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May 13, 2021

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2021-May-13 (PDF)

L263 - Thu 13 May 2021 / Jeu 13 mai 2021

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Thursday 13 May 2021 Jeudi 13 mai 2021

Member’s birthday

Members’ Statements

Affordable housing

Hospital services

COVID-19 response

Nurses

Affordable housing

Children and youth in care

Events in Perth–Wellington

Children and youth in care

Audrey Johnstone

Waste reduction

Members’ birthdays

COVID-19 deaths

Question Period

Long-term care

COVID-19 immunization

COVID-19 response

Border security

COVID-19 response

Political party elections

Border security

COVID-19 immunization

COVID-19 response

COVID-19 immunization

Nurses

Nurses

Correctional facilities

COVID-19 response

Small business

Deferred Votes

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Amendment Act (Advanced Glucose Monitoring Devices), 2021 / Loi de 2021 modifiant la

Loi sur le ministère de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée (appareils et accessoires avancés de surveillance de la glycémie)

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Asian Heritage Month

Nurses

Nurses / Infirmières et infirmiers

Asian Heritage Month

Nurses

Asian Heritage Month

Business of the House

Orders of the Day

Keeping Polystyrene Out of Ontario’s Lakes and Rivers Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur la prévention de la pollution des lacs et des rivières de l’Ontario par le polystyrène

Convenience Store Week Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur la Semaine des dépanneurs

Filipino Heritage Month Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur le Mois du patrimoine philippin

Private Members’ Public Business

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Amendment Act (Supporting Individuals in their Homes and Communities with Assistive Devices for Mental Health), 2021 / Loi de 2021 modifiant la

Loi sur le ministère de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée (Appuyer les particuliers à la maison et dans la collectivité grâce à des appareils et accessoires fonctionnels pour la santé mentale)

The House met at 1015.

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

Prayers/Prières.

Member’s birthday

Mr. Dave Smith: Point of order.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Peterborough–Kawartha has a point of order.

Mr. Dave Smith: I just want to wish a very happy birthday to my good friend the member from Markham–Stouffville today.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Happy birthday. Now we know.

Members’ Statements

Affordable housing

Mr. Wayne Gates: This week, I rose in the Legislature and told this government they must act to fix one of the biggest issues facing my community: housing. Since then, I’ve been inundated with messages from the people of Niagara telling me their stories, both those renting and looking to enter the housing market—heartbreaking stories of people leaving their families and the towns they were raised in because they can’t afford housing.

There’s no denying it: This is a crisis, and it’s the responsibility of all levels of government to address it. It’s not complicated. It takes political will and determination to present a policy solution.

We can take concrete steps today to ease this crisis and ensure communities like Niagara aren’t torn apart by an unaffordable housing market. We can start by making renting more affordable and providing those who are renting with security, like ending unfair renovictions. We can help first-time home buyers get into the market by assisting with their down payments. Homeownership provides stability and financial security, and it shouldn’t just be a dream for young people in this province.

Ultimately, we must take on greedy billionaires, speculators, flippers and bad developers to cool the completely unstable housing market.

Too many young families renting are going to bed at night wondering if they’ll ever own a home of their own. Too many seniors are wondering if they will be the next victim of renovictions, struggling to find housing on a fixed income. We can’t let the current and past governments’ failures drive us into even more of a housing crisis. If someone in our community is facing housing insecurity, that’s a failure we must all address.

Hospital services

Mr. Sam Oosterhoff: An important project which has united local residents in Niagara West is the redevelopment of our West Niagara hospital, a campaign which has brought together neighbours, businesses, municipalities and front-line care providers in our community. I’m excited to provide my community with another update on an important step forward in building our new hospital.

Infrastructure Ontario and Hamilton Health Sciences recently announced the three teams pre-qualified to undertake the rehabilitation project. Selection criteria include design, construction capability, experience, qualified personnel and financial capacity to undertake a project of this size and scope. The pre-qualified teams for the hospital build are Amico Sacyr Alliance, EllisDon Infrastructure Healthcare, and Pomerleau Healthcare Partners. A request for proposals is expected to be issued to these pre-qualified teams in the summer of 2021.

Once submissions are received, Infrastructure Ontario and Hamilton Health Sciences will evaluate the proposals, select a preferred team, and then negotiate a final contract. The successful team is expected to be announced in spring of 2022. A fairness monitor will oversee the entire procurement process. This is good news for the constituents of Niagara West.

As we are eagerly awaiting the opening of our new hospital, I want to assure residents in Niagara that the government of Ontario remains committed to making sure this build is completed in a timely way. We will not stop fighting for this expedited build until the new doors of our hospital open.

I want to thank our provincial and municipal partners—including the leadership of Premier Ford on this important project—as well as the passionate volunteers and local front-line providers involved with the Save and Rebuild campaign. Together, we will build our new hospital.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: People are tired—front-line health care workers, essential workers, parents, teachers, students, children, and the list goes on. We’re tired of this government’s shoot-from-the-hip policies and handling of the pandemic.

I got my vaccine last week thanks to VaxHunters. Someone happened to see the tweet and texted it to me. Luckily, I didn’t have any more meetings, so I grabbed my kid, hopped into the car, drove 30 minutes and got into a line with about a thousand other people. So many things had to align, and still it took three hours.

Why is it that we have to go on a vaccine hunt? These are realities we didn’t need to face in this pandemic.

As hard as it is, on top of that, this government makes life unnecessarily difficult by closing outdoor amenities for everyone. How did you come up with such an irrational policy? The science and the data don’t support it. The people don’t support it. Did the Premier just wake up one morning and think, “Let’s close the only thing people can do safely during the pandemic”? Please, we’d like to hear the logic behind it. The chair of the science table himself said that closing outdoor amenities was not recommended—in fact, the opposite. Toronto Public Health is asking the province to open outdoor amenities and sports. It’s low-risk and good for mental health.

Finally, Speaker, I want to say: We really want to see a plan for a safe return to in-person learning. I’ve given up for the rest of the school year, but come September, we want our kids back in school—no more last-minute announcements, no more just winging it. You’ve got plenty of time. Don’t mess it up again.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ll remind members to please make their comments through the Chair, not directly across the floor.

Nurses

Mr. Dave Smith: This week is National Nursing Week in Canada, and yesterday was International Nurses Day. In a normal year, many of us would talk about appreciating what a nurse does, or how a nurse made us feel when they helped us. This year is a little different, though.

Speaker, Joyce Patterson was my mother’s youngest sister, the godmother of my daughter, and a nurse at PRHC in Peterborough, right up until she was diagnosed with glioblastoma. In fact, they discovered the brain tumour while she was working. That’s how much she loved her job. A

section of PRHC has been named after her because of the care she provided.

My sister started as a PSW, became an RPN, and then went to OUIT while nursing full-time and became an RN. She has been an RN for a number of years now, at PRHC, the CCAC, the LHIN, and returning back to PRHC. Because of COVID-19, she has been redeployed to a GTA hospital and is currently nursing patients with COVID-19. I haven’t seen my sister since last summer because of COVID-19, but we talk frequently on the phone, and I hear the pain in her voice. Like other nurses, she’s doing everything possible so those patients can go home.

If we want to show our appreciation to nurses this week, follow the health guidelines so that no nurse has to watch someone fight to breathe.

Affordable housing

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: Throughout the pandemic, we’ve been told to stay home. But what about those who are struggling to keep a roof over their head or who have no home at all?

According to the London housing stability report, there is no available vacant rental housing that is affordable for Londoners with low-to-moderate incomes. This means that more and more London families are being pushed out of their housing with nowhere else to go.

Tragically, London lost four people in just four days due to chronic homelessness earlier this month. These are our neighbours, and they should still be with us today. We simply can’t afford to lose one more person to homelessness.

London programs like the WISH coalition have stepped up and have done phenomenal work trying to ensure Londoners are safe, supported and housed during the pandemic, but they can’t do it alone.

For decades, successive governments have made the housing crisis worse and worse by cutting and capping funding from municipal homelessness prevention programs. No one in Ontario should be denied the basic human right of a safe place to live, especially during a pandemic.

It’s time the provincial government invested in affordable housing again so that people can find housing that meets their needs. The time to act is now.

Children and youth in care

Mr. John Fraser: Friday, May 14 is Children and Youth in Care Day. There are approximately 12,000 children and youth in care in Ontario. They’re living with extended family, in group homes, foster homes. They’re amongst the most vulnerable groups in Ontario. Many are survivors of violence and abuse. Some are refugees, some have developmental disabilities.

These kids, they’re our responsibility as legislators. You’ve probably heard me say a few times in this chamber, my dad used to work in the Family Court when I was young. He looked out for kids who came from broken homes, who got into trouble with the law or who were truants, and he always made sure that none of them got left behind. He took his responsibility for these kids just like he took his responsibility for the three of us at the time, my sisters and I. That’s the same thing that we have to do with these kids. They’re our responsibility. That’s the mantle that we take up when we come here.

Today, we celebrate their strength and their resilience, while also pledging to protect and support their growth and help them thrive. I want to just say thank you to the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies for your ongoing advocacy and unwavering support for our children and youth in care.

Events in Perth–Wellington

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: Speaker, the sign wars are raging. Trevor Cork, owner of Speedy Glass in Listowel, fired the first shot. His target: the Dairy Queen next door. Trevor wrote on his business marquee sign, “Hey DQ, wanna have a sign war?” It didn’t take long for Amy Hamilton, owner of the DQ, to fire back: “You bet your glass we do.” In Listowel and surrounding communities throughout Perth–Wellington, hundreds of businesses, churches, charities and other organizations soon joined in. Atwood Presbyterian took aim at DQ: “Hey, DQ, our Sundays are the best.” In Millbank, Anna Mae’s didn’t mince words: “Are you too chicken to get broasted by an outta-towner?”

The war is heating up, and the world is taking notice. The BBC and the Washington Post have covered it. The BBC quoted Trevor of Speedy Glass: “There’s businesses that compete against each other that are poking fun at each other and people are laughing together again and smiling at each other. It’s brought our community very close in the last seven days.” And he’s right.

This is still a stressful time for people and a tough time for local businesses. We need reasons to come together. We need reasons to smile. In the sign wars, there are no losers. Even so, I want to remind everyone that the stay-at-home order is still in effect, so please stick to inside jokes

Children and youth in care

Miss Monique Taylor: Tomorrow is youth in care day, a day where we recognize the challenges youth in care face and honour their resilience. It is also a day for us legislators to remember our obligation to the 12,000 youth in care in Ontario.

We all know these youth have had a difficult time during this pandemic. This government cancelled safety regulations like in-person home inspections and police checks, and they increased the limits of kids per foster home. These young people also lost their child advocate to the government’s cuts.

Despite these challenges that they face, young people with lived experience have stepped up to push for better. They fought to put a moratorium on youth aging out of care during the pandemic and they won. They’ve been pushing for a readiness-based system for leaving care, and they finally have the government’s ear. Kudos to Cheyanne Ratnam and to the Ontario Children’s Advancement Coalition for their great work on that issue. Some groups like Youth Empowering Youth are stepping in to fill the void left by the cut to the child advocate’s office.

