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October 22, 2020

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2020-Oct-22 vol. A (PDF)

L198A - Thu 22 Oct 2020 / Jeu 22 oct 2020

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Thursday 22 October 2020 Jeudi 22 octobre 2020

Orders of the Day

Supporting Ontario’s Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 visant à soutenir la relance en Ontario et sur les élections municipales

Members’ Statements

Women in politics

Waste reduction

Insurance rates

International Association of Business Communicators awards

Municipal elections

Anti-racism activities

Lawren Harris

COVID-19 response

Food banks

Ed Hum

Brain Cancer Awareness Day

Question Period

Long-term care

Long-term care

COVID-19 response

Waste diversion

Post-secondary education

Post-secondary education

Economic reopening and recovery

Municipal elections

Municipal elections

Climate change

Education funding

Long-term care

Public transit

Capital Markets Modernization Taskforce

Environmental protection

Introduction of Bills

Ontario Rebuilding and Recovery Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 sur la reconstruction et la relance en Ontario

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Transportation infrastructure / Infrastructures de transport

Petitions

Optometry services

Family law

Pharmacare

Power plants

Road safety

Long-term care

Magna Carta Day

Telecommunications in correctional facilities

Daylight saving time

Optometry services

Family law

Orders of the Day

Supporting Ontario’s Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 visant à soutenir la relance en Ontario et sur les élections municipales

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers/Prières.

Orders of the Day

Supporting Ontario’s Recovery and Municipal Elections Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 visant à soutenir la relance en Ontario et sur les élections municipales

Mr. Downey moved second reading of the following bill:

Bill 218,

An Act to enact the Supporting Ontario’s Recovery Act, 2020 respecting certain proceedings relating to the coronavirus (COVID-19), to amend the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 and to revoke a regulation / Projet de loi 218, Loi édictant la Loi de 2020 visant à soutenir la relance en Ontario concernant certaines instances liées au coronavirus (COVID-19), modifiant la Loi de 1996 sur les municipalités et abrogeant un règlement.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I recognize the Attorney General.

Hon. Doug Downey: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to stand in the House today to open debate on a bill that would, if passed, support thousands of Ontario workers, employers, volunteers, non-profits and other organizations who make an honest effort to follow public health guidance and law as Ontario responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ontarians are experiencing unprecedented challenges as we respond to the second wave of COVID-19. Each day, thousands of front-line workers and volunteers put their health and safety at risk to contribute to our communities and our province.

The level of risk does not end there, Mr. Speaker. These workers and volunteers also risk significant civil liability in the event of COVID-19 transmission to third parties. This applies even if workers make good-faith efforts to take all the necessary precautions and efforts set out by public health advice.

Front-line workers are under an incredible amount of stress. Each day, they serve our communities while doing their best to minimize the spread of the virus. They do this for the safety of the people they serve, their families, their loved ones and their neighbours.

After listening to the concerns of individuals and organizations from across Ontario who were relied on by their neighbours to lead their communities’ recoveries, we are taking informed, responsible and decisive action to help. Our government is supporting the volunteers, front-line workers, charities, community partners and non-profits, all of whom are essential to Ontario’s recovery.

We are convinced that this proposed legislation will help support Ontario’s recovery as we face these unprecedented times. Our government is sending a clear signal that we will be there for Ontarians when volunteers want to give their time, when businesses want to rehire staff and when they want to open their doors, and when charities want to help those in need despite these unprecedented challenges.

We will not allow COVID-19 and its impacts to discourage entrepreneurs who want to hire our neighbours. We will not allow this virus to prevent volunteers from offering their unique experience and knowledge to help life get back to normal at the local rink, the curling club or the Legion. We need these volunteers to help ensure our 4-H clubs, our cadet squadrons, Boys and Girls Clubs, Big Brothers Big Sisters and countless others can come back strong and continue their essential work.

We cannot afford to allow local charities to fear holding that annual fundraising, the annual programing that will help them reach the lives of people who need the help the most. If we are to recover as a province, we need to support Ontarians who act in good faith and to make an honest effort to follow public health advice.

This is why, after listening to the concerns of Ontarians, our government is introducing legislation to stand up for our province’s front-line workers, so they can focus on work without fear of retribution. If passed, the proposed supporting Ontario’s recovery, 2020, would provide targeted, enhanced liability protection to front-line workers if sued by third parties, while ensuring people are able to pursue claims-related gross negligence and intentional misconduct regarding the transmission of COVID-19.

Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate that the proposed legislation will not impede Ontarians’ ability to hold bad actors to account. That includes individuals who do not make an honest effort to follow public health advice, guidance and laws relating to COVID-19.

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the thousands of workers and volunteers who continue to make essential contributions to our communities. From health care workers to restaurant staff and clerks at grocery stores, coffee shops and pharmacies, to minor hockey and figure skating coaches and volunteers at local Legions and charities, these are the everyday heroes that keep our communities moving and growing and full of life. They’re a driving force behind our province’s success, and they are being relied on through Ontario’s recovery.

We have always valued and respected the work they do, but many of us feel an even deeper appreciation now. I’m talking about the people who provide essential services to their communities, people who work on the front lines and make an honest effort to follow the public health advice. They’re following the laws on COVID-19, they’re doing it for us and they’re doing it for their families. These workers provide a vital service, not just to our communities and to our neighbours, but to the province. They shouldn’t have to worry about being held liable when making an honest effort to follow public health advice.

We’re talking about the employees at the local grocery store, the public school teachers across Ontario, the coaches and volunteers who keep our kids engaged through minor sports associations, the restaurant staff prepping take-out orders, local business owners and the people who work for them, and the hard-working prison guards working in correctional facilities. They’re the child care providers who care for our children and, of course, they’re the thousands of dedicated health care and personal support workers who provide care to our loved ones in their greatest time of need.

It is thanks to their work on the front lines that we’re able to continue to do normal activities like groceries, sending our kids to school, and participating in community activities.

My cabinet and caucus colleagues and I have spoken with many of these workers and business owners first-hand, before and since the first wave hit back in March. I know how passionate they are about the work they do and the careful measures they take to keep people around them safe. These people should not be discouraged from continuing to make a contribution to their communities.

The proposed legislation would ensure that Ontarians who are contributing to the recovery of our province and making good-faith efforts to follow applicable public health guidance and laws relating to COVID-19 do not face the risk of civil liability. If passed, the proposed changes would ensure that front-line workers and volunteers are able to focus their work on supporting families across Ontario and rebuilding our economy. The proposed legislation protects good-faith efforts to comply with applicable public health guidance and laws concerning COVID-19.

So what does that mean? I’ve been asked many times: What does that mean? I’ll give you an example. Say you run a non-profit facility providing mental health services for your community. Your facility is permitted to stay open during the pandemic; its services are essential and it saves lives. You honestly believe that you’re following the rules that apply to your facility: cleaning surfaces regularly, limiting the number of people that can enter, moving furniture to ensure social distancing. Even so, an outbreak occurs at your facility.

With the benefit of hindsight, you see that it wasn’t perfect. Maybe you didn’t follow the right public health guidance or you misunderstood it. But in a lawsuit, because your facility was permitted to stay open and you made an honest effort to follow the rules, an informed effort—you tried to follow them and you believed that you were in compliance—you will be immune from civil liability unless a court determines that you were grossly negligent. This should not be taken to mean that Ontarians can stand by and disregard the rules or make them up on their own. They have to make a good-faith effort to follow the rules.

We understand that, especially during the early days of the pandemic, it wasn’t always easy to narrow down the rules that applied in one community or another amid the sometimes seemingly conflicting reports. An organization might receive one set of public health guidance from a municipality and a different set from a public health unit or a regulator. They might even conflict on certain points. That’s why the legislation provides that the immunity applies even where such a conflict exists. But Mr. Speaker, there isn’t a conflict because one set of public health guidance is more specific. That is not a conflict.

When I talk about good-faith efforts, I’m talking about an honest effort, an actual effort made by a person, a business or an organization to follow the public health guidance and laws related to COVID-19. This legislation would protect hard-working people making an honest effort to follow the public health guidance and doing their best to lower the risk of COVID-19 infection or exposure.

The legislation would also ensure that Ontarians are able to take legal action in cases of gross negligence, intentional misconduct and bad actors who fail to make the honest effort to follow the COVID-19 rules. They remain in jeopardy, Mr. Speaker.

Before I continue, let me be clear: This legislation would not hinder a worker’s current rights to sue a person other than their own employer for work-related COVID infection under workers’ compensation legislation. To ensure workers are protected, the proposed changes will not interfere with employee rights as they relate to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and supporting legislation. It would not stop workers from accessing their rights under the WSIA or change the existing system in any way.

In addition, workers who are not covered by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act would be able to sue their employer and any other person for work-related COVID-19 losses, just as they are able to now.

As you are aware, Mr. Speaker, COVID-19 has disproportionately affected residents and staff at long-term-care homes across Ontario. Our government has launched an independent commission into this matter, led by a very strong team of people. We feel strongly that the people of Ontario deserve a timely, transparent and non-partisan investigation.

I would also like to reiterate that the proposed legislation would not prevent access to justice for individuals in long-term-care homes. Even with the proposed legislation in place, individuals would be able to file claims and seek redress against long-term-care homes for matters including, but not limited to, failure to provide the necessities of life; gross negligence or wilful misconduct; fraud; fraudulent misrepresentation; unlawful confinement; or assault or battery. We are not changing the standard or legal tests associated with these claims. The safety and well-being of the residents and staff of Ontario’s long-term-care homes is and continues to be our government’s top priority.

Let me be clear: We are not going easy on those who do not make a good-faith effort to comply with public health advice or who act with gross negligence. Our government is committed to holding bad actors accountable for their actions, and this legislation would not protect those individuals against legal action.

Mr. Speaker, Ontario is not the only province to put forward legislation to protect workers and businesses who make an honest effort to prevent the transmission or spread of COVID-19. The NDP government in British Columbia passed legislation that protects people and businesses that prove they followed, or reasonably believed they were following, all emergency and public health guidance.

In Nova Scotia, on the other end of the country, they issued a ministerial direction to protect long-term-care workers who act or reasonably believe they act in accordance with public health guidance. In addition to that, more than 38 US states have enacted some type of civil immunity protection for the health care sector, front-line service providers, PPE manufacturers or other businesses.

Ontario is proud to join these jurisdictions in standing up for the people who support their communities as we work together to respond to and recover from COVID-19. This is one of the great things about our country, that we can learn from each other and that we see the efforts that are made, whether it be British Columbia or Nova Scotia or the Northwest Territories or anywhere around the country.

We’re proud to provide leadership in this area, to join BC and to join Nova Scotia in protecting those on the front lines, protecting our small businesses, making sure that people have a comfort to engage in their community if they’re following public health advice, have an honest belief and are acting in good faith that that is what they’re doing, and Mr. Speaker, that is what they are actually doing.

