role="main" class="main-container container js-quickedit-main-content" id="main-content">

November 25, 2021

42nd Parliament, 2nd Session

< Previous sitting day

Next sitting day >

Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2021-Nov-25 vol. A (PDF)

L024A - Thu 25 Nov 2021 / Jeu 25 nov 2021

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Thursday 25 November 2021 Jeudi 25 novembre 2021

Orders of the Day

Working for Workers Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 visant à oeuvrer pour les travailleurs

Wearing of scarves

Members’ Statements

Homelessness

Joe van Koeverden

Violence against women

Annual Toronto Police Auxiliary Toy Drive

Prostate cancer

Charlie Fisher

Violence against women

Gun violence

Hospital funding

Trans Day of Remembrance

COVID-19 deaths

Visitors

Question Period

Child care

Affordable housing

COVID-19 response

Anti-bullying initiatives

Government services

Environmental protection

Agri-food industry

Children’s mental health services

Poverty

Electronic service delivery

Addiction services / Homelessness

Green power generation

Public transit

Correctional facilities

Business of the House

Introduction of Bills

Total Pest Management Services Ltd. Act, 2021

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

Petitions

Nurses

Tenant protection

Optometry services

Optometry services

Orders of the Day

Working for Workers Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 visant à oeuvrer pour les travailleurs

The House met at 0900.

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

Prières.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): We’ll now have a moment of silence for inner thought and personal reflection.

Orders of the Day

Working for Workers Act, 2021 / Loi de 2021 visant à oeuvrer pour les travailleurs

Mr. McNaughton moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 27,

An Act to amend various statutes with respect to employment and labour and other matters / Projet de loi 27, Loi modifiant diverses lois en ce qui concerne l’emploi, le travail et d’autres questions.

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

Hon. Monte McNaughton: I want to say good morning to all of my colleagues. I’m really happy and excited to rise today for the third reading of Bill 27, the Working for Workers Act, 2021. Mr. Speaker, I’ll be sharing my time with the member for Mississauga–Malton, my outstanding colleague and parliamentary assistant at the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development.

I want to begin just by giving a shout-out to workers across the province, in particular all of those blue-collar workers who are working every single day to build our province, those workers who shower at the end of the day. I want to thank you for everything that you’re doing to build our province.

My colleague and parliamentary assistant will speak more about the details of our proposed legislation in the latter half of our time here this morning, specifically how we’re supporting our hard-working front-line delivery drivers and immigrants from regulated professions.

Before I begin, I want to reiterate my thanks. My parliamentary assistant provided critical support on these reforms. We truly have been working in lockstep to support and protect the hard-working women and men of our province. I’d also like to thank and acknowledge our Premier for his leadership and support for this legislation.

These are historic reforms we’re making to stand up for workers and put them back in the driver’s seat of Ontario’s future. In fact, as all members will know, many of these reforms in this proposed legislation are the first in Canada, and some are the first in all of North America.

Earlier this month, I was proud to join and stand with the Premier, my parliamentary assistant and the Minister of Finance as we stood alongside labour leaders, including Jerry Dias, president of Unifor, and Smokey Thomas, president of OPSEU. Together, we announced that our government is raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour starting on January 1.

As our partners in the labour movement recognize, this increase will help about three quarters of a million workers here in Ontario, and it will mean that a full-time minimum wage worker could see a raise of almost $1,400 next year. That’s good news for workers, their families and all of our communities right across Ontario.

This includes the thousands of front-line workers in grocery stores who braved it all to keep us safe during the pandemic. It’s because of them that shelves were stocked and our families had food on their tables. I want to thank these workers for their dedication and for their perseverance. I know, and we all know, it hasn’t been easy. Many of these front-line heroes make minimum wage, and while many of us worked from home at points during this pandemic, they have been needed at their workplaces throughout the pandemic.

Our paycheque increase will also include liquor servers as we make the standard minimum wage apply to these jobs. Servers work hard. Many lost jobs or faced reduced hours because of COVID-19, yet they can currently make less than standard minimum wage. It’s only fair that we fix that.

We know these workers have bills to pay and kids to feed, and their costs have been rising rapidly. They can’t wait another year for an increase. That’s why, starting in January, these workers will receive a higher wage to recognize their efforts and help them make ends meet. When our workers are stronger, they build strong families and even stronger communities, and that’s good for all of us.

The Working for Workers Act, 2021, builds on these and other efforts by our government to protect, support and attract the best workers to Ontario, give businesses a hand up, and ensure Ontario remains a top destination to live, work and raise a family.

I’ve mentioned many times that our government is on a mission to chart a path forward for Ontario workers that includes bigger paycheques, better workplace protections and more opportunities. This means taking action now, today, to plan for the future, and not waiting to see how other provinces or even other countries around the world will act.

So, while many jurisdictions are just starting to rebuild from the pandemic, we are already thinking ahead to what the next 10 and 20 years will look like. We’re thinking about the workplaces of the future, what kind of future we’re building for our children and what their job prospects will look like.

The world of work has obviously been changing for decades, but the pandemic has dramatically accelerated the rate of change here in Ontario and everywhere around the world. Changes that were happening slowly or that many predicted but that hadn’t yet become a reality, happened all at once. I know many families, including my own, had to balance this new reality with online school and other mounting responsibilities. Nearly two years later, some of us have returned to the office, but many continue to work remotely or have adopted a hybrid model.

Other trends, like automation in workplaces, have also sped up, with many employers adopting new technologies to create safer working environments in sectors like manufacturing, distribution, retail and transportation. Some of these changes are temporary and will soon be gone as we fully return to normal, but many of these changes will continue to transform how we work long after the pandemic ends.

Our government knows that we need to look ahead to stand up for workers to ensure our laws continue to protect their basic rights, that they are treated fairly and with respect, and that Ontario remains a top destination for workers and businesses outside our borders, and our economy remains strong. That’s why, in June, we appointed the Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee. We asked them to provide recommendations to position Ontario as the best place in North America to recruit, retain and reward workers.

Let me start off by thanking the chair, Rohinton Medhora, and other committee members for delivering such a thoughtful and thorough report. They did what we tasked them to do, and more.

To understand the current landscape and challenges associated with our changing workforce, the committee undertook an extensive engagement process. They hosted over 150 stakeholder meetings, considered over 550 written submissions and surveyed more than 2,000 people in every corner of this province. Based on their research and discussions, they provided expert advice on how to adapt to the changing workforce, lead economic recovery and help workers reach their full potential.

While we continue to review the committee’s advice, I’m proud to say that with this bill, our government is already moving forward on several key recommendations. I’d like to highlight some of these recommendations now.

First, as I mentioned, the pandemic has resulted in historic changes in the way we live and work. For many of us, the lines between work life and home life became blurred, as many office workers shifted to remote work overnight. As our front-line workers fought bravely to contain the virus and keep essential goods flowing, many of us did our part simply by staying and working from home. This meant that for many families, including my own, homes became offices, daycares and schools. It wasn’t uncommon for kids or family pets, as we all know, to interrupt a Zoom or Teams call during the day.

An unintended consequence of working from home was that, without a commute, it became even easier to work much longer hours, and even when off the clock, many of us keep an eye on emails, making it hard to relax at the end of the work day, on vacation or when spending the weekend or evenings with our families.

Speaker, all of us are more than our jobs. We’re moms, we’re dads, volunteers for charitable and community organizations, members of faith communities, hobbyists and so much more. Ontario cannot be a place where workers face burnout and only have time for one part of their life. And if the pandemic has taught all of us anything, it’s the importance of mental health. It seems the people of Ontario agree.

According to a recent Ipsos survey, over 95% of people believe those who work from home should have the right to disconnect from their employer at the end of the work day. We’ve seen this done successfully in other jurisdictions, including Ireland and France, and it’s time we stood up for workers here in Ontario. That’s why we’re proposing to require many employers, meaning those with 25 employees or more, to establish policies so workers can unplug from their devices at the end of the work day.

Speaker, I’m really happy and glad to see the support this measure has already generated. Jerry Dias, who I mentioned earlier is the president of Unifor, had some comments. One of the things I’m really proud of, by the way, is the new relationship our government has forged with labour, standing shoulder to shoulder with workers across Ontario.

Jerry Dias said the introduction of legislation that would require companies to develop disconnect-from-work policies is a welcome start to improve work-life balance for Ontario workers: “Technology has” obviously “increasingly blurred work-life balance, a situation exacerbated during COVID-19 as people turned their home into their job site, with workers expected to be reachable and available 24/7. This legislation is a first step towards establishing clearer boundaries between personal and work time to improve both physical and mental health outcomes.”

Ontario will be a leader in protecting the right to disconnect, and that will help with other aspects of life, with mental health and even with productivity, when everyone is back on the clock.

Our next proposal would, if passed, ban employers from using non-competition agreements. These agreements basically prevent an employee from leaving one company to take a new job at a direct competitor for a period of time after they leave their current job. While they are almost never legally enforceable, employers often use them to intimidate their employees. They prevent workers from seeking better and more meaningful opportunities. This limits workers from pursuing exciting opportunities that could help them grow professionally.

We want Ontario to be a place where workers can advance their careers and where businesses can easily recruit the talent they need. We’ve seen this done successfully in several other jurisdictions. California banned non-compete agreements many years ago, and yet Silicon Valley has flourished. Hawaii banned them in the tech sector in 2015, and following that there was an 11% increase in labour mobility in the sector and a 4% increase in new-hire salaries.

Banning these agreements would increase the mobility of workers and it would improve Ontario’s ability to attract top talent. That’s what we need here in Ontario now: top talent from new industries to help us strengthen our economy and our resilience.

I would like to take a moment to address a concern that was raised after the introduction of this bill. In a November 1 article, prominent employment lawyer Howard Levitt agreed that there are serious problems with the use of non-compete agreements. Specifically, he cites their detrimental impact on employee mobility and on costly, but often frivolous, litigation. But he also cites examples where non-compete agreements can be appropriate. In very specific contexts they can even be useful.

Without them, he writes, “In hiring an executive, a company would be reluctant to entrust them with knowledge of its corporate opportunities or to develop close relationships in the marketplace if they risk that employee moving with those contracts and knowledge to its major competitor.”

Creating an exception for senior executives would address that concern, and that’s why earlier we put forward a motion to exclude executives from the ban on non-compete agreements. To clarify, “executive” would mean only those who hold the office of CEO, president, chief administrative officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, chief information officer, chief legal officer, chief human resources officer, chief corporate development officer or hold any other chief executive position. Simply put, our bill is focused on helping those on the shop floor, not those in the corner office.

I thank the committee for helping us refine and improve this element of the bill. We’ve landed a balance that would help workers make the most of their careers and help Ontario’s growing companies expand and create more jobs, without including the few people where non-competes do make sense. And there are already other ways for businesses to protect intellectual property.