I am encouraged by these young people who are pushing for change. I’ve met so many of them in my past 10 years as the critic for children’s services and I’ve watched them grow up. I want them to know that New Democrats are with you, and I am so proud to honour you today and every day.

Audrey Johnstone

Ms. Donna Skelly: I would like to extend birthday greetings to Ms. Audrey Johnstone, who celebrates her 104th birthday this week. Audrey is currently living at Bethany Lodge in Unionville, but she lived in Capreol until she retired to move to southern Ontario to be closer to her family.

Audrey worked with my mother in administration for National Steel at the Moose Mountain mine outside of Capreol. While a resident of the town, she could be found volunteering at any number of community events. Her sense of civic duty continued after retirement, as she was a hospital volunteer at her local hospital in southern Ontario. She retired from volunteering at the age of 100—that’s also when she gave up her driver’s licence—because she said she was getting a little tired. But then she started volunteering at the nursing home. Before she retired, she received her 50-year volunteer pin for her years of service.

We should all aspire to be like Audrey. Even through times of tragedy, such as the loss of her very young daughter, Audrey Anne, she is a picture of calm, of grace and of class. She has worked hard and has always given back to her community.

So, on behalf of the Ontario Legislature, all your neighbours and friends in Capreol and your friends and family: Audrey, a very happy 104th birthday.

Waste reduction

Ms. Andrea Khanjin: As many people in the Legislature know, the second Tuesday of May every year marks the Provincial Day of Action on Litter. It’s our government’s way of continuing its strong effort to reduce the amount of waste going into our landfills and making sure that we reduce litter in our waterways, including our lakes and rivers. We know that by bringing awareness to the impacts of waste on our environment and encouraging people to take action at home and in their communities, this work will ensure we keep our environment clean and healthy for future generations.

Meaningful change happens when we individually become more aware of our own actions. When we all work together, even the smallest individual acts of change have substantial benefits and our communities prosper socially and environmentally. The provincial day of action may be just one day, but every day must be considered an opportunity for us to make impacts and improvements to reduce our impact on the environment. That is why the day of action on litter is so important, because we all know that improving our environment starts at home.

In my own riding of Barrie–Innisfil, I’m proud to see so many dedicated individuals and organizations that have taken the initiative to clean up litter around our lakes and green spaces, not just on the day of action on litter but throughout the whole year.

In 2020, Youth for Lake Simcoe founder Zoe completed six cleanups, collecting nine recycling bags and 8.5 garbage bags, and they continue to advocate for and promote the day of action on litter by encouraging all Ontarians to get involved and get outside and help be the change. Local charity group Barrie Families Unite has also done cleanups with Clean Up Barrie, and they’re tackling the 10 worst places in Barrie to clean up. I want to thank all of them for taking action on litter.

Members’ birthdays

Hon. Todd Smith: Point of order.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Point of order, the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Hon. Todd Smith: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, for recognizing me this morning. I just wanted to point out that a very important person in the Legislature was born on this day, May 13, 1970. I’m not sure if it was a Friday or not. He is our government House leader and he only wants one thing for his birthday: Paul Calandra would like to answer as many opposition questions as he could today during question period.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): In a moment, he’ll get his chance.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Point of order.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The leader of the official opposition has a point of order.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: I want to wish congratulations and a happy birthday to the government House leader, but also to Gurratan Singh, the MPP for Brampton East. It’s his birthday today as well, so happy birthday to both of you.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Happy birthday.

COVID-19 deaths

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Point of order.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Point of order, the Leader of the Opposition.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: On a more solemn point of order, I seek unanimous consent for the House to observe a moment of silence for the 187 Ontarians who have succumbed to COVID-19 over the past week.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Leader of the Opposition is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to have a moment of silence for the 187 Ontarians who succumbed to COVID-19 over the past week. Agreed? Agreed.

Members will please rise.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much. Members will please take their seats.

Question Period

Long-term care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: This morning, my first question is to the Minister of Health. We know now that the Minister of Long-Term Care was writing notes about what was happening in long-term care. On April 17, her note was, “Military plan needed, get them in within 24-48 hours.”

That was on April 17. April 17 is when Quebec had the military come in to their province, and yet Ontario waited five full days before contacting the CAF—the Canadian Armed Forces—to come and help in long-term care. It’s clear that the Minister of Health, the Ministry of Health, was part of the selection process, part of the decision-making process around which homes would get military aid.

So my question to the Minister of Health is: When did she first learn that people in long-term care were dying from neglect and dehydration and that military intervention was required?

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

Hon. Paul Calandra: I appreciate the question from the Leader of the Opposition. As I mentioned yesterday, we, of course, very much appreciate the work of the Canadian Armed Forces in helping out those homes that required assistance.

As I’ve mentioned on a number of occasions, we were clearly on the defensive for the better part of a year when it came to fighting COVID. Part of the reason we were on the defence for so long is because there had been such a lack of investment before we had taken office: a lack of investment in staffing, a lack of investment with respect to the build of new homes. There was a lack of investment in refurbishing old and outdated homes.

We’re addressing that now, obviously, with hiring an additional over 27,000 new PSWs, a massive build-out of long-term-care homes across the province of Ontario and four hours of care. We’re grateful for all the work that the Canadian Armed Forces did, but we’re well on our way to putting this behind us.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: It should have been addressed over a year ago. That’s when it should have been addressed.

The minister, unfortunately, has decided to avoid questions, but she is responsible. She is responsible for the timing of the deployment of the Canadian Armed Forces to those homes that were in crisis, where people were literally losing their lives to neglect and dehydration. Yet the owners of these homes—the private, for-profit owners—deny that this happened.

My question is: Does the minister accept reports from the Canadian Armed Forces that 26 people—at least—died of dehydration and neglect in long-term-care homes in our province, or does she believe, as the owners of these for-profit homes do, that the Armed Forces were simply making it up?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Mr. Speaker, that is, of course, one of the reasons why the Premier requested and ensured that there was a commission to investigate some of the initial problems we saw in long-term-care homes. Obviously, as I mentioned earlier on in the week, the coroner has been engaged on the file as well.

But ultimately, the Leader of the Opposition is correct: We have to make changes. And that is why, before the pandemic hit, we started to make those changes, whether it was increasing the amount of homes that were constructed—you know, in the years previous, in the decades previous, I think it was something like 600 new beds were built in the province of Ontario. That, obviously, was not something that could be sustained. That’s why we invested in thousands of new beds. We’re investing in four hours of care—a North American-leading level of care for our residents of long-term care—and thousands of new beds.

So there was a lot of work that was done before, during and certainly after the pandemic so that we never see something like this happen again and we can finally put COVID behind us.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My question is back to the Minister of Health, Speaker. I think she has some responsibility here that she needs to address. People lost their lives in long-term care, as we know, and families lost their loved ones in horrifying conditions.

Myrelyn Daley lost her sister Daisy at Downsview Long Term Care last year, and here’s what she told the press—in fact, I’m going to ask this page to bring this press clipping over to the Minister of Health so she can see it. Myrelyn says this: “She called me three days before she passed—oh my God, she cried, she cried, she said, ‘I am hungry. I am hungry!’” This is what happened to Daisy. She died on April 14. The CAF, the Canadian Armed Forces, wouldn’t arrive in that home until June 1.

The family is still looking for justice. They’re still looking for accountability. The minister knew there were horrors that were unfolding in the long-term-care system in these homes. Why is she allowing her government—this government, the Conservative government—to deny those families the justice and accountability that they were promised?

Hon. Paul Calandra: The government is doing no such thing, Mr. Speaker. Of course we understand how difficult it was for Ontarians across this province, especially during that first and second wave. We saw that in all of our ridings. We saw how difficult it was for families. We saw how difficult it was for those people who were working inside these long-term-care homes.

As I’ve said on a number of occasions, we were put on the defence during the first and second waves in the province of Ontario because for generations before, for a decade and a half before, there were no investments made in long-term care. When you have a system that was understaffed, that had only had 600 new beds built in the 10 years preceding a pandemic, of course there were going to be challenges.

That’s why we moved quickly before the election to address these challenges with respect to staffing, with respect to building new homes. Thousands of new homes are being built. We brought in thousands of new people during the pandemic, and we were starting that before the pandemic. We’re building thousands of additional spaces. This is something that we want to fix, that we will fix and put this behind us once and for all.

COVID-19 immunization

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is for the Premier. This government’s vaccine rollout has been convoluted and confusing, to say the least. We’ve just heard, of course, that the government is now cancelling its commitment to increasing help for the hot spots, even though they’re still smoldering. There’s no plan for the second dose. There’s no details for parents around when or if their children can get vaccinated before school starts in September. There are no answers for folks who got their first shot of AstraZeneca.

The question is pretty clear: When will this government, when will this Premier get their act together?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you to the leader of the official opposition for the question. There is a plan; the plan was formulated months ago prior to the delivery of the vaccines. It’s being rolled out in three phases. We are now in phase 2.

I can advise the House that we have now administered vaccines to 6.6 million people—over 50% of the adults in Ontario over age 18. We also have 4.8 million vaccines already booked. We are also proceeding with daily vaccines. Yesterday, we administered virtually 138,000 vaccines. We are well on track to our target of administering vaccines to 65% of adults over age 18 in Ontario by the end of May.

I would say that this is a resounding success, and that people know how to receive and book their vaccines because over 4.8 million already have them booked.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, the Premier and now this minister have been bragging for months that this province’s scavenger hunt of a vaccine rollout has been effective when we all know it hasn’t. In fact, it’s volunteer vax hunters who have been hooking folks up to their vaccines; that’s what’s happening in our province every single day. It’s not the Premier; it’s vaccine hunters who are getting people their shots.

People who can’t get through the government’s confusing and convoluted vaccine system are left scrambling. What does it say, Speaker? What does it say when a group of volunteers working part-time is doing a better job of getting people their vaccines in the province of Ontario than this Premier and his ministers?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Speaker, I would say to the Leader of the Opposition, through you, that what you’re suggesting is simply not the case. We have people who are receiving their second dose administration. Their second doses are booked through the booking tool or through the phone administration that we have already.

I’m not sure how the leader of the official opposition would define success, but I would say at this point, already having over half of the adults in Ontario over age 18 receiving their first dose is a success. We’re on course for 65% by the end of the month.

We also have a plan that we’ve been developing with the Ministry of Education to vaccinate young people between ages 12 and 17. Further details of that will be available imminently. But we are well on track to achieving our goal of making sure that everyone who wants to receive a vaccine in Ontario will be able to do so in very short order.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, while Ontarians are forced to play the vaccine Hunger Games, here’s what’s going on in other provinces: In Alberta today, everyone over the age of 12 can book their vaccine. In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, everyone has been told that they’re getting their second doses in July.

But here, it’s all still a mystery. If you’re over 12, maybe June, maybe not. If you’re waiting for a second dose, your guess is as good as anyone’s. Ontarians deserve so much better than this.

When is the government going to get their act together and give Ontarians certainty about how the rest of this vaccine rollout is going to go?