The COVID-19 outbreak has had an unprecedented impact on Ontario’s court system. Now more than ever, we need to be innovative and resourceful to ensure that Ontario’s resources continue to deliver access to justice and not get held up on cases where the good-faith actions of workers are being second-guessed. That’s why we’re taking action now.

The proposed changes will help to ensure that court resources are used in appropriate cases. We will make it easier to direct court resources to address matters where people or businesses or organizations have endangered others because they have failed to make good-faith efforts to follow applicable public health advice and laws respecting COVID-19, or they acted with gross negligence. If passed, the proposed legislation would be retroactive to March 17, 2020, the date when the province declared a state of emergency in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

I want to tell you a little bit about what we heard. Over the summer we listened to health care workers, businesses, grocery and retail store workers, the charitable sector, not-for-profit organizations and sport organizations. We talked a lot, we listened more, and we heard broadly that the COVID-19 outbreak has caused a great deal of strain for thousands of workers and businesses across this province. We heard that, despite being informed, acting in good faith and taking all prescribed measures, businesses and workers have concerns. They fear the financial implications of litigation related to COVID-19 infection or exposure.

I just want to mention that that fear of the financial implications is not limited to one segment. It’s not limited to union/non-union. It’s not limited to the kind of job that you do, Madam Speaker. It’s very broad and it’s very widely felt.

They have concerns that litigation could impact their ability to continue to serve their communities or to bring in employees to help them do so. That’s why we’re taking action now to support those who make essential contributions to our communities and help Ontarians access the services they need. Their work is critical to helping businesses and organizations focus on Ontario’s recovery and growth.

This proposed legislation would support Ontario’s continued recovery and make sure public health and workplace safety remains a top priority of people and businesses without adding unnecessary burdens to Ontarians who make an honest effort to follow the rules.

I would like to highlight some of the input that we received. But before I do that, I’d like to take a moment to share our gratitude and admiration for Ontario’s front-line health-care workers. Whether they are providing care in hospitals, long-term care, primary care, primary care clinics, home or community care, correctional facilities or public health units, the work they do is vital.

I have a little bit of first-hand knowledge about that. My mother was a nurse. She was a VON nurse at one point, doing home visits. She worked in different environments. I can tell you, it’s something that every family member who has a nurse in the family, who has a front-line worker in the family, is proud of. You know that they are doing hard work and they’re putting themselves out there, and in the time of COVID-19 it is exacerbated even more. They are putting themselves out there, and that’s why we’re stepping forward.

Their value and contributions and their collective response to tackle COVID-19 is nothing short of impressive, and they have worked tirelessly to care for others while balancing the needs of their own families. We have to remember, they have their own families at home while they’re out there protecting our loved ones and

We received supportive letters from the Registered Practical Nurses Association of Ontario, who represent 47,000 registered nurses in Ontario. They said, “All front-line workers are doing their very best in a rapidly changing environment to adhere to the latest guidance and tools that are available to them. The last thing they should have to worry about is the future threat of being held personally or professionally liable after the pandemic for outcomes beyond their control.”

This is the very intent of the proposed legislation. On behalf of our government, I would like to extend our gratitude to Ontario’s nurses and again to all of our front-line health care workers.

Keeping Ontarians safe, particularly our most vulnerable, continues to be the top priority of our government. We remain committed to taking every step to protect long-term care residents, staff and visitors.

I’d like to take a moment to talk about our government’s support for personal support workers, for PSWs. I know we all have family members or neighbours who are touched in some way, either as PSWs, or they know PSWs, and the work that personal support workers do is truly phenomenal. These workers are the backbone of every long-term care home across our province. They’re providing a wide range of services. They can reduce or delay the need for more costly care in hospitals and long-term-care homes.

I mentioned there were 47,000 registered practical nurses; there are 120,000 PSWs, including 50,000 in long-term care and 47,000 direct support workers. Just think of the magnitude of that number of people with a family of their own going out to the front lines, putting themselves out there for our communities, acting in good faith, taking public health advice and looking to our government for some level of protection for the concerns they have in being sued.

I’m proud to say that our government has announced $461 million to temporarily enhance wages for workers in home and community care, long-term care, public hospitals and social services. This investment will help Ontario attract and retain the workforce needed to care for patients, clients and residents in response to COVID-19.

We have also provided a temporary $3-an-hour targeted wage increase for approximately 50,000 eligible PSWs. This temporary wage increase builds on Ontario’s fall preparedness plan, which includes an investment of $26.3 million to support PSWs and supportive care workers. This investment will help to increase and stabilize the health care workforce so we are prepared to meet the needs of Ontarians now and in the future. We need these PSWs in our long-term-care facilities, retirement homes and hospitals. They should not fear going into work every day to care for our most vulnerable Ontarians, only to get sued by their clients and potentially their employer. That should not happen.

We have also heard strong support from workers and the businesses who employ them. Across the board, stakeholders representing these groups agreed that the proposed changes would decrease the likelihood of lawsuits about good-faith conduct and go a long way toward protecting workers.

For example, we heard from the Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers, a national association of lawyers who represent public and private sector employers in a wide range of employment-related matters. In a letter dated June 25, 2020, they voiced their support for this proposal—back in June; we’ve been working on this for a while, to get it just right: “Civil liability immunity would remove an impediment to returning to work by clarifying legal liability.

It would help manage legal uncertainty and give employers the confidence they need to reopen and return hundreds of thousands of employees to their workplaces and/or from periods of temporary lay-offs.” I completely agree, Madam Speaker.

As I mentioned earlier, front-line workers are keeping vital services going in our province. They work in grocery stores, pharmacies, convenience stores. They’re employed by the food delivery services that countless Ontarians are relying on. They’re doing all they can to make our lives feel as normal and functional as possible, and it’s our turn to support them.

Madam Speaker, I’d like to take a moment to talk about some of the additional supports our government is providing to these front-line workers. In partnership with various health and safety organizations, we produced nearly 150 sector-specific guidelines in response to COVID-19 and 49 additional helpful resources, like tip sheets and posters. The Minister of Labour—I can’t believe how much he has cranked out there, put on the website for people to be able to avail themselves of, to understand through these tip sheets and resources and posters. It’s just incredible—150 sector-specific guidelines.

These documents help businesses better understand the responsibilities and, in turn, protect workers on the job. I don’t know who could possibly argue with that, Madam Speaker. They include advice, resources, best practices.

Since the onset of the pandemic, Ministers Fedeli and Sarkaria have engaged in consultations and round tables with key business stakeholders. This feedback helped launch a website to provide businesses with information on personal protective equipment or, as we frequently call it here, PPE—its suppliers. There’s an up-to-date list of Ontarian companies and business associations that are ready to supply PPE.

We also launched Ontario Together, a website that allows businesses and individuals to submit ideas to meet the challenges of the COVID-19 outbreak and direct the resources towards the production of essential equipment, including ventilators, masks, swabs, eye protection.

The talent and the skill in Ontario really, really came to the fore when we got into the pandemic, Madam Speaker. It’s absolutely incredible the innovation that has happened and the made-in-Ontario that is there. We are proud of it. We’re harnessing it. Ontario Together helped make that happen and helped keep Ontario products flowing in Ontario.

And more recently—that’s not enough, Madam Speaker—the government introduced the Main Street Recovery Act. I’d like to again acknowledge Minister Sarkaria for his work on this file. The proposed legislation would support workers and small businesses by modernizing rules to allow them to innovate and meet the challenges of today. The plan includes a one-time grant of up to $1,000 for eligible main street businesses with two to nine employees to help offset the unexpected costs of PPE. We all know it costs money. It’s an additional cost to small businesses who drive our economy, and we want to find a way to support them. Minister Sarkaria found a way, and I applaud him for that.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I’m sorry to interrupt the minister. I will remind the minister and all members that we must only refer to members of this House by their title and not by their names.

While I’m up, it is easier to refer to the Speaker as Speaker, rather than mister or madam—just a helpful comment.

I return to you, Minister.

Hon. Doug Downey: Thank you, Speaker. Front-line workers, small business owners and entrepreneurs have overcome significant challenges and made extraordinary sacrifices to keep customers safe while continuing to contribute to our communities through these unprecedented times. Through the proposed bill and countless other measures, our government is determined to support them through this pandemic and beyond.

We’ve heard from stakeholders representing Ontario’s thriving agricultural sector as well. One of our government’s top priorities is to stop the spread of COVID-19 in agri-food workplaces so that worker health and safety is protected and Ontario’s food supply chain remains strong.

Stakeholders in this important sector requested that Ontario look to British Columbia’s model for civil immunity. We are responding to this called action. Today, Speaker, as I mentioned earlier, British Columbia is one of the jurisdictions where we looked at legislation that was put in place to protect citizens and essential services through these unprecedented times.

The proposed changes are just one of the ways we’re standing alongside Ontario farmers. We’re implementing supports aimed at enhancing workplace safety, including education and guidelines for farmers and workers, continuing to conduct proactive inspections to farming operations, and improving data-sharing between Ontario and its partners to better understand the spread of COVID-19 in affected communities. We continue to work collaboratively with municipal, provincial and federal partners and the farming community to help farmers protect their workers and stop the spread of COVID-19.

As you know, Speaker, this is not a simple area of our economy. It spans the municipal, federal and provincial and it takes the co-operation and collaboration that you’re seeing, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re trying to find even more ways to do that to battle COVID-19. For example, a new agreement between Ontario and the federal government will see Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada invest an additional $11.6 million to support efforts by Ontario producers to stop the spread of COVID-19 on their farms.

Actions such as building physical barriers for worker separation, upgrading HVAC systems or enhancing hand-washing stations will all be eligible for this funding. This is in addition to the $15 million under the Enhanced Agri-Food Workplace Protection Program to help increase health and safety measures to better protect their workers. This equals a total of up to $26.6 million to date.

I’m also pleased to report that the federal government has committed to developing mandatory requirements to improve employer-provided housing for farm workers. Ministry staff will be working with the federal government on the details, including delivering the Ontario portion of the $35 million in on-farm support as part of the revised Enhanced Agri-Food Workplace Protection Program.

The proposal before you today builds on our government’s work to provide farm workers with the tools they need to do their jobs safely and ensure they’re able to continue providing Ontario families with safe, high-quality food. We’ve heard from our agricultural producers and processors that the civil liability immunity for the transmission of COVID-19 would help ensure Ontario’s food supply chain keeps going.

Earlier, I highlighted the importance of coaches and volunteers in sports and recreation, who are helping to build up our physical and mental health at a time when we need it the most. I think we all have fond memories of coaches or mentors or people who helped us engage in our communities in sport. So many of us have such fond memories of those people, and it wasn’t until we were adults that we understood the effort they made, the time they took out of their lives to contribute to our lives.

