There’s no place for crime in Ontario. While the majority of tow operators play by the rules, for years the towing industry, especially here in the GTA, has been riddled with violence and corruption.

This is a public safety issue. It’s troubling to know that this problem has existed in the industry for years, long before this government came into office. Cracking down on bad actors in the towing industry is another opportunity the previous Liberal government missed.

In light of yesterday’s introduction, could the Minister of Transportation explain why the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, perhaps better known as the MOMS Act, is an important step in overhauling the towing industry?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Thank you very much to the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore for the question. The Moving Ontarians More Safely Act is a step towards creating a comprehensive provincial oversight system for towing. This will be the first of its kind in Canada. We’re bringing this forward as a direct response to the recommendations that we received from the task force our government established last year. If passed, this legislation will support legitimate tow operators, protect consumers and keep our roads safe.

The need for government action on this file is not news, Mr. Speaker. As the Steven Del Duca Liberals know, industry stakeholders have been calling for this provincial action for years. Despite these calls, Del Duca as Minister of Transportation never introduced a provincial oversight regime for the towing industry and left public safety in jeopardy as a result. It’s a shame, Speaker, but I’m proud that this government recognizes the urgency on this issue and is committed to doing things differently.

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

Ms. Christine Hogarth: Thank you, Minister, for that answer. I’m also proud that we’re taking the actions necessary today.

This legislation is just one of the many steps that this government has taken over the last year. From the task force established last June to announcing a joint forces operation team and tow zone pilot just last month, Ontario’s commitment to improving the towing industry and safeguarding public safety measures has never been more clear.

Could the minister please share why she’s confident the MOMS Act is the right course of action?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: There is no doubt that Ontario needs to step in to overhaul the industry and to curb the criminality within it. As reported by the Globe and Mail just yesterday, Justice David Rose believed that solving this issue is the role of the Legislature, and he hopes that we will take this on with the urgency that is required. We agree with Justice Rose, which is why we’ve taken another step towards the creation of a provincial oversight regime through the introduction of the MOMS Act.

Here’s what CAA had to say about yesterday’s introduction: “By working ... with the province of Ontario, CAA is optimistic the provincial legislation to govern the towing industry will address the most pressing issues related to safety and consumer confidence.”

Speaker, we’re going to continue consulting with industry and policing stakeholders as we move forward with this critical legislation that would, if passed, protect the public and enhance the industry.

COVID-19 response

Mr. Taras Natyshak: My question is to the Deputy Premier. Ontarians were quite rightfully shocked when on April 16, we saw the Premier’s office, the Premier himself and his cabinet reject the federal government’s offer to send in help from the Red Cross to relieve tired and overworked health care staff in Ontario. Then yesterday, the PCs flip-flopped and are now desperate to get any help they can find. In those 10 days, 175 more Ontarians ended up in overcrowded ICUs, and we lost nearly 300 Ontarians to the virus.

Why was it this government’s first instinct to refuse help when it was clear that the health care system and our front-line heroes could use all the help they could get?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you very much to the member for the question. In fact, we have been working with the federal government to receive assistance.

We have sent a letter to Minister Blair asking for assistance from some of the other provinces, to help coordinate that assistance; help from the Canadian Armed Forces and from the Red Cross to do things such as the CAF transportation of health human resources support from other provinces; the redeployment of medical personnel, including nurses and other applicable health care professionals from the Canadian Red Cross and other federal departments, because it is necessary for us to continue to build capacity to make sure that we have those intensive care resources that we need across the province.

We also need health human resources, so we’re very grateful that the federal government has offered to assist us and we are receiving help.

We are receiving, actually, a contingent of physicians—three doctors, six nurses—from Newfoundland today, including Premier Furey’s spouse, who is a critical care doctor herself. So, we are asking for assistance, and other provinces, the Canadian Red Cross and the Armed Forces are also helping us in that respect.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Ontarians are tired of reliving the same mistakes from this Premier and his government over and over again as we face wave after wave of this pandemic, but that is exactly the pattern of behaviour we saw exactly one year ago in the pandemic’s first wave. On April 17, 2020, the Minister of Long-Term Care wrote in her notes that she desperately needed military support. It then took the government 11 more days to bring in the Canadian Forces, and we all know now the shocking scenes that they found when they arrived.