Hon. Christine Elliott: There is certainty about how this vaccine rollout is going to go, and it has been clearly explained to the people of Ontario. We know that as of the week of May 24, people over the age of 18 will be able to book across the entire province.

We also know that our vaccine rollout in the communities that are hot spots has been very successful, such that people of most ages in the hot spot communities are already receiving 5% more of the vaccines than the people in the non-hot spot communities, which is why we set this program up in the first place. It is clearly working; the statistics demonstrate that very clearly.

As for second doses, anyone who has booked through our vaccine booking tool already has their second dose booked. We’ve also indicated to pharmacies that they should be booking second doses, and in situations where they’re finding that difficult, we’re working with them to make sure that they can do that.

Everybody is in our system, everybody is in the COVax system, and people will be—

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

COVID-19 response

Mr. Taras Natyshak: My question to the Acting Premier. Last night, CTV reported that the PCs are doing everything they can to “protect the king.” It seems they’re more worried about building an iron ring to protect the king than they ever were about protecting those in long-term care.

On top of that, the Premier has been ducking public press conferences for about two weeks. But alas, we know where to find him. Tonight, he is hosting a $1,000-a-ticket—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. The Associate Minister of Transportation (GTA) will come to order. The member for Northumberland–Peterborough South will come to order.

Start the clock. The member for Essex has the floor.

Mr. Taras Natyshak: Thank you very much, Speaker. We know where to find the Premier because tonight, he’s hosting a $1,000-a-ticket Zoom call.

My question to the government: Why is it that if you’re a PC Party insider with deep pockets, you can have access to the Premier while he dodges questions about his record from the media?

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

Hon. Paul Calandra: It’s strange, coming from the NDP. We’ve been in this House since February, and when we came back in February, the NDP was upset that the Premier was too available. He was doing news conferences too often, and they didn’t like the fact that he was on TV at 1 o’clock every day, updating the people of the province of Ontario—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. The Leader of the Opposition has to come to order.

The government House leader has the floor.

Hon. Paul Calandra: Sorry, Mr. Speaker. Obviously, I touched a nerve with the Leader of the Opposition, because even when the Premier is not going out every single day, more people want to hear from him than they do the Leader of the Opposition. I think that speaks for itself.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary?

Mr. Taras Natyshak: You know, I kind of feel sorry for the government House leader. He’s been carrying the load for this Premier for quite some time. I want to give him a hand: Congratulations. You’re showing leadership where there is obviously a vacuum in this House.

Speaker, while the PCs are worried about their fundraising to protect their king, Ontarians are trying to grapple with the realities of this ongoing pandemic. The government failed to protect 3,700 seniors who died in long-term care, some of whom died without even a glass of water. Our esteemed military, our Canadian Armed Forces, called that criminal. It boggles the mind why the Premier has no time to answer media questions, but all the time in the world to drum up cash from his deep-pocketed developer friends.

We all know the adage: If you can’t take the heat, you get out of the kitchen. This Premier has left the restaurant completely. Why has this Premier found the time in his

schedule to host expensive fundraisers instead of letting Ontarians hold him to account?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Obviously, there is nobody that believes anything that is coming from that side of the House. This is a Premier who has been in front of this right from the beginning. Whether it was leading into the pandemic—even before the pandemic, one of the things that this Premier ran on was ending hallway health care because of the lack of investments made by the previous Liberal government. We were well on our way to doing that, to increasing ICU capacity.

He identified the fact that we needed to put more money into long-term care. That’s why we’re hiring an additional 27,000 PSWs and building thousands of homes, new homes, and refurbishing old ones.

He knew that we had to put the fiscal situation of this province back on sustainable footing. We started to do that. He knew that we had to make it more affordable for the people of the province of Ontario, for our small, medium and large job creators to do business here, to live here. We are in the process of doing that, and we’ll continue to do that.

Before the pandemic, we led the nation in job creation and, as it ends, we will do the same.

Border security

Mr. David Piccini: We know that stricter border measures helped stop the spread of COVID-19 and the deadly variants. The reality is backed up by hard evidence and data. In fact, many of our fellow G7 nations around the world have implemented strict border measures to stop the spread of COVID-19 and variants of concern. We also know it isn’t just about our international borders. It matters to interprovincial travel and COVID entering from our provinces as well.

When we push the federal government to do their part, it’s important that Ontarians know that their government is doing their part as well. Can the Solicitor General remind the House what our government is doing to protect our borders?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Thank you very much to the member from Northumberland–Peterborough South. I know this is an important issue for him personally and for his constituents, but also for people across Ontario. That’s why our government took an important step this spring and issued an emergency order restricting travel into Ontario through land and water crossings from Manitoba and Quebec.

We continue to ask, compel, beg the federal government to restrict air travel. It’s time for the Prime Minister to do his job—as we are. He needs to address the border issue by implementing COVID testing requirements for domestic flights, just as he has done for international travel.

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

Mr. David Piccini: I know it’s reassuring for constituents of mine and Ontarians to know that this province is making an effort and doing its part.

I just spoke to a constituent of mine, Mike, this morning. We spoke about a very concerning

article that I read in the CBC, where it mentioned that luxury and private executive jets are flying into this country with impunity. I think most Ontarians presume that after a year of this pandemic, our Prime Minister and our federal government would do something to secure our borders. Be it luxury jets, be it private executives, we know there are loopholes—be it the cabbies and the industry at Niagara and Ogdensburg that are fuelling a mass exodus of people walking across our border, completely flaunting these rules. Speaker, more needs to be done.

Back to the minister: Can she provide any more specific examples of what our government is doing, specifically the emergency orders, to help stop the spread?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: The member is absolutely right. We know that the new variants did not originate in Ontario. They are coming here from other parts of the world and, in fact, other parts of Canada. The OPP alone have turned away over 4,500 travellers attempting to come into Ontario.

While Ontarians are being asked to stay at home, some travellers have wanted to travel to Ontario for, frankly, very trivial reasons. Some travellers have been turned away, as they were out for a drive and going to play pool. One individual suggested that bringing empty beer cans into Ontario to get a refund is essential travel. To be clear, it’s not. Another risked bringing COVID in from another province to go grab a cup of coffee.

Ontario is taking all the steps it can to stop the spread of COVID-19. It’s time for the federal government to do their job.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Catherine Fife: My question is for the Premier. Yesterday I questioned the Premier about what evidence was used to close outdoor recreational activities. According to the science table, the example the Premier shared with us was “not at all” what they said.

The Premier said he had a yes/no chart of what you can do and what you can’t do. In fact, what the chart showed is that as long as you have two of the three criteria, like staying two metres apart, wearing a mask, staying outside—this is what the science table has said—then your activity should be considered low risk.

I’ll give the Premier another chance—or anyone on that side: Can you please explain to the people of this province what scientific evidence was used to close outdoor recreational activities? They deserve an answer.

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the member very much for that question. We certainly do encourage people to be outdoors, especially with the weather getting much nicer. We want people to be able to spend time outdoors. For children, especially, it’s important. People can go out, they can go for a walk, can go for a bike ride, walk the dog, all of those activities. We know that it is important for people to be outdoors.

There are some situations, though, where people are in closer contact. For that, we encourage people—and ask people, actually—to continue to follow the public health measures that we know work. If you can’t maintain the physical distancing, please wear a mask. Do the physical distancing wherever you can. Frequent hand washing and all the measures that we’ve talked about since the beginning of the pandemic remain in effect.

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

Ms. Catherine Fife: Mr. Speaker, the chart that the Premier referred to yesterday clearly states in big letters at the top: “Outdoor settings are considerably safer than indoor settings if precautions are taken against new variants.” In fact, I’m going to send the chart over to the government side.

Those precautions, as advised by the science table, are two of three: being outside, wearing a mask or maintaining a two-metre distance. To make it even clearer, the science table went out of their way yesterday to say, “We are encouraging the government to reopen appropriate outdoor facilities where people can either mask or be two metres” apart.

To the Premier, to the health minister, to anyone on that side of the House: We are weeks into the third wave. Why does this government continue to resist scientific advice on opening outdoor amenities? The Premier knows he is wrong. The people of this province know you’re wrong. Please do the right thing, walk this back and let people go outside.

Hon. Christine Elliott: There is no question that outdoor transmission happens much less often than indoor transmission, and we do encourage people to be outdoors at this point, especially with the weather getting nicer. With a long weekend coming up, we encourage people to be outdoors as much as they wish to.

However, there are some situations where we are wanting to limit mobility. That’s the guide behind it. We heard from the medical experts that, yes, being outdoors is good. We also heard that we need to limit mobility while we’re still dealing with the variants of concern. So we have to put those two things together.

We’re encouraging people to still be cautious, because we are still not in the clear yet. While we are starting to see our numbers go down in our hospitals and in our intensive care units, we still need to follow those public health measures.

But we do encourage people to be outdoors as much as possible. I think that’s important for their physical health as well as their mental health.

Political party elections

Mrs. Belinda C. Karahalios: Good morning. My question is for the Premier.

My constituents are shocked when I tell them that there are no laws in Ontario setting consequences for individuals committing voter fraud in an internal political party’s election. Calling the police will not help you.

In November 2019, I tabled a private member’s bill—Bill 150, the Ensuring Transparency and Integrity in Political Party Elections Act—to remedy this problem. If it were to become law, the bill would, for the first time in Ontario history, set consequences for voter fraud in an internal party election. Despite the Premier telling the media in 2019 that he was against the bill, it unanimously passed second reading. But since then, it has been stuck with the Standing Committee on General Government, where it hasn’t even come up for discussion.

Does the government plan on bringing Bill 150 to the House for third and final reading so it can become law and finally make it an offence in Ontario to manipulate internal party elections?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government House leader.

Hon. Paul Calandra: As you know, it’s not the government’s responsibility to order how committees do their business. We’ll let the committees identify which business they want to bring forward on their own.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mrs. Belinda C. Karahalios: Speaker, I’m not the only one who thinks there’s a problem with internal party votes. A few days after I introduced Bill 150, the campaign manager of the governing Ontario PC Party—recently announced as lobbyist Kory Teneycke—had this to say on the CBC about votes held at party conventions to review a leader: “It’s always rigged ... The people administering it are in a huge conflict of interest, they set when the delegate selection meetings are, they set all the rules around it, they can put their fingers on the scale in a very undemocratic way, and ... if the past is to be a predictor of the future, we’ll see that again, because that’s what we always see.”

Mr. Teneycke also has first-hand experience. You see, he was the co-chair of the 2018 Ontario PC Party convention that was supposed to elect that party’s executive, but which resulted in more ballots cast than voters who voted and is now before the courts.

Does this government, whose own Ontario PC Party has seen election irregularities decide internal elections under two different leaders, support Bill 150’s attempt to set consequences for such behaviour or not?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Again, Mr. Speaker, the government doesn’t order the independent committees of the Legislative Assembly—order its business.

We have a number of private members’ bills that have made the floor of the Legislative Assembly, from both sides of the House. In fact, today we’ll be debating private member’s business from the member for Willowdale, another piece of business from the member for Muskoka, and a good bill from the member for Scarborough Southwest.