This measure will help Ontario compete with Silicon Valley and with businesses anywhere in the world, because if we support them and convince them to come or to stay to work here, Ontario workers can compete with the very best anywhere. With these changes, we can make Ontario known worldwide as the best place to live and work, a place that respects you, your work and your workplace wherever it may be, and a place where the future works for you.

Speaking of respecting and attracting the best workers, we’ve seen a sharp increase in temporary workers over the last decade, particularly during the pandemic. Many of them worked on the front lines in sectors like construction, manufacturing and transportation. They kept goods moving, built critical infrastructure and brought us to and from our destinations safely. While most temporary help agencies are upstanding operators, the pandemic has shown us that some have profited from exploiting workers. They’re not paying minimum wage, not paying holiday pay or overtime. With this bill, we’re sending a message that this is unacceptable and it stops here.

The plan we’re proposing is the most comprehensive in Canada. Our plan, if passed, would require agencies and recruiters to get a licence, pay a security bond and be listed on a public online database. Those who fail to get a licence or choose to use an unlicensed agency will face the highest fines in the country and possible jail time. We’re putting vulnerable workers and honest employers first while shining a light on rule-breakers.

In committee, an important question was raised. I thank the members who asked: “Does this measure have teeth?” The answer is, yes, it does. They asked: “Will there be real consequences for those who exploit workers?” Yes, there will. We’re taking real action to protect our workers, and those who violate those provisions will face a strong deterrent.

Penalties would apply not only to underground agencies but also to employers who use them. Where multiple agencies are involved, they will all be held accountable. So a local agency will still be held to account if they work with companies overseas that commit abuses or charge illegal fees. As I mentioned, offenders will face the highest fines in Canada and possible jail time.

And our ministry inspectors will be on the job, as they are every single day across Ontario. In 2020-21, they focused on the use of temporary help agencies in farms, retirement homes, food processing and warehouses. They discovered over $3.3 million were owing to workers. Speaker, I want to thank the hard work of our inspectors. Close to half of these funds have already been recovered.

With these proposed changes, we’re sending a clear message that breaking the law is not a cost of doing business in Ontario. If you’re not following the rules, we can and we will shut you down. These steps will protect young people, women and newcomers, who are often the most exploited by these bad agencies.

Part of supporting workers means supporting the businesses they work at and ensuring our economy and labour market remain strong. All of the legislative changes we’re proposing would, if passed, strengthen Ontario business and our competitiveness as a province. This is needed now more than ever.

While our economy has rebounded, and demand for workers is rising across many sectors, we know many shopkeepers and merchants are still struggling. Many were forced to close during the pandemic. Thousands of workers were laid off, especially those earning minimum wage. Because lower-paid workers were more likely to be laid off, the average industrial wage in Ontario actually went up during the pandemic. This resulted in a spike in the average industrial wage, which is used in calculating WSIB premiums.

The spike didn’t reflect a real increase in pay or economic activity, just the distorting impact of the pandemic. Our government acted quickly to prevent employers from seeing significant premium increases at a time when many were struggling to keep the lights on. You’ll recall, Mr. Speaker, we passed Bill 238, the Workplace Safety and Insurance Amendment Act, to limit the unexpected spike in premiums for 2021-22. This gave businesses essential relief and assurance when they needed it most, while maintaining benefits for those injured workers.

That brings me to the additional changes we’re proposing through this bill, Bill 27. As North America’s third-largest insurance company, the WSIB brings in billions of dollars in revenue every year, all of which comes from premiums paid by employers and returns from investments. The board currently has a surplus of over $6 billion, and it’s never been in a better financial position than it is today. At the same time, as I mentioned, Main Street is struggling. Thousands of businesses are still reeling from the impacts of the pandemic. They’ve lost staff, endured long closures, in some cases, and had to adapt to new safety measures to keep staff and customers safe.

This excess money in the WSIB’s account should be going back into the pockets of small businesses in our communities. That’s why we’re proposing to require funds to be returned to those employers when the WSIB’s surplus reaches 125% of the funds they need, and we’re giving the WSIB the option to return monies early when the fund is at 115%.

The legislation, if passed, would allow for a significant portion of the WSIB’s current reserve, currently valued at $6.1 billion, to be distributed back to safe employers. This will give employers a hand up to reinvest the funds as they work to recover and grow their businesses. That’s hundreds of millions of dollars that can be reinvested in new jobs, technology, and health and safety protections.

At the same time, I want to reiterate that these changes would not affect the benefits and services that workers and their families rely on.

Mr. Wayne Gates: Deeming.

Hon. Monte McNaughton: I know the members opposite often point to a drop in the overall amount of compensation paid to workers between 2009 and 2015. But this is because there was also a drop in lost-time injury claims. The number of claims being allowed remained stable. Benefits per person per day remained stable. Health care spending per person even increased slightly. Only the overall spending went down, because fewer injuries were reported.

Speaker, the safety and health of every single worker is my top priority. It’s our government’s top priority. The day we work towards is the day when no payments need to be made because every worker has gone home safely to their family. That is—

Mr. Wayne Gates: Deeming.

Hon. Monte McNaughton: —obviously the goal. But—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’d ask the minister to take his seat.

We’re debating third reading of Bill 27. Members will have an opportunity to participate in the debate when they get their turn and they’re recognized by the Speaker. Thank you.

Sorry to the minister. I apologize.

Hon. Monte McNaughton: But until we achieve that, benefits to injured workers will be fully maintained. By returning funds to our main street shopkeepers and merchants who pay them, we’ll help these businesses recover from the pandemic, which protects jobs and helps build our communities.

Speaker, you may recall that our government announced these measures last month at a local bakery in Hamilton. We also shared some additional good news: that in 2022 the WSIB is reducing workplace premiums by $168 million. This is yet another tax cut to give employers across Ontario a hand up that they deserve. With this rate reduction, premium rates have now dropped by more than 50% since we formed government, leaving more than $2.4 billion in local economies across Ontario.

We’re also proposing changes to make paying WSIB premiums easier for employers. Currently, employers must pay premiums directly to the WSIB and separately send payroll deductions to the Canada Revenue Agency. We are now proposing to allow the WSIB to reduce the red tape and improve customer service by partnering with the CRA to create a one-stop shop. This change would, if passed, streamline operations and reduce administrative burden for businesses by enabling them to make payments to both organizations in the same place.

Speaker, our government is all about making processes easier for businesses so that they can focus on rebuilding, serving their customers and creating jobs for people in our communities. This bill would, if passed, do just that, by creating a simple process similar to what Nova Scotia and Quebec have in place. We continue to hear that these changes are going to make a huge difference along Main Street.

Rocco Rossi, the CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, commented, “At a time when Ontario is looking to stimulate recovery, lower operating costs will help businesses get back on their feet faster.” He called it “welcome news for workers and employers in all corners of the province, as the savings can be better spent on job creation, new technologies, infrastructure, and safer work places.”

Speaker, before I hand this over to my parliamentary assistant, I want to emphasize that these legislative proposals build on the work we have done as a government to make Ontario known worldwide as the best place to live and work.

With that, I’d like to thank my colleagues across government who have shown incredible leadership in charting a path forward for the people of Ontario. That includes historic investments in our transportation system to ensure our communities are connected and people have choice in where they live and work; increasing funding for high-speed Internet across Ontario to meet a need that was made all the more pressing during the pandemic; and supporting our health care system and its workers by implementing virtual visits to allow physicians to meet with patients safely during the pandemic, just to name a few.

My ministry has also taken historic actions to help protect workers’ health and safety, particularly over the past two years. We ramped up our health and safety inspections of workplaces across Ontario. To date, we’ve now visited more than 70,000 job sites and workplaces, issuing COVID-related tickets and stopping unsafe work related to COVID where necessary. We hired 100 additional health and safety inspectors, creating the largest force in our history, and created more than 200 sector-specific workplace resources, including guidelines endorsed by management and labour to keep workplaces and job sites safe.

We introduced paid sick days for workers so people who needed to self-isolate, get tested or get vaccinated can call in sick and help stop the spread while still getting paid, and supported employers by reimbursing them up to $200 per day for each worker through a program delivered through the WSIB. We extended that program until the end of this year.

Finally, we’re planning for the future by looking at trends, like the looming shortage of skilled tradespeople, and working now to fill that gap. Earlier this week, we announced an increased investment of over $90 million to attract more young people into the skilled trades. As part of this, we are moving forward with a new action plan to break the stigma that can be associated with the trades and increase financial supports for youth, especially those from under-represented groups, while simplifying the apprenticeship system and encouraging employers to hire apprentices, so young people have access to more opportunities and quality, on-the-job training.

Earlier this week, I was proud to stand beside our Premier and the Minister of Finance again as we announced additional support for workers by expanding the Second Career program. We’re helping people hit hard by the pandemic. We’re making sure help is there for people who need to upgrade or expand their skills, including more people on social assistance, youth, those who are self-employed, gig workers, newcomers and others who need a hand up. Our Second Career program will provide up to $28,000 to help workers pay for tuition and living expenses for short-duration training, so they can get back to work quickly for in-demand jobs close to home in their own communities.

We’re also proposing to extend the temporary Ontario Jobs Training Tax Credit to 2022, to help workers affected by the pandemic find new jobs. And because the tax credit is refundable, it will help whether or not you owe Ontario personal income tax.

By taking these actions now, we’re not only supporting the future success of today’s youth, we’re investing in programs that will connect more people across our province to meaningful careers and financial independence that will enable them to build better lives for themselves and their loved ones. And we’re investing in our economy by ensuring that employers have the tools they need to train the next generation of skilled tradespeople.

Speaker, I will conclude by encouraging and calling for all in this House to support Bill 27, the Working for Workers Act, 2021. The future of work is already here and, to protect workers and jobs in our province, our laws need to keep up. If passed, this bill would ensure workers’ basic rights are protected, that Ontario remains the destination of choice for workers outside our borders, that businesses have a competitive environment that sparks innovation and growth, and that our economy remains strong in the years to come.

I’m confident that the measures outlined today that are in Bill 27, the Working for Workers Act, if passed, would ensure Ontario continues to be the best and safest place to live, work and raise a family.

Madam Speaker, I am now happy to turn it over to my parliamentary assistant. Again, the parliamentary assistant, the member for Mississauga–Malton, has done an incredible job of leading the charge to bring forward these historic reforms to put workers in the driver’s seat here in Ontario, and I’m looking forward to listening to your remarks today to highlight a number of the initiatives that are in Bill 27.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): The minister is sharing his time. I recognize the member for Mississauga–Malton.

Mr. Deepak Anand: Thank you Madam Speaker.

Interjections.

Mr. Deepak Anand: Thank you for that applause. That applause is for Ontario. That applause is for the hard-working staff from the ministry and the hard-working members in this chamber, all of us.

Thank you, Minister. It is a pleasure to rise today for the third reading of Bill 27, the Working for Workers Act, 2021. It is

an act to rebalance the scales for workers and put them in the driver’s seat.