But the PCs refused and have refused to learn from their mistakes. On April 16, they should have taken the offer from the federal government for help. Why did they wait another 10 days to admit that they’re flailing and accept any and all help to get Ontarians through this disaster?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Our government has not hesitated to request help from a number of sources. We have been working throughout this pandemic to build up not just the physical hospital resources, the intensive care units and making sure that we have the physical space, but we’ve been working to intensify the health human resources as well. That’s why we have expanded the nursing extern program, the student extern program that has brought 900 students in to assist in our hospitals. We can build that up to 3,200. We have helped with the nursing first program.

We are working with other provinces directly, Newfoundland being an example. We’re also working with Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and Manitoba as well for assistance.

We have worked and are working with the federal government on getting further resources from the Armed Forces and with the Red Cross. We are not hesitating to accept help if it’s necessary, and we’ve been working on this throughout. There has been no hesitation and no delay in this matter.

Employment standards

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Premier. Yesterday, 55 government members voted against Bill 247, guaranteeing 10 paid sick days to every Ontario worker, something the COVID-19 science table, Ontario’s doctors, nurses, medical officers of health and public health experts have repeatedly said will curb the spread of COVID-19.

In 2018, the Premier took away two paid sick days from every Ontario worker—paid sick days that would have saved lives. Last Thursday, the Premier said that paid sick days would be coming imminently. He also said, “We will have the best program ... in North America.” Well, it’s five days later and there’s still no plan. That’s not a surprise. We’ve already been waiting for more than 400 days.

Speaker, through you: Can the Premier tell Ontarians when they can finally expect to see the government’s paid sick day plan?

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

Hon. Monte McNaughton: Let’s be clear on what the Ontario Liberals want to do. They want to make every small business pay out paid sick days. We need to ensure that workers have jobs to go to and small businesses survive through COVID-19.

Mr. Speaker, we have stepped up. Last week, we approached the federal Liberal government, which is currently paying $12.50 an hour to Ontario workers. That is not good enough from Justin Trudeau. We want to double that program to $1,000 per week, $25 per hour, make it retroactive for 60 days and ensure every worker in the province of Ontario, including those who are self-employed, those in the gig economy, is covered. The federal government needs to flip that switch and increase that to $1,000 today.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. John Fraser: Let’s be clear: Ontario’s Liberals, Ontario’s NDP, Ontario’s Greens, Ontario’s doctors, Ontario’s nurses—just about every Ontarian except the people on the other side of the aisle—want to protect Ontario workers. So let’s be clear about that.

Throughout this pandemic, the government has ignored the advice of the COVID science table, including on paid sick days. Whatever the government comes forward with this week, here’s the bottom line: It’s too late for too many Ontario families, and the damage has been done.

Any program that they introduce now has to make sure that every worker has access, no matter where they live or work, and at a minimum it must be in effect until the science table says that the pandemic is over. The payments must be easy for people to access. It must not fall on the backs of small businesses and, most importantly—most importantly—any plan that comes forward from this government must be approved by the science table.

Through you, Speaker: Will the government commit to having their paid sick day plan approved through the COVID-19 science table?

Hon. Monte McNaughton: Let’s be clear on what the Ontario Liberals want to do. They want to place the burden entirely on small businesses across this province. We want to ensure that small businesses survive COVID-19, that they prosper and come out of this stronger than ever, that workers have jobs to go back to.

We contacted the federal government last week and told them $1,000 per week. Let’s double that program to $25 an hour for four weeks. Ontario will pay the costs so every worker qualifies.

But Mr. Speaker, let me tell you what—

Interjection.

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

Minister of Labour, conclude your answer.

Hon. Monte McNaughton: The member’s bill from Don Valley East squarely put the burden on small businesses. We are doing better than that—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries must come to order.

The next question.

Road safety

Ms. Christine Hogarth: Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have seen a concerning rise in high-risk driving with traffic volumes on roads more and more often. Every evening from my back deck in Mimico, I can hear the cars racing down the Gardiner, and I have received so many phone calls of concerned parents, grandparents and citizens, worried about the increased traffic and noise. Stunt driving poses a great risk to everyone on our roads, including the most vulnerable, like pedestrians, cyclists and construction workers. Yesterday, the government introduced the Moving Ontario More Safely Act, also known as the MOMS Act.

Will the Minister of Transportation please tell us more about the MOMS Act and why it was introduced now?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Thank you to the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore for the question. She’s right. This trend in stunt driving that we’ve seen during this pandemic is unsettling, and it’s one that our government takes seriously.

Just this past weekend in Ottawa, a driver with three stunt driving charges was pulled over and given his fourth. This is unacceptable. It’s clear that we need to do more to deter high-risk driving behaviours, and that’s why we’ve introduced the MOMS Act, which, if passed, will help us crack down on bad actors and protect all road users through tougher penalties.