I can remember every single hockey coach I had. I can remember every single mentor through different sports, whether it be judo or otherwise, and there’s a whole variety through the House here, Speaker. We’ve all done different things. Whether it be dance or whether it be figure skating, which by the way is very good for hockey players—it could be judo; it could be karate; it could be lacrosse; it could be canoeing; it could be kayaking. It can be almost anything, but the people who took the time out of their lives to contribute to our lives remain special for all of us. When you look back on them, you want to make sure that we’re protecting those who protected us.

As we engaged on these important issues, we received strong input and insights from individuals and organizations in community sports and entertainment sectors. We know that in Ontario we’re passionate about youth and amateur sport. It’s passion that draws athletes, coaches and volunteers who add so much to the fabric of our communities.

I’ll just mention, Speaker, that before I was elected to the Legislature here, I helped with the Ontario Winter Games. I was a regional volunteer. Thousands of youth—I could rhyme off any major sports figure who came from Ontario and went through that system. Whether it be diving or figure skating, there are so many fantastic athletes who found their way because of volunteers, and the effort through just the Ontario Winter Games alone—just the number of volunteers is phenomenal. It’s unbelievable, really. Then, many people here were involved in the Pan Am Games when they came, and the volunteers, the volunteer drivers, the security—just so many pieces.

People are engaged in their community. We want to make sure that they’re engaged in their community now in these tough times because what they contributed then, that we were the benefactors of, they’re now trying to contribute to their communities, and we want them to feel safe doing so.

The proposed legislation would allow everyone involved in youth and amateur sport to safely return to play without fearing legal action. In fact, I participated in a great Zoom call earlier this week with the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. We heard from different members of the sports industries and we heard great feedback and perspective. They can now see a more certain future.

Think of how important sport is in our community life here in Ontario. Our communities would suffer a disservice if the uncertainty that has developed around COVID-19 was allowed to relegate—if the skilled and the experienced volunteers went to the sidelines this winter or in the following seasons, it would have, I think, a devastating effect on those who want to give to their community. It would have a devastating effect on those who are receiving that effort. Sometimes when we do things, it’s not what happens, it’s what doesn’t happen.

I’m hearing from people who are nervous getting on the bench to coach those kids. They’re nervous putting themselves out there. They don’t want to go into harm’s way, but they want to contribute like they did before. We’re making that possible. We’re making it possible. It’s why we’ve taken action to develop the Supporting Ontario’s Recovery Act with the help and advice of so many athletic and sport organizations. If passed, it would provide the clarity and reassurance needed to ensure we’re offering our young people the very best knowledge and expertise that communities have to offer.

And I don’t want to underplay that—you don’t want me as the coach. You want the one who knows how to do it. You want somebody who’s done it before. We want the best. We want them back off the home benches, back on the team benches. We heard it could even assist with the economic recovery of the sector, encouraging clubs to offer paid programing.

Our government also heard from organizations in the non-profit arts and heritage sector. We received a letter from the Ontario Nonprofit Network in July, who indicated that civil liability immunity would help to address significant cost increases in the industry and challenges recruiting and retaining volunteers on boards of directors.

This initiative spans across all industries and all sectors of our communities, and I don’t think that it would be intuitive for people to think, “Well, how would this affect the non-profit network?” Well, it does. They’re telling us it does. We see that it does, and I’m pleased that the legislation we have proposed will benefit from these experienced and thoughtful perspectives.

The support of these organizations has helped to ensure we’re proposing legislation that will tangibly support arts and culture sectors as they recover. Our government remains committed to providing stability and support to our sport organizations and culture industries as our province continues to rebuild.

Agencies that provide social services to families have also asked for legislation to protect organizations that follow public health guidelines. It’s important that agencies are protected from litigation that could affect their ability to deliver these important services in the future.

I just want to bring us back to first principles. We’re talking about turning your mind to getting the health advice, acting in good faith. You’re making an honest effort. This is who we’re talking about. We can talk about a sector, whether it be agriculture or non-profits or charities, but at the core of it, it’s for those who are making an honest effort. It’s for those who are turning their minds to the public health advice and applying it.

We want to ensure that Ontario’s municipalities are equipped with the tools they need to face their most pressing challenges. Municipalities are on the front lines, delivering critical services that people and businesses depend on. From public health to child care to housing and homelessness supports for vulnerable populations, our municipal partners need flexibility to continue delivering these services, even when they’re facing the challenging circumstances of today.

Municipalities across the province have added their voice to help develop legislation that will ensure communities can find creative and safe ways to come together, recover and grow despite these unprecedented challenges. These same municipalities have expressed strong concerns if the proposed legislation is not passed. I’d like to highlight one of the main comments we received: Without immunity provisions for COVID-19, municipalities will face increases or changes to insurance coverage and premiums.

These issues can also impact the non-profit and for-profit providers that are funded by municipalities to deliver services on their behalf. This includes local housing corporations, housing and homelessness non-profits and service providers operating emergency shelters or housing projects.

I think we can all agree these vital services need to be protected. The services that municipalities partner with are truly on the front lines. But again, I don’t think that we always think about municipalities as being front-line in that way. But the social services that are being delivered, the social supports that are being delivered, again, whether it be food banks or whether even job retraining, there are just so many ways—in the college and university sectors, in our hospitals, all of the pieces that come together.

Senior Ontarians living in retirement community homes have been hit hard by COVID-19. As we drafted the proposed legislation, we invited input from stakeholder groups, including the Ontario Retirement Communities Association, otherwise known as ORCA. ORCA represents 95% of all licensed retirement community suites in Ontario, with members caring for nearly 60,000 seniors who live in retirement homes. Its membership also includes over 250 commercial partners who provide products and services to retirement homes throughout the province.

ORCA wrote to our government and spoke in favour of the changes we’re proposing today. They said, “Civil immunity would help to prevent job losses, reduce risk for potential investors and help to reduce the pressure on long-term-care homes by preventing interruptions that might impact the development of new suites.”

The health and well-being of Ontario’s retirement home residents, staff and their visitors has guided every step of our government’s response to COVID-19. Throughout the pandemic we have taken action to respond, prevent and contain the spread of infection in retirement homes.

Among the initiatives taken, the government is allocating $20 million over two years to protect seniors in licensed retirement homes through increased infection control and active screening procedures. Public Health Ontario has identified priority groups for testing, including retirement home residents, health care providers and others seen as critical.

The government has also established orders to provide retirement homes with more flexibility to recruit and reassign staff; restrict retirement home employees from working in more than one retirement home, long-term-care home or health care setting; and provide the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority with expanded powers to address outbreaks in retirement homes quickly to address potential management issues.

Ontario has also supported homes in accessing PPE from government supply when needed. We’ve also invested over $118 million in temporary premium pandemic pay for our front-line workers in retirement homes.

I just want to go back a step, to my point: Ontario has also supported homes in accessing PPE from government supply when needed. It’s really absolutely incredible that we have PPE being developed and built and manufactured in Ontario. A retirement home can literally phone and say, “We’re running low,” and the government has their back. The government will get it to them. We’re making sure that they have the tools they need when they need them. This is not something that was always in place. It’s something that our government saw as a priority early in the pandemic and we pulled out all the stops, dealt with supply chains, dealt with innovators and invested in manufacturing.

I can tell you countless stories of innovation, of homegrown excellence, that we’re now exporting around the world. It really is, again, the spirit of Ontario together, making sure that we’re putting all the pieces together so that they work properly. PPE for long-term-care homes and retirement homes is available at the end of a phone: Just phone and it’s there. It’s something I’m very proud of. It sounds simple. With the complexity of supply chains, it’s something that we’ve achieved, and I’m very proud of it.

Speaker, workers in this sector provide essential care to people across the province. Now more than ever we need to ensure they have all the tools they need to feel safe and supported at work. The proposed legislation builds on our commitment to continue supporting these workers as Ontario safely and gradually recovers.

I mentioned briefly the post-secondary level, the colleges and universities. I’m proud to have Georgian College in my riding—just an incredible institution. Our post-secondary stakeholders have actually provided advice to our government as well since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. Like many other stakeholders, they were supportive of this proposal and hopeful that it would reduce the need for insurance and help to prevent lawsuits.

I’d like to briefly highlight some additional supports our government has brought in to support the post-secondary sector in response to COVID-19. We provided $25 million, in addition to supporting Ontario’s 45 post-secondary institutions and nine Indigenous institutes to help address their most pressing needs.

We’re also investing $19.25 million into mental health supports for post-secondary students in 2021, an increase of $3.25 million over last year. I can tell you, as somebody who has a child in post-secondary during COVID, these supports are welcomed. They’re needed for friends and for family. I know it’s a difficult time for many students to connect. It’s hard for them to connect with each other and it’s hard for them to connect with loved ones, to reach out for help. This funding will go to strengthening community partnerships and increasing the number of mental health workers and programs at colleges, universities and Indigenous institutes.

I’m touching on a number of sectors of our society and how this will help each of those sectors. This is very broad. It is very broad and helps millions of people. We’re honouring small businesses in Ontario this week and I want to be absolutely clear in expressing our government support for businesses that drive our economy forward and define the character of our communities. My hat goes off to all those people who turn a key in the door and stand last in line for a paycheque. They’re out there in our communities making them work, helping us recover.

We’re well aware that COVID-19 has had a significant impact on small businesses and communities right across the province, including many who have put Ontario’s vibrant hospitality sector on the global map. Our hospitality sector is second to none. People come from around the world to train here for hospitality, to train in that profession, whether it be chefs, whether it be wait staff. We have something to be so proud of, and I don’t think that we all know that, because we’re so used to the high level of service, the high level of excellence in everything from chefs to servers.

We stand shoulder to shoulder with small businesses and independent businesses and their workers. Small businesses account for 98% of all businesses across the province. We know that in small towns and big cities alike, local restaurants are not only huge economic engines but also important cultural and community anchors, and places where we gather to connect with our friends and family. It conjures up the image for me, Speaker, of Cheers, “Where everybody knows your name.”

You go to your local restaurant, the wait staff know who you are. The bartender may know who you are. The owner—there’s a good chance; 98% of all businesses in Ontario are small businesses, so there’s a good chance you know the owner. There’s a good chance that the owner knows you. There’s a good chance that that owner is contributing to your community, to the Kiwanis or the Rotary or Lions Club, charity auctions and all sorts of things. But they can only do that if they can have the support of government. Because they’re struggling. They’re struggling through these times.

The recovery of these businesses is critical for Ontario’s recovery, and we knew that many of the impacts of COVID-19 could threaten businesses and the livelihoods they support. That is why we acted swiftly to bring forward supportive measures for the restaurant and food services industry. Beginning in March, I worked with the AGCO to begin to identify and implement opportunities to support Ontario’s vibrant hospitality sector in unprecedented ways. We took responsible actions to make it easier for these skilled professionals and experienced entrepreneurs to do what they do best: serve their loyal customers and their communities.

The unprecedented challenges our communities and these workers and businesses are facing required a new perspective and an innovative approach. And so, working with the AGCO, we amended a regulation under the Liquor Licence Act to temporarily allow licensed bars and restaurants to sell beer and wine and spirits as part of a food order for takeout or delivery.