Before I begin, I want to thank my colleague the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development for detailing the actions that our government has taken, and continues to take, to put workers first. Minister, you have shown incredible leadership in ushering in some truly historic reforms for workers at a time when they were needed most, whether it was raising the minimum wage to give a hand-up to the front-line workers, introducing one of the most robust paid sick day programs in the country, and overseeing tens of thousands of inspections to keep workers safe as we battled a global pandemic.

There is no question that the past 20 months have been tough for all of us. At a time when we were unable to go into stores or restaurants, we relied on ordering food and essential items online. To all the courier drivers, truck drivers and food delivery workers, each one of you have played a critical role in the supply chain, so I want to acknowledge and I want to thank the 240,000-plus workers who made that possible. Simply put, we could not have done it without you, so thank you so much.

That is why, Madam Speaker, our next proposed item, if passed, requires business owners to allow workers who are delivering or picking up items to use a washroom at that business. I want to say thank you for the feedback from residents Shahid Mughal, Satinder Singh and many more drivers who told me it is not uncommon to drive for six, seven or eight hours straight to make a delivery or pickup. Many of these locations are in industrial areas and don’t have public washrooms or a café nearby, and as you know, during the pandemic these restaurants were closed.

So to take a break, drivers often have no choice; they have to use the washroom at the business where they’re picking up or delivering goods.

As my colleague the minister mentioned, we appointed a panel of experts to our Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee in June. They spoke with workers, employers and unions about how we can better support our workers in this changing landscape of work. One of their findings was that workers who deliver goods are often denied using the washroom at businesses. As I said, I heard the same from the drivers.

I do remember, recalling—when I got this call from Satinder Singh, I actually called the minister. The first reaction from the minister was, “That’s shocking. How is it possible?” And not just saying it’s shocking; to my surprise, he actually took swift action right away. He reached out to the Minister of Transportation and we had a conversation. Thank you, Minister, for that swift action. We can see in the legislation the change. But I will be talking about what we did at that time under your leadership.

Madam Speaker, I want to share with you about one of my friends—I won’t name him; I don’t want to get into trouble—who drives a truck for a living. He told me that one day he was in such a dire need of a washroom that he had no choice; he had to go to the woods—and think about the situation. I’ll quote what he said: “When I was in the woods, I was thinking, am I in the best place in the world? Have I gone forward or have I gone backward?” We’re proud of our country of Canada, we’re proud of the people of Canada for standing up for right, and we’re proud of the electoral body of Canada as well, who always listens and acts. This is a great example here that we can see, Madam Speaker.

I think we can all agree that this is not the way we should be treating our front-line heroes. They deserve our respect and they deserve to have reliable access to washrooms during their workdays. I’m glad to share some of their feedback we’ve received on this measure. I’ll report that FedEx noted that this measure is a way to “acknowledge the role our drivers are playing to respond to this crisis.” Thank you, FedEx.

Purolator thanked us for supporting the well-being of their employees. The Ontario Trucking Association thanked our government “for recognizing our drivers as the ... heroes they are” and called our action “a solution that will no doubt serve as a model for other areas across North America.”

Speaker, you will recall that at the start of the pandemic our government opened rest stops to the couriers and truck drivers, even when they were closed to the general public. That was because of the conversation we had, and thank you to the ministers for their swift action. But we didn’t stop there. This change takes those measures a step further. Giving people access to a basic facility like a washroom is not only a matter of common decency; it is a public health concern. I urge all members to support this bill and show these workers that we have their backs and we appreciate them.

Moving on: Madam Speaker, as you know, due to the last 20 months, the world of work is changing, and it’s changing rapidly. We have seen a rise in remote work, and new technologies are disrupting industries across the globe. What the pandemic has done is accelerated these changes.

As we look to the future, we need to ensure that our workers and our labour laws are ready to meet these changing demands, which means giving workers the training they need to adapt to the emerging technologies and shifts in the market, pointing our young people in the direction of in-demand and well-paying jobs, particularly in the skilled trades, and ensuring Ontario continues to be a top destination to work, live and invest—and I always use the word “thrive.”

As you know, Speaker, we rely on immigrants. In 2020, immigrants made up about 33% of Ontario’s workforce. The fundamental reason is because we have a ratio of 2.4 to 1 to the workers, and a healthy ratio is about 4. In order to fulfill that ratio, we need people to come here and help prosper our province and help prosper our country.

With more workers set to retire over the next decade, we will need to continue to attract professionals to Ontario to fill in-demand jobs, so it is essential that we make Ontario a welcoming and attractive destination for the people. The vast majority are not working in the fields that they are trained in. For example, in 2016, 75% of internationally educated immigrants in Ontario were not working in the regulated profession they trained and studied for.

I firmly believe that Ontario is the best place in the world for families to live, work, build a new life and thrive. I came to Canada in 2000, and my family and I are so grateful for the opportunities we’ve been given.

Each year, our province continues to open our doors to thousands of internationally educated professionals and their families. I want to say thank you to those who take this step and their entrepreneurial skills so that they come here and work with us, and we work with them and we build a better, stronger Ontario.

The reality is, many of our policies impacting these immigrants are outdated and far from welcoming. When I came to Ontario, for example, I had an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering. The first thing, when Puneet Sharma picked me up from the airport and brought me home, he told me, “By the way, you cannot work as an engineer and you cannot use the word ‘engineer.’” I was shocked. As you know, as a new immigrant you have to pick between upgrading your skill set or putting food on the table for your family. I know, like many other immigrants, I picked putting food on the table for my family.

I want to say this: 20-plus years later, the barriers that I faced, or many of us faced—I actually heard a similar story from MPP Sheref Sabawy, who had a team he was leading back in Egypt, and when he came here, he had to work at Tim Hortons. We’re not saying that we don’t like to work when we started the first career. We are still thankful to the people who gave us that opportunity. I’m still thankful to my boss Paul Kuzmenko for the trust that he’d shown.

What I’m talking about—Speaker, think about a situation: If I was allowed to work at that time in the field where I was educated, I would have been able to contribute more to our province and to my family. But thankfully, everything turned out well, so I don’t have complaints, but that doesn’t mean we cannot do more. We still need to do more.

What we need to do is—when it comes to the regulated professionals like engineers, architects and accountants, many of those workers can’t afford to go through the administrative hurdles to transfer their professional credentials. Even if they do, these processes can be confusing and time-consuming. Many newcomers need help to manoeuvre through complex assessment and registration processes, and the language assessment they have to go through can be expensive and duplicative. Think about it: You’re coming to a place where you don’t have a job and you’re looking for work.

Then you want to upgrade your education, you want to get into licensing, but it’s going to cost you. It’s like you’re in a vicious cycle. What do you do first? These steps can take a long time.

We need to make it easier for these people to settle and find jobs in their fields. If we do so, it is a win-win situation, Madam Speaker. Newcomer families will have more financial stability. They will be able to contribute more. They’ll be able to pay more taxes. They’ll be able to buy more goods and services. That will increase the revenue for the government, it will increase the revenue for the businesses, and that will generate more prosperity for all of us. So I think that when the minister said it’s a win-win-win situation, Minister, you are absolutely right.

It is predicted—it’s not just a word, it’s not just a line that we talk about—it’s actually predicted that connecting newcomers to the jobs that match their qualifications would increase Ontario’s GDP by $12 billion to $20 billion for the next five years. What can we do with that money? We can throw that money back into the services that are needed the most. We can throw that money back into health care, we can throw that money back into the education, we can throw that money back into the worker.

That’s where our proposed amendments come in. If passed, it would help cut through a number of unnecessary hoops to help make it easier for internationally trained professionals to make a living here in their chosen fields. First, we are proposing to eliminate Canadian experience requirements for professional registration and licensing, unless an exemption is granted because it’s a necessity for public health and safety. Let’s be clear: We’re not saying that we have to do whatever it takes—no. Public health and safety is paramount and that’s what we have to protect first.

But if it is not the case, then we are proposing to eliminate the Canadian experience requirement for professional registration and licensing.

We’re also proposing changes that would, if passed, enable the creation of regulations that could streamline language proficiency test requirements. Newcomers would not be tested again and again and again: when they immigrate, and again when they’re going through the process to become registered with a regulated profession. We’re also proposing changes that would, if passed, enable the creation of regulations to speed up the time in which regulated professions are required to make a decision.

Madam Speaker, what happens is that sometimes we put in these pieces and there’s no deliverables, there’s no time. It takes, say, two years, and then you have again conflicting priorities. What do you do in this case? You tend to refocus yourself, sometimes even if you’ve gone ahead and you have started it. You had intent, but because the action takes so much time, the impact is not there. We want to make sure that there’s an intent and there’s an action, and intent and action becomes an impact. We want to make sure that we ensure expedited registration processes are implemented in emergencies, like what we’re going through, like a pandemic as well.

Speaker, not only do these proposed changes help to get these people working in their chosen field, they would also help to speed up the process. To be more specific, reducing the number of hoops that need to be jumped through means that the labourers start working in the field more quickly.

We’re not the only ones saying this, Madam Speaker. I want to quote Tonie Chaltas of Achēv: “We need to make it as easy as possible for newcomers to Ontario to find jobs, settle into their communities and build a life here.” And I couldn’t agree more.

Virender Rathi, a first-generation immigrant and lawyer from my riding, praised the action of our government for helping many immigrants reach their Canadian dream faster.

Elise Herzig of Jewish Immigrant Aid Services called these measures “bold, impactful and meaningful.”

Speaker, I would like to respond by thanking the many people and organizations who participated in these consultations and in our committee hearings or otherwise provided their insights on these problems and our proposed solutions. To you, thank you so much. You have made a real contribution to this work.

These proposed amendments, if passed, would help also give Ontario an edge over other countries and help us to attract top talent. They would help give newcomers the pride of continuing their careers here, all the while knowing that they are welcome and are supported.

Speaking of supporting our workers, Madam Speaker, I want to highlight some of the actions we’re taking to plan for the future. As I mentioned, we’re seeing a looming skills shortage in the labour market, particularly in the skilled trades. With many workers set to retire over the next decade, it is expected that the construction sector alone will need as many as 100,000 additional workers—100,000 well-paying jobs.

I know that earlier this week, the Premier and the Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development announced new supports for people looking to pursue a new career. First, led by the Minister of Finance, we are extending a tax credit to help workers get the training they need for a career shift, to retrain or sharpen their skills. The Ontario Jobs Training Tax Credit is a temporary refundable personal income tax credit where you get up to $2,000 in relief for 50% of personal eligible expenses in 2021.

Again, Madam Speaker, I use the words “intent” and “impact.” This credit is not just an intent; it is impactful as well. This credit will provide $260 million, which, in other words, will go to support 230,000 people in Ontario.

In addition, the ministry is expanding the Second Career program to reach more people. This program helps workers who need a hand up to get the skills they need to qualify for in-demand jobs. Traditionally, the program targeted unemployed or laid-off individuals who needed a hand up to get back in the labour force, but during the pandemic, we have seen that our program rules excluded a lot of people who needed a hand up finding a job. While our program rules have made sense for many years, we took a hard look at them and decided we can do better for our workers and job seekers in Ontario.

