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March 23, 2022

42nd Parliament, 2nd Session

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Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2022-Mar-23 vol. A (PDF)

L046A - Wed 23 Mar 2022 / Mer 23 mar 2022

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Wednesday 23 March 2022 Mercredi 23 mars 2022

Orders of the Day

Getting Ontario Connected Act, 2022 / Loi de 2022 pour un Ontario connecté

Members’ Statements

Long-term care

Addiction services

Long-term care

Loneliness and social isolation

Affordable housing

Holi / Nowruz

Affordable housing

Tourism

Invasion of Ukraine

Introduction of Visitors

Question Period

Health care

Electric vehicles

Northern Health Travel Grant

Credit unions

Mental health services

Municipal funding

Infrastructure funding

First Nations consultation

Health care

Agri-food industry

Social assistance

Garde d’enfants / Child care

Trucking industry

Cancer treatment

Visitors

Deferred Votes

Working for Workers Act, 2022 / Loi de 2022 visant à oeuvrer pour les travailleurs

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Journée internationale de la Francophonie / International Day of la Francophonie

Petitions

Documents gouvernementaux

Climate change

Social assistance

Social assistance

Anti-smoking initiatives for youth

Child care

Social assistance

Soins de longue durée

Optometry services

Entretien hivernal des routes

Special-needs students

Opposition Day

Northern health services / Services de santé dans le Nord

Orders of the Day

Getting Ontario Connected Act, 2022 / Loi de 2022 pour un Ontario connecté

House sittings

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

Orders of the Day

Getting Ontario Connected Act, 2022 / Loi de 2022 pour un Ontario connecté

Resuming the debate adjourned on March 10, 2022, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 93,

An Act to amend the Building Broadband Faster Act, 2021 and the Ontario Underground Infrastructure Notification System Act, 2012 / Projet de loi 93, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2021 sur la réalisation accélérée de projets d’Internet à haut débit et la Loi de 2012 sur un système d’information sur les infrastructures souterraines en Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Further debate?

Mr. Deepak Anand: It’s always a pleasure to rise, especially on such an important, wonderful bill, Bill 93. Mr. Speaker, I only have six minutes. I already spoke about 14 minutes on why this bill is important.

What we’ve seen in the last 15 years is the government had failed to address the needs of our province and that’s why we are taking action right now. From 2007 to 2018 we had barely seen any investment into this important field. We all know how important access to high-speed Internet is for all Ontarians, including northern communities.

The opposition has made it clear that every time we talk about prosperity, they always say no. On this side, every time we talk about prosperity we know that every Ontarian needs high-speed Internet. That is why what we’re doing through this bill is making sure that every Ontarian has quality Internet by the end of 2025. To improve access—that’s what we’re doing—we are making an investment of about $4 billion.

Often, Mr. Speaker, when we talk about the Internet, we talk about why we even really need the Internet today more than ever before. We all know we’ve gone through a pandemic and we’ve seen the impact of the pandemic on the last two years, whether it was working from home, whether it was kids going online for classes or if you go anywhere else and you get stuck there. How do you work from there? The Internet came in handy.

Thanks to the technology companies that stepped up. They worked hard. They made sure that we were connected. But in order to connect—it’s kind of like saying, “I want to come to Queen’s Park, and to come to Queen’s Park, I need a good road or a good highway.” Yes, I want to come to Queen’s Park and I want to reach it on time. I want to support the communities. I want to deliver the results. But what if there is no road? What if there is no highway? How do I reach here?

That’s why it is extremely important, in today’s world, when we have moved to a new normal and when the technology has evolved, in order for us to take the benefit of that technology, we need to have the infrastructure. That is what our government is doing, making sure we have that infrastructure in place, and that is what this bill is doing.

I hope, I believe and I urge all members from both sides to come together and work together for a better, more prosperous Ontario, and pass this bill. I really mean that. It is an important part for our province.

We’ve seen that over the years, and we’ve talked about it, we have the highest debt. We have a deficit. But that money is not going to fall from heaven. It’s not going to come out of the trees. We have to work hard together to make sure we work for a prosperous Ontario. What that means is more investments coming to Ontario. More investments mean more jobs. More jobs mean more revenue, and not just for the government, but for the people of Ontario as well. When we have more revenue for the people of Ontario, they’ll go out and spend.

It will result in an economy which will be prosperous for all of us, and then, in other ways, when those cheques are collected by these people, what that means is, there’s more revenue for the government. When the government has more revenue, it can do two things: It can flow back into the services that people need, and it can pay for some of the debt and the deficit as well. Either way we talk about it, if we really look at what we need today, we need our prosperity, we need to work together to grow our province. That is only possible if we all come together, the way we dealt with COVID, the way we fought COVID.

When we come together, we’ll grow together. That’s what I wanted to give a message on, Mr. Speaker.

Talking about high-speed Internet, as I said earlier, it is a basic need for the 12% of Ontarians who do not even have access to the Internet. We talked about the future. We talked about investments coming in, but how can we have fair and wide distribution of opportunities if we don’t have the tools, if we don’t have the infrastructure? That is what this bill is doing: making sure that infrastructure is available.

I quickly want to talk about—and I always talk about—the global village concept. Ontario is home to individuals from 150 countries, speaking over 200 languages. What that means: I usually say, if you take milk and boil it and just leave it overnight, what you see at the top the next day is the cream. If you really look at what we’ve done in Canada, we have the cream from the world here. It’s not just a global village, but we’re the best of the best of the people from the world here. What does that mean?

It means, let’s say, for example, if a technology company, BYJU’S, in India, wants to go to Germany, France or Brazil, they don’t really have to physically go to those places. All they can do is they can come here, open up their second headquarters right here in Ontario, in the GTA. From here, they can reach the rest of the world.

I’ll give you another example: In India, there’s Rajesh Exports, which is about a $25-billion company. They manufacture jewellery. In order for them to expand into the rest of the world, rather than going to each of the countries, what they could do is they can come here. By coming here, through a consulate, through high commissioners, through the trade council, they can reach the rest of the world. That is what we can do, but in order for us to do that, we need the infrastructure, and that is what this bill is doing: making sure that we have the adequate infrastructure.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to share that our government wants businesses, workers and entrepreneurs to know that we are competitive, we are digitally inclusive and we are the economic engine not just in Canada, but we want to be the economic engine in North America. In fact, I want to say: Come here, invest here and let’s build a better, prosperous and strong Ontario. And that can only start with you.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): Question and response?

Mr. John Vanthof: I listened intently to the member from Mississauga–Malton, his last few minutes—I wasn’t here for the first part—and I appreciate his understanding of the importance of the need for broadband Internet across the province. But I’ve spoken previously regarding the government’s system of reverse auction and dividing the province into lots. We’ve consulted with many small Internet providers in our area, and we couldn’t find one who actually was aware of this.

So how can people in remote, rural Ontario be assured that this program is going to work when many of the providers who actually provide the limited service we have now aren’t included in this thing? Is this reverse auction only for the big players? Will everyone actually be included?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Through you, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the member opposite for that important question. As I always say, if we have four tires on a car and one tire is not in the same condition as the rest of the three, you can’t run the car. Similarly, if we want a prosperous Ontario, we need to make sure the whole of Ontario is coming together and working together to build together.

In order to answer your question about the reverse auction, I just want to share this note—it is for everybody: We as members are the advocates for our residents. If you think that there are companies, there are players in your ridings and in the communities—I think we have MPP offices in each riding—go talk to them, convey to them, tell them that the province is open, the province wants to prosper and the province wants to be part of it. Please bring them on as well.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): I recognize the member from Eglinton–Lawrence.

Mrs. Robin Martin: I want to thank the member from Mississauga–Malton for his submissions here today. I thought it was very interesting. I didn’t hear the first part as well, but the

part I did hear I was very interested in. My riding is in the centre of the city of Toronto and, of course, the broadband connectivity is fairly good; although occasionally things disrupt that connectivity and I know residents get extremely frustrated by that. I know the member is in Mississauga and probably connectivity is fairly good in most of the GTA. I just wanted to ask the member how important he thinks connectivity is for people in ridings where it’s even worse and what he thinks this means to those ridings to have this kind of broadband connectivity across the board in Ontario.

Mr. Deepak Anand: Through you, Mr. Speaker: First of all, I want to thank the member from Eglinton–Lawrence for the hard work that she’s doing. Over the last two years we’ve seen the amount of work she has put in, and thanks to each one of us as Ontarians for the discipline and the sacrifice that we’ve seen, the result of which we’ve never seen in other provinces.

Over to you, about the question: I just briefly talked about the global village. Think about SCL, think about other technology companies that want to come and invest here. What are they going to look for? They’re going to look for infrastructure, they’re going to look for if we have the intellect available. But, above that, they’re going to look for, “Do they have the tools?” A basic requirement today for a technology company is Internet. If we want to grow our province, we have no choice—I would say we have no choice. That’s why it is very important to have the best broadband Internet available not just here but across the province, because that’s—

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): Thank you. I recognize the member from Davenport.

Ms. Marit Stiles: I listened very carefully to the member from Mississauga–Malton’s comments, and I don’t think anybody on this side, for sure, is going to disagree that we need to build broadband faster, as this bill is titled. What I want to ask the member is, why should we trust this government to deliver on any of this?

I want to point out that the Financial Accountability Office report speaks volumes. The government made big announcements back in 2019-20 about how much of that—and do you know how much of that $31.8 million announcement was spent? Zero; goose eggs; nothing. Then their 2021-22 rural broadband budget was cut in half. They only spent 0.6%—less than 1% of that.

Why would anyone looking to invest in this province believe anything this government has to say?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Through you, Mr. Speaker, thank you to the member for Davenport for that question. Absolutely, you’re 100% right: We need to prove to the world that we are here for them. Do you know what? It’s very simple. You’ve seen it. This government has cut—“reduced” is a better word—$7 billion to the costs of businesses in the last year. And it’s not one time; it’s every year. I’ll show you another example: 300,000 jobs were going; we have 330,000 jobs unfilled. That shows why and how people will support us.

Going to the broadband: I’ll quickly come to that, Mr. Speaker. I don’t know how much time I have left with this. I want to say that the government has committed up to $4 billion to ensure every Ontarian has access by 2025, and the Financial Accountability Office report identified areas where there were unspent funds. These funds are still available and will be spent on reliable high-speed Internet. There was no reduction. It will never happen.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): I recognize the member from Hastings–Lennox and Addington.

Mr. Daryl Kramp: In my riding, to cross it—it’s quicker to go from Toronto to Ottawa driving than it is to cross my riding. We’re a huge, expansive rural area. COVID laid bare the reality that we have no connectivity in much of these areas. Emergency services, education, whatever, we do not have the capacity. In our urban core particularly, you have your large telecoms—Bell, Telus, Rogers—and collectively they bid, but in a lot of these smaller areas, maybe they just don’t have an interest. How can we ensure that this bid structure will enable small telecoms to be able to bid to service a lot of these rural areas?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Thanks to the member for Hastings–Lennox and Addington.