There’s been a spinoff effect of this, and a very positive one. As I was talking to a friend of mine who owns a local pub, Brad said to me, “You wouldn’t believe. Most of the spirits that I’m selling are made locally.” It’s Beattie’s vodka from Alliston; it’s craft beer; it’s any number of products. But people are looking for local product and they can’t always find it on the shelf of their local LCBO. But they know that Brad stocks it. I sat there in one of my few moments of exhaling and watched a guy buy a couple of bottles of Beattie’s vodka to go to the cottage. He bought food—he bought a whole ton of food—but he wanted that as well. What a great spinoff.

The unprecedented challenges they face needed an innovative approach. We amended the Liquor Licence Act to temporarily allow this, along with the takeout and delivery. This introduced an additional revenue option for these businesses at a time when it was greatly needed. And not only for spirits that were being sold; we lowered the cap that they had to charge so that we would leave more money in the pocket of the business owner. We wanted to make it work, and it is working. We heard loud and clear that Ontarians appreciate the opportunity to support local businesses and, in this case, local manufacturers.

Takeout and delivery options also helped to support social distancing measures, and to be frank, it’s simple and convenient for many of us. While this was originally intended as a temporary measure to help workers and businesses impacted by COVID-19, I’m proud to say that our government is committed to making this change permanent. We are encouraging everyone to support local restaurants and the food services industry now more than ever.

We need these businesses, Speaker, and these businesses need us. To that end, and recognizing the need to continue practising social distancing, our government also amended our liquor laws to provide consumers with even more delivery options. We made it possible for popular, rapid delivery services such as Uber Eats to deliver alcohol from the LCBO, the Beer Store or any local manufacturer’s retail shop. We have introduced a number of amendments crafted specifically to support the small businesses that we know are enduring tremendous hardship.

For example, we’ve temporarily removed a requirement for Ontario cideries to require them to have five acres of planted fruit in order to set up a retail operation on their premises. This amendment makes it easier for cideries to open up new retail and revenue streams and find new customers.

I just want to talk about cideries for a moment. I believe we have about 45 cideries in Ontario. It is one of the few products that is entirely an Ontario product. You can grow the apples in Ontario, and it’s all juice, it’s all Ontario product. What a tremendous story, when we talk about providing supply chains and promoting Ontario. And who picks the apples? Well, the farmers pick the apples, but there are too many apples for a farmer to pick—I can get into “Peter Piper picked a peck....” He needs help. Where does he get the help? He needs workers. Where does he get the workers?

Quite often, they’re foreign workers who come in and pick the apples. I talked about agriculture and the importance of the agriculture sector. We’re helping our restaurants by helping our cideries, by helping our farmers who are helping our employees. It’s all interconnected, and that’s why this legislation has to be broad. We have to have the entire supply chain figured out and protected. We want them all to feel comfortable going to work.

If they’re taking public health advice, if they’re acting in good faith with an honest effort—we want everybody who’s doing that to feel protected so that all of these parts work, because if one of these parts doesn’t work, none of the parts work. The amendment makes it easier for these cideries to open up new retail and revenue streams and find new customers.

One of the most visible measures of our government’s support for workers and businesses are the temporary extended patios you can now find and enjoy across the province. In June, we made amendments to the Liquor Licence Act to allow licensees the flexibility to create these temporary patio extensions, provided there is no objection from the municipality. Many local businesses continue to take advantage of the change, using heaters and blankets to keep customers warm as the weather gets colder. It’s a little crisp out there now, but with heaters on the patios, people are still enjoying them.

The patio change was significant—

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Come to Timmins.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Order.

Hon. Doug Downey: —and with the change we wanted to have it be practical and not have to have the small business owner, the small restaurant, have to put a ton of capital into making this happen. We said, “As long as you can see where the barriers are, as long as it’s demarcated, it doesn’t have to meet the previous stringent, costly standards.” I can tell you, it has been a raving success. The feedback that we got has been phenomenal. Quite frankly, it may have saved some of the restaurants. People sat outside and ate and kept up the brand loyalty, and then they would order takeout or delivery, so the restaurants stayed functioning.

It was pretty exciting to see some downtowns. Downtown Orillia, for instance, closed the street and allowed the patios to expand. In the summertime, the spirit of the community was phenomenal. And it was done safely. It was outside. It was with distance. It did everything we hoped that it would do, and it helped some businesses survive.

We have to think differently. We have to think in a way that is going to protect people, but we have to support our businesses at the same time.

These temporary extensions were a lifeline. It also provided Ontarians with an additional opportunity to safely visit a licensed bar or restaurant and support that business.

I like to think that this will be one of the enduring images of our community during this difficult time. With outdoor patios extended onto our community streets and sidewalks, you can bet we’ll wrap our scarves around our necks, put our toques on—even in Timmins—and safely join our friends and family on the patio one more time.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Come on over. It snowed on Monday.

Hon. Doug Downey: I’m not afraid of a little bit of snow.

It might be a little chilly, but we know well that these establishments are the very fabric of our cities, towns and neighbourhoods. We’ll stand up for them, and we don’t mind standing under a patio heater to do so.

Our government has been committed to supporting the hospitality sector since day one. An illustration of that is the steps we took in December 2019 to bring Ontario up to date with other jurisdictions in Canada and around the world with respect to serving hours at licensed bars and restaurants and commercial airports. These establishments, in certain airports after security, are now allowed to serve alcohol 24 hours a day, as they would be in jurisdictions around the world. Supporting these businesses and jobs and, importantly, keeping our hospitality workers safe, remains a top priority of our government.

Much like the hospitality industry, the COVID-19 outbreak is taking a toll on the construction sector. Our government has taken action, and we’re continuing to take action to ensure our workers in construction can continue to do the work of building Ontario safely.

When the government responded to COVID-19’s unprecedented impact on the justice system, we suspended limitation periods and the time periods when a step must be taken in a legal matter. This was a necessary measure to help minimize uncertainty for people involved in legal proceedings during a time when normal court proceedings were not possible. In essence, we froze time—froze time so it was predictable, so that people could get the service they needed and stay protected. But this order could have had consequences in the construction sector, because certain payments have to be made, and if they can’t be made, then that stops the cash flow and workers don’t get paid.

To explain briefly, under the Construction Act, a construction project owner is required to hold back—the lien holdback, as it’s known—from the contractor a certain amount of money for a certain amount of time. But when we froze time, that holdback period could be frozen as well. It also applies to payers. As the time periods were suspended by the emergency order, many of the payments to the workers would not have been made.

We heard from key stakeholders in the construction sector and we took immediate action to ensure that those payments in the industry were not impacted as a result of the order. We lifted the suspension of limitation periods under the Construction Act to allow the release of holdback payments to contractors and subcontractors. This helped to resolve what could have been a significant cash flow problem in the construction industry.

The COVID-19 outbreak has altered nearly every part of life in this province. At the Ministry of the Attorney General, we worked around the clock to ensure that justice not only remains accessible, but that our justice system evolves and modernizes and stays that way. We’re not going back.

We acted quickly to make investments in technology, from laptops to conference lines, and we quickly provided access to Zoom and other digital platforms to allow the courts to transition to remote hearings. We accelerated a number of the ministry’s modernization plans, moving it forward very quickly, such as e-filing.

I’m happy to say that Ontario now offers e-filing for more than 400 different kinds of forms in civil and family matters. That means a non-attendance at a courthouse. That means filing from your desktop. That saves people money. It saves time. It saves cost. It saves across the board, and it’s safer. So I’m very proud that this has happened. It’s a nearly tenfold increase in the scope of this electronic service.

We rolled out a new online court case search service to open up public access to information that you previously had to line up at a courthouse to see. What happened was, if you wanted to know what was on the docket, you would have to physically go to that courthouse—and this is mostly in the Toronto courthouses. But you would go to the courthouse, you would have to go to the floor, you’d see the little kiosk, you’d have to do your thing, and you could see what was happening in the courthouse that day.

We had a conversation. I said, “I don’t know. If you can’t get in the courthouse, how are you going to see the list?” That was an access-to-justice issue for me. That was an issue where, quite frankly, the reporters couldn’t see it, the public couldn’t see it, and it’s publicly accessible data. Nothing is being hidden. It’s supposed to be out there.

So we had a conversation, we had a Zoom call, and I said, “I’ve done a lot of work on databases, and so have some of my colleagues. I know behind every database is an Excel sheet, or something like that. It’s a table, and so I don’t want everything on the table.” They had great plans. They had got a great product, where some of the documents can be loaded. I said, “No, let’s get the information out there. Let’s just do the API and get the pieces that we can get out there.”

And sure enough, very quickly, the excellent team at the Ministry of Attorney General got to work, and in very short order, it’s now going up every day. You can check. Go online, pick your courthouse, pick your docket and you can see what’s going on—real transparency, real access to justice. There are some things we’re being careful about, and we’re going to do some more work on. We’re being careful about things like some of the family law stuff, where there may be reasons why privacy is needed, but for the civil and for the others, it’s out there, as it should be.

We’re gradually rolling out access to Thomson Reuters CaseLines. It’s a document-sharing e-platform that facilitates remote and in-person hearings. It’s phenomenal. You can go in there and the judge can see certain documents. Some can be hidden, and some can be redacted if it’s, say, child welfare issues, stuff like that. It’s very sophisticated. But it’s very user-friendly. It’s quite good. It’s a major investment in the future in Ontario’s courts.

Ensuring justice services were available when needed has been critical for many Ontarians and businesses. We’ve now moved away from in-person service, meaning serving documents to require civil cases to be served on the crown and related entities by email. Before COVID, you had to serve in-person at a spot. Now, you can serve it by email. Why not? There’s no added value by having somebody have to walk through a door with a piece of paper and hand it to somebody else who inevitably is probably going to scan it anyways, so now it’s being served by email.

We also fast-tracked legislation for remote commission services, expanding notary services. This helps rural and remote, and it’s more convenient for businesses. The change is paving the way for documents to be signed and verified remotely. The legislation also expanded notary services to better serve Ontarians, including rural and remote, as I mentioned.

The days of watching our justice system fall behind are long gone. In responding to these unprecedented circumstances, our government has made bold and significant steps towards a smarter and stronger justice system, a system that will continue to evolve, improve and better serve our communities as we work together to get our province back on track.

There’s more to be done in the justice sector. We have a number of initiatives that we’re working on. We’re engaging with our justice partners. The Chief Justice of Ontario and the Chief Justice of the Superior Court and the Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal have all been doing yeoman’s work in their areas, working with us and working in their areas to keep the system moving, to keep it functioning for Ontarians, and harnessing the technology that we can do.