Scott Butler, the executive director at the Ontario Good Roads Association, said the MOMS Act is “an important first step towards realizing a future where Ontarians are no longer fatally injured or seriously hurt on our roadways.”

Mr. Speaker, road safety is a priority we all share in this House, especially during the pandemic. I hope that the opposition supports this important legislation.

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

Ms. Christine Hogarth: Thank you, Minister. I also hope the opposition would help protect our loved ones and our drivers on the roads.

I want to thank the minister for that response. I know I speak for many when we say this is extremely welcomed news.

I know that stunt driving is not the only item that is in this piece of legislation. Through this legislation, we talk about collision reporting, the reporting that is used to evaluate road safety policies. I understand that that is being updated. Can the Minister of Transportation address why this update is being made?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Thank you to the member for the question. It has been 30 years since the motor vehicle collision reporting system was last updated, and we think it’s time to change that. The driving landscape has changed, with distracted driving on the rise in the last decade. Collision reporting as it stands now does not allow police to record if a driver was using a hand-held device at the time of a collision. We need to change that.

What we are proposing would allow the most accurate data to be collected so that we can better understand road safety trends and ensure that we make the most informed decisions about policy. It would even help us with infrastructure planning. We’re working closely with our policing and road safety partners, and we will continue to do so as this bill moves forward.

COVID-19 immunization

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: My question is to the Deputy Premier. The M6K postal code in my riding is a designated hot spot. Its vaccination rate is well below the provincial average. The closest clinic for M6K’s 18-plus residents is at West Park Healthcare Centre. That means taking the Queen Street streetcar, then the Dufferin bus, walking five minutes to catch the Eglinton West bus and then walking another 10 minutes: a round trip of getting on and off crowded buses for two hours.

We need a vaccine clinic in the M6K. Will the minister provide the resources to open this clinic to serve people of south Parkdale?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you very much to the member for the question. One of the reasons why we haven’t been able to expand our clinics is because of supply. However, that is changing. Next week, we are going to be receiving much larger quantities of the Pfizer vaccine, and that is going to continue throughout the month of May.

We have already expanded our clinics into pharmacies, as you know. They have been supplying AstraZeneca vaccines, but we are running a pilot program for delivery of Pfizer vaccines to pharmacies so that they will also be able to administer those vaccines from there, because we’re not aware of the quantities and delivery times as yet for AstraZeneca, but we know that people need to have more convenient locations in which to receive their vaccines.

As we receive these increased quantities, we will also be increasing the number of pharmacies where people will be able to receive them. So, in addition to the mass vaccination clinics, primary care sites and pharmacies, there will be many options for people across the province, including in the hot-spot region that you are discussing.

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

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: Getting to a vaccine clinic is a challenge. Trying to book an appointment is even worse. People are trying to book through multiple systems as early as they can, and are put in a queue for hours only to be told there are no more appointments available. Hot spots like M6K simply aren’t getting the vaccines we need. The government’s own science table has advised prioritizing vaccine supply to hot spots.

Will the minister commit that hot spots, like M6K in south Parkdale, will get the vaccine supply we need, or will the minister continue to ignore expert advice?

Hon. Christine Elliott: I can assure the member that we are following the advice of the medical experts, who did recommend that we vaccinate based on age and risk and addressing the needs of the hot-spot areas, 114 of which have been identified in the province of Ontario. We have followed the advice of the medical experts in taking off 25% of all the vaccines that we receive in the future, sending them to the hot-spot areas in Peel and Toronto, and making sure that we can then divide the remaining 75% based on population among the remaining 34 public health unit regions. We will continue to do that.

A recommendation has also been made that we increase the number in vaccine hot spots from 25% to 50%. We’re also studying that right now and expect to have made a determination in the next very short while, because we know that if we are able to deal with the levels of transmission and getting them down in hot-spot regions, that benefits the people across the province of Ontario, because 80% of the transmission is happening in 20% of those communities. So we are very well aware of that, and we are addressing those vaccines to those areas of concern—

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

COVID-19 immunization

What is the minister doing to make vaccines more accessible by reducing the confusion and inequity that the current system has created?

Hon. Christine Elliott: In fact, there is very little confusion out there with respect to how to move forward to book a vaccine appointment, because we have already administered over 4,791,000 vaccines. So clearly, there is something working out there. We have the central booking tool that is very easy to use. If people are still having trouble with that, because some people don’t have the ability to book online, there is a phone number that’s available for customer service.