I just want to share this also, Mr. Speaker: I actually have a vacation home, which I bought 10 years back, when my daughter was born—15 years back, in fact. Back then, the reason I went there is because I felt it was a great place as the kids were growing up. I wanted to just show them the Canadian culture; as well, I wanted to assimilate with the society. But you’re absolutely right: The last two years, if my daughter had to work or do schooling, I could not have gone there because the Internet was not that great. It’s coming up, and that is what we’re changing today.

We’re making sure that if we want our province to grow together, we have to make sure we have infrastructure in place. If my daughter wants to go back and study online from there a day or two and we have some off time, we can do that. So that’s what we’re doing. We’re spending $4 billion, and we’re making sure there is reliable Internet by 2025—

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): Thank you. I recognize the member from Timiskaming–Cochrane.

Mr. John Vanthof: Once again to the member for Mississauga–Malton and to the member from Hastings–Lennox and Addington—that was a very good question and it’s something that people in rural Ontario face constantly.

We’ve been speaking with the mayor of Iroquois Falls, Tory Delaurier, on this issue quite a bit lately, and we’ve put forward requests for information, freedom of information, to see how big the lots are, to see where people are included, so we can actually give that information to the small Internet providers. You know what we got? No information back.

How can we provide information to our residents, to our mayors, when the government’s not releasing any type of actual description on how the system is supposed to work?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Thanks to the member opposite for the concern. Absolutely, I agree with you: We need to make sure that everywhere there is adequate Internet, and for that we need to give the opportunity to everyone who wants to invest and make sure that Internet is available.

I think what the member opposite is talking about is the competitive process for the Internet service providers. Again, during the design and development of the process, market engagement was conducted, including discussion and engagement with small and local Internet providers to ensure a level playing field. The current process is associated with and reflective of the feedback that the government has received.

Again, I say one more time: We will continue to work with these local providers. Please make sure you reach out to them and connect them with the ministry. We want to make sure that everyone is included. We want to make sure that we deliver what—

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): Thank you. Further debate?

Mr. Jeff Burch: It’s a pleasure to rise and speak to such an important issue, especially to our constituents in northern and rural Ontario. We’re speaking today, of course, about Bill 93,

an act to amend the Building Broadband Faster Act, 2021.

At this point in the debate, so much has been said already. As municipal affairs critic, I’m going to touch on some of the comments that I’ve heard in meetings with organizations like ROMA and other municipal organizations that we’ve had the pleasure of meeting with. In all of those meetings, this is one of the top issues, if not the top issue, that is raised.

Our world is changing because of broadband, and we’ve brought this up many times in this House. You cannot truly participate in our modern society without access to broadband. I know the government recognizes that and I think all sides of the House recognize that.

It became evident during COVID-19, especially: kids learning from home and people working from home. Obviously, COVID-19 changed our lives. Members of this House participating in Zoom meetings from—I know in my house, my son was in a bedroom, my wife was in the office and I got the kitchen table. I’m just behind the family, and probably the cat, in the order of priorities, so I had the kitchen table for most of the pandemic to do my business.

Like many other things with COVID-19, the issue existed long before COVID-19, but, obviously, the pandemic, for a lot of people, became focused on it. According to the provincial 2021 budget, as many as 700,000 households in Ontario are underserved or unserved.

If you look back at how the Internet was created and how broadband companies work, they are, as we know, profit-oriented. They’re private companies. When we discuss connectivity in rural and northern areas of this province, the issue is with private companies. It’s not particularly lucrative to build broadband access. Of course, private telecommunications companies respond to market signals to provide value to their shareholders and seek to achieve the highest return on investment as possible. Many rural, remote and northern communities do not have those favourable market conditions.

The result is that 700,000 households continue to be underserved. Clearly, the private sector is not going to solve this problem for municipalities. Our friends in the north and in rural areas across the province still had to send their kids to remote learning with little to no connectivity.

We, on this side of the House, recognize how vital broadband is; we always have. In October 2018, we put forward a motion on the subject and it passed unanimously. On November 26, 2020, my friend from Timiskaming–Cochrane put forward a bill on behalf of the official opposition, the Broadband is an Essential Service Act, Bill 226. He’s been very passionate about this issue for many years. Once again, it passed, because broadband is so essential. I think everyone agrees with that, and we’ve been pushing this issue for many years.

Bill 93, the Getting Ontario Connected Act, is really amendments to the government’s earlier Building Broadband Faster Act, so it’s a pretty straightforward bill with two schedules. It makes some technical tweaks to the earlier bill, the Building Broadband Faster Act. It defines a “Broadband One Window platform,” which is a digital platform run by the Ministry of Infrastructure.

And it sets some new requirements for municipalities to issue permits for municipal service or right-of-way access, with some timeline requirements for municipalities: 10 business days to respond to right-of-way permit applications with distances of up to 30 kilometres and 15 business days to respond to permit applications with distances of 30 kilometres or more. It enables the minister to receive data from municipalities, hydro or gas companies and other owners and operators of underground infrastructure. That’s all in

schedule 1.

Schedule 2 strengthens the governance of Ontario One Call, which we know is the private corporation that was established to act as a centralized communications hub between excavators and the owners of underground infrastructure like mains, hydro wires, telecommunication cables, natural gas infrastructure and so on. So there are a number of governance changes around the composition of the board, the requirement to publish prescribed information, and then there are some monetary fines included for failure to comply with the act.

I want to focus on some of the stakeholder response or things that we’ve been hearing from our municipal partners over my term and time as municipal affairs critic. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture is one that I wanted to start with, which has long identified the need for broadband expansion as essential, as a necessity, in our modern world. The OFA emphasizes the need for farmers in this province to have speed, reliability and bandwidth so that they can be competitive in a digital world, because the reality is that farming has become very much reliant on technology all across our province.

The OFA just recently conducted a survey where 62% of the respondents said Internet outages are causing an inability to conduct normal business activities, which impacts productivity and profitability. This survey was a repeat of a survey that had been done in 2015—five years earlier—that noted that the number of farmers who require stable Internet to run their business had more than doubled over that period of time. So it’s very, very important to that community.

We’re seeing the agriculture community more and more relying on access to broadband infrastructure, and they are not alone. More and more of our services are shifting to online space, including municipal services.

In the role of municipal affairs critic, I’ve met with organizations such as AMO, NOMA, ROMA and others. In each conference, one or more of the discussions is the importance of reliable, high-speed and affordable broadband and cellular connectivity across Ontario. We all understand that in the 21st century, and all these organizations tell us, what a necessity it is.

In a municipal primer on broadband connectivity from ROMA, they stated, “Municipal governments have a high level of concern about connectivity, even though the sphere of influence over the regulatory and funding responsibilities for telecommunications is comparatively low. That is because local governments are the closest to students, families, businesses, and seniors who are demanding solutions for connectivity.

“This complex reality highlights the important role that municipal elected officials play in advocating for better connectivity from the ‘ground-up.’ For example, some Ontario municipalities have built connectivity task forces within their community, while others have conducted surveys to collect information on the level of connectivity experienced by their residents and businesses.”

There are many long-term initiatives that municipalities have initiated:

Wardens’ caucuses have built economies of scale through Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology, or SWIFT, and the Eastern Ontario Regional Network.

Northern Ontario has commissioned geographic information system mapping data coverage and other services through Blue Sky Net.

Municipalities such as the town of Caledon have created an Internet levy to assist with financing broadband projects.

Intra-regional networks have connected individual sites within their communities, such as the Waterloo Region Education and Public Network.

Municipal governments have built their own networks and operate through separate corporations, such as YorkNet and Rhyzome Networks.

This is some incredible work by local governments across this province, but municipalities can’t go it alone. Municipalities have been downloaded many expensive, complicated soft services like housing, child care, long-term care and seniors’ housing, all on the revenue of property taxes. They do great work, but no one can say it isn’t a challenge. To see these municipalities create solutions where governments and ISPs failed is really quite incredible.

At this year’s ROMA conference, the town of Caledon gave a great presentation on the needs in their area and their experience with broadband. Despite being part of the GTA, many rural, less populated areas of Caledon continue to have limited to no access to high-speed Internet. The town has taken collective measures to address the problem, from establishing a broadband levy to the Internet Grant Program and joining SWIFT. While the town will see a return on its investment through the province’s support of SWIFT, broadband expansion, unfortunately, only fills a portion of the broadband gap. We have an opportunity to fill that gap.

I’ll just spend a moment speaking about SWIFT. It’s been an incredible advocate for expanding broadband services in southwestern Ontario. I think there are 20 upper-tier municipalities across southwestern Ontario, 126 lower-tier municipalities, and SWIFT is owned by the network of municipalities in the southwestern region. Since it was formed, it has undertaken 95 projects. It has been contracted with 19 different ISPs, 80% of which are small and medium ISPs, so it’s been very important to SWIFT that the contracts are available to ISPs of many different sizes.

They’ve made a $260-million investment in broadband improvements and have connected 63,000 households and businesses throughout the region, so it’s quite an incredible accomplishment.

The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus noted that SWIFT is the only broadband program in the region that has proven to be both effective and efficient. Many are wondering, with Bill 93, what will be the role of SWIFT. SWIFT has been able to take politics out of the decisions, and it’s vital that those last-mile connections are undertaken, and they’re frequently the least profitable for ISPs.

My colleague from London West spoke with Barry Field, the executive director of SWIFT, to get his comments on Bill 93, and she has spoken about those. One of the things he pointed out was that the requirement to have municipal permits issued in 10 days in some cases, in 15 days in others, may be quite challenging for some of those very, very small of the 126 lower-tier municipalities that are part of the SWIFT network. That’s definitely something that needs to be looked into and examined.

Some of them have only a single staff person who’s already doing everything for that small municipality, and the process of issuing permits can be very time-consuming. There has to be some recognition of the financial burden that this would create for very, very small municipalities in terms of their capacity and also their resources to meet those aggressive timelines. I hope that this government will ensure that funding is available to municipalities to get the resources and increase their capacity to be able to meet those timelines.

My friend from Davenport spoke about the need not just to make announcements but to actually follow through with the funding and make sure that we have results. This was an issue that the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario brought up with us. They outlined that, while investments from the federal and provincial governments are appreciated, there remains “an immense infrastructure gap in Ontario” largely due to the significant transferring “of asset ownership to the local level” over the last several decades.

AMO has found that municipalities are facing a $52-billion infrastructure gap. It has been outlined that what is needed is stable, secure funding that they can plan with, and a simplified, streamlined grants process to reduce the application and reporting burden on municipalities. That’s something that we could take the opportunity to move forward on, and an example of how what has been done so far in this government’s term is, I think, widely perceived as not being enough.