That is why our government is investing an additional $5 million, for a total of $87 million, this fiscal year to help more people access the training they need to find a new job. As a part of that, we’re expanding the program to people with little to no traditional work history.

What will that mean? I want to give you an example of that, Madam Speaker. I have the greater Toronto airport in my riding. Before the pandemic, there were about 50 million visitors who used the airport. At the peak of the pandemic, it was only 10 million. What did that mean? The people who were working outside—taxi drivers, for an example—when you have 100 people, let’s say there are 10 taxi drivers to serve them. When you have only 10 to 25 visitors, you don’t need 10 taxi drivers; you probably need maybe two or three.

We’ve seen that the taxi drivers were hit hard. And the challenge they had is that’s all they did. I know one of my residents, Harlene Toor, called, and she was very upset. She said, “Look, I don’t know what I should do. All my dad did was drive a taxi, and he was proud of doing this. He raised us. Both the kids are doing extremely good. But now we have a challenge. There’s no work, and he doesn’t want to sit idle. He wants to contribute, but he doesn’t know what to do.”

So, Harlene, this is the solution: What we’re doing is we’re expanding the program to people with little or no traditional work history. This change will open up new training opportunities to those who are struggling to get their foot in the door, as well as more recent newcomers, social assistance clients and people with disabilities. It will help people who have been working in non-traditional ways, such as gig workers or freelancers, including those who lost work due to the pandemic. It’s a practical problem and there’s a practical solution, and that is what we’re doing now.

I know my colleague on the other side is very passionate about the WSIB. I just want to say this: We are stepping up to close the loopholes and ensure that businesses—and I’m going to use the word—like Fiera Foods, which we heard about, do not hurt workers. What we’re trying to do in the proposed amendment—only the safest employers will benefit from our proposed changes to WSIB premiums. Outsourcing work does not allow for outsourcing responsibility. The proposed changes to WSIB would not impact any of the compensation, benefits or services provided by WSIB to the workers who become injured or ill on the job.

I do want to thank all the members on the social policy committee and all the presenters for their feedback. I’d like to assure you that the minister, ministry staff and I will continue to work to improve workers’ protection. We’re always working hard to ensure, to create opportunities for better jobs, and thus creating bigger paycheques.

Madam Speaker, I just to want to talk about—before I close—our province. I’m not sure if I’m allowed to show it like this, but it is called “Unleashing Ontario,” a document which I have. I’m just going to go through this. The reason I’m going through this is I’m just going to talk about how good we are as a province: “We are ... younger than the rest of the G7. Millennials, those aged 18 to 34, are the largest generation in many of our largest cities, including Toronto, Ottawa, and Kitchener-Waterloo. We’ve welcomed people from more than 150 countries,” with over 200 languages.

So what are we? We’re actually a global village. You don’t have to look anywhere else. This is the place; we are a global village. If you are a big company anywhere in this world and are looking for a second headquarters, there’s no better place than the GTA, than Ontario, right here. Why? Because, if you say an example: If you want to go to Brazil and want to work with Brazil, all you have to do is—we have a consulate here. We have a high commissioner in Ontario. We have a chamber of commerce. All you have to do is come here and we’ll give you the whole world.

But we’re not just saying it; we’re actually working to make sure that we give you the support that you need to expand. And it’s not just a word; it’s a magic number: The number is seven. Seven is the number, Madam Speaker, which is the $7 billion in annual savings. This is what we have been providing to the businesses who want to come here, invest here and grow and thrive. And it is not just a one-time $7 billion; it’s actually $7 billion of savings every year. This is a game-changer for Ontario and that is the reason we are seeing over 300,000 jobs which are unfilled today. Why? Because they know.

This is the place where we have seen both domestic and foreign direct investment continually coming to us, throughout the pandemic, even.

I don’t have much time. I still have to close, but before I close, I just want to talk about the “By the numbers,” where do we stand in Ontario. The reason I’m saying it is because, to me, when more Ontarians, more Canadians, more global citizens come here, invest here, what is that going to that mean? That is going to mean more opportunity for our workers, more jobs, higher-paid jobs. The more they get paid, the more revenue comes to the government. The more revenue that comes to the government, the more we can invest back into the services that Ontarians need.

We’re the “second-largest automotive manufacturer in North America.” We’re the “second-largest IT cluster in North America.” We’re the “second-largest financial hub in North America.” We’re the “second-largest centre for food processing in North America.” We have “70% of adults have post-secondary education.” We have “55,000 STEM graduates every year.” Probably not many people know this, but when you take a plane and when the plane is landing, those gears—every three landing gears out of four are manufactured here in Ontario. That is our strength.

As you know, as we are going towards the electric vehicles, we have the resources required to produce the batteries. If we’re looking at the world and they’re trying to invest, we are the place where you can actually invest into electric vehicles and manufacture here. Why is it important? Because more investment means more job growth for our workers.

Madam Speaker, I’ll close by urging all members to support our government’s Working for Workers Act. It stands up for the front-line heroes who worked tirelessly through the pandemic to keep Ontario running. It supports businesses that are struggling to get back on their feet. And it builds a better Ontario for the workers of today and tomorrow, by ensuring that their basic rights are protected and our labour laws keep up with the changing world of work.

These actions build on our ongoing work to support these workers and businesses, from introducing paid sick days to hiring the largest team of inspectors in our province’s history. This bill sends a clear message that our government will continue to have their backs long after the pandemic ends.

Madam Speaker, by taking these steps now, we can ensure Ontario remains the best place to live, have a meaningful career, raise a family and thrive. That is why I urge every member in the House: Let’s support Bill 27, the Working for Workers Act, 2021. Let’s build a prosperous, stronger, better Ontario.

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

Mr. Jamie West: The heart of this bill, one of the biggest issues in this bill is the $6.1 billion the Conservatives want to give back to their big box stores in WSIB. The last time we had a surplus, the Mike Harris Conservative Party turned that into unfunded liability that took us 17 years to pay off. Because of that, right now, one in five injured workers live on less than $10,000 a year. Injured workers have faced four times the rate of poverty than anyone else in this province.

My question to the parliamentary assistant: Is he comfortable with the members of his riding who were injured making less than $10,000 a year?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. Madam Speaker, I know to get through this pandemic it was tough, and we understand that the workers need our support, and we’ll always be there. That is why this Bill 27, the Working for Workers Act, will give workers a hand up to get better jobs and bigger paycheques. This is one of the things which we’re talking about. Talking about those injured workers, I actually looked at the data. In 2019, 88% of those workers actually got back into their jobs with 100% income in less than one year.

Madam Speaker, I said it earlier and I’m going to say it one more time: Do we need to work more? Do we need to do more? Absolutely, yes, and we will continue to work to make sure the workers in this province are protected, the workers in this province are having backing from our ministry.

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

Mr. Bill Walker: Speaker, through you to the minister and through him to his PA, I just wanted to applaud the minister for all the work he’s done in the area of apprenticeships; returning workmen’s compensation premiums back to the employer, who then can reinvest back into employees; and all of the work they’re doing in the ministry to encourage our labour and our trades. We are going to have looming shortages if we’re not careful, Madam Speaker, because other governments did not do enough to train workers.

We’ve always heard about the lack of the ability to get a job because you don’t have the experience and you can’t get experience if you don’t have a job. So it’s great to see that he’s changing that, particularly in the area of PSWs, doctors, nurses, the skilled trades and professionals. We hear all the time, in all of our ridings across Ontario: There are more jobs than there are people.

I believe that is going to be a huge help—just down the road in the next riding of Huron–Bruce—

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

Mr. Bill Walker: —the life extension of Bruce Power and, in your neck of the woods, Darlington. We’re going to need considerable trades.

I would like to ask the PA if he can elaborate a little bit more on getting rid of that requirement for Canadian experience, so when someone has done their job in another country, they can come here and they can get to work.

Mr. Deepak Anand: Thank you to the member. Thank you for your electrifying voice for the residents of your riding.

You’re absolutely right when we were talking about this bill. You could see it: We have the most diverse caucus in the history of our province. I’m not the only one of our members who, when we came here, had to go through jobs which were not in the field we were trained in. Thankfully, the minister and our Premier are taking action, which was much needed for the longest period of time. That’s what we’re proposing: that these foreign credentials be recognized.

It’s not only just in one or two; there are 23 trades and 14 professions which will be helped out through this, Madam Speaker. Thank you for the question.

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

Mr. Wayne Gates: I listened very closely to what was said about an hour ago. There were some quotes which are fair and reasonable, because I think there are some things in this bill that are good. But there are no quotes from the Ontario Federation of Labour, which represents 1.2 million workers. When you look at the bill, it’s says “working for workers.” Two out of the three words in your bill title talk about working for workers—workers are named twice—yet 1.2 million workers from the OFL, which represents unions right across the province of Ontario, weren’t even consulted.

ATU: no quotes from them. No quotes from education workers, no quotes from health care workers, no quotes from the building trades and also no quotes from injured workers.

I’m going to say—I’ve said this while I was in committee and I know that member knows all too well about

schedule 6—deeming has to come out of here. Injured workers who are deemed: 50% live in poverty. They’re losing their homes. They’re losing their families. They’re losing their community.

I’m saying to that member: Will you take

schedule 6 out of this bill and support my bill, Bill 119?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Thank you to the member opposite for that question. As I said earlier, when it comes to the WSIB, this bill does not propose that compensation should be reduced or that services or benefits should be reduced. It does not touch that. The workers will continue to get the same service, the same compensation, the same benefits. We’re not touching that. What we’re talking about is not about that.

But having said that, one thing I absolutely agree with is that we need to support our workers and we need to continue to help them. That is why we have expanded our Second Career program to help these people, especially people with disabilities, to find work. That is why we have expanded it to many other fields as well, where you can actually get $28,000 for tuition, plus support for living expenses. We have got a plan to build back a better Ontario.

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

Mr. Mike Harris: I just want to say a big thank-you to the member from Mississauga–Malton. He’s been doing some fantastic work in his new position with the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development. I’ll be quite honest: I can’t think of anybody better to do the job.

I wanted to touch on something that the member talked about. I know it’s one of your favourite subjects because you stood here in the House and talked about it many times, Madam Speaker, and that was using the washroom. It was a fantastic debate that day.

My riding is home to Erb Transport. It’s one of the largest refrigerated-trucking companies here in Ontario. They service all of Canada and they’re a fantastic resource when we’re talking about things around shipping, trucking and moving goods across our province. I did hear from several workers there that they were having problems getting in to use washrooms. I think it’s something that really resonates with people, and I’m hoping the member can explain a little bit more about what this actually means for the people of Ontario.

Mr. Deepak Anand: Madam Speaker, through you, I want to thank the member from Kitchener–Conestoga for that question. That’s something that is very close to my heart because, as you know, the region of Peel is a hub of the transportation industry. We’ve got a lot of friends and family who are into trucking.