As you are aware, the pharmacies are also booking separately. Some pharmacies have also introduced walk-in appointments—not all of them. And there are 20 Shoppers Drug Marts now are offering 24/7 appointments for people.

We anticipate that, as the volumes increase in terms of the numbers of vaccines that we’re receiving from Pfizer next week, we will be able to increase the number of pharmacies and increase the number of pharmacies offering 24/7 vaccines. We want to make it as easy as possible for anyone who wants to receive a vaccine in Ontario to get one, and with the supplies coming in, it will be that much easier for people.

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

M me Lucille Collard: Again to the Minister of Health: Mr. Speaker, I’ve been hearing from residents in my riding who feel abandoned by the government and frustrated by the pharmacy vaccine rollout, and all the different ways you’ve described are actually contributing to the confusion.

A 43-year-old essential worker living in my riding has been out working in the community since the beginning of the pandemic. Like many others that I’ve heard from, he has felt completely neglected by the lack of urgency around vaccinating essential workers. At this point, he has waited long enough that he’s eligible due to his age, and not because he has been putting himself at risk every day as an essential worker.

The science table has made clear that we need to accelerate the vaccination of essential workers and those who live in hot spots. Will the minister finally adjust the vaccine rollout to urgently and effectively prioritize essential workers in hot spots?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Our government is accelerating the vaccination of people living in hot spots. We have already indicated that we’re accelerating by adding 25% of the doses that are coming in next week in order to deal with the hot-spot areas. We know that we need to do that. We are looking at increasing the level from 25% to 50%.

But I can also advise that in Ottawa, as of April 11, almost 98% of those 80 or older had received a vaccine and over 22% have received their second dose in the Ottawa area. It also should be noted that Ottawa, last year, was one of the first public health units to receive a shipment of the Pfizer vaccine in this province. So we are tending to the needs of Ottawa, as we are tending to the needs of everyone across Ontario.

Part of the problem in the past has been the supply of the vaccines. We are receiving more vaccines now, and we will be expanding that across the province to pharmacies, to primary care centres, to the mass vaccination clinics, as well as mobile units and pop-up units.

Road safety

Ms. Christine Hogarth: Mr. Speaker, many Torontonians use streetcars in their daily commute—for example, my mother takes the 509 along Queens Quay every day when she goes to work; she’s one of those commuters—and we know that the numbers will only increase when the pandemic is beyond us. Unfortunately, we’ve heard many heartbreaking stories of accidents where pedestrians have been struck by a vehicle when entering or exiting a streetcar.

I was pleased to see that the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, or the MOMS Act, will give the TTC more tools to enforce the law when drivers fail to stop before open streetcar doors. And I want to give a shout-out to all our TTC workers and thank you for what you do every day.

Could the minister please elaborate on the proposed measure within the MOMS Act that will protect streetcar riders, including my mom?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Thank you to the member from Etobicoke–Lakeshore for her question.

Our government has heard loud and clear from the TTC that customers are anxious about boarding streetcars. The Moving Ontarians More Safely Act will help protect streetcar commuters.

If adopted by the House, the MOMS Act will allow the TTC to use images that are captured by streetcar cameras to prosecute drivers who fail to stop when a streetcar is in the process of boarding. Actions have consequences, and this is a long-overdue measure that will help us get rid of bad actors and create safer roads.

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

Ms. Christine Hogarth: Thank you very much, Minister, for that answer. I know that will encourage more people to get on transit as the pandemic moves along and we get back to work.

While I thank the minister for this measure, streetcars have had cameras installed since at least 2017. Can the minister elaborate a little bit on why the last government did not take this important action when they had the opportunity for 15 years to help protect these riders?

Hon. Caroline Mulroney: Thank you again to the member for the question.

My colleague is right that this measure is long overdue. In fact, the TTC has asked for this measure since 2017, exactly when they decided to install the cameras on streetcars. In fact, the former TTC chair, Josh Colle, wrote to my predecessor as Minister of Transportation, Steven Del Duca, in 2017 demanding this measure. That letter went unanswered.

It took leadership from this government to recognize the issue and to take action when the last government took a pass. Our government will not leave any stones unturned when it comes to road safety.

Laurentian University / Université Laurentienne

Mr. Jamie West: My question is to the Deputy Premier. I’ve stood in this Legislature on a regular basis since February 1 explaining that the CCAA process isn’t appropriate for a public institution like Laurentian University. However, instead of halting the process, the Premier and the minister allowed it to move forward. I don’t know what outcomes the Conservatives were expecting, but the first wave of CCAA cuts have resulted in the elimination of one third of the courses, the termination of over 100 employees, and an estimated negative economic impact of $100 million annually. It’s time to admit that this does not make any sense.