While we’re on the topic of funding, $4 billion was announced for the Ontario Connects program. Certainly $4 billion is a big number, but it’s the kind of investment that’s needed in order to address the connectivity challenges that, in particular, our small, rural and northern communities face. But the question is not the size of that number; the question is, will those dollars actually be invested and how will they be invested?

The Financial Accountability Officer revealed that the government cut the rural broadband budget in the 2021-22 budget by $207 million, more than half, and to date has only spent 0.6% of this. This has been raised many times on this side of the House. The year before, it had a $45.7-million budget for rural broadband and spent 1.37%. The year before, the $35 million to $31.8 million, zero was spent. There’s a difference between budgeting and investing. Now they’ve got $4 billion on the table. We’re going to need that, but, again, what is budgeted and what is actually invested are two very different things.

We know that so far in 2022, this pattern of the Conservative government being much talk and not much action has been repeated over and over again. There was another report from the Financial Accountability Officer earlier this month that showed the Ford government had been sitting on $5.5 billion in spending that was committed to health care and other vital services in this province. That $5.5 billion that the government was sitting on included, once again, the money that had been allocated for broadband expansion.

The FAO report on Q3 expenditures revealed that the government made an in-year cut to the broadband expansion budget, reducing it by more than half, by $2.7 million. So we can talk about how committed we are to broadband, how committed we are to making sure that we help people in northern and rural Ontario, but actions have to be reflected by the words.

The FAO also revealed that, so far, the Ford government has spent only 0.6% of the remaining budget. You’re not going to be able to expand broadband throughout the province and meet the government’s ambitious goal if the government is not prepared to spend the dollars that have been allocated to do that.

My time is almost up, Speaker. Just in conclusion, rural and northern Ontario have long been denied access to essential broadband services that some of us in Ontario take for granted. Certainly, where I’m from, most of us take it for granted, although there are, even in Niagara, areas where it’s difficult. Of course, the pandemic showed us that it’s often children who suffer from that. The members on this side, on all sides, of the House have talked many times about kids having to travel to the schoolyard or sit in a car in the parking lot in order to get connectivity, and that’s not a way for the province to move forward.

I hope that this government takes the opportunity to provide real, tangible investment into broadband infrastructure. It seems to me that they have not done that. There have been significant gains made, but with the severity of the problem, I don’t think the solutions and how readily the money has been spent and how it’s got to the actual people that need it is reflective of the severity of the problem. We’ve waited long enough and Ontarians deserve far better in terms of how committed we are to provide broadband to all of Ontario.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): Question and response?

Mr. Michael Parsa: Good morning, Speaker, and good morning to my colleague. Thank you for his presentation. One of the questions that I’ve always wondered when we talk about certain bills is the support that we provide to our small businesses and how much we need to do to be there for these businesses, Mr. Speaker. We’ve all referred to them as the backbone of our economy and we know the importance of these small businesses to our local communities. More so now than before, Ontario is becoming a jurisdiction where a lot of our businesses are thriving—of course, after two very difficult years for a lot of them.

There is potential and there is light at the end of the tunnel, but we need to make sure that the services they rely on are there for them, Mr. Speaker. Internet and broadband access is absolutely vital and essential.

In a global market, where everyone is now looking for service, we want our businesses to be successful. To my honourable colleague, I’m wondering why the opposition continuously votes against initiatives like this which will support our local small businesses, and I’m wondering if my colleague will perhaps support it this time.

Mr. Jeff Burch: I thank the member for the question. As I have mentioned and as others have mentioned, the issue really is that when the government announces money, that money has to, first of all, make it to the front line, to the problem, and it has to be spent in the proper way. We’ve seen over and over again, and the Financial Accountability Officer has pointed out over and over again, that the government makes announcements but then sits on the money. Whether it’s because they don’t want to spend it or because they’re not sure how to spend it to create the greatest effect, the money doesn’t get spent and it doesn’t get to the places where it’s needed.

This is not only in the area of broadband but broadly in the government’s actions over the last four years. I would certainly encourage when the government announces money that they do more than just announce it, that they actually make sure it gets to where it’s needed.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): I recognize the member from Humber River–Black Creek.

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: It’s always an honour to rise. I thank my friend and colleague for his excellent presentation. I think this government is very well known for flashy legislation in terms of promising a lot of things but under-delivering. Certainly, getting broadband to communities across Ontario is very important, and I’m hoping to also see in the future some action around rates, because communities like mine are struggling. People are fighting to put food on the table, and broadband is a necessity.

But I want to pivot and talk about the fact that I think we both come from municipal backgrounds. Many times when I worked with a city councillor, we would see broadband companies coming in, tearing up people’s homes and stringing wires around trees. Do you think that there is any conversation worth helping enable municipalities to be able to better deal with these companies in terms of working together to get broadband effectively to people?

Mr. Jeff Burch: Thank you to my friend for the question. As I mentioned, in our many meetings with municipal associations, like ROMA, for example, this is probably the top issue we’ve heard consistently through the last four years. Certainly, those are a couple of the issues—what kind of service they’re getting in the municipality—but also, just like health care or any other issue, the issue of equity across the province—

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): I’m sorry to interrupt the member.

Pursuant to standing order 50(

c) I am now required to interrupt the proceedings and announce that there have been six and a half hours of debate on the motion for second reading of this bill. This debate will therefore be deemed adjourned, unless the government House leader directs the debate to continue.

I recognize the deputy House leader.

Mr. Michael Parsa: Thank you, Speaker. Please continue.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): The deputy House leader has asked that the debate continue. I return to the member from Niagara Centre.

Mr. Jeff Burch: Thank you, Speaker. Just to wrap the answer to the question, there is obviously a question of equity across the province. One of the struggles with the issue of broadband is to make sure that there is not only equitable access but equality in terms of how municipalities get those services.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): I recognize the Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Hon. Jill Dunlop: Thank to the member for your comments today. I, like yourself, was one of many who was trying to work from home. I had three daughters who were home from university who were all trying to do their classes while I was trying to learn how to use Zoom and Teams at the same time at the kitchen table. But we’ve seen the importance of learning from home, working from home and people running their businesses from home.

Our government has actively shown that we are getting shovels in the ground for many of these projects that are already connecting to better phone and Internet services, including access in the north.

Through you, Mr. Speaker, to the member, can the member please explain why his party actively votes against legislation that will connect the people of Ontario to the supports and services that they need?

Mr. Jeff Burch: Actually, as I mentioned in my speech, folks on this side of the House have been very aggressive in pushing the government to move forward with things. If we vote against measures, it’s because they’re not enough or because it represents efforts that are not getting to the people who need them.

The member from Timiskaming–Cochrane has been very passionate over many years, responding to his constituents and stakeholders across Ontario in pushing not just this government but other governments to move forward on broadband because our northern members see it. They see it in their communities and they see it in their schools. So we’ve been very passionate on this side of the House, and I’m really proud of the members of this House for how they’ve consistently pushed this issue over the years.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): I recognize the member from Davenport.

Ms. Marit Stiles: I want to thank the member from Niagara Centre for his very powerful comments. I listened intently to them. He is, of course, a tremendous representative for his community.

As I mentioned earlier, and I heard in your remarks, the government cannot simply accelerate broadband expansion if they aren’t willing to actually spend the budget to do so. I really appreciated your comments on that.

I wondered if we could speak, if you wouldn’t mind commenting a little bit as well, on accountability. Because we’ve seen this government spend—when they do spend, if they spend, those billions seem to go to their billionaire buddies, with little accountability, if anything. I wondered if you would comment a little bit on some of the protections that we think we need to have in place for this government, should they actually spend the money, which we haven’t seen so far. What kind of accountability measures would you want to see in this legislation?

Mr. Jeff Burch: Thank you, my friend from Davenport, for that question. It’s a really important issue. We all tend to see things through the lens of our critic portfolios. In speaking with municipalities, this is such an important issue.

The constant complaint is really that they need government to listen to them. The solutions that we find are going to be local solutions, and they’re going to be things that—we have stop telling them what to do. We have to stop announcing money that doesn’t actually get to the people who are going to make a difference. We need to start listening to municipalities more and using the money that we announce to provide them with the resources and funding that they need and support them in creating those solutions.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): I recognize the member from Parry Sound–Muskoka.

Mr. Norman Miller: Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member from Niagara Centre for his comments on increasing broadband in the province of Ontario. He talked about SWIFT, the southwestern Ontario initiative to do with broadband. I think he sounded like he was generally supportive of that. He brought up some technical issues with municipalities.

I know in my riding of Parry Sound–Muskoka, which is pretty big geographically, there are big gaps in Internet and quite a few projects that are going on, and I know people are excited to see more Internet connectivity. I’m just wondering, in his own riding of Niagara Centre, what the connectivity is like and are there gaps that will be helped by more projects going on? Maybe he could provide some perspective on his own riding.

Mr. Jeff Burch: Thank you to my friend for the question. Yes, there are issues, but certainly in Niagara we have, I would say, pretty good connectivity. There are rural areas in my riding, in particular near Lake Erie, for example, where we would certainly be able to use any kind of improvement, but most of the complaints that I have heard—the serious complaints—have come in our meetings with municipalities and northern communities.

Being, I would say, privileged in areas of southern Ontario that have good connectivity, it’s really difficult to listen to stories of kids struggling who may not have either the equipment or the connectivity to keep up with their homework, people who are having difficulty doing their jobs in northern Ontario. I think, as I spoke about earlier, that it’s the issue of equity for people across the province. Just because someone lives in northern Ontario in a rural community doesn’t mean that they should have to suffer with a much lower rate of service than everyone else.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): Further debate?

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: I’m so proud to stand here and speak in support of Bill 93, the Getting Ontario Connected Act. I would like to commend the Minister of Infrastructure and her team. Thank you for the great work done to bring this piece of legislation.

I worked at many corporations, many technology companies—giant companies—and teaching as an IT professor, and I know first-hand how critical it is for our economy, for our students, for our workers and for our businesses to have access to fast and reliable Internet if we want to build a stronger Ontario and compete in the global market.

I would like to talk about how high-speed Internet connectivity would offer a new world with new horizons and new opportunities to those who do not have it right now. It would offer a completely new experience in terms of business and economic development; education and upgrading skills; access to services, public and private; entertainment and lifestyle; social life and social integration; health care; and community safety.

In the north and rural Ontario, if you opened a new factory that employs 200 people, it would be big news. What about offering jobs for the whole village or town? What this government and this legislation, if it passes, would do is offer access to all those businesses and make them online and offer new opportunities for finding remote jobs, for accessing the global market, for opening new businesses and bringing new businesses to those areas.

Small businesses in the north and rural Ontario depend on their local small markets, and at the moment, there is little incentive to open a business in the north. If these communities had access to high-speed Internet, it would completely change that. They would be able to access materials from across Ontario, even from anywhere in the world, connect with clients everywhere beyond their local range and sell their goods and services anywhere. They would have access to markets infinitely larger than they currently do. Access to global markets would encourage more people to open small businesses.