I’m told that the Superior Court of Justice has heard over 50,000 Zoom hearings since the pandemic started—50,000. I just want to say that the capacity to expand that—now all remand hearings, all in-custody remand bail hearings are being done by Zoom. And with the leadership of the Chief Justice of the Ontario Court, now all out-of-custody remand hearings are being done. That’s saving people time and convenience. Justice is getting done, but it doesn’t mean it has to be clunky and expensive.

Speaker, as we continue to respond to the dangers of COVID-19, the health and safety of Ontarians remains our first priority. We cannot let our guard down as our province takes every step to contain the second wave of COVID-19. The severity of this wave depends on all of us following the public health measures to stop the spread. I want to thank and acknowledge the thousands of workers and volunteers across the province who have put their health at risk to keep others and their families safe.

The proposed legislation would provide protection for those workers who make an honest effort to follow public health advice relating to COVID-19. This would allow workers and volunteers to focus on their jobs and supporting their communities and not worrying about the liability for the inadvertent transmission of COVID-19.

I also want to state again that this does not impact anyone’s ability to take legal actions against gross negligence, intentional misconduct or bad actors, those who would ignore public health advice or thumb their nose at it or act with gross negligence. Our government does not believe in providing protection for those who engage in that type of behaviour. They’re threatening our recovery, and they’re threatening the lives of some of our citizens.

As we work to stop the spread of COVID-19 and rebuild our economy, we are taking measures to ensure that front-line health care workers, local businesses and volunteers who act in good faith have the support they need to continue doing their jobs.

As I’ve stated today, we cannot afford to allow the valuable expertise, experience and knowledge of Ontarians to be left on the sidelines as communities are working to rebuild and as they recover. When volunteers give their time, when businesses want to rehire staff and when charities want to help those in need, we need to be there to encourage them with clarity, with reassurance and with support. Thanks to the input and insights we’ve heard from across Ontario, that is exactly what we are proposing to do through this legislation: support Ontario’s recovery act.

I urge all members of the House to stand up for the front-line workers and businesses across the province by voicing their support for this bill. Thank you. Merci. Meegwetch.

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

Mr. Wayne Gates: Support for business, Bill 218: What is your government going to do to stop the gouging by insurance companies who are raising rates by 100% to 150%, resulting in increases of thousands of dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars to our hotels in Niagara Falls? Also, families who endured the horror of losing loved ones in long-term care during COVID-19 deserve justice.

Instead of holding for-profit long-term-care corporations accountable, Premier Ford has written a law to protect companies and the government from being held responsible. My question to you, sir, is why?

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Response.

Hon. Doug Downey: Thank you for the opportunity to respond. I think if the member opposite goes back to those stakeholders and says, “Does this legislation help you? Will this legislation help you, because you’re making an honest effort; you’re looking to the public health advice; you’re implementing the public health advice; you’re acting in good faith? With an honest effort, is this helping you?” I’m very confident the answer will be yes. The answer is, “This is a help.

This is what we were looking for.” Not just the charities and the non-profits and the small businesses but the big operators, like those in the member’s riding: They were looking for this kind of help, because we’re in unprecedented times and people are nervous. We want them going to work. We want them doing the things that they can for their community.

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

Mrs. Gila Martow: I listened intently for the last hour—a fantastic presentation by the Attorney General on Bill 218, the Supporting Ontario’s Recovery and Municipal Elections Act. He spoke about what our government has done to help our front-line health care workers, to help the front-line businesses that are working either as essential services or that are slowly able to reopen, as well as the volunteers. I think many of my colleagues here around the room were volunteers before they got involved in politics and eventually elected.

We heard about SLAPP lawsuits, and we were nervous about what that meant to us. We understood people who didn’t want to get involved and were worried about the consequences. We’re aware of good Samaritan stories that went off the rails.

What I would ask my esteemed colleague is, the fact that we have so much support for all that we have done so far in terms of—you remember, I had my statement in May on patios, and you jumped right on that and loosened the rules for the patios. What are we doing to hold on to that momentum, that we can keep going, that people want to hold on to—

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

Hon. Doug Downey: We’re still moving at 90 miles an hour, and we’re making sure that we’re finding ways to support the small businesses, the restaurants with the patios. The liquor delivery that I mentioned: We’re going to make that permanent. The small business red tape bill that we have in front of us is also a support. So government is doing a number of things. This is one piece of the puzzle. There are many things happening at the same time, and this is a support for those front-line workers and for the people who are working in the hospitality industry and the food chain.

We’re doing a number of things for them through this and then, through the other bills in front of the House, we’re also supporting them—so just a tremendous amount of work.

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

M. Guy Bourgouin: Ça me fait plaisir de me lever sur le projet de loi 218 et poser une question.

What else can be said about this government attacking the electoral democratic process? Speaker, it may not be a coup d’état, but it’s certainly a “coup d’épée” to whatever hope Ontarians may have about independent municipal elections.

People are dying in this pandemic. So my question: What does meddling in democratic elections have to do with facing a global pandemic?

Hon. Doug Downey: Thank you for the question. I actually got an email last night from a city clerk who said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, because we’re spending resources on navel-gazing about how municipal politicians are going to get re-elected instead of helping the citizens of our community in a time of crisis, of COVID-19.” So that’s what it has to do with it. It’s an early, early answer so that municipalities can focus on the things that matter most and the people in their communities that matter most, and that’s not even talking about the excess cost of doing it.

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

Mr. Sheref Sabawy: I’m really very glad that the minister brought in this bill, Bill 218, to protect not-for-profit organizations. We have 58,000 not-for-profit organizations, who are helping in all aspects of support to the community, and they barely can survive through this epidemic because of the shortage of people, shortage of volunteers, shortage of money. Nevertheless, on top of that, we are adding more liabilities and fear of getting sued for a good reason or not a good reason. So I think this bill brings a protection which is very, very needed.

Can the minister tell us how this will help not-for-profit organizations to continue serving the community, given the fact that I know that the NDP have been talking about not-for-profit organizations to do all kinds of [inaudible]?

Hon. Doug Downey: The not-for-profit industries and the charities in our communities are struggling as well. They’re struggling. They rely on volunteers. I go to the food bank, because it’s such a visual for me—I’ve been in a number of food banks—the number of people who contribute to making that work, not just contributing food, but their time and resources.

I spent time as chair of a Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. I was president of a Kiwanis Club. I’ve been involved in these charities and non-profits, doing front-line work, and I can tell you: When I talk to my colleagues and my friends who are still, every day, doing that work, it has fundamentally changed how they are functioning. There’s a nervousness about engaging with the community and being held civilly liable for the inadvertent transmission of COVID-19, when they’re doing everything possible. They could not be safer. They’re having meetings outside. They’re just doing so many things. Madam Speaker, it’s such an important sector and we need to step up for them.

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

Mr. Wayne Gates: I’m going to ask this question again, because it wasn’t answered. This is a crisis in the province of Ontario. I want you to understand that: It’s a crisis. What is your government going to do to stop the gouging by insurance companies who are raising rates by 100% to 150%, resulting in increases of several thousands of dollars, including hundreds of thousands of dollars to the hotels in Niagara Falls? What is your government going to do to stop that gouging, so they can carry on with their businesses?

Hon. Doug Downey: As the member opposite knows, insurance is a very complicated area. We’re hearing it. I’m hearing it. I’ve heard from others saying, “Look, my hospital insurance has gone up.” That’s having an impact. Different areas of insurance—when I was parliamentary assistant to finance, I spent a ton of time understanding and working with the car insurance industry to understand how it works and what the component parts are.

Our government is focused on the needs of Ontarians. Our Minister of Finance is engaged on this file. The parliamentary assistant to finance, Mr. Cho, is engaged on this file. The Premier is engaged on this file, I can tell you; you heard him yesterday. He says, “I’m like an 800-pound gorilla on these guys.” This is a focus for us. It’s important for us, and we will continue to protect Ontarians.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): We have time for one more quick question.

Mr. Michael Parsa: Yesterday during question period, I noticed that some of my colleagues perhaps were not as informed about Bill 218 and the fact that such similar bills have been enacted in other jurisdictions, in particular in British Columbia by the NDP government. Madam Speaker, I’m wondering if the minister—

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Point of order, Madam Speaker.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Stop the clock. I recognize the member from Timmins on a point of order.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: The member is saying that we’re misinformed. He should inform himself of that legislation, because it is different.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): That’s not a point of order.

I apologize to the member for interrupting. Please continue.

Mr. Michael Parsa: Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. I was just wondering if the minister can please elaborate and tell us why it’s so critical for us to have Bill 218 enacted here in Ontario.

Hon. Doug Downey: I can tell you, my relationship with—I guess they’re in an election, so I have to be a little bit careful in BC, but it has been very positive. BC has done some really great things through their Ministry of Attorney General. The liability legislation that they brought forward was something that we looked at very closely. Ours is broader and ours is a more defined standard. It’s more, I’m going to say, road-tested through the courts, but the concept was worth looking at, so I appreciate what they’ve done there.

They’ve done some other very innovative things in terms of justice. Their tribunal system is really phenomenal. I struck a deal with Minister Eby at the time, with Attorney General Eby, and so we’re moving forward with that as well. We look to our provincial partners for best practices, and this is one example where we’re adopting some of the things that they’ve brought forward.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): It is now time for members’ statements.

Members’ Statements

Women in politics

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: This morning, I decided to write a new statement to reflect on Niagara’s women in leadership summit, which I have had a chance to attend this week. They spoke about a need to knock down barriers for women in politics. Speaker, I get it. I am currently the only female representative in higher office in the Niagara area. Before that, I was often one of two women at the table for St. Catharines city council, and before me, I watched great women in politics succeed in Niagara despite barriers, like Cindy Forster, Susan Vendetti and Pat Lindal. I am certain they faced discrimination, and I stand on their shoulders to do what I do today.

To the women who want to step up and lead, here is a message from a veteran female politician who often felt like they were doing it all alone: “We need you. Be strong. Always engage, because we need your experience. Today, it is more important than ever.” It is about she-covery, child care and pay equity for work dominated by women like front-line staff in nursing homes.

The pandemic has put pressures on these gaps, but there will be a time when they slip away again. We need more women in leadership roles to make sure that does not happen. We need more women in politics. The issues that women shoulder will only get better with more women having their voices counted in more places.

Waste reduction

Mr. Norman Miller: As we celebrate Waste Reduction Week, Ontario is finally moving towards holding producers responsible for the waste they create and encouraging innovations in compostable packaging. These are two ideas I brought to the Ontario Legislature as private member’s bills. In 2005, and again in 2007, I introduced a private member’s bill designed to develop regulations setting hard targets for recycling and requiring producers of products and packaging to be responsible for the recycling of their products and to achieve those targets. That was more than 15 years ago. The previous government talked about creating a circular economy, but didn’t do it.

Then, three years ago, I toured Muskoka Roastery in Huntsville and learned about the certified compostable coffee pods they use. It’s an Ontario innovation produced by Club Coffee in Etobicoke, using technology created by the University of Guelph. In an effort to prevent millions of plastic coffee pods from filling landfills across Ontario, I introduced the Reducing Waste One Pod at a Time Act in the fall of 2017.