What unique circumstances all of these individuals from both sides of the House have, when they brought bills forward and had them passed, is that they’ve worked with their colleagues to get them to the floor of the House. As government House leader, all I can say is for the member to do the same: work with members on both sides of the House. Hopefully, the members will agree to bring the bill forward at committee and, hopefully, the members will agree to bring it to the floor of the House and, hopefully, members will agree to pass it.

Border security

Mr. Stan Cho: This is a topic that has come up a couple of times this week in the Legislature, and it continues to be a major issue in my riding of Willowdale. It has to do with stricter border controls. We know that the variants of concern are coming in from outside our borders.

Interjections.

Mr. Stan Cho: It’s a shame the opposition heckles and laughs during this, because this is no laughing matter.

Ontarians have made serious sacrifices over the last year and are frustrated that, after all of that difficulty, these variants of concern—

Interjections.

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

Mr. Stan Cho: —outside of Ontario. And the majority of cases today are these very variants of concern.

We’ve seen jurisdictions do better around the world—I’m talking about Australia, New Zealand, South Korea.

Speaker, we need stricter border controls to keep these variants out of Ontario. And it’s not just international travellers; COVID-19 and its variants enter Ontario from other provinces, as well.

While our government continues to urgently request real action to secure our borders, this is just not a priority for our Prime Minister.

My question to the Solicitor General: Can she update the members of this House regarding what our government is doing to get the federal government to act and protect our borders?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I very much appreciate the member from Willowdale’s engagement on this file. It’s really a great opportunity for all of us to share what we have been doing as a government and, frankly, what our federal partners have not been doing. So we continue to advocate for the federal government to restrict travel through federally regulated aviation.

Our government has written three letters with very specific and urgent requests to the federal government asking them to take action only to get a vague and, frankly, non-responsive answer. That’s why we have once again sent another letter to our federal counterparts to implore them to take action now.

It’s time for Prime Minister Trudeau to take this seriously and address the border issue, like implementing COVID testing requirements for domestic flights, just as they did for international upon our request.

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

Mr. Stan Cho: Frankly, when I speak to my relatives overseas from other jurisdictions and I tell me that the federal government here has not even put in place PCR testing for our domestic travellers, they’re shocked; rightly so, Speaker. This is a change that would be critical for travellers who are now sitting beside untested travellers who may not even know that they’re at risk.

We need to protect Ontario from incoming cases of COVID-19 and these dangerous variants, whether they be from domestic or international sources. This should not be a political issue, and I wish the opposition was not heckling on this because this is something we should join efforts on, Speaker.

So back to the minister: Can she provide any details on the most recent letter to the federal government?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Again, thank you for allowing me to share some of the details. We know that limiting travel and mobility is the best way to slow the spread of COVID-19 and the variants. We asked Ontarians to do their part, and they’re following the public health advice. Meanwhile, despite the last three letters asking the federal government to test domestic travellers, they have refused to do so.

The Premier of our province has repeatedly asked the federal government to step up and do their job. In our most recent letter, we asked the federal government for: a ban on all non-essential travel; mandatory PCR testing for interprovincial travellers; an end to the loophole at our land borders; and proper enforcement of hotel quarantining.

We continue to be very clear to the federal government. We’re imploring them to take stricter measures at our borders to protect our citizens.

COVID-19 immunization

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: Ontarians who received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine are anxious about their second dose. Bill, a constituent who received his first dose of AstraZeneca in March, spoke for thousands of Ontarians when he asked my office, “When and where can I get a second dose? Can I get a Pfizer or Moderna shot in lieu of the AstraZeneca? I am confused and worried.” Ontarians shouldn’t have to ask these questions six months into the vaccine rollout.

Ontario will have 300,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine next week. My question to the Premier is: What is the government’s plan for these doses? And will Ontarians who received the first dose of the AstraZeneca get some answers about their second dose?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you very much to the member for the question.

I’m also in that situation. I also received the AstraZeneca as a first dose. However, what I can also tell you is that the Chief Medical Officer of Health, out of an abundance of caution, has put a pause on the distribution of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine because of the concerns with vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia, otherwise known as VITTs. This is out of an abundance of caution for the health and safety of all Ontarians.

What we are waiting for right now are recommendations from the NACI, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization, as well as Health Canada, to advise us with respect to the safety of further doses of AstraZeneca. But what we do know, based on international studies, is that any possibility of harm or risk with respect to a second dose of AstraZeneca is much, much more limited than any concerns with respect to the first dose.

We’re also receiving information—and the boards are reviewing it—based on what’s happened in the UK where they have mixed doses of an AstraZeneca first dose and another type of vaccine for the second dose.

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

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: Speaker, Ontarians who received their first shot at a pharmacy or a pop-up clinic are worried about their second dose as well. Their second appointments were not automatically scheduled and many are still waiting to be contacted months later. Pharmacists tell me they’ve heard nothing about a plan from this government. People want to know who will contact them to

schedule their second appointment and when.

My question to the Premier is, how will you ensure that no one falls through the cracks of your convoluted web of different booking systems?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Because we have a system to deal with that. As you will know, people who have booked through our online booking system for their first dose automatically receive their second dose time. Pharmacies are also using their system that they use for the administration of flu vaccines, booking appointments. We’ve directed them to be able to book the second dose at the same time as the first dose. Not every pharmacy has done that, but we are working with them to ensure that they do, that they are in touch with people for their second doses.

Anyone who has received doses at pop-up clinics or mobile clinics, they are in the system. They are in the COVax system, and they will be advised well in advance of the time for their second dose.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: My question is to the Deputy Premier. Research from the Gattuso Centre for Social Medicine and UHN used national FSA data to demonstrate that people who live in hot spots in Toronto and Peel are, on average, twice as likely to be racialized and more likely to meet low-income thresholds. This pandemic has shown the need for evidence and equity in health. People in hot spot postal codes are more likely to be working throughout the pandemic in low-wage, essential jobs, which puts them more at risk. Yet Ontario lacks in collection and availability of this necessary data.

The government put forward Bill 283, which requires the recording of some data during vaccination but does not require individual socio-demographic data. Speaker, we will be presenting amendments to address this gap. Will the PC government work with us and support these changes so that we can better track and address any gaps in terms of health outcomes for people in hot spot postal codes by mandating the collection of individual socio-demographic data in our vaccination process?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the member very much for the question. As she will know, the bill that is now before the House will require the essential data that we need about the name, contact information for the person and the type of vaccine that they received, in case there is a need for booster shots in the future—we don’t know yet. We don’t know—no one knows yet—what we will require in the future for re-vaccinations or booster shots.

However, with respect to the collection of socio-economic data, this is very important information to collect. I agree with you. But this is something that we are going to be collecting on a volunteer basis from people, asking them with respect to their sex, their ethnicity, their total household size and income, so that we can understand those issues and make good decisions for health across the entire province, to make sure that it is equitably informed and planned. So this information will be collected, should this bill pass, and it will be protected with the—

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

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: Back to the Deputy Premier: If you say that data is essential, then we should make it mandatory. Having a voluntary collection just creates a patchwork and it doesn’t give us the health equity information we need.

My question is about Bill 283 in terms of how the government will go about helping and supporting the collection of that data, making sure that it’s safe to do so, but also the reporting of the results, because we know that there is a problem with vaccine hesitancy in some communities. The government is late in tracking the data on vaccinations, because it’s already under way. So we’re just catching up and we are missing a big piece of it without the socio-demographic data.

You already have collected some of this data on the testing side. My question to you is that, at a minimum, will you make that data available so that we understand the health equity outcomes of this pandemic on individuals in this province?

Hon. Christine Elliott: This information will be collected on a voluntary basis. First of all, it’s voluntary for people to receive the vaccine or not. We know there is going to be a certain percentage of the population who will choose to decline the vaccine. In the same way, we are providing people with the opportunity to give us that socio-economic data. This is not something which, in our view, should be mandatory. We are encouraging people to provide this information, but if they choose not to, they will not be denied a vaccine. But this is important planning information going forward.

We are protecting privacy. We’re working very closely with the Information and Privacy Commissioner, as I indicated before. But this is going to be information that will be available in a non-personally identified way for the people in health and for the people of Ontario to understand where the gaps are, and where we need to fill in. We will work to do that as time goes on, based on this information.

COVID-19 immunization

Mr. David Piccini: My question is to the Solicitor General. With our vaccine rollout entering high gear, there is a lot for Ontarians and constituents of Northumberland–Peterborough South to be excited about. Every day of the week we’re setting new records, new milestones. In fact, I was really excited to see that in just over a week we got another million jabs in arms. Again, I would like to salute the remarkable volunteers—the Rotarians at the Cobourg Community Centre, up in Trent Hills, in Norwood, at the Garnet Rickard arena and all over this province—who are helping make this happen.

Speaker, one of the key components of this month’s strategy is to funnel more vaccines into hot spot communities to address the fire where it’s the worst. Can the Solicitor General update the Legislature on this strategy this month and on the great progress we’re making to vaccinate Ontarians?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: It is exciting news. We always said that May was going to be a great month, and indeed it is.

With an increased supply of vaccines, we’ve been able to make it easier than ever to receive a vaccine in hot spot areas to help stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect our hospital capacity. As members will recall, we helped to decrease COVID-19 transmission and hospitalizations. We committed to allocating 50% of vaccine shipments for the last week, and this week, to hot spot communities. That equals a half a million doses, Speaker.

This targeted rollout has allowed over 54% of Ontarians age 18 and over, who live or work in a hot spot neighbourhood, to receive at least their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Thanks to these efforts, hot spot communities now have a higher vaccine coverage rate than non-hot spot communities, reversing the trend over the past two weeks. It’s working, Speaker.

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

Mr. David Piccini: Thank you to the minister. I know members of my community find this success exciting. It’s exciting for them and their loved ones because we want our lives back. I would like to thank the minister for working with me, and I know so many members of this Legislature, to understand the nuance in our own community and to support us in our local vaccine efforts.

Speaker, making vaccines as accessible as possible is key to a successful rollout. I know it’s challenging in communities, in rural communities like mine, with rolling hills, and hard-to-reach rural communities.

I was pleased that part of the strategy includes workplaces and mobile vaccination clinics. The minister knows how strongly I feel about mobile vaccination clinics, so can she update this House on this aspect and the nuances of Ontario’s vaccination strategy?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: As the member notes, it is important that we offer Ontarians a number of ways to get vaccinated, including mass vaccination clinics, pharmacy pathways, primary care practitioners, but also the workplace and mobile clinics he referenced, to literally bring the vaccine to you where you work.

Our workplace-led clinics have been off to a strong start. For example, the Ontario Food Terminal has vaccinated over 2,300 critical workers in the province’s food industry. The BAPS community clinic has led the way with over 20,000 doses administered through its vaccine campaign. And mobile teams led by the province are out every day vaccinating small and medium-sized workplaces in Toronto, Peel and York region. Through innovative solutions like these, we are well on our way to achieving our goals.