Small businesses would not have to compete for the small, local markets anymore. That would also mean more jobs for the local communities and stronger economies.

Other businesses would also be incentivized to move north to those rural communities and open locations there. The cost of living in these locations is more reasonable. Real estate is cheaper. The only thing stopping them from doing that is the lack of infrastructure. More businesses will be moving to rural areas. Building up this infrastructure would mean that local businesses in the rural areas would have access to markets they never had access to before.

The COVID-19 pandemic showed people and businesses that many jobs can actually be done as effectively remotely and from home. With access to high-speed Internet, rural area Ontarians would also be able to work remotely. They would have access to a large variety of work-from-home positions. They can run their businesses from the comfort of their homes. They can access their bank accounts, invest in the stock market and participate in the global economy. Without leaving their homes, they can protect their positions, as they will be able to continue their jobs online. We’ve seen that during the pandemic, Mr. Speaker.

With better access to the global world, more jobs, more opportunities to work from home, to invest and open businesses, to move businesses to rural communities, more people are going to be encouraged to move to and stay in these communities. In central Ontario we are in the middle of a housing crisis. Most of the jobs are here, and so most Ontarians are trying to move here to follow the jobs and opportunities. That’s why it is critical to connect to all Ontarians.

This is why this government and this legislation are aiming to build high-speed Internet infrastructure faster, to offer rural areas opportunities we often take for granted here, to encourage economic growth and migration, to build up the housing market of rural Ontario and alleviate the housing market of central Ontario.

Nowadays when someone is planning to buy a house, the first thing he or she checks about the house is how the Internet service is in this area and this house specifically. It is a big factor in the deal, because we depend on the Internet in every aspect of our day-to-day life.

I would like to talk about another factor in this, which is education. Discussing education, when the COVID pandemic hit Canada, people across Ontario had to adapt to a digital way of life. We closed down our schools and transitioned everything to online learning. This transition wasn’t easy for everyone. For many people, it was impossible. Individuals who do not have dependable access to high-speed Internet were left behind. They could not attend classes or do their homework from home. Hundreds of thousands of Ontarians do not have access to high-speed Internet.

That means that thousands of students simply do not have the same opportunities. They have to choose between their education and their financial stability. They have to commute to their campuses, even when they are closed, or to a local business, to be able to connect to the Internet so that they can submit their assignments or attend their lectures. They don’t have the same measure of freedom and choices when it comes to their future, and that’s simply not acceptable.

That’s why the Getting Ontario Connected Act is so important. Access to high-speed Internet would completely change the lives of Ontarians living in rural areas and northern Ontario. People would have access to online courses. They would not have to leave their homes or go through long commutes for school and training. They would be able to go completely digital, something many Ontarians have never had access to before. Students would be able to attend any accredited online class offered by any school in Ontario or even internationally.

Easier access and flexible access to school and to training classes also means that students would be able to study while working. They would have the choice to earn their degrees and certifications on their own time schedule. Those working shifts would have the freedom to come home and spend a few hours expanding on their skill set. As someone who personally experienced that, it made all the difference. I would work full time, go home maybe by 8 or 9 p.m. and be able to invest a few hours in the night to earn my certifications.

My students wouldn’t feel as pressured, knowing they had the flexibility to choose a time they could invest into their studies without having to sacrifice their work.

Access to high-speed Internet would allow for a new horizon of mobility when it comes to their professional lives and their education. That’s why government invested $4 billion in expanding our high-speed Internet infrastructure across Ontario, the largest single investment ever made to broadband Internet infrastructure in any province. That’s why this legislation, if passed, will continue to build on what our government has already done. We made this commitment because we can’t wait any longer. We need to make sure every business and every household in Ontario is connected. Our government is doing all it can to make sure that people who are counting on us have the tools they need.

Mr. Speaker, those in rural areas in northern Ontario often tell me that they feel sidelined by the Ontario government. They don’t have the same access to the same opportunities. They do not have the same access to government services. A big part of this is due to the lack of broadband infrastructure in these communities. With access to online, banking services or government services such as licensing, zoning, government applications, applying for grants will be possible. As more of our government services are moving online, our rural communities are falling further and further behind, and the gap is growing.

They simply feel as though our coverage of them is weak and not enough. That’s why it’s more important than ever to expand our high-speed Internet infrastructure, so that our rural communities can have access to the same services, the same funding for their programs and, most importantly, the same access to information about those services.

Our services are constantly moving online. Without the infrastructure they need, not only is it hard to apply to them, it’s hard to even be informed about them. It’s more important than ever to make sure that all Ontarians can learn what is available, what services are available to them and how they can qualify and apply.

I believe the Minister of Infrastructure quoted that up to 1.4 million Ontarians do not have access to Internet or high-speed Internet in their homes. Mr. Speaker, that’s simply unacceptable in today’s digital age. The people we all represent deserve better. We cannot allow Ontarians to continue falling behind.

Access to high-speed Internet would mean that rural and northern communities would have near-equal access to the same entertainment we enjoy in central Ontario. Rural Ontario would not any longer feel as sidelined and left behind in terms of popular culture. High-speed Internet would open a new horizon for many people. They would have easy access to the same streaming services, the same movies and TV shows, the same music concerts, the same live shows, theatre productions and concerts streamed online.

They would be able to view the same digital art shows and museum exhibits and have the same access to all the newest box-office movies from the comfort of their homes. All Ontarians would be able to access the same e-book libraries for their entertainment or personal development. By being able to enjoy all the same things, rural communities would finally feel more integrated into our broader Ontarian and Canadian community. They would no longer feel left out due to their locations.

By expanding broadband Internet infrastructure and connectivity to every household, we will finally be able to bridge that disconnect. With more equal access to opportunities and lifestyle, our government’s plan to build infrastructure and also encourage more people to stay in their communities will help rural communities retain their youth. One of the things I keep hearing from rural Ontarians is that the youth do not want to stay. They leave to follow job opportunities, to have more access to services and programs. They leave to have better access to education and entertainment.

Mr. Speaker, speaking from my personal experience, I understand how they feel when my Internet service drops down. As someone who experienced everything from no Internet all the way to broadband, I fully understand how much high-speed Internet access can change the life of the community, and I understand how limiting it is to not have access. This bill is the key for building up our infrastructure faster, so that every Ontarian can enjoy the same digital resources and opportunities, so that young people do not feel that they have to leave their homes and their families to have a future.

The pandemic has proved to us how isolating it can be when those communities cannot see their loved ones. While most of us here can easily call our friends and families and chat with them over video calls, it is not so easy like that for rural Ontarians. During the pandemic, we had to limit indoor worship spaces to five people. The only way to access religious services, be it a church, a mosque, a Jewish temple or a gurdwara, is online services. I can’t describe the amount of sadness, anger and upset for the seniors who cannot attend their prayers. The only relief for them was to attend online.

The only way that can be done is having reliable Internet connectivity. That would be a mental, emotional and religious stress for those who do not have that, like rural areas in Ontario.

Access to high-speed Internet would also revolutionize health care in rural areas and likely cost the province less to offer health services. Our government’s plan to build up infrastructure would mean that many medical services available online or over a video call would now be accessible to patients in rural areas. Over the last two years, the pandemic caused many medical professionals to close their doors and move consulting online. Patients in rural areas often have to wait and don’t have access to those services.

They have to be travelling to a bigger city with better infrastructure in order to receive consultation from a specialist. Often the province must cover some of those costs of transportation.

With greater access to high-speed Internet, patients would be able to see specialists over a conference call for their consultations, giving them faster access to professionals without the need for long wait times. These consultations would also be more flexible for the patients. They wouldn’t have to take long periods off work or school. With new online services offered by certain medical offices, people would even be able to more conveniently set their own appointments from the comfort of their homes.

Patients in rural communities would also be able to access their own medical records online and send their records easily to health care providers without the need to leave their homes.

Mr. Speaker, Ontario has a shortage of licensed medical psychiatrists and finding a therapist in rural Ontario is not easy. Being able to build up our infrastructure faster would give more access to mental health resources for all Ontarians. That’s why this bill is not only critical to opportunities, education and connecting our province, it is critical for protecting the well-being of people in rural areas and giving them easier access to better quality of care.

In conclusion, Mr. Speaker, this legislation, if passed, is crucial to uplifting our communities, giving all Ontarians the tools they need to succeed in terms of economic growth and businesses; in terms of education and access to services, access to health care; access to better entertainment and social connectivity; and finally in terms of having easier access to better health care. Our plan to connect every household and business by 2025 will completely change the lives of the rural communities and make sure that no Ontarians get left behind in our increasingly digital age.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I will elaborate on some of the points within the questions.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): Questions and comments?

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: I want to thank my friend and member opposite for his presentation. Notwithstanding jurisdictional powers, what is this government willing to do to work in all forms to bring down the cost of this broadband access?

I mentioned it briefly earlier today, but in communities like mine you have families working at minimum wage, trying to put food on the table. You know that now broadband is essential for everybody, but the costs are literally through the roof. What can we do to work within our powers to bring these rates down?

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Thank you very much for the question from the opposite member. My understanding is that the CRTC is the body which controls much of those services, from costs to licensing. I think this is a federal issue which we maybe have to have discussions with our federal counterparts to make sure that the Internet costs or connectivity costs are controlled.

I agree that we still have one of the highest Internet costs in even North America. I think there is room for improvement. I’m not 100% sure what the provincial government can offer for that, but definitely yes, I agree.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): I recognize the Minister of the Environment.

Hon. David Piccini: Thank you to the member for that great speech. I know that after years representing rural Ontario where we were ignored, where farmers were ignored, small businesses were ignored, moms and dads were ignored, the $4-billion commitment is truly huge. I think to Roseneath and an important announcement made in my community and MPP Kramp’s riding and how important it is for economic success.

The member mentioned affordability. I hear of some exciting projects the county’s working on in my riding as broadband as a utility. But the key piece is, our province has been there—Premier Ford has been there—for each and every one of these innovative ideas to ensure we can connect farmers, businesses, moms and dads. Why is this so important?

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Thank you very much to the member for the question. I cannot emphasize more the importance of connectivity for businesses, for banking, for transactions. Even all the new equipment for production and manufacturing is needing Internet for upgrades, needing Internet for uploading new software, needing Internet to log the process, needing Internet for even remote experts who set the equipment through Internet connectivity or VPN to get to those machines. Having reliable high-speed Internet means better business, means opportunities for local businesses to be able to get newer technology and improve their production.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): I recognize the member from Niagara Centre.

Mr. Jeff Burch: Thank you to my friend from Mississauga–Erin Mills for his presentation. The core problem here seems to be that we’re dealing with private companies, and it’s simply not profitable for private companies to provide broadband in northern and rural communities. How does the member think that we can solve this problem without significant expenditures of public money, especially when the Financial Accountability Officer has continually said that the money being announced is not actually making it to solve the problem?