But it’s not just for trucking. It’s actually the Uber driver; it is the people who are delivering food. Everyone is included in this bill. As an example, if you are picking up or delivering to any commercial place—sometimes it’s like five, six or seven hours—and you don’t get to a washroom? That’s not acceptable in the province of Ontario under the watch of this Premier and under the leadership of Minister McNaughton. It is not acceptable, and that’s why we’re doing this. We’re changing that now, today. Thank you for that question.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Time for one more question.

Mr. Gurratan Singh: They often say that if you want to see a doctor, take a taxi or take an Uber, because of the amount of people who are foreign-trained doctors who come to Canada and don’t have their education or their profession recognized. But the Conservative government has decided to once again leave out those foreign-trained doctors in this piece of legislation. Why is the Conservative government leaving those people behind?

Mr. Deepak Anand: Through you, Madam Speaker, to the member opposite: I know that we were at an event a couple of weeks back and the member opposite talked about working together, so I want to thank the member opposite for that gesture of working together.

Yes, we talked about the foreign-trained professionals whose professions have not been recognized for decades. I’ll give you an example. I came 21 years back, and nothing has happened in the last 20 years. So that is why we’re trying to change that today. We want to take the first step. What we’re trying to do is, we’re trying to start with 23 trades and 14 professions, such as lawyer, engineer, architect, plumber, electrician, accountant, hairstylist, teacher and early childhood educator. We are making sure that more of these professionals can work in their own field—not just work but can thrive and give back more to our province’s prosperity.

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

Third reading debate deemed adjourned.

Wearing of scarves

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Am I recognizing the minister on a point of order?

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you, Speaker. If you seek it, you will find unanimous consent to allow members to wear purple scarves in recognition of the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses’ Wrapped in Courage campaign to end violence against women.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): The Minister of Children, Community and Social Services is seeking unanimous consent to allow members to wear purple scarves in recognition of the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses’ Wrapped in Courage campaign to end violence against women.

Is it agreed? Thank you.

Members’ Statements

Homelessness

Ms. Jill Andrew: On any given night, over 10,000 people in Toronto are experiencing homelessness, with over 50% being chronically homeless for over six months. Many are hungry, battling mental health and addictions. It’s getting cold out there, and in our community of Toronto–St. Paul’s we’re worried because the effects of food insecurity and housing instability only get worse in the cold winter months, and our overnight Out of the Cold programs have been on hold due to the pandemic.

I’m deeply thankful to the Holy Blossom Temple’s Out of the Cold program team in my community. They’re running a hot meal pickup program from November 18 to April 7 next year between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. On certain weeks, there will also be toiletries and warm clothing items given out too.

I ask anyone who may need this support, or who knows someone who needs it, to reach out to Holy Blossom Temple or to my office and we will connect you. There’s no stigma or shame in needing help.

There are other local St. Paul’s community-based programs, such as our friends at Wychwood Open Door run at St. Matthew’s United Church, which I volunteered at; St. Michael and All Angels Church Beeton Cupboard, which I’ve also supported; and the Churches on-the-Hill Food Bank sponsored by Calvin Presbyterian Church, Christ Church Deer Park, Deer Park United Church, Grace Church on-the-Hill, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Latvian Church, Timothy Eaton Memorial Church and Yorkminster Park Baptist Church.

The generosity in our community is overwhelming, but community generosity should never and can never replace government responsibility. The issue of food and housing insecurity will not go away by itself. It requires political will. If not now, when?

Joe van Koeverden

Mr. Dave Smith: Thanks for the opportunity to rise and speak about another friend of mine from the Peterborough area. When I started to write this statement, I thought, “How do I describe him?” Humble, caring, intelligent, committed—and then it dawned on me that I can sum it all up with this phrase: “Joe is an exceptional human being.”

I’m talking about my friend Joe van Koeverden. Some of you might be saying, “That name sounds familiar.” Yes, you’re right. Joe is the father of four-time Olympic kayak medalist Adam van Koeverden, and I have forgiven Joe for letting his son grow up to be a Liberal.

Why is Joe an exceptional human being? Joe has Parkinson’s disease, and yet he consistently gives back to our community without ever having to be asked. He’s part of a research project with Trent University looking into the effects that an active lifestyle has on people with Parkinson’s. Fitness forums, boxing, dancing and walking are all activities Joe takes

part in for the active living research.

I mention walking in particular because of the Parkinson Canada SuperWalk. Joe’s goal last year was $10,000 and an astonishing one million steps. For those of you with Fitbits, you know that your goal is 10,000 steps a day, so let’s put that into perspective: That would be 100 consecutive days of hitting your Fitbit goal.

If you want to learn more about Joe and his journey with Parkinson’s, you can find more at www.joewithpd.com.

Violence against women

Ms. Catherine Fife: As we mark the beginning of 16 days of activism against gender-based violence, I want to thank the staff and volunteers who work tirelessly every day to end gender-based violence in Waterloo region and across Ontario.

It is my privilege as a member of provincial Parliament to recognize the ongoing work of local women leaders in KW, including Elizabeth Clarke at the YWCA, Sara Casselman at the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo, Jen Hutton at Women’s Crisis Services and, of course, Zonta KW. In the callous absence of leadership and adequate funding by this government, these women have stepped up to fight for supportive housing and anti-human trafficking resources, and they’ve stretched their budgets to support women who have been raped and whose innocence has been stolen.

When survivors have the courage to come forward and ask for help, the resources should be there to help them. When the Ford government cut the funding back in 2019, they turned their backs on survivors. Funding and resources available to agencies doing this vital work remain insufficient, especially with the substantial impact of the pandemic. We have a shadow pandemic where violence happens in the dark and survivors are barely holding on. At SASC, counseling requests have gone up by 55%; for Family Court support calls, 158%. Staff are burnt out.

My colleague MPP Lindo and I will not rest until we see women supported through the court system, through supportive housing and counselling, and until women in Ontario no longer have to live in fear.

Annual Toronto Police Auxiliary Toy Drive

Mr. Vijay Thanigasalam: Residents in Scarborough–Rouge Park are always looking out for each other. I saw this first-hand, especially during the peak of the pandemic, as the community came together to give back and look out for their neighbours and take care of our seniors. The Toronto Police Service is always giving back to the local community, whether it be through food drives to support local community organizations or picnics to foster community spirit.

Today I rise to speak about the Toronto Police Service coming together to put smiles on children this holiday season: 41, 42 and 43 divisions are coming together to host their annual auxiliary Christmas toy drive. Toys will be distributed to families within Scarborough who reside in shelters or have been identified as having a need.

The TPS toy drive is accepting new and unwrapped toys. Toys can be dropped off at both 42 and 43 divisions or can be purchased online and mailed directly to 42 and 43 divisions. Toys will be accepted up until December 14 at 12 p.m.

The spirit of the season is all about giving back. I encourage you to do your

part in giving back to your local community, to those who are most in need. I want to thank, again, all the three police divisions, 41, 42 and 43, for serving and protecting our residents.

Prostate cancer

Mr. Wayne Gates: I rise today to say that I once again tabled legislation to have OHIP cover the cost of PSA testing in the province of Ontario. This year, it is estimated that 1,500 men will die of prostate cancer in Ontario, yet we know that if diagnosed early enough, there is an almost 100% chance of survival for those who have prostate cancer. If allowed to get to stage 4, this cancer only has a 25% survival rate.

Residents in Ontario can get an early warning of this disease by having a PSA level test early, but they must pay for the test out of their pocket unless they have been already diagnosed with prostate cancer or ordered by a doctor. So why, then, is this life-saving PSA test not covered by OHIP?

My good friend Larry Gibson of the Fort Erie golf course hosts a tournament every year to raise money to cover the costs of these tests for those who need them. Gibby himself is a person whose life was saved when he paid out of his pocket for a PSA test which showed his levels far above normal. Had he forgone this cost, he wouldn’t have been diagnosed until the situation was much worse.

Do you know that one in nine men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime? PSA testing is already covered in provincial health programs in eight provinces and three territories. My motion would save lives, save money and keep people out of the hospital. I hope the government will join me, support this motion, and get it done for Ontario. We can all grow moustaches like mine—it’s also important—but if we don’t pay for the test, men are going to die in the province of Ontario.

Charlie Fisher

Mr. Bill Walker: I rise today to recognize a very special occasion for a very special person in the great riding of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound. On November 5, cherished and dedicated veteran Mr. Charlie Fisher of Owen Sound celebrated his 107th birthday. I am truly honoured to know him, and I had a chance to visit Mr. Fisher on his birthday. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that it was a very special day for Mr. Fisher and his entire family.

Mr. Speaker, he was teaching his eight-year-old neighbour to sketch, and gifted me one of his sketches, which I will cherish always. Can you imagine, when that young person reaches our age and reflects on the fact that this special person, almost 100 years older than her, had taught her to sketch.

It was terrific to see the entire community recognize Mr. Fisher’s birthday and strive to make it a very memorable day for him. Students from Owen Sound District Secondary School, family and neighbours joined together to sing Happy Birthday to Mr. Fisher and also present him with 250 birthday cards from local students. Mr. Ryan McManaman’s grade 12 history class at Owen Sound District Secondary School started the birthday card effort and it soon spread to other classes throughout the school.

Mr. Fisher is a decorated veteran of the Second World War, and on his birthday the Billy Bishop Museum brought over his Kodak Bullet camera, his medals and his leather jacket from his military service, all of which are on loan to the museum, and I encourage everyone to go see.

Mr. Fisher enlisted in the military in Owen Sound and joined the Fifth Canadian Armoured Division, RCASC, in Aldershot. He was a driver with the transport corps and brought food, supplies and materials to our troops. He participated in the defence of Britain, the Italy campaign, and in France, Holland and Germany. During his service, Mr. Fisher took hundreds of pictures, and some of those photographs can be seen in displays at the Billy Bishop Museum in Owen Sound.

Mr. Speaker, I’ve never seen anyone more positive than Charlie Fisher. He bought a tablet at the age of 105—with a full warranty. I want to congratulate Mr. Fisher for a tremendous milestone and thank him for his many years of service in defence of our great nation and for all that he has contributed to our community. He is a true hero and an inspiration. In his words, “Never quit.”

Violence against women

Mr. Jamie West: Speaker, today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and the purple scarf that I’m wearing and that all the members in the House are wearing is a symbol of the courage it takes women to leave their abuser.

During the month of November, we wear our purple scarves to show people identifying as women and their children that the community supports them and that they’re not alone.

It’s especially important that we do this as men, because every year in Ontario, 20 to 30 women are murdered by their current or previous male partner. When we include other family members and men known to women, that number rises significantly. It’s the number two reason for calls to emergency police services.

Because it takes the support of the entire community to end violence against women, I’d like to acknowledge a few of the agencies within my riding that are assisting women experiencing emotional, physical, sexual, financial or spiritual abuse: YWCA Sudbury, Réseau Access Network, Sudbury and Area Victim Services, Sudbury Counselling Centre, Centre Victoria pour femmes, Sudbury and district health unit, the Victim/Witness Assistance Program, the Voices for Women Sudbury Sexual Assault Centre. And I want to highlight Sudbury Women’s Centre. I’m just proud to brag it was a place where my mom loved to volunteer when they were founded more than 40 years ago.