I was pleased to join Environment, Conservation and Parks Minister Jeff Yurek at Club Coffee three weeks ago to announce his proposed regulations designed to increase organics collection and encourage compostable packaging. Keeping organic waste out of landfills will help Ontario reduce our greenhouse gas emissions.

Both of these ideas came from constituents. Dr. Jim McTaggart-Cowan told me about product stewardship and, as I say, Muskoka Roastery introduced me to compostable coffee pods.

I’m proud to be part of a government that is acting on these ideas to reduce waste, in particular plastic waste, and finding ways to create jobs while protecting the environment—

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

Insurance rates

Ms. Sara Singh: It’s an honour to rise here on behalf of the good people of Brampton Centre and raise some alarming concerns. We’ve been hearing from drivers who have been faced with increased premiums throughout this pandemic. Rather than actually regulating the rates and ensuring that drivers would receive a discount rather than an increase, this government has chosen to do nothing. These rates are not just rising in Brampton Centre, Speaker. They are rising across the province, all the way down to Collingwood and beyond, and yet this government hears these concerns in all of these ridings and does nothing.

And it’s not just drivers who are facing increased insurance premiums. We also heard from the taxi and limo industry, some of whom aren’t able to even drive and earn a living right now and yet are forced to pay increased premiums.

It’s not just people on the road; we’ve heard from small business owners who are forced to close their doors given these increased costs, and yet when this government had the opportunity to do something, regulate those rates and help those small businesses out with two different pieces of legislation that you brought forward, you did nothing. You’re allowing these companies to continue to profit and benefit through this pandemic while hard-working everyday Ontarians are suffering.

Small businesses are in dire need of assistance, and rather than create legislation or packages that will actually help those companies out, your government sits here, in silence, and allows these companies to continue to profit.

I urge you, Speaker, to implore this government to do the right thing and regulate these rates before it’s too late.

International Association of Business Communicators awards

Mr. Robert Bailey: I’m pleased to rise today and recognize the outstanding work of two leaders in Sarnia–Lambton. On September 17, Mike Lapaine, president and CEO of Bluewater Health, was awarded the International Association of Business Communicators Communications Champion Award for recognizing the value of communications to his organization and for his exceptional leadership and communication, both in ordinary times and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Julia Oosterman, chief of communications and public affairs at Bluewater Health, was also recognized by the IABC with the Outstanding Communicator Award. Ms. Oosterman received the top honour for consistently achieving business results through excellent communication strategies, employing communications as a force for good in her community, implementing an ethical framework at Bluewater Health and inspiring a high level of transparency during the pandemic.

I want to personally congratulate Mr. Lapaine and Ms. Oosterman on being selected for these awards. Their professionalism and leadership at Bluewater Health has become a tremendous asset for the Sarnia–Lambton community. I can personally vouch for their unwavering commitment to excellence in communication. Mr. Lapaine and Ms. Oosterman have always made themselves available to answer questions or to assist my staff in finding supports and solutions for local issues.

As the MPP for Sarnia–Lambton, congratulations to both Mike and Julia on your well-deserved awards.

Municipal elections

Ms. Marit Stiles: It’s really an honour to be here today to rise to give voice to the frustrations that my constituents are sharing with me over this government’s misplaced priorities.

People in Davenport are struggling, like folks across this province, with the reality of a resurgent COVID-19. Adding to the concern about their own family’s health and safety, they’re worried about what will happen to their jobs and if support will be there if they lose their jobs. People hit hard by the first wave and government inaction are still living in tents in local parks in my community as the weather grows colder, and small businesses don’t know how they’re going to make it through to the next month.

But instead of supporting our communities during the biggest challenge they’ve ever faced, the Premier and this government are once again targeting local democracy, banning the use of ranked ballots in municipal elections and overriding the rights of the people to determine how they choose their own representatives.

Torontonians and people across this province want this government to get out of the business of meddling in our local democracy. They want them to scrap their attack on ranked ballots and fund the transit, the housing and support for small businesses that we so desperately need at this time.

Anti-racism activities

Mr. John Fraser: I’d like to say a few words to the family of Abdirahman Abdi, who tragically died on July 24, 2016, as the result of a violent arrest, something that should never have happened.

It’s been a long four years, and I know that this week in particular is very difficult for you, your friends and the community. You are left still seeking justice. I want you to know that the fight against systemic racism and bias will and must continue, both in our institutions and ourselves.

Bias is the enemy of justice, and bias is something that’s part of the human condition. It’s in every one of us. It’s the way that we’re made. And only by the process of self-examination and examining our institutions can we take the necessary action to promote justice and safety for all. That’s the obligation of every one of us in this Legislature and everyone in a position of power.

I want you to know that we stand with you and the friends of Abdirahman in continuing to seek justice in his name.

Lawren Harris

Mr. Michael Parsa: Tomorrow, Friday, October 23, we celebrate Lawren Harris Day. Lawren Harris was a well-respected Canadian painter who was born in Brantford, Ontario. He was best known as an original member of the legendary Group of Seven and is credited with being a driving force behind its formation.

Lawren Harris was a pioneer when it came to truly appreciating the uniqueness of our Canadian landscapes and recording them in a distinct style that is appreciated worldwide. Among his work are many paintings of beautiful Ontario landscapes.

I’m proud to say that York region is home to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, which showcases many beautiful art pieces created by the Group of Seven, including works from Lawren Harris himself.

The McMichael gallery is a proud contributor to the cultural identity of not only Ontario but all of Canada. It acquires, preserves and exhibits artwork from artists and contributes to the development of Canadian art, with a focus on the Group of Seven and Canada’s Indigenous peoples. One of the McMichael’s current exhibitions is “A Like Vision”: The Group of Seven at 100.

Speaker, Canadians such as Lawren Harris will forever be embedded in the cultural fabric of Ontario for his irreplaceable contributions to the development of the distinctly Canadian painting style that is appreciated across the world today.

COVID-19 response

Mr. Peter Tabuns: Speaker, it didn’t have to be this way. We weren’t prepared for COVID-19, and now we are paying the price. People are dying, lives are upended, social relations are strained and our economy is suffering.

We went through SARS. We saw the impact of a brand new breath-borne disease on our society. We studied the effects. Reports were written, and some steps were taken, but big steps were ignored or dismantled. Stocks of PPE were acquired and allowed to be frittered away, to disappear, so that when COVID-19 hit in the spring, we didn’t have the essential equipment that our front-line workers needed.

Vietnam, South Korea, Taiwan all learned the same lessons from SARS, and they successfully applied those lessons to reduce the impact on human life and on their economies.

In the spring, we knew there would be a second wave, and this government didn’t prepare for it. Hiring more PSWs started after the second wave hit. The ramp-up of testing and contact tracing started after the second wave hit. The virus is rampaging again through our long-term-care facilities, and they aren’t prepared.

Speaker, the negligence is shocking, unpardonable and a damning indictment of this government.

Food banks

Mr. David Piccini: I rise today to thank the many people who participated in our recent fall food drive to support our local food banks. With the onset of COVID-19, the need has never been more real in the community of Northumberland–Peterborough South. And after Thanksgiving, the opportunity to restock the shelves has been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

I’d like to thank our amazing community that came together; specifically, all the farmers who donated pumpkins that were given out free in return for a food donation: Kent Farms, Garden Hill Farmers Market, Gord and Sherry Robinson, Burnham Family Farm Market, Cricklewood Farm, Cheer Farms and Vanderview Farms. And this wouldn’t have been possible without the many amazing locations throughout my riding where we ran our food bank: No Frills in Brighton, Cobourg Foodland, Norwood Foodland.

A special thank you for some amazing donations from Guardian pharmacy in Port Hope, Jim Corcoran from Ste. Anne’s Spa, Pet Valu Port Hope, Maple View retirement home, and of course Cobourg Foodland.

Mr. Speaker, the food banks of Clarington East, Asphodel Norwood ministerial food bank and Food 4 All in Northumberland do a remarkable job serving constituents in need in my community, and I’d like to thank them and their volunteers for all the work that they do.

Ed Hum

Mr. Dave Smith: It’s an honour today to rise to talk about a friend of mine. Way back in 1990, during my first year at university, I worked part-time at a local pizzeria named Dexter’s Pizza. We were within walking distance from Trent’s main campus. That’s where I first met Ed Hum. Ed owned a company named Far East Entertainment. He placed video games at different locations. Ed put Street Fighter in our restaurant. Ed’s family also owned a local restaurant for more than 80 years. Some of you may have heard of it because it’s fairly popular in our community: Hi Tops. His grandfather started it. It was passed on to his father, Paul, and eventually on to Ed.

Ed also owned a number of coin laundries, and he was very unique in the naming of them. There was Wash-O-Mat, Wash-O-Mat on Water and Wash-O-Mat on Park.

Despite all of his business success though, what he was most proud of was his family. He doted over his daughters, Ashley, Elissa and Victoria. When Ashley became the first Hum family member to be accepted at university, he went on and on about how proud he was of her.

Ed was diagnosed with testicular cancer just over three years ago and unfortunately succumbed to the disease last Thursday. Ed is only seven years older than me, and that is far too young for someone who has done so much for our community to leave us.

Brain Cancer Awareness Day

Hon. Christine Elliott: Point of order.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Point of order.

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you, Speaker. I’d like to call the attention of all members to the fact that Saturday, October 24, is Brain Cancer Awareness Day. I ask this House to join me in recognizing all those who have been impacted by brain cancer. We send our heartfelt support to those affected and to the wonderful health teams that are supporting them during this time.

Question Period

Long-term care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My first question this morning is for the Premier. Families who lost loved ones in long-term care during the COVID-19 pandemic have lived with pain and heartbreak that is unimaginable. This week, the Premier added to their pain by exempting himself and long-term-care homes from legal liability for their failure to protect seniors in long-term care.

Yesterday, the Premier dismissed families’ concerns, claiming that they had only “read the headlines.” Why would the Premier insult families expressing outrage and frustration by claiming that they’re just not smart enough to understand the government’s bill?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Attorney General.

Hon. Doug Downey: I’m pleased to rise again today and answer the same question in the same way. What this does not do—what the bill does not do—it does not protect bad actors against claims related to gross negligence or intentional misconduct related to the inadvertent transmission of COVID. It does not interfere with employee rights as they relate to WSIB or supporting legislation.

What it does do is targeted, enhanced civil liability protection for volunteers, for workers, for non-profits, for businesses, for charities, for the people who are on the front lines in our communities, who want to engage in our communities, who have been engaging in our communities.

This bill supports our communities in so many sectors. I look forward to expanding in the second question.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, families have actually read the bill, and they know exactly what this Ford government is up to.

Darlene Thomas wrote us to say, “I am disgusted and appalled reading” this bill. “My grandmother died alone under deplorable conditions at Orchard Villa.... Now the government wants to protect these companies? ... Where is the justice?”