Citizens from my city of Sudbury and across Ontario want the Premier to halt the secretive process of CCAA, cancel the cuts, and allow the students, the families and the workers affected to have a voice in the outcome so that, together, we can save Laurentian.

Will the Premier stand with the students, the families and workers to save Laurentian, or will he choose to stand with the wealthy and well-connected as it’s destroyed?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To respond, the member for Northumberland–Peterborough South and parliamentary assistant.

Mr. David Piccini: Mr. Speaker, I’ll again reiterate that the government understands this is a very difficult time for staff, for faculty, for students and their families. That’s why this government moved quickly to work with the institution to ensure pathways for graduation.

We know the CCAA proceedings do not have an effect on 90% of students. For the 10% of students who are affected, we’re working with the institution, which is in turn working with the students to ensure pathways to graduation.

What that member opposite seems to fail to understand is that our institutions are autonomous governing bodies, Mr. Speaker. They don’t respect the independent process of the courts, and that’s deeply troubling.

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

Mr. Jamie West: Back to the Deputy Premier: This has become world news. Le Monde in France covered the damage to the francophone and bilingual programs. The CCAA cuts have eliminated programs like economics, math, physics, political science, philosophy, engineering, environmental science and midwifery.

Art McDonald, the 2015 physics Nobel Prize winner, said Sudbury has been “intellectually and educationally ... cut off from attracting students.”

Darius Garneau, a fourth-year computer science major, described it this way: “Laurentian University can now only be described as hollow ... our blue and gold gowns are now covered in the blood of all the cuts Laurentian has endured.

“It didn’t have to be like this. This is not progress, and this is not saving Laurentian.”

Again, to the Deputy Premier: Will the Premier halt the secretive process of CCAA, cancel the cuts, and allow the students, families and workers affected to have a voice in the outcome so that, together, we can save Laurentian and protect the students being directly affected?

Mr. David Piccini: Again, Mr. Speaker, this government has introduced legislation that, if passed, will expand the presence of NOSM and Hearst in the north to support students. We’ve increased capital funding for our institutions. We’ve expanded supports for francophones in this province.

My message for francophone students is simple:

In addition, Mr. Speaker: Si le gouvernement fédéral veut sérieusement soutenir l’enseignement postsecondaire francophone en tant que minorité en langue seconde, il peut commencer par fournir annuellement plus d’un cinquième de ce que le gouvernement provincial fournit.

Employment standards

Mr. Mike Schreiner: My question is for the Premier. One reason that so many Ontarians are frustrated with the government’s pandemic response is that the Premier will say he’s following the science, and then scientists and public health experts will say he’s not following their advice. The best example of this is paid sick days. Every day this government delays listening to the scientists prolongs the pandemic.

Speaker, the science table has called for easily accessible, immediately available paid sick days and paid time off for tests and vaccines. Will the government commit to legislating paid sick leave that follows the advice of the scientists, is easily accessible and immediately available to essential workers?

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

Hon. Monte McNaughton: Mr. Speaker, the very first action we took when COVID-19 hit the province was to bring in job-protected leave. Any worker in self-isolation or in quarantine impacted at all by COVID-19 can’t be fired for that.

We went further. We eliminated the need for sick notes, and we were the first jurisdiction to ensure that people could take time off to get vaccinated and their jobs would be protected.

Mr. Speaker, the federal government has said that they want to help. We have two requests. Number one, double the program and Ontario will pay: $1,000 a week for four weeks; that’s $25 an hour. It is an injustice that the Prime Minister and the federal Liberal government are paying Ontario workers $12.50 an hour. And second, we need the federal government to tighten border restrictions to ensure that the variants of concern are not getting into Ontario.

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

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Speaker, respectfully, I don’t think the minister fully understands the challenges that essential workers face. More funds are welcome, no doubt about that. But adding more funds to the flawed federal program will not solve all of the challenges that workers face in easily accessing paid sick leave.

Speaker, the science table has called for “easily accessible, immediately available” paid sick days. The federal program is neither easy nor immediately available.

So, I’m asking the government, will you please listen to the science advisory table and legislate paid sick leave that is easily accessible and immediately available for workers?

Hon. Monte McNaughton: We’ve been working together with the federal government since the start of this pandemic. In fact, it was because of Ontario’s advocacy that there have been improvements to the program. In fact, because of us urging the federal government to take action, payments ar