As a member of provincial Parliament for the riding of Sudbury, I want survivors to know they’re not alone. I see you. I stand with you and with all survivors across Ontario.

Gun violence

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: Gun violence is both a public health and a social issue that leaves long-term impacts on our communities, and we must do more to break cycles of violence and support communities to heal.

Exposure to gun violence has mental and physical impacts that extend far beyond the victim. It results in long-term effects on communities marked by feelings of fear, anxiety and hopelessness, and, without access to long-term supports, can lead to generational trauma.

Just last week in my riding, our community grieved the tragic death of a young man just 23 years old. Unfortunately, these occurrences are far too often. This month alone, Toronto Police Service’s 43 division responded to seven shootings, and 32 so far this year.

Gun violence is a serious problem and a crisis that cannot be ignored. It’s an issue we see in more marginalized communities, rooting from underlying systemic inequalities in our communities. It’s a problem that my private member’s bill, the safe and healthy communities act, would bridge. It would declare gun violence a public health issue. It allows for counselling services for survivors of gun violence that would be covered by OHIP and for all boards of health to develop programs and services aimed to reduce gun violence and assist those affected. I will table this legislation next week.

We have an opportunity here to intervene before that bullet is trafficked or pointed at our neighbours. We can solve this root issue. I call on the Minister of Health and the government to do the same and to support this legislation.

Hospital funding

Mr. Norman Miller: Today I rise to express my gratitude to the Minister of Health for her commitment to addressing the inequities in how small and medium-sized hospitals are funded in Ontario. I’ve spoken many times about the challenges faced by medium-sized hospitals like those in Parry Sound–Muskoka. Under the previous governments, these hospitals were chronically underfunded and had to ask the ministry each year for top-up funding to make it through to the end of the fiscal year. This made it very difficult for these hospitals to plan for the future in the same ways as larger urban hospitals. But Ontarians who live in smaller communities deserve equal access to hospital services.

Increasing the base funding to our hospitals means that they can plan for future initiatives, and stabilize operations and budget more effectively. After the additional funding was announced this summer, Natalie Bubela, CEO of Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare, told me that for the first time in more than a decade, her hospital was predicting a balanced budget for the next five years. This is great news. It means Natalie and her team spend their time planning for the future rather than writing requests for additional funding and planning on what to do if those requests aren’t approved.

On behalf of Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare and West Parry Sound Health Centre, and on behalf of everyone who relies upon these great hospitals, thank you to the Minister of Health for addressing this long-standing issue.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): This concludes our members’ statements for this morning. I see the clock at 10:29 a.m.

Trans Day of Remembrance

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): As provided by the Trans Day of Remembrance Act, 2017, the assembly shall now pause and observe a moment of silence in honour of trans people who have died as a result of anti-trans violence. I’ll ask the members now to rise and observe a moment of silence.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Members may take their seats.

COVID-19 deaths

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Point of order, Speaker.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I recognize the Leader of the Opposition.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: I seek unanimous consent for the House to observe a moment of silence for the 31 Ontarians who have succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic since we last paid tribute to the victims.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Leader of the Opposition is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to observe a moment of silence for the 31 Ontarians who have succumbed to COVID-19 since we last paid tribute to the victims of the pandemic. Agreed? Agreed.

Members will please rise.

The House observed a moment’s silence.

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

Visitors

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m pleased to inform the House that one of our page captains today is page Alfie Tabachnick, from the riding of Davenport, and we have with us today at Queen’s Park his mother, Nadia Sapiro, and his father, Scott Tabachnick.

We’re also joined by Chandra Noronha, the mother of our other page captain today, Serena Noronha, from the riding of Aurora–Oak Ridges–Richmond Hill.

Welcome to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. We’re delighted to have you here.

Question Period

Child care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, my first question this morning is to the Premier.

We all know that families are struggling with pretty much the cost of everything, like child care, for example. Toronto, in fact, has the highest child care costs in the entire country—after 15 years of the Liberals, of course. But this Premier has also not made child care a priority in the province of Ontario. BC signed a deal on child care with the federal government back in July; as we all know, Alberta did so just last week. This Premier is just now being dragged to the negotiating table and, shamefully, warning families to expect even further delays at getting a deal.

Why has Premier Ford never made affordable, $10-a-day child care a priority here in Ontario?

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

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

On the contrary, the Premier of this province has made child care a priority from our first budget.

It is ironic, though, that the member opposite would oppose the very measures to increase access and decrease costs for working parents in Ontario, as the Liberals did three times in this House.

We put in place a billion dollars of investment to build tens of thousands of child care spaces. I was joined just two days ago by the Minister of Infrastructure where we announced an additional 3,000 child care spaces within publicly funded schools in all regions of Ontario. That’s going to make a difference.

We are at the table with the feds, making the case for a better deal, a fair deal for Ontario families that actually gets us to $10 a day, because we know, as the member opposite rightfully mentioned, that child care rose by 400% under the former Liberal government—unacceptable, indefensible. The Premier is resolved to bring those costs down and get a sustainable deal that is good for all families in this province.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, Speaker, here’s what happens when a province actually does make child care a priority. Saskatchewan, for example, does make it a priority and families there are actually expecting retroactive rebates for the fees they’ve already paid; in some cases, likely to be over $2,000. Some Alberta families will have their fees literally cut in half early next year. BC is already implementing $10-a-day child care. In fact, by the end of next year, they’ll have 12,500 spaces in place. In Manitoba, child care workers are actually earning $25 an hour as a starting wage.

In Ontario, we have no deal whatsoever because child care for hard-working families has just never been a priority for the Ford government.

Why has this Premier not been able to get a deal like all of those other provinces? How long are families in Ontario going to have to wait before they can see child care costs reduced to $10-a-day?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: The obligation of the Ontario government is to stand up for Ontario families at the national government. If we’d accepted the first deal, as the New Democrats and Liberals would have done months ago, this province would have been shortchanged. It’s not an exercise from an accounting perspective. It’s simply that we wouldn’t get to $10-a-day at any point over the course of the five-year deal.

What responsible leader would sign a deal that ensures Ontario pays more per child than every province, east and west? That’s just simply something we’re not going to accept, which is why we’re at the table making the case for increased investment over a longer period of time, with greater flexibility to support all parents. We’re at the table designed to get a deal, but it had better be a good deal and a fair deal for the people we represent in the province of Ontario.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, it’s not an exercise at all. It’s about getting families the affordable child care that they’ve needed for decades here in this province.

This Premier has not made affordable child care a priority, and everybody knows it. The evidence is clear. He hasn’t even mentioned the words “child care” in this Legislature for over a year and a half. It’s a clear signal to families that he just doesn’t have their backs. The cost of everything, Speaker, as we know, is going through the roof. They need hope. Families need hope, and they deserve a break on their child care costs. They deserve that financial relief.

When will this Premier actually make $10-a-day child care a priority, make sure that Ontario families can access affordable, not-for-profit, $10-a-day child care right here in their home province of Ontario?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: We’re very much committed to getting a fair deal for the people of Ontario.

The irony is not lost on members of this House. When the New Democrats and Liberals had a chance to ensure even incremental affordability for Ontario families through the introduction of the Ontario Child Care Tax Credit, which the Premier put in the first budget, preserved in the second budget, enhanced in the third budget, each and every time Liberals and New Democrats stood united against affordability and opposed those measures. That would have made an incremental difference. When the Premier put a billion dollars in a capital plan to build 30,000 accessible, affordable child care spaces in Ontario schools, the New Democrats and Liberals united again to oppose that effort.

We are doing everything we can to make the case to the federal Liberal government, to Prime Minister Trudeau’s government. We deserve a fair deal that truly brings down costs and gets us to $10, which we believe Ontario families deserve.

Affordable housing

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier. But everybody knows that tax credits for rich families don’t make child care spaces available to other families, nor do this government’s policies create spaces. In fact, we’ve lost child care spaces under this government’s watch.

But look, it’s not just the cost of child care that’s a problem. It’s not just the cost child care that’s stretching families to the limit, Speaker. The cost of housing is rising rapidly, and it’s becoming completely out of reach for so many Ontarians. House prices have reached significantly increased costs over the last couple of years, but certainly this pandemic has made it much, much worse.

The deputy governor of the Bank of Canada says, “A key concern here is that financially stretched households have little breathing room.” The government has its head in the sand. The Premier is busy polling for political solutions to the housing crisis that he hopes will help him, instead of implementing changes to help families afford a home.

Why has the Premier been so busy looking out for himself instead of looking out for Ontarians who should be able to afford a home in Ontario?

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

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Thank you to the member opposite for that question. I don’t think this Premier would say to the member opposite that the 760,000 people who got an increase, those on minimum wage, have their head in the sand. In fact, this Premier and this government have been there for people across this province. The minimum wage—an increase for 760,000 people at or below minimum wage, for many workers in this province. Join us and vote for the bill, because it supports those hard-working Ontarians who had our back throughout the pandemic, and now we’ve got their backs.

Mr. Speaker, we have the lowest personal income tax for low-income people in the country. That’s putting more money back in their pockets, and that’s what this Premier stands for.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, this government is so out of touch. Nobody earning $15 an hour, even if it’s two members of the family of the household earning $15 an hour, is ever going to be able to afford a home in this province, and that’s what we’re talking about.

Teranet, as a matter of fact, found that 25% of Ontario homes are being bought up by investors, not first-time homebuyers. Families are struggling to get into the market. It was really bad under the Liberals. There’s no doubt about it. But it is even worse now. First-time homebuyers are literally being crowded out of the market. They’re competing with wealthy investors and huge corporations who see real estate as an investment deal, not a roof over the head of a family. It’s driving up prices everywhere in this province, Speaker, even in small towns.

Does the Premier think it’s fair that first-time homebuyers trying to get into a home, the home of their dreams perhaps, have to compete with wealthy investors and big corporations? And if not, what’s he going to do about it?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Again, to the member opposite, let’s stick to some of the facts. Prices are going up right across the country. They’re coming up in Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, this Premier and this government have done more to put the conditions in place to see housing supply increase, because the previous government, supported for three years by the member opposite’s party, didn’t increase the supply of housing and affordable housing in this province. In fact, just last year the conditions were put in place that 70,000 new homes were built in this province, the highest in 10 years. But it gets even better. Over 10,000 purpose-built rental units were built, the highest number since 1992, Mr. Speaker.

When you had the opportunity to do something, what were you doing? This government is building. This government is acting. This government is supporting the people of Ontario.