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Thank you very much for the question. Again, I see a lot of discussion from the opposition around how we’re going to do it. They’re not discussing that we are doing it. We are discussing the mechanisms of how we do that, and we are focusing very much on this.

I just want to explain that, of course, the big providers—as in my past life, I was support for tier 3 providers, the smaller providers, and I understand the challenges. The ROI of putting money to put in infrastructure is the motive for providers to go into these areas. With having some of our agency partners at Infrastructure Ontario—they actually responded to the question put by the opposition about increasing the number of smaller lots and improving—

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): Thank you.

I recognize the member from Hastings–Lennox and Addington.

Mr. Daryl Kramp: I would like to commend the member, particularly for his significant experience, both in technology and communications. He’s a real asset to our government in moving this issue forward.

The reality is, every member in this House and across the province wants broadband now, today and tomorrow. It’s imperative we do it as soon as possible, but the reality is, this is a highly complex, challenging process. There are so many different players. We have the CRTC with spectrum options, whether it’s the 700, 800, 1,100 or 3,800 megahertz; whether it is the challenges of geography, of topography; whether it is a matter of MZOs; whether it is cultural organizations, competitive nature; and whether we have large telecoms or we have small telecoms. This is a significant challenge, but our government is moving aggressively to address this.

To do so we also need to partner. We have partnered with a lot of organizations across this province, whether it’s SWIFT, whether it’s EORN. I’m wondering if the member can tell us more about our ability to be able to partner with these various organizations and how helpful they are to enacting this project.

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: Thank you very much to my colleague. I would like again to revisit that, because it came through the debate multiple times about the size of the lots, how competitive it is and what the process is to assign licences. As I understand from the ministry discussions, there will be a reverse auction process and all that we are trying to do here is maybe looking into—depending on the geographical number of users, the topology of the location and the nearest source of the Internet, it will specify the technology and the cost to do that.

By having smaller lots and flexible payment options, it will mean that some successful local providers will be encouraged to join the bids and have local providers within those communities.

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): I recognize the member from Davenport.

Ms. Marit Stiles: I was listening carefully to the member for Mississauga–Erin Mills’ comments—

The Deputy Speaker (Mr. Bill Walker): I apologize for interrupting. I just note the clock has 10:15, and it is now time for members’ statements.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

Members’ Statements

Long-term care

Mrs. Robin Martin: It’s my pleasure to rise in the House today to speak about the good work this government is doing for my constituents in Eglinton–Lawrence. On March 9, I had the pleasure of attending an announcement at the Armenian Community Centre with the Minister of Long-Term Care and my colleagues from Scarborough–Agincourt and Don Valley North. The Minister of Long-Term Care announced 1,328 new not-for-profit long-term-care beds and 641 upgraded beds in Toronto.

I was delighted to hear that 256 of the upgraded beds will be at Villa Colombo Home for the Aged, an important long-term-care home and community resource in the riding of Eglinton–Lawrence. In addition to the new beds, just last week the government announced that the Jewish home for the aged will receive over $4 million for additional staffing this year and Villa Colombo itself will receive $3.5 million in additional funding for staffing to increase the hours of direct care to residents.

Mr. Speaker, the residents of Eglinton–Lawrence are not just my constituents; they are also my friends and neighbours. I know how important good long-term care is to them, and we all want to ensure that our elderly are being taken care of now and in the future. Under the leadership of the Minister of Long-Term Care, the government has committed $6.4 billion to building more than 30,000 net new beds by 2028, and another 28,000 upgraded beds. This investment is needed.

We’re fixing long-term care for the people in Eglinton–Lawrence and across Ontario. This announcement is good for our government and good for my residents, so I’m very happy to celebrate that today.

Addiction services

Ms. Suze Morrison: Earlier this week, I had the honour of visiting overdose prevention and harm reduction service providers in my riding of Toronto Centre. The stories that I heard drove home the harm being done by this government’s continued failure to address the overdose crisis and the need for real solutions to the poisoned drug supply that is killing tens of thousands of people across this country.

Dayn is a harm reduction worker at the Regent Park Community Health Centre. He shared with me that, “We have a model for dangerous substances. It’s called the LCBO.”

Speaker, alcohol and marijuana are drugs, but as a society we said, “Let’s create safe spaces to access those drugs, with quality measures and dosage information.” We list the ABV on a bottle of wine, and our licensed weed stores sell us edibles and pre-rolls with gram dosages on them. We put in place education on safe use, and programs to address the negative social harms.

But when it comes to folks who use opioids—who are being poisoned to death by tainted supply—we don’t see the same social response from either the provincial or federal governments. Another worker shared with me that, “The drugs aren’t what’s killing people. The toxic drug supply is what’s killing people.”

Speaker, we need to be able to have a serious conversation, guided by public health, about how to end the opioid crisis, and we cannot do that if we aren’t addressing the safe supply of drugs in our communities. People in our communities are dying, while politicians in this room sidestep difficult conversations, because it is politically inconvenient. So let’s have a hard conversation about how to get that done.

Long-term care

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: Under the previous Liberal government, Ontario only saw a mere 611 new long-term-care beds created from 2011 to 2018, an increase of just 0.8%—less than 1%. On the other hand, our government has a plan to end the crisis in long-term care by building tens of thousands of new and redeveloped beds. We’ve committed a historic $6.4 billion to build 30,000 net new long-term-care beds and we’ve also committed billions to redeveloping more than 27,000 new long-term-care staff over four years and ensuring that residents receive on average of four hours of direct care per day by 2024-25.

That’s why I was honoured to be joined by the Minister of Long-Term Care, Paul Calandra, last Thursday to announce the addition of 387 new and 645 upgraded long-term-care beds to modernize and expand six long-term-care homes in Niagara and Hamilton. What that means is that in four years, we have built more long-term-care beds just in Niagara and Hamilton alone than the previous government did over the last decade of their time in office. When these six homes are completed, 1,032 residents will have a new place to call home, near their family and friends.

I was also pleased to be able to announce $31 million in operational funding for long-term-care homes—new dollars—including $6.1 million for long-term-care homes in my riding of Niagara West to increase staffing levels.

Speaker, we are taking action to make sure that we are fixing long-term care once and for all for the people of Niagara West, and across Ontario.

Loneliness and social isolation

Ms. Lindsey Park: Good morning, Speaker. Yesterday I introduced Bill 104, the Connected Communities Act, 2022, which, if passed, would require the government to develop a strategy to both reduce loneliness and social isolation and support Ontarians who may be struggling with loneliness and social isolation.

Before the pandemic, there were signs that many people in Ontario, young and old, were feeling less connected than they did in past generations. Seeing less friends, volunteering less time in the community, the effect of new technologies: These all have an impact on our productivity, health and well-being. The pandemic only exacerbated this serious public health problem.

When it comes to our most vulnerable Ontarians, loneliness and social isolation are major risk factors for abuse and neglect. Now is the time for us to work in this House across partisan lines to develop a comprehensive, province-wide strategy to help those struggling with loneliness and social isolation. If passed, the Connected Communities Act provides one year for the development of an initial strategy and requires that the government subsequently review the strategy at least once every five years.

Being disconnected is just as dangerous to good health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, according to often-cited research. The young are also lonelier than the elderly, as surveys have repeatedly discovered. We owe it to our constituents to work together in this place on this major public health issue of our day. I hope I can count on your support.

Affordable housing

Mr. Tom Rakocevic: Owning a home is a dream that has become far out of reach for so many living in my community and throughout the GTA. An average home in the greater Toronto area will cost you over $1.3 million. That’s up almost 30% from last year. The reality is that right now, most people who aren’t fortunate enough to inherit a home or get help from family or loved ones are out of luck. To pay the mortgage on an average home in the GTA, your combined yearly family income will have to be more than $200,000, and that’s not even to mention the down payment.

So many young families are not able to afford their own home like their parents and grandparents did. This means so many more will have to rent, but the average rent costs in northwest Toronto, my community, for instance, are $2,000 a month, and with the cost of literally everything going up, many families are being forced to choose between putting food on the table and keeping a roof over their head.

This government must take real action to ensure every Ontarian has a home they can afford.

Holi / Nowruz

Mr. Michael Parsa: As most of my colleagues here in the Legislature know by now, March is a busy but also a special month for many Ontarians.

This past weekend I joined members of the Richmond Hill BIA and the Richmond Hill Board of Trade to recognize and celebrate Holi, which began on March 18 and ended on March 19. For those who don’t know, Holi is a traditional Hindu festival which celebrates spring and is also known as the festival of colours. The holiday typically begins at night, or first day, which is known as Holika Dahan. During this time, members engage in religious rituals and prayers. For the second day, the community engages in fun activities and celebrations which usually include the traditional throwing of the Gulal.

Also this month, starting on March 20, Persians across the province and around the world celebrate Nowruz, which marks the beginning of the Persian New Year. Nowruz, which means “new day,” like Holi, also celebrates the arrival of spring. This celebration marks new beginnings and serves as an opportunity for families and friends to gather around the Haft Sinn table and also to visit one another. Nowruz is a pillar of the Persian cultural heritage that dates back more than 3,000 years.

With that said, I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all those who celebrate a happy Holi, and also to the Persian community, a happy Nowruz.

Remarks in Farsi.

Affordable housing

Ms. Sara Singh: This weekend I was out canvassing and knocking on doors in my riding of Brampton Centre, and I spoke to many constituents living in the Knightsbridge community who are concerned that rising rents are making it harder and harder for them to have a safe place to call home. I spoke to seniors who are on fixed incomes, people who are receiving the Ontario Disability Support Program and are worried that, should the rent go up, they are going to be choosing between putting food on the table or having a roof over their heads.

Speaker, on December 17, 2021, myself and members of the government met with our regional council to discuss the Housing Master Plan. The Housing Master Plan in Peel would provide funding for 18 different projects that would create 2,241 affordable housing units in our community, including in my riding of Brampton Centre, but also across the region of Peel. When is this government going to provide the funding necessary for the region of Peel to get construction and get shovels in the ground to create these affordable housing units?

People are growing weary. They’re growing very tired and very stressed with the rising costs of housing, and everyone in this province deserves a safe place to call home. New Democrats are going to keep fighting to ensure that people have a safe place to rest their heads at night, because housing is a human right.

Tourism

Mr. Deepak Anand: Mr. Speaker, the last two years have been extremely tough. We know that many of us have booked a vacation but had to cancel it because of COVID-19. I want to say thank you to all the Ontarians for following the protocol. Thanks for discipline. We can see the result. Now, we see the light at the end of the tunnel.