Nurses

Mr. Wayne Gates: My question is to the Premier. This week is National Nursing Week and the theme is, “We Answer the Call.” For the past 14 months, we have seen the incredible strength, courage and commitment our nurses have for caring for our communities. These heroes have answered the call. Unfortunately, it seems this government doesn’t feel the same way.

Nurses in Niagara are clear: They feel a complete lack of respect from this Conservative government. Nurses on the front lines of this pandemic work long shifts, get drinks of water—with limited staffing support—help COVID-19 patients breathe or hold their hands when their families can’t. Yet the Premier won’t repeal Bill 124, which sends the signal that nurses aren’t valued by this government.

Nurses in Niagara and right across Ontario deserve better. They deserve to be paid a fair wage and to have mental health supports and proper PPE.

When will this government stop denying nurses the supports they need and deserve and stop calling them heroes while disrespecting them? When will the Premier and his government answer their call?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Parliamentary assistant and member for Willowdale.

Mr. Stan Cho: Yes, the member is correct: Nurses are very much valued—and that is especially true of our government. We appreciate the hard work they’ve been showing us, especially during this very difficult time.

Speaker, the reality with Bill 124 is that Ontario’s public sector employees are still able to receive those salary increases for seniority or for performance, merit, increased qualifications, as they normally would. This legislation allows for that reasonable wage increase while respecting taxpayers and the services they rely on. It’s important to note that since the bill’s introduction, collective agreements covering over 340,000 unionized public sector employees have been settled in compliance with this act. That’s 40% of unionized employees in the broader public sector.

We’re going to continue responsibly managing our finances here in the province of Ontario, while respecting and appreciating the hard work of nurses—and happy nurses—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Response.

Mr. Stan Cho: —all of those nurses.

We need to make sure those services are available for today and for generations to come.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary? The member for Nickel Belt.

M me France Gélinas: To the Minister of Labour: This year, the Ontario Nurses’ Association’s theme for Nursing Week is “Still Standing. Still Strong. Still Proud.” It’s a theme that reflects the challenges nurses have withstood throughout this pandemic, and their remarkable resilience and dedication.

During the pandemic, nurses have worked hard each and every shift, month after month. They are exhausted, yet they persevere and continue to care for us. The courage, the professionalism and the compassion they display is humbling.

Ontario’s nurses have been called heroes, but the province has denied them the PPE they need. The government thanked them, then denied them paid sick days and WSIB coverage when they got COVID-19 at work. They have been praised for working long, difficult days and nights for months on end, and then denied negotiating rights and workplace protections from the Ford government.

Will the minister respect nurses and withdraw Bill 124?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Willowdale to reply.

Mr. Stan Cho: Of course, we respect the hard work of our nurses, as I said in my previous answer. That’s why our government has responded with a $51-billion financial package that has significant supports for countless Ontario families and businesses, including our hard-working front-line workers.

Speaker, it has to be said again that Bill 124 still allows for those salary increases—it just does so on that reasonable scale. We still recognize nurses for their abilities, their increased qualifications, their seniority, and that doesn’t change. That is evidenced by 40% of unionized employees being able to settle in compliance with this act.

What we need to ensure is that we respect these pay increases for our hard-working front-line workers. But again, this has to be a sustainable system put in place for today and for generations to come. That’s exactly what this government is going to do.

Nurses

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Deputy Premier. It’s Nursing Week in Ontario, and I have to give a shout-out to my favourite nurse: my mother, Mary.

Applause.

Mr. John Fraser: Thank you. She deserves it.

I truly believe to this day that a solution to the primary care challenge is just to have a nurse in every family. It stops a lot of ER visits and a lot of doctors’ visits.

The Deputy Premier is already aware of this: It’s expected that the number of nurses leaving the profession will substantially increase due to the stress and workload they’re experiencing this year. They’re going to leave younger. We know that’s going to happen. And we know that there’s a nursing shortage and a shortage of nurse practitioners in this province.

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario has written to the Minister of Colleges and Universities asking if they could increase enrolment by 400 for nurses and 70 for nurse practitioners. Ontario’s universities have that capacity; they’ve let the minister know that.

We know we’re going to need more nurses and nurse practitioners in long-term care and acute care, in corrections, primary care.

Speaker, through you: Will the Deputy Premier support the RNAO’s urgent request to increase the number of students enrolled in nursing programs this fall?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you very much to the member for the question. This is a very important issue, and we are all grateful for the heroic efforts that our nurses have gone through over the last 16 months. We know that they’re under incredible stress, they’re burned out, they are exhausted, but they keep going. So we wish them a happy nurses’ week, but more than that, we all express our appreciation and thanks to them for the incredible work that they’re doing.

But we know [inaudible] who are stressed, who will likely leave after the worst of this pandemic is over. We have offered some mental health supports and counselling to them to help deal with some of the issues. I have discussed this with nursing groups during this week, as a matter of fact. But we also know that we need more people in our system. We know that we need to hire thousands more of all types of nursing professionals: nurses, personal support workers and others.

I’ll deal with the balance of your question in the supplementary.

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

Mr. John Fraser: I’m looking forward to the minister’s response. I do very much appreciate the fact that every day I’m here to ask a question, you’re here to answer it.

I asked the minister to review the RNAO submission. I think it’s really important that we take action now. It’s urgent. The fall is coming up quickly. Institutions need time to ramp up, and I look forward to a response.

My supplementary is with regard to scope of practice. We all know that scope of practice is generally pretty glacial. It’s been that way for decades and decades. I know there was some movement forward for nurse practitioners. In June 2019, the Ministry of Health expanded NP scope of practice to include point-of-care testing, ordering CTs, ordering MRIs. However, these changes were expected in the winter of 2020. I understand, given all the things that were happening, that that was a challenge. We also know that their scope can be expanded further.

So what I would like to know from the minister, as well as the answer in terms of the expansion of spaces, is when they plan to increase the scope of nurse practitioners, as they had planned in June 2019.

Hon. Christine Elliott: For the first part of your question, yes, I can tell you that we will take into consideration RNAO’s request for more positions in our educational facilities for more nurses to graduate. We know that we need more nurses, with the people who will probably be leaving as a result of COVID-19, and especially in long-term care, with the increase in care to four hours, from 2.75 hours. So, absolutely, I will take that seriously into consideration.

Secondly, with respect to the scope of practice, some of the work that has been going on in the Ministry of Health has been delayed because of the efforts that we’ve had to make to deal with COVID-19. But yes, we are still considering scope of practice for a variety of health professionals, including nurse practitioners. Thank you for the question.

Correctional facilities

Mr. Gurratan Singh: My question is to the Solicitor General. In December 2016, Mr. Soleiman Faqiri died struggling to breathe as he lay on the ground of his jail cell in Lindsay as he was awaiting a mental health assessment. He was shackled and pepper sprayed after guards had placed a spit hood over his head. The details of this case are well known. Some of the guards involved or in question admitted wrongdoing, but no charges have been laid.

The Conservative government continues to sit on the correctional services oversight and investigations report regarding Mr. Faqiri’s death. Will the Solicitor General do the right thing: Make this report public and take a step closer towards justice for Mr. Faqiri’s family?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: There are so many things that we have been able to do since forming government, particularly in corrections, and I will highlight some of those, because I think the example that the member shared is very disturbing for many of us. When we formed government, when we had the opportunity to actually make some investments in corrections, we did that decisively and we did it quickly. You will remember that we committed to hire an additional 500 correctional officers, to investments in expanding jail capacity so that we don’t have to house people in very small cells with two or three people to a cell.

These investments are going to protect individuals who are in our correctional facilities, they’re going to protect our correctional guards and other staff who work in these institutions and, ultimately, they’re going to make a better society, because we’re putting in the programming and getting this done. Finally, we have that opportunity in government.

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

Mr. Gurratan Singh: Back to the Solicitor General: My question is about Soleiman Faqiri. At the time of his death, Mr. Faqiri had not been convicted of any crime. He was sick and he was in need of care. In the wake of the government’s correctional services oversight and investigations report into his death, two out of the six correctional officers involved were fired. But the Conservative government refuses to make the report that led to these firings public.

At a bare minimum, Mr. Faqiri’s family and his community deserve answers as a starting point towards closure in this horrific and ongoing ordeal. Justice can’t be done while this critical information is hidden. Will the Solicitor General release their government’s report to the public regarding Mr. Faqiri?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: There’s no doubt that when individuals come into our institutions with mental health issues or with other concerns like drug addictions, it is a very challenging environment. It is, frankly, again, why we as a government have made a commitment and invested. We’ve invested in ensuring that facilities have ion scanners so that people are not bringing contraband into our facilities. It’s ensuring that our staff are better trained to understand and deal with individuals who have mental health and addictions issues.

These are very challenging times when our community has to deal with the issues that come into our institutions. But we are doing everything possible to make sure that our staff are well trained and well qualified and, ultimately, well prepared to deal with all of the issues that occur within our 26 institutions.

COVID-19 response

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Minister of Education. Yesterday, Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s Medical Officer of Health, said that if local COVID-19 indicators keep declining it would be safe to send students back to school.

It’s likely that other communities will find themselves in this situation, so my question to the minister is simple: Can the minister please let Ontario families know whether the government is planning a regional approach to reopening schools?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Obviously, we are all committed to having children in school. We know how important it is for their mental health and development. The Chief Medical Officer of Health has said that we continue to face challenges in the province in the context of high rates of transmission, albeit they seem to be coming down. That is good, but we cannot let our guard up. We are seeking his advice on the way forward.

What we have done in the meantime, as we await that advice and the scientific analysis, is put in place a plan, a $1.6-billion investment, as we look forward to September to ensure we can keep schools safe and keep them open. The Chief Medical Officer of Health has confirmed multiple times to the people of Ontario that our plan has worked to keep kids safe; one of the lowest positivity case rates for youth under 20 in the nation. That is because we listened to the science, because we invested and because we followed the best advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Thank you for your answer, Minister. The question I asked is: Are you planning for it? One of the challenges is, you should plan for the advice that you may get before you get that advice. I just needed to know that answer, so maybe you could provide that in the supplementary answer.

This is about another plan. Access to affordable child care is a game-changer for families and restarting our economy. Women have predominantly shouldered the child care burden throughout this pandemic, either leaving the workforce or having to try and manage both at home. We know that every dollar that’s invested in child care returns $2.50 to the economy, and that full participation in the workforce is the best thing we can do for our economy.

We’ve recently put forward a plan to expand access to affordable, licensed child care to allow parents—mostly women—to re-enter the workforce. Speaker, through you: What is the government planning to do differently as we come out of this pandemic to ensure that licensed child care is accessible and affordable to all Ontario families?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Part of our plan is to make sure that those who work within our schools and our child care centres can be vaccinated. We’re very proud that all staff who work within our education space are able to get vaccines as we look forward, as the Minister of Health and the Solicitor General have confirmed, to expanding that to young people aged 12 and up. That is a game-changer as we look forward to a more safe, more stable, more normal September for the kids of this province, who deserve that after a year of disruption.