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

Leader of the Opposition, final supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, building homes for wealthy investors and for corporations and for buddies of the Premier is not going to help everyday working families into an affordable home. That is the fact. It’s no wonder that Ontario has seen the worst outmigration in 30 years, the worst since the 1980s, in fact. Some 85,000 people have left our province to go to places like BC, Alberta, Quebec—other provinces, basically—because it is absolutely unaffordable to live in the province of Ontario. And this Premier is making it worse with his low-wage policies.

It’s time to help families that are competing with wealthy investors and corporations. Families need help to get into the market. It’s time to increase, frankly, the speculation and vacancy taxes on wealthy investors and corporations. We need to help families get the homes that they can afford. Why won’t the Premier implement these policies to give hard-working families a break and get them a shot at owning their own home in Ontario?

Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy: Mr. Speaker, again, let’s look at some of the facts of people wanting to come to this great province this year. COVID was a tough year for people right across the country in terms of welcoming new people because of important restrictions to protect the safety and health of the people of Ontario. But this year we’re expecting almost 180,000 people to come to this great province. Because of the work that this Premier has done, this Minister of Health and this whole team in preserving and protecting the health and welfare of the people of Ontario, it’s now very safe to come to Ontario.

We’re building more homes for every single Ontarian so they can live in a condo, they can live in a house, have a front yard, have a backyard, because this government supports families. This government is not going to just talk about it, like they did for 15 years over there. This government is doing something about it. Join us in building Ontario.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Hamilton Mountain will come to order.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Rima Berns-McGown: My question is for the Premier. There are almost 700 COVID cases in schools right now. Here in Toronto, hundreds of kids are at home isolating, and three of our schools, including Grenoble Public School in the east end, are closed completely. That means 15 schools in total are now closed across the province.

Parents are watching these numbers nervously. The last time we saw numbers spike like this, the province’s cancelling of in-person classes wasn’t too far behind, and absolutely nobody wants to go back to that.

Speaker, this government’s lack of plans for vaccines and their refusal to reduce class sizes or invest in safer schools means that kids and staff continue to be at a higher risk than they should be. What is the Premier doing to stop this spike and keep our kids safe?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Speaker, the government has worked in partnership with the Chief Medical Officer of Health to ensure our schools remain open and safe.

The member opposite cited 15 school closures, of which five are closed due to operational reasons. That transparency should be cited when we speak and try to spark alarmism.

The Chief Medical Officer of Health said himself that schools have been safe, reflecting our community. We have now over 400 school-based clinics for our youngest learners in our schools that are now eligible for vaccines. We are proud to work in partnership to roll out the vaccine to as many children as possible. In this province, we have one of the highest vaccine rates for high schoolers and one of the lowest case rates in the country.

I appreciate that we have to continue to remain vigilant, which is precisely why we’ve introduced rapid antigen test kits for every child over the holidays. It’s why we are the only province who have expanded PCR take-home tests, the only province in the nation to do so. It’s why we’ve increased staffing by 2,000: more custodians, teachers and front-line staff to keep our schools safe, and we’ll continue to do whatever it takes to achieve that objective.

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

Ms. Rima Berns-McGown: Those rapid tests should have been in schools and parents’ hands in September.

This spike in cases and in closures shows just how important it is for us to get vaccines into as many kids’ arms as possible, as soon as humanly possible. But instead of coming up with a plan to make that happen, the Premier just seems to shrug his shoulders, cross his fingers, and hope it all works out. That led to a broken vaccine portal that won’t let parents register more than one child at a time, and an in-school vaccine plan that just doesn’t work for a lot of working parents.

When is this government going to start taking this seriously? Or are parents going to have wait until every school is closed again before the Premier acts?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: We have a very detailed plan for the vaccination of children aged five to 11. It’s rolling out now.

I know we’ve heard from the other side about how other provinces are doing so much better, but I would note that British Columbia isn’t even starting to vaccinate children until next Monday. We have been doing that for several days now. We have over 100,000 appointments already made.

Parents that wish to have more than one child vaccinated—we recognize many families have more than one child that falls into this category. They can simply call the vaccine line and they can make those appointments. This is not a problem. With over 100,000 appointments already made, we’re well under way to making sure that we get all of the children aged five to 11 vaccinated that are going to be.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Once again, the member for Hamilton Mountain will come to order.

Anti-bullying initiatives

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: My question is to the Minister of Education. Mr. Speaker, this week is—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to warn the member for Hamilton Mountain.

I apologize to the member for Brampton West.

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: This week is Bullying Awareness and Prevention Week in Ontario. We know that far too many students in Ontario schools experience bullying, whether it be in the classroom or online, and one student bullied is too many. In 2019, the Ontario government announced new measures to help prevent and combat all forms of bullying in schools. Part of that commitment was to review the definition of bullying in ministry policies to ensure it reflects the realities of today.

While this marked a significant step by this government to address bullying, we know there is more work to do. Can the Minister of Education share with the House what he is doing to address bullying and cyberbullying in Ontario schools?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I want to thank the member for Brampton West for his question on, I think, a very important topic that unites us all, because we have seen an increase in bullying and cyberbullying, victimizing young people based on their faith, their heritage, their sexual orientation, their place of birth, their colour of skin, and I think we can all agree that is reprehensible. There are children who have been bullied in our schools, online and in our playgrounds, and we have resolved, as a government, to do something about it.

The last time the definition of bullying was updated was 2012. And so, Speaker, we are proud, as a government, to announce that we are moving forward with a new, updated policy requiring every school in Ontario to have anti-bullying protocols in place. For the first time, this will require a new, enhanced definition. It will strengthen parental roles to prevent bullying and it will require boards to track reported incidents. We are doing this in partnership with our educators, strengthening the training of them to ensure we can prevent bullying in its tracks and save lives in our schools.

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

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: I want to thank the minister for his answer. Parents across Ontario deserve to know that their government is taking a proactive approach to anti-bullying policies in schools across the province.

Mr. Speaker, we know that students with physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities face an elevated risk of bullying. Advocacy groups have called for greater supports in schools to help vulnerable children feel included, respected and safe. Can the Minister of Education tell this House how he plans to support these students as we look to combat all forms of bullying in Ontario schools?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: When we conducted a student survey on bullying, 40% of children reported having been bullied themselves within our schools. We know this is a problem we are committed to fixing.

It’s why we’re proud today to announce a partnership with the Rick Hansen Foundation and the Learning Disabilities Association of Ontario, leveraging their expertise and their leadership in training our educators to better prevent bullying in our schools, to increase access to culturally relevant resources, to ensure it has an impact on students and to ensure that we provide student-centric supports to children right across Ontario. These investments are going to help build safer, more inclusive classrooms.

They’re going to help give our staff in our schools the ability and the capacity to prevent and intervene early to save lives.

Mr. Speaker, we have increased investment to special education, because as the member from Brampton West rightfully noted, children with intellectual, developmental disabilities face an increased level of victimization. We are committed to protecting them and supporting all children within our schools.

Government services

Ms. Catherine Fife: My question is to the Premier. Some of the province’s biggest business and law firms are warning that Ontario’s new online business registry system is so broken that they’re now advising their clients not to incorporate or register their businesses here in Ontario anymore. In a scathing 12-page letter to the minister, they wrote that the Conservatives’ new plan is so broken it is not only “negatively impacting our firms, clients and service providers”; it’s “having a chilling effect on doing business in Ontario in general.”

Does the Premier still think his champion of a minister is doing an all-star job here as he drives business out of Ontario, or will he step up and step in before things get even worse for Ontario businesses?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To reply, the Minister of Government and Consumer Services.

Hon. Ross Romano: Thank you very much for the opportunity to respond, Mr. Speaker. What we have done is modernize a 30-year-old, paper-based process. Under the old system, Mr. Speaker—think about this for a second—a not-for-profit charity in that member’s riding or a small business would literally have to fill out boxes of paperwork and then lug these boxes of paperwork in to service counters, wait in line, only from Monday to Friday, 9 to 5. That was it. That was the only option you had. Or you hired a lawyer at considerable cost.

Think about those charities and those small businesses and all of the expenditures that go along with all of that work. That’s the option. Under our new system, it is 24/7, 365 days a year. You can do a transaction now in 16 seconds that used to take 16 weeks, and you don’t have to hire a high-priced lawyer anymore.

Why would this member not just simply prioritize protecting—

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

Ms. Catherine Fife: Mr. Speaker, this minister is modernizing businesses right out of Ontario. That’s what we’re seeing right now.

This Premier has been so busy fighting for what’s best for his buddies at Loblaws and Walmart that he might have missed the real concerns of Ontario-based businesses, so I’m going to quote some of them right now.

In their letter, the firms wrote, “The system shutdowns, technical glitches and substantive problems associated with the new OBR are causing significant disruption, delaying transactions and adding significant costs for businesses.” To make matters worse, they also said that thanks to this Ford government they “have no confidence or assurances that year-end registrations and filings—the busiest time of the year for our law firms—can be completed without putting entire transactions at risk.”

So aside from the obvious political embarrassment for this government, getting this right actually is very important.

My question is simple: Does this really sound like a province that’s open for business to this Premier?

Hon. Ross Romano: Mr. Speaker, I’ll quote from the very same letter that the member opposite quoted. From Fasken law firm: “All of our law firms are familiar with complicated legal technology rollouts. They are never perfect nor error-free.”

Let’s just think about this for a second again. Let’s look at the proof, because the proof is always in the pudding. In the first 30 days, 120,000 transactions were processed—120,000.

I’m not sure what the member opposite has against a small business and a charity in her own riding being able to do a transaction in 16 seconds, as opposed to 16 weeks—considerable legal fees, or free of charge; the comfort of your living room anytime you want, when and where you want, or Monday to Friday 9 to 5; boxes of paper that you literally had to lug around, or modern-based technology.

Again, what does this member opposite have against protecting the little guy? I would not think that the member opposite would be so pro-big business.

At the end of the day, Mr. Speaker, we are about protecting the little guy and ensuring that people matter most, get to do the things that they need to do most—

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

Environmental protection

Mr. Mike Schreiner: My question is for the Premier.

The devastating floods in British Columbia and now Atlantic Canada highlight why it is so important to expand the greenbelt to protect all the river valleys throughout the greater Golden Horseshoe—places like Carruthers Creek, Duffins Creek, Holland Marsh and, of course, the Paris-Galt moraine. Your government has talked about expanding the greenbelt but has taken no action to date.

Yesterday I retabled my bill to protect the Paris-Galt moraine. The act would protect drinking water and reduce flood risk in our region of the province.

Will the government commit today to stop just talking about expanding the greenbelt and actually do it, starting with the Paris-Galt moraine and Carruthers Creek?

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

Hon. David Piccini: I appreciate the question from the member opposite.

Speaker, it was under the leadership of this Premier that we embarked on the largest consultation to expand the greenbelt in Ontario’s history. It’s under this Premier that we’re expanding green spaces. And it’s under this Premier that we’re investing in public transit like we’ve never seen before. We understand that Ontarians want to get active and get outdoors, and we’re supporting them in doing that.