I’m going to ask each one of you to take the benefit that your government is providing through the staycation tax credit. As you know, Ontario offers the world in one province. We have vibrant cities, historic small towns, food festivals, food stalls, mountains and beaches. We have everything here where you can have a scheduled getaway and an amazing destination. By making tourism in the province more affordable for Ontarians through a temporary personal income tax credit, Ontario residents will be able to claim eligible accommodation expenses, up to 20% of their accommodation, through to the staycation credit.

I want to acknowledge and thank the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries for the wonderful job and for supporting Ontarians. By making tourism in the province more affordable through the Staycation Tax Credit, it will help keep tourism dollars right here at home.

I look forward to welcoming visitors to Mississauga, and encourage the residents to take advantage of the credit and explore our province.

Invasion of Ukraine

Ms. Marit Stiles: I would like to use my time today to share a message of solidarity with the people of Ukraine and Ukrainian Canadians, as well as those brave souls in Russia who are demonstrating in St. Petersburg and elsewhere as Russia’s invasion of that country, Ukraine, enters its 28th day.

We have all watched in horror as casualties mount and cities are reduced to rubble. As I speak, over 100,000 people remain trapped in Mariupol. I was looking and realized that that city is the same size as London, Ontario. Imagine that, a city and a population of that size that has been subjected to a cruel, weeks-long siege by Russian forces.

This war, like all wars, is fuelling a refugee crisis. Canada has rightly offered safe haven for Ukrainian refugees, and today, Ukrainian children are receiving care just down the street from us here at SickKids hospital. We can be proud of that. But I want to echo Davenport’s own FCJ Refugee Centre, which has helped countless people resettle here in our city and in our community, in calling on Canada to extend this support to anyone fleeing this war regardless of nationality.

Ontario can also do more, Mr. Speaker. We should increase our support for humanitarian aid and match donations made by Ontarians, and we should act immediately to make sure that construction firms run by sanctioned Russian oligarchs don’t make a single dime on the construction of public transit like the Ontario Line and the Scarborough subway.

I want to commend everyone in my community and around the province who has stepped up to help in ways big and small, from hosting backyard fundraisers to selling baked goods. War diminishes us all, Mr. Speaker, but these actions of solidarity and compassion help restore our collective humanity.

Introduction of Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m very pleased to introduce visitors who are representatives of the Groves Memorial Community Hospital in the township of Centre Wellington. Welcome to Queen’s Park today.

Question Period

Health care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My first question this morning is to the Premier, and it’s pretty simple. Canadians are finally going to have some progress on things that are important to them. Families who couldn’t afford dental care are now going to be able to do so, starting with children this year. That’s pretty great. People are skipping their meds. We know that that’s the case in Ontario. Some folks are halving their meds—cutting them in half—to be able to afford their prescriptions. Those folks are going to get a break on the ability to pay for the prescriptions that they need to stay well.

The federal NDP, as you know, Speaker, led the way and we support their plan. Why? Because it helps people afford the dental care and the prescription drugs that they need.

The Premier is on the record quite clearly opposing pharmacare and dental care. Will he now get on board with the other premiers and the federal government to implement this plan to help Ontarians, to help make Ontarians’ lives better, to help them pay for prescription drugs, to help them pay for the dental care they so desperately need?

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

Hon. Paul Calandra: Since a Progressive Conservative government brought in public health care in the 1960s we’ve ensured that it has improved every single time that we have been in government. We’ll pay attention and we’ll see what the federal government has to offer. But, of course, we would not sign anything that isn’t in the best interests of the taxpayers of the province of Ontario.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Sounds like the way this government’s handled the child care deal, Speaker, and that’s not good news for Ontarians.

But look, these plans will make a real difference in people’s lives. They will make a real difference in the health and well-being of Ontarians. This Premier has never, ever supported a national pharmacare plan. In fact, in 2018, when he took government, he made big cuts to pharmacare. He made big cuts to Ontario’s pharmacare plan that really affected especially young people, young people who suddenly couldn’t afford their inhalers for their asthma anymore. That’s the record of this Premier.

So I’m going to ask, very straightforwardly: Will this Premier commit to doing what is right for Ontarians, to side with Ontarians, to help them stay healthier, to help them afford their prescription drugs? Will he do that?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Again, Speaker, of course that is what we’ve done right from the beginning since we came to office. But I’ll tell you what we’re not going to do: We’re not going to allow the progress, growth and prosperity that we’ve seen since 2018 be jeopardized by a coalition government between the NDP and the Liberals. Of course we’re not going to do that.

We’re going to respect the voters of the province of Ontario and we’re going to continue to provide the excellent leadership that we have had, the leadership that has seen this province grow, the economy grow; that has seen billions of dollars invested in health and long-term care; that has seen transit and transportation being built across the province of Ontario. That is what we’re going to continue to do, because that is what is in the best interest of the province of Ontario. We’ll let the NDP and the Liberals try to figure out how they can combine and do coalitions.

Now, colleagues, we’ve seen what coalition governments between the Liberals and NDP have meant to the people of the province of Ontario before: billions of dollars of debt, out-of-control hydro rates, red tape and regulation and jobs fleeing the province like never before. The people of the province of Ontario aren’t going to let that happen again, I can tell you that.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Notwithstanding the way that the House leader of the governing party has decided to talk about this, the fact of the matter is that this is a plan that is going to be good for Ontarians. It will help provinces across our country deal with things like the hiring of more doctors and nurses. It will help to expand mental health services and supports available to Ontarians and Canadians, which is exactly what we need, especially right now. It will help provinces to invest in better home care, better community care.

Yesterday, the Minister of Long-Term Care criticized the plan. He’s doing it again today. And the Premier, we know, is opposed to things like pharmacare. He cut it here in Ontario. He’s opposed to dental care. He’s cut pharmacare, as I said. He cut $330 million out of mental health, and then he complains that there’s not enough money for health care for Ontarians coming from the federal government. These are big cuts and bad choices that this Ford government has already made in the last four years.

Can the Premier and his minister explain to the people of this province why they oppose a deal that will help people with their health care, help people with their dental care, their prescription drugs? Why don’t they think Ontarians deserve to affordably obtain those things?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Unless I’m mistaken, there is no actual deal in front of the provinces with respect to the things that she talks about. And that’s just like the NDP: They’ll sign a deal before they’ve actually even seen it.

But we shouldn’t be surprised; this is the same NDP that is now looking to form a coalition with the Liberals. You can just imagine it, Speaker, can’t you?

I can just see it here: The Leader of the Opposition and the leader of the Liberal Party, sitting around the illegal pool that the leader of the Liberal Party built in conservation lands in his backyard, sipping a pina colada, the leader of the Liberal Party saying, “I didn’t know you liked pina coladas,” the two of them thinking about, “Look at the success that we had in the past”—$78 billion worth of debt they accumulated the first time; $140 billion of debt they accumulated the second time; hundreds of thousands of jobs fled the province of Ontario.

But all of that changed when the people of the province of Ontario elected a strong, stable Progressive Conservative majority government. I believe, on June 2, they’ll turn their backs on a coalition of the tax, spend and tax and return a strong, stable Progressive Conservative majority government.

Electric vehicles

Ms. Andrea Horwath: What it shouldn’t be is all about this member and his crowing; what it should be about is Ontarians. What is important to Ontarians? What do they need to help make life better? What are their important values that need to be addressed?

The second question is to the Premier. It’s pretty clear that our province needs to step up and start taking some leadership when it comes to electric vehicles in this province. We have to start addressing climate change, and we know that, of course, this government has a very dismal record in that regard: He cut the rebate for EV vehicles; he ripped out charging stations; he eliminated the incentive for people, everyday people, to be able to afford to install chargers. He has dragged us backward for four years when it comes to climate change. By all measures, he doesn’t actually want to have regular working people in this province afford to have an electric vehicle. They’re on their own.

My question is, why is the Premier refusing to help everyday working people be able to be a part of the transition and afford an electric vehicle in our province?

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

Hon. Paul Calandra: Speaker, now we’re seeing it, right? Now we’re seeing the coalition working together, because that’s the same question that the former Premier asked two days ago.

I’ll tell you what we’re not going to do: We’re not going to pick a small subset of the Ontario economy and say, “Here’s 5,000, 6,000 bucks so you can go buy an expensive $100,000 Tesla.” What we’re going to do instead, Speaker—wait for it—is put in place the environment where people want to actually build and manufacture those vehicles right here in the province of Ontario. So as opposed to closing down automotive manufacturing in the province, people are investing in the province of Ontario, bringing back hundreds of thousands of jobs.

Millions of people are supported by the decisions that we have made that have brought back manufacturing to the province of Ontario. And just last week, the Minister of Northern Development and Mines brought in a Critical Minerals Strategy which will help us develop batteries.

I suggest that during question period, the leader might want to take a moment to leave and take a look at the announcement that’s coming, an enormous announcement for the people of the province of Ontario, more progress on our way to increase—

Interjections.

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

Supplementary question?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, Speaker, this governing party might think that the people who deserve to own electric vehicles are their friends, their buddies who have the money, but I think that the working people of this province should not be dismissed as “a small subset” but be acknowledged as the people who drive our economy, who drive our province and make it a great place to live and work. You can build as many cars as you want, but if regular working people can’t afford them, they’re not going to be able to buy them.

Look, Quebec has outsold Ontario in electric vehicle sales for the last three years, each and every year, in the number of vehicles sold, even though we have 70% higher of a population, because this government made bad choices and wrong decisions. BC, with a third of the population, outsold us the year after the Premier ditched the incentive. So it’s pretty clear that this government made the wrong choice.

Regular working folks need to be able to afford electric vehicles. That’s who I’m worried about, not the rich folks, not the folks who are the buddies of the Premier. People deserve to have money put back in their pockets, because, let’s face it, gasoline prices are really, really high. Let’s help our whole province tackle climate change and give everybody an opportunity to be part of the solution.

Why does this Premier stubbornly refuse to offer EV incentives to regular Ontarians, to regular, everyday working people so they can afford these vehicles?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Mr. Speaker, there’s so much in that question. She talks about high energy prices, but she supports a $200 carbon tax. How will that impact the very same people who she wants to buy EVs? How does it impact the people when we were seeing Ford leaving, we were seeing GM close down, we were seeing Chrysler say that Ontario was the most expensive jurisdiction to do business in and there was no point in making investments? Why? Because of the policies that they supported in the previous Liberal government when they were in coalition together between 2011 and 2014.

That changed in 2018 when a strong Progressive Conservative majority government was elected, and what did we do? We ended the carbon tax, lowering energy prices. We got rid of the red tape and regulation that was stifling innovation and manufacturing, that saw 300,000 jobs leave. They came back. We put the investments in place and the economy in place so that GM could come back, so that Ford would continue to manufacture, so that Honda would continue to manufacture. And in just 20 short minutes, Mr. Speaker, one of the largest investments in new technology and electric vehicle manufacturing will take place.