Why is the Premier more interested in protecting himself and the for-profit long-term-care chains than allowing Darlene and thousands like her to have some justice and accountability for what happened to their loved ones?

Hon. Doug Downey: As I was reading some of the coverage, Steve Berman, who is a lawyer running some of the cases that have already been launched—if you read his comments in the paper, I don’t think he has any concern at all that his cases are in jeopardy of meeting the standard that we’re putting out to protect the people on the front lines, the people contributing to our communities, to the non-profits, the businesses, to the many others.

What this legislation does not do is protect bad actors. Bad actors need to be aware: If they are failing to provide the necessities of life, if they’re deliberately ignoring public health advice or they’re just not taking public health advice, if they’re fraudulent or there’s unlawful confinement or assault or battery, all of those things can still be pursued, Mr. Speaker. What we’re doing is providing a standard of protection for those who are contributing to our communities, doing so with good faith, with an honest belief.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Matt Smith Johnson of Scarborough lost his grandfather in March and writes this: “This clearly leaves an open door for long-term-care corporations to simply claim ‘We thought we were doing the best we could’ when we can all see they were not....

“This shifts the burden of proof onto the victims....”

That’s what Matt Smith Johnson had to say.

My question is, when will this Premier finally admit that these families are not ignorant, as he suggests, that they have actually read the bill and they simply refuse to sit by while the Premier rewrites the law to protect himself and to protect the long-term-care chains that failed to protect our loved ones?

Hon. Doug Downey: I’ve heard the Leader of the Opposition say it three times now, but I think what was said yesterday was that I didn’t think that she had read the bill. And I’m fairly certain that she hadn’t, because the things she followed up with through successive questions clearly do not get captured in the bill. She’s alleging things that are gross negligence. She’s alleging things that are over the top.

What we’re talking about, what the bill talks about is protecting those people, like the PSWs, the front-line workers, the grocery clerks, the charities, the non-profits, the people who are contributing to our communities, the people who are nervous about volunteering at their local sports organizations. What we’re talking about is that with an honest belief and a good faith effort they’re engaging in their communities, as we want them to do, to help us rebuild Ontario and help us recover together.

Long-term care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier, but I have to say it’s doubly disgusting that the government is trying to use these folks as a shield against the criticism they’re getting for this nasty bill.

For days the Premier has denied the fact that his legislation has one goal, and that goal is to protect the Ford government and for-profit long-term-care homes from liability in terms of their failure to protect the seniors who were in their care. The 20 lawsuits that have been filed during this pandemic aren’t targeting paramedics and they’re not targeting hockey coaches; they’re demanding justice from this Ford government and long-term-care chains that made millions while seniors suffered in their care. That’s what this is all about.

If the Premier is sincere when he claims that he wants to provide accountability, if the minister is sincere, then will they exempt the Ford government and private long-term-care homes from the legislation?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Attorney General.

Hon. Doug Downey: Is the Leader of the Opposition sincere in demonizing the good actors, in demonizing the people who are, in good faith, taking public health advice and implementing it? Is she demonizing the PSWs who are doing work every day, the cooks in the kitchens, the people who are helping them, the people who are putting themselves out there, let alone the people who are nervous about coming forward to help in our communities? Is that the effect that she wants? I cannot believe that I’m hearing her say, “Throw our workers in harm’s way,” when they’re making a good effort, an honest effort, in good faith.

We are protecting the people of Ontario so they can contribute to our communities, like we’re asking them to do, to help us recover in Ontario as we go through COVID-19.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: I would say, not at all. In fact, I’m not even demonizing this Ford government; they’re doing it all themselves quite well.

By the way, the minister needs to know that the person he was quoting in terms of the lawsuit says this, “We are puzzled why the government that has promised to protect nursing home residents at all costs is now focused on passing legislation that will only protect nursing home operators, their shareholders and their insurance companies.”

The fact is, since this pandemic began the Premier has bent over backward to protect the vested interests in long-term care, whether it’s Mike Harris sitting on the board of Chartwell or the small army of Ford government staff now lobbying for for-profit long-term-care chains to be protected. Connected Conservatives know that the Ford government will rewrite the law to ensure that they avoid any accountability.

If the Premier wants to prove otherwise, there’s a simple solution: He can exempt the Ford government and these for-profit chains from this legislation. Will he do the right thing?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members, please take their seats.

The Attorney General to reply.

Hon. Doug Downey: I’d be curious to know if the Leader of the Opposition took my suggestion yesterday and got a second legal opinion from the Attorney General of BC, the NDP Attorney General, who brought in very similar legislation, or—and I should have thought of this yesterday, but I didn’t—she could phone the Attorney General of Nova Scotia, a Liberal government. So if she doesn’t trust the NDP government in BC, she could phone the Liberal government in Nova Scotia and talk about the minister’s directive there. It’s very similar.

We are protecting the front lines. We are protecting the people who are nervous about the inadvertent transmission of COVID. This does not provide any level of protection for criminal behaviour, for gross negligence, for not providing the necessities of life or for the deliberate failure of standard of care. This doesn’t help those bad actors one little bit. In fact, it helps us get to them and make sure that they pay the price for their bad actions.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, who I don’t trust is this Ford government, and neither do the families in Ontario who were devastated when they lost their loved ones in long-term care.

Residents in long-term care and their families deserve so much better than what this government is offering up. After promising an iron ring, after promising accountability, the Premier refused to make the investments needed to protect seniors in the midst of the pandemic. He has refused to call a public inquiry as well.

But he is now literally rewriting the law to protect himself and for-profit corporations and long-term-care chains from liability. Why is he rewriting the law, Speaker? Why is he rewriting the law to protect himself and those chains? From the profits that they make, they should be held accountable. These chains make a lot of money off of our long-term-care system. Why is he protecting them and not the seniors that they are supposed to be caring for?

Hon. Doug Downey: Now we’re getting to the nub of it, Mr. Speaker. If you make money, you’re a bad guy. That’s where it comes from.

I am focused on the people who are volunteering their time. I’m focused on the people who are going to work every single day putting themselves at some risk. I am focused on the people who are in our communities fighting for our communities, helping Ontario to recover.

We are in unprecedented times. We are looking at those sectors and saying, whether it be agriculture, colleges and universities, whether it be the volunteer sector or the charity sector—there are so many people. We need people in the food banks helping those who need it the most. The NDP would have us throw them under the bus. It is shameful, Mr. Speaker.

COVID-19 response

Mr. Faisal Hassan: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. My question is to the Premier.

Aaron Porter is a York South–Weston resident and TTC employee. On October 4, Aaron felt unwell. He was told to stay at home and get a COVID test. He got the test two days later, but Aaron only received his results two weeks after by phone. It was negative, thankfully. Like many workplaces, Aaron was asked to bring a physical copy of the test results. He could not get it online and the telephone number he was provided was automated. Aaron could have returned to work sooner if he had received his test results.

This antiquated system makes it difficult for containing the spread of COVID and for an economic recovery. Premier, where is the plan to address the test delays that specifically hurt my community?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the member very much for the question. I am assuming that you are speaking about the situation at the Humber River assessment centre where there were some people who were experiencing delays in receiving their results. However, that situation has been resolved. Ontario Health has been working with the centre, and they have put in mitigation measures to make sure that this situation doesn’t happen again. But people are now able to receive the results online. There was a glitch in the system, but it has now been resolved.

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

Mr. Faisal Hassan: My question, again, is to the Premier. Mr. Speaker, my riding is a hot spot. That means residents like Aaron, many of whom are essential workers and provide a vital service, are at a high risk of getting COVID. We need reliable, local community-based testing with quick turnaround for test results.

I would like to remind the Premier what the health minister said yesterday in the Toronto Star. She said, “If there is a need—and it sounds as if there is in your community.... We’ll do whatever we can to get the resources there.” Well, Mr. Speaker, there is a clear need, and my community has been begging for the province’s help for months.

The health leaders in my community, from Humber River Hospital to the community health centres, are doing their best. But we need more resources. Can the minister tell Aaron and other residents of York South–Weston that we will get local community-based testing and timely results?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Yes, I can tell the gentleman that. I can tell all of the members of your community that we are responding to that need.

We have recognized that there are certain communities in the Toronto area and the GTA that have greater needs and that they can’t all be resolved through the assessment centres. In fact, we have 15 completed or planned community testing events that are taking place in the north Etobicoke-Malton-Woodbridge area. Many of them have already taken place, but I can tell you that on October 14, 15 and 17, there were assessment centres that were opened in Rexdale. On October 24 and 31 and November 7, there will also be additional testing centres that are opened in Rexdale as well.

So we are responding to the need. We recognize that there needs to be some mobile, some pop-up testing in certain areas. As I said yesterday, if there is a need, we will respond to it, and we are responding to it.

Waste diversion

Mrs. Nina Tangri: My question is for the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. As we all know, the previous Liberal government failed to act when the people of Ontario asked for a more effective and user-friendly recycling program. For the last 15 years, while the previous Liberals and their new leader, Del Duca, were in power, Ontario’s diversion rates stalled at just 30%. We saw them make no effort to modernize a program that was no longer working for the people of our province.

Mr. Speaker, Ontarians have suffered under the Liberal piecemeal blue box framework long enough. It is about time that a government showed true leadership on this issue. It is easy for the opposition to say that we are not doing enough to help the environment, but the progress we have already made to improve a system that was so irresponsibly neglected under the previous government suggests otherwise.

Mr. Speaker, this past government showed time and time again that they were not able to make the far-reaching changes necessary to finally give Ontarians the Blue Box Program they need and deserve. So can the Minister of—

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

Hon. Jeff Yurek: Thanks to the member from Mississauga–Streetsville for that excellent question. I’m pleased to give this response, Mr. Speaker. Our government is committed to implementing a Blue Box Program that is easy and accessible for all Ontarians, and one that will work to achieve the highest target waste diversions in North America.

It is my commitment as minister that, once transitioned, the Blue Box Program will continue to be convenient and accessible to all people of Ontario. This includes municipalities with populations under 5,000. If you had a blue box curbside collection system prior to the transition to producer responsibility, you will continue to have it after the transition to producer responsibility. In fact, producers will have to ensure that more communities, including in northern Ontario and Indigenous communities, have some form of service.

Mr. Speaker, I announced the proposal. We’ll expand the program to apartment buildings, long-term-care homes, retirement homes, schools, municipal parks—

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

Mrs. Nina Tangri: Back to the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks: The people of this province were continually ignored by the previous government. It’s frustrating to see that nothing significant was ever done to provide Ontarians with more convenient and consistent recycling options.

By not working to modernize the blue box, what the Liberals did was effectively ignore the amount of waste that was going into our landfills. The opposition loved to endorse headlines alluding that the government is ditching recycling, yet in their own environmental plan, they actually say, “The most efficient way to reduce emissions from waste is to divert it from landfills.”