We’re proud to be investing $1.6 billion, to be investing four times the rate of what the former Liberal government—a 400% increase in mental health supports to help kids in this province get through this adversity. We’re going to continue to invest and follow the best advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Small business

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: My question is for the Premier. Ontario’s small businesses have struggled from the beginning of this pandemic. Businesses watched their finances dwindle and their doors close while the government claimed to have their back. It took eight months until those supports came.

The Ontario Small Business Support Grant was a lifeline that hasn’t reached far too many businesses. Nadia opened Zaatarz Bakery and Sweets in February 2020. She told me that she recently applied for the OSBSG, received a secondary email requesting a void cheque and a bank statement, only to get shut down after supplying them. Jean runs Sport Clips, one of the first to shut down in the lockdowns, and has been mistakenly told her business is ineligible. She’s emailed again and again, with no response.

I’m here to tell this government they’re not doing enough to help small businesses. Will you reopen the OSBSG and expand eligibility so people like Nadia and Jean can keep their businesses afloat and their employees paid?

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

Mr. Stan Cho: To Nadia and Jean: This government will continue to make sure we support small businesses.

When it comes to the support grant program, already $2.5 billion has flowed into the hands of these small businesses. In the second round alone, over 75,000 businesses have received over $1.1 billion. But the member voted against that. It’s very important to note that. The member not only voted against that but against every support measure from the beginning of this pandemic, most recently reductions in hydro cost; reductions in property tax cost; elimination of the EHT, a tax on jobs. The member voted against that.

Investments into broadband infrastructure, a historic investment of $4 billion: The member voted against that. The member voted against $4.9 billion to commit to the nation-leading four hours of care per resident in long-term-care homes, Speaker.

So how can the member speak to the London businesses who have received over $30 million in the support grant program and justify his voting record and the opposition—

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

Mr. Terence Kernaghan: Speaker, the government may be here to cast stones, but the NDP has been calling for business supports since April 2020. I’m glad this government finally stood up—but they haven’t done enough.

There are other businesses in my riding that haven’t even yet received a response. Dani is one of the many other small business owners in my riding still waiting for answers. She first applied for this grant in January, but her application sat under review for months. Finally, in April, after the deadline had passed, she found out her application was denied. She was not given a reason, even though the government has stated they always provide a reason for rejection. To make matters worse, there’s no appeal process in place for Dani to challenge this decision.

Why does this government keep turning their backs on small business owners like Dani instead of offering a helping hand? Do the right thing.

Mr. Stan Cho: I’d like to remind Dani that the NDP, the opposition, since April of last year, has voted against every single support measure for Dani and her business—every single one. But here’s the most curious fact for me, Speaker: After second reading of the budget, where the opposition has an opportunity to put forward constructive feedback, ideas on how to further support small businesses—the independent members put forward several amendments, and we’re going to work collaboratively with them to achieve those outcomes. The NDP: zero amendments, zero suggestions.

Deferred Votes

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Amendment Act (Advanced Glucose Monitoring Devices), 2021 / Loi de 2021 modifiant la

Loi sur le ministère de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée (appareils et accessoires avancés de surveillance de la glycémie)

Deferred vote on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 272,

An Act to amend the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Act with respect to the inclusion of advanced glucose monitoring devices in the Assistive Devices Program / Projet de loi 272, Loi modifiant la

Loi sur le ministère de la Santé et des Soins de longue durée en ce qui concerne l’inclusion des appareils et accessoires avancés de surveillance de la glycémie dans le Programme d’appareils et accessoires fonctionnels.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The bells will now ring for 30 minutes, during which time members may cast their ballots. I’ll ask the Clerks to please prepare the lobbies.

The division bells rang from 1140 to 1210.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The vote on the motion for second reading of Bill 272,

An Act to amend the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care Act with respect to the inclusion of advanced glucose monitoring devices in the Assistive Devices Program, has taken place.

The Deputy Clerk (Mr. Trevor Day): The ayes are 14; the nays are 32.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I declare the motion lost.

Second reading negatived.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): There being no further business at this time, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1211 to 1300.

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Asian Heritage Month

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I’m honoured to stand in the House today to commemorate the month of May as Asian Heritage Month. Asian Heritage Month is an opportunity for all Ontarians to learn about the many achievements and contributions of Canadians of Asian descent, including South Asian descent, who throughout our history have done so much to make Canada the amazing country we share today. We can be inspired by the long and rich history of these Canadians who continue to enrich our country.

As Canadians, we are deeply proud of the free and pluralistic country we have built. It’s why we dedicate the month of May to pay tribute to the Asian community, which includes over 30 countries that make up east, southeast and south Asian communities, for their significant cultural, economic and historical contributions to our land.

As Ontario’s Minister of Education, I believe it’s important to recognize and celebrate those contributions in Ontario’s school curriculum. Asian Canadian history is part of our collective Canadian history, and as such, Mr. Speaker, this should not be highlighted only during the month of May but integrated throughout the school year.

Ontario’s classrooms must provide students with learning opportunities on how to confront and combat racism, discrimination, xenophobia and hate. This demands frank and honest discussions about our past where students can learn about and understand the long-standing impact of the Chinese head tax imposed on Chinese immigrants at the turn of the century or the Japanese internments during the Second World War or Canada’s refusal to accept the South Asian immigrants who arrived in Vancouver in the spring and summer of 1914 aboard the SS Komagata Maru.

Mr. Speaker, it means teaching children to love our country while we acknowledge shameful incidents within our history, and of course it means understanding the world in which we live, including speaking up in defence of minority groups, such as the Uighurs facing systematic persecution by the communist Chinese state.

It’s why the ministry works to ensure that curriculum is inclusive, reflects the diversity of Ontario’s population and promotes understanding and inclusion. This learning begins in kindergarten and continues in elementary school throughout various grades in a number of subjects. At the heart of our public education system is a shared responsibility and role to safeguard the success and well-being of all students, irrespective of their race, creed or faith.

But, Mr. Speaker, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge and condemn the concerning spike of anti-Asian hate, including physical assaults against children and elderly people that have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic—a sad reality that has existed for generations, however tragically amplified today.

These racist attacks are unacceptable and an affront to the values our country upholds. Motivated by hate and fanned by the COVID-19 pandemic, this racism has negatively impacted the mental and physical health, well-being and safety of educators, students, families and communities of Asian descent. Every student in Ontario has an unassailable right to feel safe and protected at school so that they can reach their full potential and achieve lifelong success.

As minister, I’m committed to upholding and promoting human rights and eliminating hatred, racism and discrimination in our schools. It’s imperative that we, as a Legislature, remain steadfast in that commitment to work with our communities, our families, school boards and education partners to create safe, respectful and inclusive spaces for students to learn, interact and develop.

Last July, our government announced changes to the education system that will break down barriers for Indigenous, Black and racialized students, including those who live in low-income households and those with disabilities and special education needs, so that they can succeed. As part of this action, we’re moving forward with eliminating and ending grade 9 streaming into applied and academic courses, proposing to eliminate discretionary suspensions for students, strengthening sanctions for educators who engage in behaviour of a racist nature and providing teachers with additional anti-racism and anti-discrimination training.

I’m proud to tell you that this has enabled the funding of new community organizations, including those that support Asian communities directly, through culturally relevant mental health supports and educator and parent resources to address the anti-Asian racism phenomenon that we’re seeing at home and abroad.

Today, I want to highlight the $6.4 million that the Ontario government is directing towards numerous third-party initiatives and partners to protect against racism and hate. It includes funding to community organizations to address anti-Asian hate, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, among others, as well as support for newcomer parents and families to enhance access to school and community resources and culturally appropriate mental health supports for Asian youth, students and families.

Specifically, $340,000 targeted to Asian community partners to support initiatives that break down those barriers to success, that support inclusivity and the child’s mental health. These initiatives will help ensure that students learn in more inclusive classrooms, that they are supported by their educators and their communities.

In addition, through the Safe Restart Agreement we’re partnering with community groups that include the Chinese Canadian National Council for Social Justice that’s receiving $50,000 to develop online resources to help Chinese Canadian households engage their children, from grades 3 to 5, in discussions about racism, part of a broader effort to change the culture within our households through our classrooms.

We’re providing $10,000 to the Asian Canadian Educators Network to develop a series of professional development workshops about anti-Asian racism for schools and boards in Ontario to better empower our front-line educators to oppose racism of all kinds. And $140,000 to Community Family Services of Ontario to deliver resources and supports relevant to pandemic-induced issues and risks faced by newcomers and East Asian Ontario families.

Mr. Speaker, we are proud of these significant investments because, without question, all of Ontario’s students deserve the opportunity to succeed and flourish at school. This has always been our pledge, as well as my personal commitment as minister: to affect real, genuine change for our students, that they can thrive, reach their potential and succeed in the real world.

Our government will not tolerate racism, anti-Semitism, homophobia, Islamophobia or hate in any form in any school. Through these initiatives, we will ensure students from all walks of life are prepared for lifelong success. All students must feel welcomed and afforded an equal opportunity to succeed. As minister, I want all of Ontario’s Indigenous, Black and racialized students, including those of Asian descent, to know that they are valued and respected.

We will stand with all students on this journey to advance respect, dignity and opportunity. We will continue to build a world-class education system that has high expectations for our students, regardless of their social identities, and will help to ensure equitable opportunities, meaningful experiences and successful outcomes for those students.

The proud history of Asian immigration and, tragically, discrimination in Canada, can be traced back to more than 150 years ago when Chinese workers arrived on the west coast and joined workers to construct the nation-building CP Railway. Many lost their lives in an endeavour that saw them treated unfairly and inhumanely; treated as if they were expendable. Mr. Speaker, the incredible sacrifice of these individuals and their families—sons and fathers, mothers and daughters—were not appreciated or rewarded by Canadian lawmakers at that time.

Instead, Canada restricted immigration from China through the head tax, which was actually abolished through the Chinese Exclusion Act, and aimed to prevent nearly all Chinese immigration to Canada. Mr. Speaker, the Chinese Exclusion Act remained in effect until 1947.

These past and present failings must be acknowledged and confronted, as I have noted, and we must be unyielding in our motivation to honour the sacrifice of those pioneers: these newcomers who chose Canada and helped to shape our history. It is for our forefathers and mothers and for young people today—the next generation, our students—that we must keep building a more welcoming, free and pluralistic society, one that recognizes that all people are created equally, deserving of love and respect. That work must continue as we confront rising hate and racism against Canadians of Asian ancestry.

It was the previous Conservative government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper that acknowledged the injustice inflicted on Chinese Canadians, with an apology for the deeply discriminatory head tax. In the Prime Minister’s words, he said, “This was a grave injustice, and one we are morally obligated to acknowledge.”

It was the government of Progressive Conservative Prime Minister Brian Mulroney who recognized and apologized for the Canadian state’s mistreatment and racist actions against Japanese families. At the time, Prime Minister Mulroney said, “We cannot change the past. But we must, as a nation, have the courage to face up to these historical facts.”