I suggest the leader leave and watch that great announcement for the people of the province—

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, we all know what ended when this Ford government got elected, Speaker. What ended was electric vehicle charging stations in Ontario. What ended was electric vehicle rebates so people could actually afford to make the choice to transition to an electric vehicle. What ended was the little bit of help that was available to people to be able to put a charging capacity into their own home. That’s what ended in the province of Ontario.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Let’s support every Ontarian to be able to afford an electric vehicle. We can actually get that done. It would make life more affordable for drivers, it would tackle the climate change crisis that faces us, it would bolster our auto manufacturing and create great jobs in this province. Look, the US has got a $15,000 incentive that they’re looking at right now for electric vehicle purchases. The smart thing to do is for Ontario to put an incentive in place that will equal or increase that incentive.

So I guess the question pretty clearly is, why is this Premier refusing to do the smart thing, the right thing, the thing that helps everyday working people transition to electric vehicles by providing an incentive? Let’s see it in the budget that’s coming up.

Hon. Paul Calandra: Let’s take a look. They built charging stations at GO train stations, right? This is how smart they were. Now, a fast charger: 20 minutes and your vehicle is charged. But somebody who goes and parks at a GO train station in the morning and stays there for nine hours a day, who has his vehicle charged in 20 minutes—they felt that that was the right spot for a charging station.

So what did the Minister of Energy decide to do? He decided, “Hey, why don’t I put them in the on-ramps where people actually exit to fuel up? That seems to make sense.” That’s what we did. Congratulations. More people having access, eliminating the fear of having an electric vehicle.

Now, the incentives that they put in place—she can talk about it all she likes—were for the richest people in the province of Ontario. It wasn’t for the poorer people, it wasn’t for the people who are barely getting by because of the policies that they supported with them.

What we’re doing is building a strong economy; hundreds of thousands of jobs coming back. Those auto workers who were laid off or who were out of work are now back in their facilities, building the next generation of vehicles for generations to come, and everybody will be able to afford it.

Northern Health Travel Grant

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell: My question is for the Premier. Speaker, the Northern Health Travel Grant continues to be a major issue in my riding. It’s an issue across the north, and people are not happy. We have rising prices across this province, especially at the pump. In Atikokan today, if people would like to know, gas is $2 a litre; $1.92 in Thunder Bay. I spoke with a constituent who makes regular trips to Manitoba to obtain specialist care. She’s been doing this for years. Margaret says that that trip now costs her 30% more. All the other costs associated with travel are up, yet the travel grant rates remain the same.

Premier, when is this government going to raise the rates for the Northern Health Travel Grant?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you to the member for the question. We recognize that many residents of northern Ontario face unique health care realities compared to people living in other regions of the province. They sometimes need to go out-of-province to receive care. The northern Ontario travel grant program is continuously undergoing quality improvement to make sure that it can respond to needs of people living in the north.

The 2021-22 allocation for the northern Ontario health travel grant was $48.2 million, and I would like to indicate that, in the 2021 fiscal year, the Ministry of Health received and processed 143,495 applications, and 138,000 and change, 96.2% of the applications, were approved, 95% within 30 business days. I know that there was a concern previously about timing in terms of receiving the grants. We have increased it to 95% within 30 business days, so we are responding to the needs of northern Ontarians.

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

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell: Again to the Premier: People can’t afford to wait for this government to do the right thing. People are suffering. This is something I hear all the time from my constituents, and as I said, the rising cost of living is putting pressure on everyone. The people that need to travel for medical care are struggling—many of them are on disability—especially when they have to pay up front, they have to wait for their reimbursement and then it doesn’t cover the costs. It’s putting people into debt and others just can’t afford to get the health care they need.

Everyone in this province has the right to get the health care they need, whether they live in Thunder Bay–Atikokan or Toronto. When is this government going to fix the travel grant? When will northern Ontario get equal access to health care?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Well, I can certainly agree with the member that people in northern Ontario deserve equal access to health care that everyone else in Ontario receives. That’s why we’re continuously upgrading the northern Ontario travel grant, to make sure that it does respond to the needs of people.

In November 2020, the program introduced a revised application form that allows clients the option to provide banking information to receive approved program payments by direct deposit. This is certainly a great improvement on what used to happen in the past, where people had to wait for long periods of time in order to receive reimbursement. This is especially helpful for repeat users of the program and will eliminate the wait to receive a cheque by mail.

It is crucial to point out the cheque payments remain, still, for northern Ontario travel grant patients, but we are continuously working to make sure that the program can respond to the needs of patients in the quickest possible way so that they can receive the health services that they need and deserve.

Credit unions

Mr. Bill Walker: My question is for the great MPP for Pickering–Uxbridge and the Minister of Finance. Minister, there are credit unions all across my riding of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound, and as the minister would know, these are especially important institutions to so many rural Ontarians and small businesses in the agriculture, tourism and hospitality sectors all across Ontario. As the government looks toward long-term economic recovery and prosperity, it is important that Ontario’s financial institutions remain resilient and innovative.

Speaker, through you, could the Minister of Finance please tell us how the government and his ministry plan to support and grow a healthy, strong and competitive credit union sector?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Thank you to the member from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound. A round of applause.

Interjections.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: That’s great. My colleague is completely right: Credit unions provide important financial services to many Ontarians and are vital to so many of Ontario’s small businesses. That’s why we have revised the 1994 Credit Unions and Caisses Populaires Act to address outdated red tape, reduce costs and burden for the sector and increase choice for clients—what a concept.

After comprehensive research of national and international standards and extensive consultation with the industry, we are certain that Ontario’s credit unions have a framework that fosters growth, are consumer focused, and are safe and sound so that credit unions can better serve their members and constituents.

Mr. Speaker, our government is always looking for ways to help keep more money in the pockets of hard-working Ontarians and ensuring small businesses have access to safe, modern and diverse financial services close to home.

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

Mr. Bill Walker: Thank you to the minister for that response and his great work to steward and foster all of our finances in our province. It’s great to hear that this government has modernized the Credit Unions and Caisses Populaires Act with these much-needed changes. After 15 years of Liberal mismanagement, it’s good to be part of a government that is working for the taxpayer in so many ways.

With so much ongoing economic uncertainty, and the pressure that so many Ontarians are under with inflation and rising costs, Ontarians want some certainty as to what to expect. Through you, Speaker, could the minister give us some more details on these changes to credit unions and just how these changes fit into the government’s plan to build Ontario and keep money in the pockets of Ontarians?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Thank you again to the member from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound.

Colleagues, my colleague is right: Ontarians have faced a tough couple of years from the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic effects. Our government understands that. That is why these changes to modernize and provide credit unions an opportunity to expand services, such as some insurance products, makes Ontario’s credit unions more innovative, more competitive and, most importantly, allows them to better serve Ontario and their communities.

All of this is part of our plan to build Ontario and keep more money in the pockets of hard-working Ontarians. That’s why we’re increasing the minimum wage to $15. It’s why 760,000 workers are getting a raise. We’ve eliminated the licence plate fees, and we’ve removed, in my region of Durham, the expensive and unfair tolls on Highways 412 and 418 as put on by your leader—

Mr. John Fraser: Not in Brampton, though.

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: —over there. As well, we’re working on addressing many other things for the hard-working people of Ontario.

Mental health services

Ms. Peggy Sattler: My question is to the Premier. This government’s cuts to education and its failure to support our schools has created a mental health and staffing crisis within our education system. The Thames Valley District School Board estimates that student mental health needs are four times greater now than before the pandemic, at a time when People for Education reports that the majority of Ontario schools do not have the resources to address those needs. Mental health leaves for Thames Valley teachers and education workers are also skyrocketing, increasing 44% over the last year.

Why is this government ignoring the mental health needs of both students and education workers in Ontario?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Niagara West and parliamentary assistant.

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: Thanks to the member opposite for the question. I wish to also acknowledge that mental health is an important issue to each and every member of this House, and it’s an important issue to each and every person in the province of Ontario. It’s one of the areas that I believe there’s a non-partisan consensus on ensuring that we’re working together to improve the mental health of the province and respond to the needs of students and of every Ontarian alike, as well as the needs, of course, of our staff.

So I want to speak a little about some of the investments the government has made in mental health; but specifically, that the Ministry of Education, under the leadership of Premier Ford and Minister Lecce, have ensured that they’re responding to the challenges of the pandemic, because we recognize that families, students and staff alike have gone through a lot over the past two years and we’re ensuring we’re supporting them.

Some of the ways we’ve done that are by quadrupling the mental health allocations to our school boards to ensure that they have resources in each and every classroom to support students as they go about their day and also ensuring that staff are supported. I’ll speak more in the supplementary.

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

Ms. Peggy Sattler: Speaker, not only are more Thames Valley staff being pushed to the breaking point, but the complexity of staff mental health needs is also increasing. That’s why the Thames Valley District School Board voted last month to create a full-time staff mental health lead and they are urging the government to provide stable annual funding to address staff mental health needs throughout the education system. Not only is this an obligation of school boards as employers, but it is essential if staff are going to be able to support students. They can’t do this if they are struggling themselves.

Speaker, will this government reverse the cuts and start investing in a comprehensive plan to repair the disruption, stress and damage that education workers and students have experienced over the past two years?

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: My thanks to the member opposite.

To just clarify for anyone watching, I want to be very clear that this government has increased the funding for mental health in our education system by 421.6% since we came to office. That’s more than quadrupling—prior to this government’s investment in this area.

For many, many years, we saw the Wynne-Del Duca governments fail to take actions that were necessary. But our government has stepped forward, and some of the ways that we’ve done that include $25 million for local priorities that support the mental health of students. We’ve seen mental health funding increase by $10 million alone this year, totalling $90 million. We’ve invested in mental health supports to create 1,200—1,200—new regulated mental health workers in school communities province-wide, with more of these critical workers, such as psychologists, physiotherapists and, of course, social workers being hired this year in Ontario schools.

We’re also working closely with our implementation partner, School Mental Health Ontario, to bring a consistent, evidence-based approach to mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention to students across all Ontario provincially funded school boards. We’re going to continue this work.

I appreciate the member raising this important issue.

Municipal funding

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Premier. The government introduced Bill 100 as a response to the occupation of Ottawa and the blockade in Windsor. There’s not much of anything in there for Ottawa.

The truth of the matter is, the Premier actually had all the tools he needed to use to protect the citizens of Ottawa during the occupation; he just chose not to use them. Our law-and-order Premier looked the other way, because he wanted the occupation to be somebody else’s problem—Justin Trudeau’s problem, Jim Watson’s problem. Here’s the problem: He made it worse for the citizens and businesses of Ottawa. It’s funny; we haven’t seen the Premier much in the last couple of months in Ottawa.

But that’s not what the question is about. They now have a $36-million tax bill for policing costs—an extra $36 million to the taxpayers of Ottawa. That’s an extra 2% on everybody’s tax bill. This government shares some responsibility in that tax bill.

So will the government do the right thing and support the citizens of Ottawa by sharing the policing costs with the federal government?