I’m glad the member opposite talked about Holland Marsh, and I’m glad he talked about water and waste water. It’s a shame he voted against measures in the budget to improve water and waste water. It’s a shame he voted against measures to improve Lake Simcoe. He stood against the good folks on Lake Simcoe when we were trying to improve water and waste water with the Upper York bill we introduced.

I would encourage the member to have a change of heart and work with our government. Let’s improve the same water and waste water you just talked about. Work with us in doing it.

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

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Speaker, I would encourage the government to have a change of heart and not pave over 400 acres of the greenbelt and 2,000 acres of prime farmland to build Highway 413, to not pave over the Holland Marsh and threaten the very Lake Simcoe the member just talked about by building the Bradford Bypass.

The government says they’ve conducted consultations on expanding the greenbelt, yet they have taken no action to expand it. Even though this House passed a resolution calling on the government to expand greenbelt protections to the Paris-Galt moraine and the Minister of Long-Term Care talked about expanding the greenbelt to Carruthers Creek, there’s absolutely no action from this government.

Will the government stop just talking about greenbelt expansion and actually start doing it today by committing to protecting the Paris-Galt moraine and Carruthers Creek before the end of this year?

Hon. David Piccini: Again, I’ll repeat what I said earlier: This government has embarked on the largest consultation of its kind, working with Ontarians alike across this province to expand the greenbelt.

I will also say that I’m glad he spoke about adaptation resiliency. It’s just a shame you voted against the first-ever climate change impact assessment that this government brought under the leadership of this Premier to fight climate change. That member talked about what we are seeing in BC, what we’re seeing elsewhere, yet you voted against and aren’t joining us in the climate change impact assessment. Your municipality spoke to me at AMO about that. Communities across Ontario want to see it, yet you voted against it.

You haven’t supported investments in transit—$2 in transit for every $1 in highways. For a young man or woman immigrating to this country to fill one of the jobs we’re seeing everywhere, that we need to fill in this province, who want the dignity of a home—you’re against them. You’re against more homes—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member will take his seat. Stop the clock.

I shouldn’t have to remind the members to make their comments through the Chair, but I will.

Please start the clock. The next question.

Agri-food industry

Mr. Will Bouma: Through you, Speaker, my question is to the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Agriculture and food processing are essential and strategic components of Ontario’s food supply and economy. It is these businesses and their hard-working employees who are ensuring that grocery store shelves remain stocked and food remains on our tables. However, as we have seen in the media, through studies and in my own riding, growth in this sector is slowing. The Meat and Poultry Ontario survey found that financing was a barrier to growth for 64% of meat processing business services.

To the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs: What is government doing to spur growth and ensure food continues to end up on my constituents’ tables?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: I’m very pleased to address the question I just received from the member from Brantford–Brant. I know he stands tall with all the food processing in his riding, especially Ferrero, a wonderful chocolate processing plant.

In all seriousness, I’m really glad that he referenced the survey that was conducted by Meat and Poultry Ontario because it also recognized that for every dollar a government invests in food processing, a 7-to-1 return is experienced. That’s why I was so very pleased to work with the Minister of Finance in the fall economic statement to announce a $25-million Strategic Agri-Food Processing Fund that will see growth in this sector.

We stand with our food processing industry throughout this province because, as the member for Mississauga–Malton mentioned earlier in debate, we are the second-largest food processing hub in North America—we being the GTHA.

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

Mr. Will Bouma: Thank you, Minister, and back to you: I am pleased to hear that the investments the government is making will help keep locally produced food on our kitchen tables. However, we continue to hear that one of the largest issues facing many industries, including this one, is a labour shortage. While this investment is welcome news, there are still concerns that the labour challenges in my riding and across the province will exacerbate the ongoing challenges with processing capacity.

Can the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs explain how this funding will address the labour shortages in Ontario’s food processing industry?

Hon. Lisa M. Thompson: We don’t want to keep our food processors down. I can tell you, they are absolutely enthused by the focus that our government is putting on their industry. We’re standing with them, with our investment of $25 million through our strategic processing fund. This fund will see processors and viable business plans that look to expansion and innovation and investment in capital move forward to the tune of a max of $3 million per eligible business plan.

Why are we doing this? We recognize there is a labour shortage, so we need to keep moving forward and embrace innovation, embrace technology, because we want to continue positioning Ontario as a place to do business for food processing. We’ve got the best farmers in North America, and we’ll be able to work with those processors and make the GTHA the number one hub of food processing in all of North America.

Children’s mental health services

Miss Monique Taylor: My question is for the Premier. The wait-list for youth mental health services in Ontario has ballooned under this government. There are currently 28,000 children on a wait-list for mental health services. It is an all-time high for this province, and it is simply unacceptable.

We know that youth mental health has suffered under the COVID-19 pandemic. A study coming out of SickKids reported that more than two thirds of children and adolescents experienced deterioration in their mental health.

Speaker, this can no longer be put on the back burner. We need to prioritize our children. Can the Premier tell Ontario families what he plans to do to address the wait times and save our kids?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: Thank you to the member opposite side for that question. The health and the well-being of all Ontarians will always be our government’s top priority. We know this pandemic has been an extremely difficult time for all the people in the province, especially our young people, and including the unique challenges of our students. That’s why we invested $31 million in new annual funding this year to improve access to specialized mental health treatment services, reduce the wait-lists and wait times, and support the mental health and well-being of children and youth.

This includes investments such as $20 million for an across-the-board 5% funding increase for all government-funded children and youth mental health agencies, and $2.7 million at four new youth wellness hubs across Ontario, in Guelph, Renfrew, Timmins and Windsor.

Now, more than ever, it’s critical that we make the necessary investments to support children in the province of Ontario, and our government is doing just that.

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

Miss Monique Taylor: Speaker, as you hear, this minister is talking a good game. But the average wait time for a child to receive mental health services in Hamilton is 710 days—completely unacceptable. Hamilton is amongst the top nine cities for the longest wait times for intensive treatment. The youth in my community need swift access to mental health services, and they’re not getting it. And let’s not forget, it’s this government that cut $330 million when they first came into government.

It’s time for the government to step up to tackle this issue and help our kids. And it’s not just about words any longer. We need real action and real investments. Will the Premier commit today to clearing the youth mental health wait-list in Ontario?

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: Once again, thank you to the member opposite for that question. Mr. Speaker, when this government came into power, the first thing we did was look at the importance of maintaining and developing assistance for mental health and addictions in the province of Ontario. That meant creating the Roadmap to Wellness and initiating investments that are building a continuum of care for children across the province. As I’ve mentioned before, the amount of money that’s being invested is staggering, with more than $525 million in annualized new funding going into the system.

Mr. Speaker, I will not take lessons from the member opposite, nor from the previous government, when they were they ones who, when they were in charge, voted no to more mental health beds in the province, and in fact closed 13% of Ontario’s mental health beds. That’s 9,645 hospital beds across the province of Ontario. In addition to that, they said no to—

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

Next question.

Poverty

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: My question is to the Premier. Scarborough is one of the most food-insecure places in our province. When COVID hit and people had to stay home to save lives, organizations like Feed Scarborough and 5n2 Kitchens knew that food assistance would rise rapidly. These organizations had to adapt to having food programs out of food trucks and making deliveries where people live. These organizations and their volunteers stepped up and are another example of our pandemic heroes.

However, as the COVID crisis has become less acute in our ICUs, the same cannot be said for our food banks. The Daily Bread Food Bank Who’s Hungry report showed that the use of food banks in my riding of Scarborough–Guildwood has increased by 43% alone. This is not sustainable.

Speaker, what is this government doing to ensure food security, and what is the Premier doing this month to make sure people don’t go through the winter hungry?

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

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you very much to the member opposite for the question. Obviously, this is a very important issue that our government is committed to addressing, and continues to invest in. Last year, the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services released our new Poverty Reduction Strategy, and I can tell you that we are continuing to work closely across government as we approach this very important issue.

There is a five-year strategy that will help support Ontario’s economic recovery by connecting people experiencing poverty with training, health and other supports to set them on a pathway to jobs and financial stability, while helping people keep more of their hard-earned money.

Clearly, the affordability of many things is rising. When we look to the federal government and understand the role that they have to play in this, I am pleased to say that I’ve been able to speak with my federal counterpart and understand how we can work together and impress upon the Liberal government the importance of providing a Canada disability benefit. We are working urgently to make that issue very well understood.

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

Ms. Mitzie Hunter: Speaker, hunger cannot wait. Individuals, children and families who are hungry cannot wait, so let’s talk about what this government under its responsibility can do to solve the issue. You could, for instance, issue another one-time top-up to OW and ODSP so that people have the adequacy that they need right now.

The Daily Bread Food Bank’s Who’s Hungry report was right when they stated that poverty is at the root cause of food insecurity. It is a community safety issue, but more importantly, it is a human dignity issue. As elected members, all of us in this House have a responsibility to help, and we cannot ignore any longer while we see people standing up in food lines.

Speaker, the Daily Bread Food Bank and I agree that a basic income is part of a solution to the poverty question. Will this government restart the Basic Income Pilot so that we can have the answers that we need to ensure that—

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

Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Again, I couldn’t agree more with the member opposite, because I know this is such an important issue for people. We have invested more than $1 billion in the social services relief fund. We have increased the rates to OW and ODSP. We did that rather urgently after inheriting a situation that really had been neglected for many, many years. We have improved the social services relief fund by $1 billion, and that’s on top of the $8.3 billion—or more than $8.3 billion—spent annually to provide these social services supports.

Our government values the commitment to people that are living in a situation where they need support. This is about giving them a hand up and getting them through a very difficult time. Food security is obviously very important to them. As part of Ontario’s effort, we have put in $8 million to Feed Ontario. We continue to add to the student nutrition programs. The basic income that the member opposite mentions would cost, and I think this is important for the member opposite to understand, $80 billion a year.

Electronic service delivery

Ms. Laurie Scott: My question is to the Minister of Government and Consumer Services. My constituents and many Ontarians have long been asking for the phasing out of courtesy paper renewal letters in favour of more modern digital reminders that make it easier, faster and more convenient. Now more than ever, Ontarians need our government to provide opportunities and to deliver in-demand digital services in a way that meets people’s needs where they are and where they are going.

Could the minister please elaborate on how this new initiative is going to benefit Ontarians, like my constituents in Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock, in the long-term?

Hon. Ross Romano: Thank you so much to the great member from Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock for the question. Our government has worked so very hard to find new and innovative ways to make services more accessible and easier to use. With the phasing out of paper renewal notices, we are taking the next big step forward. Mr. Speaker, this move is going to save the hard-working taxpayers of our province over the next five years $29 million. We’ll reinvest these savings into important services like education and health care.

This is not just good news for taxpayers, but it’s going to save 80 million pieces of paper from ending up in landfills. That’s over 362 tonnes of paper, which is the weight of 240 cars. And I love this statistic, Mr. Speaker: If you were to stack all that paper, it would be the height of six and a half CN Towers. That’s pretty impressive, Mr. Speaker.

We’re going to keep on moving