Indeed, it was just last month that we celebrated Journey to Freedom Day, a day marking the welcoming of more than 60,000 Vietnamese refugees fleeing war and persecution by communists in their home country. More than 34,000 of those refugees were privately sponsored by charities, religious organizations and, of course, Canadian families. It was an impressive show of compassion and love to their fellow man that drove Canadians and that government to welcome such a significant number of refugees.

These moments should remind us of what our country can be at its best.

Asian Canadians not only physically helped to build this great country, but they also culturally enriched its diversity, which has become an important characteristic of our nation. It is why we undertake to better reflect the positive contributions Asian and racialized Canadians have made to the development of our country, in many cases even before Canada’s Confederation.

The experiences of each family and individual vary, but the promise that Canada offers remains the same: the promise of a better life, steeped in democratic tradition; the foundational principles of freedom and of equality, for this generation and for the next.

This month, let’s work hard to counter all forms of hate and, most especially, celebrate the rich diversity of Asian culture and history that contribute to the success of this beautiful country, Canada.

Nurses

Hon. Christine Elliott: Speaker, nurses play a critical role in ensuring Ontarians have access to the high-quality health care and support they need every day, but we have never been more grateful for their contributions than throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Monday, May 10, marked the beginning of Nursing Week in Canada, an opportunity to recognize all of the incredible nurses across our health care system and in our province. Yesterday, on May 12, we also celebrated International Nurses Day.

Speaker, I’m very pleased to rise in the House today as Minister of Health to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation to all of Ontario’s nurses for the vital work they do and the compassion they demonstrate to patients and families each and every day. Whether they are providing care in hospitals, long-term-care homes, primary care settings, home and community care settings, correctional facilities, public health units, retirement homes or academic institutions, nurses make a tremendous difference in the lives of countless Ontarians. This has never been more clear than during the COVID-19 pandemic.

From day one, nurses have been on the front lines of Ontario’s pandemic response, working tirelessly to protect the health and well-being of Ontarians, while also continuing to deliver exceptional care to patients and families. Occasions like this remind us all to recognize and celebrate the incredible courage, compassion and unwavering dedication of nurses here in Ontario, across the country and around the world.

Our nurses have worked around the clock, sacrificing precious time with their loved ones, facing exhaustion and burnout, and putting themselves at risk to keep all of us safe. Yet, even when faced with the extraordinary challenges posed by a global pandemic, Ontario’s dedicated nurses rose to the challenge to be there when we needed them the most.

On a daily basis, they are there caring for some of our most vulnerable and supporting us through our health care journeys. Whether they are ordering diagnostic tests, such as X-rays and ultrasounds; prescribing medications for patients, that they need to care for their health; or supporting patients in managing their health conditions, Ontarians can be comforted in knowing that even in the most trying of situations, nurses continue to be there for us and for our loved ones in our time of need.

Nurses are an inspiration to us all, and we continue to see more and more people dedicate themselves to a life of service by joining the health workforce as nurses. In fact, Speaker, according to the College of Nurses of Ontario, there has been an almost 13% increase in the number of nurses eligible to work in Ontario over the past five years, and today, I am proud to share that there are over 173,000 men and women eligible to work as nurses across this province.

As we rightly recognize registered nurses, nurse practitioners and registered practical nurses, we also know there are so many other health care providers who are caring for Ontarians during this pandemic. To protect these front-line health care heroes, we are investing $1.4 billion to procure personal protective equipment to help keep them safe from harm.

Furthermore, our government has invested approximately $69 million in nursing education, recruitment and retention programs.

Nurses are an important cornerstone of our health care system. By investing in nurses, we are supporting our government’s commitment to end hallway health care and to build a modern, more connected health care system that is centred on the needs of patients and their families.

As we face the COVID-19 pandemic together, the incredible contributions of nurses across the province are critical in keeping our loved ones and our communities safe.

Vaccines remain our greatest tool to help protect our nurses and other front-line heroes from becoming overwhelmed, and to stop the spread of COVID-19 and save lives. Nurses are essential in this fight and have been identified as a high-priority group in Ontario’s vaccine rollout.

And with our vaccine rollout well under way, we are once again seeing nurses step up to support this important initiative. Across the province, nurses are volunteering to administer vaccines in mass immunization clinics, pop-up clinics, mobile clinics and primary care settings—helping us to receive the best protection possible from this devastating virus and ensure that there are brighter days ahead.

Together, we continue to make progress as we ramp up our vaccine rollout, vaccinating more and more people every day. Thanks to our collective efforts, we expect that 65% of Ontarians 18 years of age and older will have received their first dose of the vaccine by the end of May. That is what hope looks like. We are so grateful to the nurses, health care heroes and public health units that are working with us to reach this exciting milestone.

As we celebrate nurses’ week and International Nurses Day in Ontario, let us take a moment to recognize the critical role that nurses play in building strong and healthy communities, and their unwavering commitment to protect the health and well-being of all Ontarians.

Ontario’s nurses are the heart of our health care system. They are there celebrating with us on good days, grieving with us on the worst, and supporting us through our health care journeys.

Once again, on behalf of the government and on behalf of all Ontarians, I want to thank all of Ontario’s nurses for showing the world the best of Ontario and making a tremendous difference in the lives of patients and families with their exceptional service and endless compassion. Ontario’s nurses truly are our heroes.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Responses?

Nurses / Infirmières et infirmiers

M me France Gélinas: This Nursing Week, my heart is full of gratitude for nurses. Their importance in the lives of all Ontarians is immeasurable, and the pandemic has shone a spotlight on that.

But this Nursing Week, more than ever before, I want the government to appreciate and celebrate nurses not just with words, but with actions.

This year, the Ontario Nurses’ Association’s theme for Nursing Week is “Still Standing. Still Strong. Still Proud.” The theme reflects the challenges that nurses have withstood throughout this pandemic, and their remarkable resiliency and dedication.

Ontario’s nurses have been called heroes, but the province has denied them the PPE they needed to stay safe. The government has thanked them, then denied them paid sick days and WSIB coverage when they got COVID-19 at work. They have been praised for working long, difficult days and nights for months on end, but then denied negotiating rights and workplace protections by the Ford government.

Our nurses have been there for us during the worst of times. Ontarians and New Democrats recognize their immense contribution in taking care of us and taking care of our families. But sadly, Premier Doug Ford has forced nurses to go to court against the government in the middle of a pandemic, rather than respect the value of their work and their lives. Nurses deserve far better than that.

New Democrats are proud to stand with nurses, and we will continue to push this government for the recognition and the respect that they deserve, and that means the withdrawal of the discriminatory and unconstitutional Bill 124.

I want to wish every nurse a happy Nursing Week. I want you to know that you are loved, you are trusted, you are respected, you are appreciated. Je vous souhaite une bonne semaine des infirmières et des infirmiers.

Asian Heritage Month

Ms. Bhutila Karpoche: During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen an alarming rise in anti-Asian racism in Canada. A recent report documented over 1,150 incidents of anti-Asian racism across the country, with 40% of these attacks happening in Ontario.

Speaker, these attacks are not isolated incidents. These are symptoms of the systemic racism that Canadians of Asian heritage have faced for generations. This racism is an inextricable part of our country’s history. Over 130 years ago, after approximately 600 Chinese workers died building the Canadian Pacific Railway, Canada brought in the Chinese head tax to restrict immigration from China. One hundred and seven years ago, Canada denied entry and forced the return of the Komagata Maru, which proved to be tragic.

Eighty years ago, the Canadian government detained and dispossessed more than 90% of Japanese Canadians in internment camps. And it wasn’t until 1967 that Canada removed immigration restrictions on the basis of race that kept people of Asian descent out of the country. That’s only 54 years ago, Speaker. Many in this chamber were alive for that.

Anti-Asian racism is not new, but it has reached new heights during the pandemic, and we must oppose it in all its forms. That’s why my colleagues and I tabled a bill earlier this week to declare May 10 as a provincial day of action to address anti-Asian racism.

Speaker, we must be aware of how we perpetrate systemic racism under the guise of protections or rescue. It manifests itself even if we may have the best of intentions; for example, Bill 251, a well-meaning attempt to prevent the despicable crime of human trafficking. Groups like Butterfly, an organization that provides a network of support for Asian and migrant sex workers, has raised concerns that Bill 251 will lead to further criminalization of Asian Canadians and other racialized communities.

Butterfly is concerned that enhancing unfettered police powers, like being able to enter places at any time without a warrant, being able to demand, copy, remove anything, is counterproductive and will instead lead to more discrimination and racial profiling, and that Asian and migrant sex workers will be subjected to increased surveillance, interrogation, detention and even deportation.

It is incumbent on us as legislators to listen to the communities the bill is claiming to help. We cannot oppose anti-Asian racism without listening to the Asian community and validating their experiences. So let us do that: Let’s listen to them and let’s work together to dismantle the systemic discrimination that hurts so many Asian Canadians.

Nurses

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: I am delighted to speak on behalf of Nursing Week, International Nurses Day and also nursing month. Speaker, nurses are the first people that we see at birth, and usually, throughout our lives when we have a medical care issue, we are with a nurse. Their actions offering care to each and every one of us touch our lives, and they do so with compassion and care.

In the current pandemic, we can testify to the sacrifices of nurses—sadly, some even with their own lives. Nurses are at the forefront and have bravely put their lives at risk during the pandemic, with long hours and unselfish work. They risk their lives on the front line, alongside other front-line workers, each and every day. They are often the only ones present as a loved one passes away due to COVID-19. We must recognize this great sacrifice and the contributions of nurses to our society, and also acknowledge their families, who, too, are making sacrifices to support them.

I want to thank all nurses, as well as their representatives, like ONA, for the contributions that they have made, especially during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The nursing profession is diverse, including Indigenous, Black, Asian and other people of diverse backgrounds. They make this profession lively. They make huge contributions to our society here in Ontario. Many of them reside in my riding, in Scarborough.

Nurses need to be appreciated not only in words, but also in substantive actions to address the concerns that they’ve put forward to this government; specifically, the hours of care, the ability to bargain freely, as well as wages and benefits. I call on this government to establish an all-party select committee to review the conditions of nursing across all health care systems in Ontario. Platitudes alone are not enough. Nurses are deserving of more pay and better benefits.

In my own family, I’ve witnessed the many sacrifices that nurses make each and every day.

I’ve visited many of Scarborough’s health care settings: long-term care, hospitals, community health centres—and just yesterday, a vaccination pop-up clinic at the East Scarborough Boys and Girls Club, where I met many nurses.

I want to thank all of our nurses for the work that you do each and every day and the care you provide to all of us.

Asian Heritage Month

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: Speaker, anti-Asian racism is an issue on the rise in Ontario.

In Scarborough, we have a vibrant and strong Asian population. It is a diverse and essential part of our community.

The Momiji centre is in my riding. It is a wonderful place. There’s no more peaceful place than the Japanese garden at Momiji Health Care Society. However, it is a reminder of Canada’s apology to the Japanese people following the internment in World War II.

Racism of any kind must not be tolerated in this province, in this country. The rise of anti-Asian racism, particularly during the pandemic, is disgusting. As legislators, we must do more.