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

Hon. Paul Calandra: Again, this is something that the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing addressed the other day. We will be working closely with them. I know this is something that the minister, along with the AMO table, will be working on and looking at.

I know the minister of tourism is also working very closely with the mayor on this particular issue.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary? The member for Ottawa–Vanier.

M me Lucille Collard: I need to reiterate some of the elements that my colleague just mentioned here.

If the government is claiming that Bill 100 is meant to restore business confidence after the blockades, then I’m telling you that it does nothing to restore Ottawa businesses’ confidence in the ability of this government to have their back. In fact, this bill does nothing in response to the occupation that happened in Ottawa, and it does nothing to indicate that the government cares if it happens again.

The response of the government to the occupation in Ottawa has been delayed and insufficient. The funding support has been delayed and insufficient. And now we have legislation that clearly says to the businesses and residents of Ottawa that they’re on their own.

We have been calling and are once again calling on the government to provide more funding support to the businesses and workers and to the city of Ottawa, and to commit to an open and transparent review of the Ministry of the Solicitor General’s and the Ontario government’s response to the occupation. Will the Premier do that?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply, the Solicitor General.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I’m happy to respond. Bill 100 is all about ensuring that Ontario and the trading partners that Ontario actively participates with have confidence that when our businesses are impacted through illegal blockades, we’re going to be able to do something quickly about it. It speaks to how much trade goes back and forth between our number one trading partner: of course, the United States.

The Ambassador Bridge in Windsor is a very clear example. I just spoke with Mayor Dilkens on Monday about this very issue.

We need to have processes and, frankly, legislation in effect that are going to be able to ensure that our police officers, when they need to, can act quickly.

I can’t speak highly enough about the co-operation that occurred between the RCMP, the OPP, the municipal police forces across Ontario who stepped up and reacted and responded to remove these illegal occupations. But in hindsight, we now have legislation that will allow them to react even faster.

Infrastructure funding

Mr. Norman Miller: My question is for the Minister of Infrastructure. Speaker, for far too long, municipalities across the province have not received the financial support they need to address their vital infrastructure backlog. This is especially true in large parts of northern Ontario. Ontario’s small, rural and northern communities are at the forefront of our efforts to build Ontario for the future, and many of them are facing an infrastructure deficit due to the lack of action from the previous government.

Government support is highly important to maintain the health, safety and well-being of northern and rural communities, and it is crucial as we continue to focus on our commitment to building Ontario. Mr. Speaker, through you, what is the government doing to support the infrastructure needs of municipalities in my riding of Parry Sound–Muskoka?

Hon. Kinga Surma: Thank you so much to the very hard-working member. In our fall economic statement, our government committed to increasing funding to our small, rural and northern municipalities through the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund. Through this fund, Ontario’s municipalities are seeing a net increase of $1 billion to $2 billion over the next five years to support infrastructure projects like roads, bridges, water and waste water systems. This is the largest increase to OCIF since its creation.

As part of our OCIF commitment, more than 19 communities in parts of northeastern Ontario, including the town of Parry Sound and the township of Seguin, will see over $4.4 million to support local projects and will provide 30,000 residents with the safe and reliable infrastructure that they deserve. Through these investments, we are protecting the quality of life of all Ontarians.

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

Mr. Norman Miller: Thank you to the minister. It’s great to be part of a government that is committed to supporting and building Ontario. I’ll add to that minister’s list: I know there’s significant investment in the pool wellness centre in Parry Sound and also the Seguin Parry Sound airport. These are two big projects the government is supporting.

For years, northern Ontario was ignored and neglected by the previous government when it came to investments in public infrastructure. In fact, it was the same government that shut down critical infrastructure in the north when they decided that it was a great idea to close the Ontario Northland passenger rail and sell Ontera at a mere $61-million loss.

Mr. Speaker, through you, would the Minister of Infrastructure please explain what other initiatives our government is taking to support key infrastructure projects across northern Ontario?

Hon. Kinga Surma: Again, thank you to the very hard-working member for the question. Our government is devoted to building northern Ontario. We’re taking significant measures to ensure the health, safety and well-being of our northern residents. One of the ways we’re doing this is by investing in the redevelopment and construction of a new hospital to serve the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority. This project will better serve the communities of Attawapiskat, Fort Albany, Kashechewan, Moose Factory and Peawanuck by providing them with a new hospital, an elder care lodge, visitor hostel, accommodations and a new ambulatory care centre.

Additionally, as the members know, our government has put forward legislation that, if passed, will cut red tape and ensure all Ontarians are connected to reliable high-speed Internet service. I want all northern Ontarians to know that this government, under Premier Ford’s leadership, has their backs.

First Nations consultation

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: My question is to the Premier. Projects like the proposed Ring of Fire will have an unchangeable impact on the ways of life for the people who live across the north, especially Indigenous people. Done right, this has the potential for economic opportunity for First Nations. But let’s be honest: Ontario is rushing environmental assessments in the area and will be the major beneficiary if and when the roads and the mines are built.

Speaker, First Nations that have concerns about the Ring of Fire and want a more cautious approach are not being heard. Will Ontario ensure that development in Treaty 9 territories has been with free, prior and informed consent with all First nations affected?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To respond, the Minister of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry.

Hon. Greg Rickford: In a significant departure from what is actually happening on the ground, in fact, we have two Indigenous communities leading the environmental assessment processes for the corridor to prosperity. We understand that there are more communities that might be interested in this. We don’t actually build mines; we put those communities in that region in the best position possible to make decisions for what that region could be, what the potential, as the member finally has alluded to, holds for tremendous economic prosperity done right.

We’re incredibly encouraged by the signals from the new company, Wyloo, that has acquired a considerable stake in that region. But we’re going to focus on the kind of legacy infrastructure that the communities have asked for: a corridor to prosperity that improves access to health and other service programming and an opportunity to fortify broadband access to those communities and enhance the conditions under which those communities live in in the future.

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

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Very few members of this government have visited fly-in First Nations in Treaty 9, Treaty 5 and Kiiwetinoong since forming government. But those who are familiar with the Far North and who come from there know that families and neighbouring communities, neighbouring First Nations have close ties and relationships that go back to a time before colonization.

Governments divide interests all the time to get the outcomes that they seek. What we’re talking about here is colonialism in action. Those methods have not worked for hundreds of years. We cannot keep using them and expect a different result.

Why is this government dividing First Nations and families by forcing the road-proponent communities to carry out the crown’s burden of consultation for the EAs in the Ring of Fire area?

Hon. Greg Rickford: The short answer is that the communities asked to.

But I want to thank my colleagues who have made trips up into the north, and especially the isolated communities. Obviously, COVID prevented us from visiting as many as we would like.

Here is another important truth and reality shared not just by municipalities across northern Ontario but Indigenous communities as well: They want in on probably the single-biggest environmental policy ever advanced by any jurisdiction in the world. How do we know? Well, the co-leader of the NDP-Liberal coalition over there was just talking about electric vehicles and electric batteries as Ontario’s next opportunity, and we agree, Mr. Speaker.

That’s why we want to make sure that from exploration to electric engines, Indigenous communities and municipalities across the great northern Ontario can be counted on for one of the best economic and environmental opportunities this province has ever seen—

Interjections.

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

The next question.

Health care

Mr. Rick Nicholls: Speaker, through you, my question is to the Minister of Health. Two years ago, just before the pandemic, my staff requested a meeting with the Ministry of Health officials along with myself and a doctor of podiatry. During the pandemic, we recognized that there was much going on in the ministry. There were lockdowns, hospital backups, vaccine rollouts, staff shortages. But we have re-requested this meeting, now that things are opening back up.

Minister, due to a 30-year-old piece of legislation, no new podiatrists are allowed to register and practise in Ontario. No other health profession has been restricted in this way. It’s discriminatory. It makes no sense. Every year in Ontario, approximately 1,200 people have a major lower-limb amputation from complications of vascular disease and/or diabetes, with annual direct health care costs of approximately $70 million to $105 million. Diabetes is on the rise. Amputations are on the rise. Health care costs are on the rise.

Minister, will you meet with the health segment in this particular area over the next few weeks, either in person or virtually?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you very much to the member for the question. I understand that there are concerns that there aren’t enough podiatrists in the province of Ontario. However, I believe it is a question of semantics because, first of all, chiropodists and podiatrists are the only recognized and registered foot specialists in Ontario. The main difference between the two is where they were trained and educated.

Chiropodists represent the largest number of foot specialists in Ontario. Currently there are 600 chiropodists and 60 podiatrists in Ontario. Practitioners in the US, or those who came to Ontario before 1993, are referred to as podiatrists, while those who came after 1993, or who were educated in Ontario, are called chiropodists. I believe that whatever you call them—chiropodists or podiatrists—there are over 660 of them in the province of Ontario and they are serving Ontarians very well.

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

Mr. Rick Nicholls: Back to the minister: Respectfully, Minister, you’ve you been in government since 2018. Back in the spring of 2011, you were quoted as stating that the current podiatric cap makes no sense and you supported its removal. With an aging population the need for this to be addressed is becoming more urgent.

Successful implementation of organized integrated lower-limb preservation efforts have shown reductions of up to 85% in amputation rates, saving millions in health care dollars. Let’s provide standardized, best practice, lower-limb-saving care to patients and communities. Close to 60% of podiatrists’ patients feeling this lack of podiatrists are over 55 years of age. We are in a crisis.

Ontario has the lowest ratio of podiatrists to population compared to anyone else in the developed world. Soon we will not be able to find a podiatrist. Minister, you can fix it now. Will you agree to a meeting no later than April 14?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ll remind the members to make their comments through the Chair.

Minister of Health?

Hon. Christine Elliott: I would suggest to the member opposite that there is no crisis, that there is no significant problem because we already have both chiropodists and podiatrists who are qualified to provide these specialized foot treatments. While we aren’t accepting any more podiatrists because we stopped in 1993, we are still graduating chiropodists who are eminently qualified to perform the work that you have suggested. We have over 600 in Ontario right now and we’re continuing to qualify people as chiropodists. They are equally as qualified as podiatrists.

That is what we’re doing in the province of Ontario to make sure that the people who require these foot treatments, whether it’s due to diabetes or something else, are going to be cared for by a qualified professional.

Agri-food industry

Mr. Will Bouma: My question is for the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Speaker, agriculture is the backbone industry in our great province that financially supports about one in 10 jobs. It has a long history as an economic driver in my riding of Brantford–Brant, which is home to over 163,000 acres of rich agricultural farmland.

I recently visited Maple Point Farms, a family-owned farm. To Heather Bootsma and her father, Paul: It was a great visit. It’s using vertical farming to grow microgreens all year round. I have to say, you can purchase them at the incredible Brantford Farmers’ Market.

A 21st century agri-food sector needs a government that invests in new technology to strengthen and grow our province’s robust food sys