Ontarians deserve more than this rhetorical whiplash. What they need is a government that will put the work and the consultation in to create a system that actually works for the people of this province, and one that diverts more waste from landfills.

Can the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks provide members of this House an effective—minimizing the amount of material that ends up in our landfills?

Hon. Jeff Yurek: Ontarians divert almost 50% of their residential waste through the Blue Box Program, green bins or composters in their backyards. Unfortunately, when you factor in the waste from other sources such as commercial and industrial, the diversion rate drops to about 30%. That means that about 70% of all total waste generated in our province ends up in landfills, and it has stayed that way for the past 15 years. This represents a significant loss in economic opportunities, when potentially valuable resources are thrown in the trash.

We need to do better. That’s why our Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan established our waste diversion programs on the producer responsibility model. Making producers responsible for the waste associated with their products and packaging will spur innovation from producers. In the case of the Blue Box Program, we’ll provide up to $135 million per year in relief for municipalities, and ultimately the taxpayer.

Mr. Speaker, we’re expanding the list going into the blue box. We’re standardizing the list so people will know throughout Ontario what will go in the blue box, and we’re expanding—

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

Post-secondary education

Ms. Catherine Fife: My question is to the Premier. A growing chorus of anti-hate experts and concerned citizens are raising serious concerns about the Premier’s decision to quietly sneak provisions giving Ford ally Charles McVety the power to grant university degrees at Canada Christian College.

Yesterday, the Premier said, “He went through the process like every other college, and the process is independent.” However, CBC News today reports that Canada Christian College has not actually completed this process at all. Why would the Premier of Ontario make such a completely untrue claim?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I would ask the member to withdraw her unparliamentary remark.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The question has been placed. The parliamentary assistant will reply.

Mr. David Piccini: All private post-secondary institutions in Ontario require a thorough and rigorous organizational review in order to change names and expand degree-granting authority. This review is undertaken by the independent Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board, and we’ll look forward for the review.

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

Ms. Catherine Fife: McVety has a well-documented record of crossing the line into hate speech. In 2006, he was kicked off of a Christian broadcast channel for suggesting that LGBTQ people prey on children and that Haitians practise Satanism. On Twitter, McVety has called the Islamic faith “a war machine,” and even invited Geert Wilders, a notorious anti-Islamic political leader, to speak at Canada Christian College, saying that Canadians should come to the campus to learn about “the threat of demographic jihad.” This is the school that the Ford government wants to make into a university.

Will the Premier admit today, will anybody on that side of this House admit today that this was not the result of an independent process, but an attempt to do a favour for a political ally? Will you stop this reckless plan today?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will take their seats.

The parliamentary assistant.

Mr. David Piccini: Again, it’s the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board that reviews programming. One of the reasons we have a high-quality education system across the province of Ontario is because we lean on the expert advice of the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board. PEQAB is made up of independent experts and individuals with significant expertise and experience in the education sector.

Post-secondary education

Ms. Kathleen O. Wynne: My question today is for the Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Mr. Speaker, let me say that I appreciated, the other day, the comments of the Premier about my trail-blazing role as the first woman and openly lesbian and openly gay Premier of Ontario.

I wonder, then, if the minister could confirm for us that he supports the inclusion of all Ontarians regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, socio-economic status, ability or ethnicity in his vision of a strong, thriving post-secondary system?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The parliamentary assistant to reply.

Mr. David Piccini: I thank the member opposite for her question.

In my previous career, I worked internationally—and one of the reasons youth from across the globe choose Ontario is because of the high quality of our post-secondary education system. Regardless of background, they choose Ontario because programming is of a high quality because we rely on the expert advice of the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board.

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

Ms. Kathleen O. Wynne: I appreciate at least part of that answer. But now, I ask that the minister explain to the Legislature and to the people of Ontario, particularly to people in the LGBTQ+ community, young people who are questioning their sexuality, children who are raised in loving gay and lesbian families, why this government would extend the mandate of the most publicly and vocally homophobic man in Ontario. Why, in the name of all that is decent, would this minister validate the hateful, vicious, racist and homophobic rhetoric of Charles McVety by extending the reach of his Canada Christian College?

As Reverend Michael Coren wrote yesterday in iPolitics, “For many people, Charles McVety is Canada Christian College.” Why, then, would this government grant that such an organization, run by a man who rejects science and evidence and is on the record espousing hate, grant university degrees in science and in arts?

Is this actually happening because of McVety’s support during the 2018 election campaign? If so, how will the Conservative members explain their actions to the young people living in fear of homophobia in their constituencies?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

The parliamentary assistant to reply.

Mr. David Piccini: Mr. Speaker, I’m proud of the inclusive world-class education system we have in the province of Ontario.

When we develop programming to respond to the labour market needs of this province, it is done with the independent assessment—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Parliamentary assistant, please conclude.

Mr. David Piccini: —with the independent assessment of the Postsecondary Education Quality Assessment Board. It has been going on for the past 20 years in the province of Ontario, and we will continue to have a world-class education system that welcomes the world to Ontario.

Economic reopening and recovery

Mr. Dave Smith: Over the last few weeks, I’ve been meeting with small businesses across my riding. In fact, last night, I had a round table with a number of businesses. Consistently, they support the actions of this government and at the same time they keep asking us if we can give them more help offsetting the high cost associated with PPE.

Can the Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction provide greater clarity on how the Main Street Recovery Act will help small businesses address this concern, and does the minister have any indication if the other parties in this House will support small business by helping to pass this legislation?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The parliamentary assistant.

Ms. Donna Skelly: I’d like to thank the member from Peterborough–Kawartha for the question.

Small and main street businesses are the backbone of Ontario’s economy. Our main street recovery plan was designed based on over 100 virtual meetings, round tables and discussions and, more importantly, the largest-ever stakeholder consultation in the history of this province.

Now, the plan draws from across government and builds on more than $10 billion in urgent economic relief provided through the COVID-19 action plan. It also includes the Main Street Recovery Act, proposed legislation that would modernize rules to help small business, and programs like the $1,000 main street recovery grant to fund PPE. Ontario’s small business strategy completes the plan. It’s a long-term framework that will help small business rebuild, reinvest and grow.

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

Mr. Dave Smith: I’m not surprised, but I am disappointed, to hear that the other parties don’t want to help small business with the high cost of PPE.

Ironically, the leader of the Liberal Party, on a campaign swing through Guelph, heard the top issue facing small businesses there was—wait for it—assistance with PPE. Now, the Liberal leader has criticized the Premier for spending time this summer meeting with Ontarians. He referred to it as “campaigning.” Yet when Mr. Del Duca had his tour, it was, “Leadership, in this day and age, is actually talking to [people] in their communities”—a little bit of a discrepancy there.

Liberals in the House demand further closures and restriction measures, but at a recent nomination meeting in Halton, they stacked the room—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The parliamentary assistant can respond.

Ms. Donna Skelly: Thank you for the question. Mr. Speaker, our government and our leader recognize the devastating impact that COVID-19 is having on businesses and people right across Ontario. But our government has a plan to modernize regulations and to reduce unnecessary burdens, to help more people and businesses recover from the economic effects of COVID-19 and to prepare them for the opportunities of the future.

The Better for People, Smarter for Business Act will help build a government that works for the people of Ontario through the pandemic and beyond. Our government is creating the right economic environment that will allow people and businesses to focus on recovering, rebuilding and re-emerging from this crisis stronger than before.

Municipal elections

Ms. Peggy Sattler: My question is to the Premier. Once again, the Premier is shamelessly using the pandemic to push through legislation that is driven by his own agenda and that will do absolutely nothing to help Ontario recover from COVID-19. The government’s meddling in local decision-making by scrapping ranked ballots came as a complete surprise to Ontario municipalities, especially London, the only city to have used this voting system.

London’s leadership in running a successful ranked-ballot election in 2018 has been recognized across Canada, but the Premier’s interference means that not only are the one-time expenses in tabulator algorithms, additional auditors and voter education now lost, but the city will face new costs to revert back to first past the post. How exactly does overriding local democracy and forcing London to abandon ranked ballots save municipalities money?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Milton, the parliamentary assistant.

Mr. Parm Gill: I want to thank the member opposite for that important question. It is important that the way people vote in the federal election and the way people vote in the provincial election is the same way that people vote in the municipal election. Our government is committed to enhancing consistency in all elections. That’s why, earlier this year, we responded to a request by the Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario and made changes to create a single voter list that would be used both in the municipal and in the provincial elections.

As noted by the Chief Electoral Officer, this change was intended to reduce the need to make corrections on election day, shorten wait times and save municipalities money, especially during some of the most difficult times that we’re going through right now with COVID-19, where resources could be put to use in other areas to help local constituents.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Kingston and the Islands.

Mr. Ian Arthur: Upon hearing of the government’s surprise move to end ranked ballots, the mayor of Kingston said this, “I’m disappointed for the residents of Kingston (who) spent time and effort in 2018, learning about ranked ballots, understanding the differences in that system, weighing out the advantages and disadvantages, and, ultimately, casting a vote (for) what they thought was best.”

Yesterday, the Premier said these ballots were confusing. I question how, when the Premier won his leadership on a ranked-ballot system. Without it I may very well be asking Premier Elliott a question right now, but I guess the Premier is just a little confused about how he actually ended up in the position that he is in. Just because they’re confusing for him doesn’t mean he should scrap them for all the people in Ontario who actually understand them and support them.

Why is the government using the pandemic to get rid of ranked ballots when voters in Kingston voted massively in favour of them?

Mr. Parm Gill: I want to thank the member opposite for the question. Let me get this on the record: 443 out of the 444 municipalities in Ontario, during the last 2018 municipal election, used the first-past-the-post system. The city of London was the only municipality to have used ranked ballots in Ontario, and their municipal election—get this—cost $515,000 more than the previous election. That’s 40% higher, Mr. Speaker. And listen to this: They got the exact same election results that they would have under the previous system.

I also would like to remind the member, since he mentioned the city of Kingston: As outlined in the city’s staffing report in 2018, the city of Kingston projected a 2022 municipal election would cost $1 million more under the ranked ballots. Mr. Speaker, we—

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

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. The House will come to order.

The next question.

Municipal elections

Mr. Mike Schreiner: My question is for the Premier. I’ve been told that the Premier gave PC MPPs a “For the People” sign for their desks. After the Premier’s latest attack on local democracy, I’m wondering if they’ve changed the signs to “Doug knows best.”

The people of this province do not need the Premier to dictate to them how they should conduct local democratic elections. I’m confident that people can decide that themselves. And if they choose ranked ballots, they will choose a system that leads to more civility, something I believe we all need in politics.

Speaker, my question is for the Premier: If ranked ballots are good enough to elect the Premier as leader of his party, why are they not good enough to elect mayors and municipal councillors?

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

Mr. Parm Gill: As I pointed out earlier, our proposed changes would bring predictability to municipal elections.