The TDSB’s annual report from the board’s human rights office shows that incidents of racism against Black and Asians is on the rise, with race-related complaints making up 69% of all reported hate incidents in 2019-20. The data in the report outlines significant growth in anti-Asian sentiment.

This week, my colleagues MPP Coteau and MPP Collard tabled a bill that will amend the Anti-Racism Act, 2017, to expressly address anti-Asian racism.

The Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto recently released a report that found 1,150 cases of racist attacks reported in Canada during the pandemic, and 40% of the reported cases were in Ontario.

The government needs to act on this growing problem before greater levels of severity of this unacceptable action are reached.

I also call on the government to mandate the collection of incidents of racism across all school boards.

Speaker, our young people need to grow up in an inclusive, welcoming and diverse Ontario society where all are treated with respect, fairness and justice.

Business of the House

Hon. Paul Calandra: Speaker, on a point of order: In accordance with standing order 59, I’d like to outline the agenda for next week, if I may.

On Monday morning, there is ballot item number 87, standing in the name of the member for Brampton Centre. That item has yet to be determined; I suspect we’ll get some more information over the weekend. In the afternoon of Monday, May 17, there will be a take-note debate on the report on Ontario’s second declared provincial emergency from January 12, 2021, to February 9, 2021.

On Tuesday morning, third reading debate on Bill 282,

An Act in respect of various road safety matters; in the afternoon, we will continue on to third reading debate on Bill 282; and in the evening, there will be private member’s ballot item 88, standing in the name of the member for Brampton West. That item is also yet to be determined. I again suspect we’ll hear additional information over the next day or two.

Wednesday, May 19: In the morning, there will be third reading debate on Bill 251,

An Act to enact, amend and repeal various Acts in respect of human trafficking matters. That debate will continue in the afternoon, and in the evening, ballot item 89 for the member for Ottawa–Vanier, Bill 287,

An Act to amend the Education Act with respect to equity education and the Education Equity Secretariat Initiatives Branch.

On Thursday, May 20, in the morning, there will be third reading debate on Bill 251,

An Act to enact, amend and repeal various Acts in respect of human trafficking matters, and in the afternoon, we will continue third reading debate on Bill 282 on road safety matters. In the evening, there will be ballot item number 90 standing in the name of the member for Ajax, which, as well, is yet to be determined.

I’d also just like to thank all members for another very productive week and safe week at the Legislature.

If colleagues will indulge me, today is the last day of Jessie Saliba, who has been with my office since before I took on House leader’s role. She has done a great job for us. I thank her for all her hard work. I’ll just wrap up by saying I’m sure the table officers will certainly enjoy not hearing her scream her orders at me from behind the Speaker.

Orders of the Day

Keeping Polystyrene Out of Ontario’s Lakes and Rivers Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 sur la prévention de la pollution des lacs et des rivières de l’Ontario par le polystyrène

Mr. Norman Miller moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 228,

An Act to prohibit unencapsulated expanded or extruded polystyrene in floating docks, floating platforms and buoys / Projet de loi 228, Loi interdisant le polystyrène expansé ou extrudé sans enveloppe de protection dans les quais flottants, les plateformes flottantes et les bouées.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I recognize the member to lead off the debate.

Mr. Norman Miller: It’s my honour to rise today to speak to third reading of my private member’s Bill 228, the Keeping Polystyrene Out of Ontario’s Lakes and Rivers Act.

Beautiful waters and the natural environment are a big part of the identity of Parry Sound–Muskoka. As you probably know, my riding sits on the east side of Georgian Bay. The riding boundary in the north is the French River, in the south it’s the Severn River, and in the riding, there are hundreds of lakes, rivers and streams. People are attracted to the area whether as residents, as seasonal residents or as visitors to spend time on and around the water, so protecting the water is good for both the environment and the economy.

As well, Georgian Bay is part of Lake Huron and the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes hold roughly one fifth of the world’s fresh water and provide drinking water to 40 million people in Canada and the United States. We all know we need to protect that water.

Many people focus on things like single-use plastics and Styrofoam takeout containers, but I want to point out there is one form of foam that is created specifically to be put in the water, and that is dock foam. Open or expanded and extruded polystyrene—or, as it’s better known, Styrofoam—is used as floatation for floating docks and rafts. I’ve seen broken-up dock foam on the shores of Georgian Bay for years and have been thinking about what could be done about it.

Last spring, just as I was working with legislative counsel on this bill, I, like everyone else, was taking a lot of walks. On those walks, I found more and more dock foam. Unfortunately, I can’t share with you the photos I shared with the committee, but let me say, you would be hard pressed to find a stretch of Georgian Bay shoreline that doesn’t have many pieces of dock foam, and these pieces ranged from the size of a seed to a few cubic feet. I’ve taken photos myself and I’ve received pictures from groups and individuals who take it upon themselves to try to clean up the mess that dock foam creates.

I want to take a moment to recognize some of the organizations in my riding that are working hard to protect our water quality: the Georgian Bay Association, Georgian Bay Forever, the Georgian Bay Land Trust, various cottagers associations including the Bayfield-Nares Islanders’ Association, the South Channel Association and many more.

The groups working hardest on this issue are generally Georgian Bay-based because the problem of dock foam is biggest on larger bodies of water, but it is a problem anywhere unencapsulated foam is used as flotation.

Many groups and individuals pick up foam and other litter, quietly doing their part to clean up this mess, but Georgian Bay Forever has also taken the time to quantify and illustrate the scope of this problem. In 2019, volunteers conducting a cleanup of the Georgian Bay shoreline collected an estimated 5,000 pieces of dock foam, far more than any other kind of litter.

I believe the government needs to support those efforts by individuals, businesses and environmental groups. That is why, in an effort to reduce the waste and pollutants in Ontario’s waterways, Bill 228 is proposing that all expanded or extruded polystyrene used as flotation in new docks, other floating platforms and buoys be fully encapsulated to prevent it breaking up and polluting the waters.

The big pieces of dock foam may be relatively easy to clean up, but as the foam stays in the environment, floating exposed to wave action, wildlife and ultraviolet light, it breaks into smaller and smaller pieces. These small pieces are almost impossible to clean up. One person who wrote to me in support of this bill, Christopher Lewis, described it very well. He said, “Having collected many pieces of this polystyrene each spring and throughout the course of the summer, I find the continued use of this material very troubling. It breaks down into tiny pieces that can’t be recovered except by using a vacuum—an impossible prospect.”

These small pieces are obviously an eyesore, but they are also dangerous to our wildlife. Some of our most iconic Canadian animals live in the water and eat things they find in the water: loons, herons, Canada geese, beavers and all our lake fish, and then we eat the fish.

As well as the local groups, there are larger organizations trying to help clean up the dock foam and other things littering our shores. For example, the Ontario government has supported a project by the Council of the Great Lakes Region, Pollution Probe, Boating Ontario and the University of Toronto to install Seabins and LittaTraps at marinas to try to recapture some of the waste that is in our lakes and waters.

Last fall, I visited Point Pleasant Marina in the Parry Sound area, where one of the Seabins is installed. The owner, Drew Lichtenheldt, talked about why it was important to him to help protect Georgian Bay. At Point Pleasant Marina they use docks built on steel pontoons because they last well, don’t break down in the water and can be fully recycled when they reach the end of their life. Drew told me the Seabin at their marina collects about eight pounds of waste each day, including plastics, oil and other floating debris.

Projects like this are great, but it’s much more effective to prevent the problem at its source than it is to clean it up. Preventing this problem doesn’t mean not building floating docks. Particularly with more extreme weather events, I suspect floating docks are going to become more and more popular. Happily, there are other products that can be used to create a very buoyant floating dock that cause much less environmental damage, and many of them are made right here in Ontario.

You can build docks using metal or plastic pontoons built just for this purpose. As a matter of fact, there are manufacturers in Parry Sound–Muskoka: Kropf Industrial in Parry Sound, NyDock in Huntsville, Dock Kings in Parry Sound and many others. There are modular plastic docking systems built of hard plastic, some of which are made right in Ontario. Do-it-yourselfers can buy plastic dock floats sold at stores like Home Hardware and Home Depot. These come either filled with air or polystyrene foam, but that foam is protected in a hard plastic case.

We did hear some concerns about plastic floats filled with loose polystyrene beads in committee and the damage they cause if they break up, so that might be something to look at in the future.

This isn’t just a problem of Georgian Bay or in Ontario. The Connecticut River Conservancy in the US is also promoting moving away from dock foam and did a cost analysis. This is, of course, in US dollars, but they calculated that dock foam for a four-foot by ten-foot dock would cost $270 but needs to be replaced on average every 10 years. Encapsulated dock foam would cost $400 but would last probably 35 years, while barrels would cost $215 new or $50 used and last 30 to 40 years. This measure has been adopted in several other jurisdictions, including Oregon, Washington state and Arkansas.

Additionally, the US Army Corps of Engineers has prohibited the use of unencapsulated polystyrene, foam in dock billets for more than 10 years.

I was pleased to see this bill called for consideration by the Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills, and I want to thank the presenters who appeared virtually before the committee. We heard from Georgian Bay Forever, the township of The Archipelago, former councillor Gary French, the Federation of Ontario Cottagers’ Associations, Georgian Bay Association, Andy Blenkarn of Desmasdon’s Boat Works, the township of Carling and, finally, the township of Georgian Bay.

I’m going to devote most of my time to the comments from Georgian Bay Forever because they have been leading the research on this issue. We heard from David Sweetnam, executive director, Heather Sargeant, communications director, and Lisa Erdle, a PhD candidate from the University of Toronto. Lisa is the author of Georgian Bay Forever’s report entitled Problems with Polystyrene Foam: Environmental Fate and Effects in the Great Lakes.

Georgian Bay Forever has been trying to educate waterfront property owners on the pollution caused by dock foam for a few years now. Heather Sargeant gave a very thorough explanation of the problems, and I want to paraphrase her presentation for the record here today. Heather explained, “Polystyrene foams are complex compounds often produced with a variety of chemicals. The base ingredients, benzene and styrene, can have toxic effects and can leach into water.

Other chemicals can be added for a variety of purposes, such as to make the material change form to foam, increase production efficiency, last longer or change its colour.” She went on to explain that there are two types of polystyrene, expanded and extruded polystyrene, and that both are found in abundance along the shores of Georgian Bay.

Heather described that, in 2019, more than 100 volunteers from communities on the east coast of Georgian Bay participated in 13 half-day shoreline cleanups. They picked up 1,369 pounds of trash. Far and away, the most common kind of litter was dock foam. She described pieces that ranged in size “from large pieces as big as hockey bags to smaller pieces the size of woodchips.”

Heather went on to say that it isn’t just a Georgian Bay problem: “A recent Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup report showed more than 500,000 pieces were picked up by volunteers from 2016 to 2018. Most of this debris was collected in Ontario. This is pollution that is never going to go away. It may break down into smaller and smaller pieces, but it’s going to keep accumulating.” As the foam breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces, it gets harder to clean up and more likely to be ingested by wildlife where it can cause proble