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September 14, 2020

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2020-Sept-14 (PDF)

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Monday 14 September 2020 Lundi 14 septembre 2020

Tabling of sessional papers

Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight

Social distancing in the chamber

Members’ Statements

Broadband infrastructure

Anniversary of 9/11

Student safety

Ann Keeley-Meloche

Grape and wine industry

Dave Smith

Mental health services

Hospital funding

Economic development

Keira Kagan

Appointment of Clerks-at-the-Table

Independent members

Question Period

School transportation

School transportation

Education funding

Student safety

Small business

Education funding

Wildlife management

Special-needs students

Personal support workers

Community safety

Child care

Mental health and addiction services

Education funding

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Education funding

Committee sittings

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

Introduction of Bills

Employment Standards Amendment Act (Sick Notes), 2020 / Loi de 2020 modifiant la

Loi sur les normes d’emploi (notes médicales)

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Education

Motions

Private members’ public business

Committee membership

Petitions

Long-term care

Broadband infrastructure

Falstaff community

Road safety

Long-term care

Personal protective equipment

Long-term care

Broadband infrastructure

Education funding

Orders of the Day

Time allocation

Stop Cyberbullying in Ontario Day Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 sur la Journée pour l’élimination de la cyberintimidation en Ontario

The House met at 1015.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Good morning, and welcome back. We’re going to begin this morning with a moment of silence for inner thought and personal reflection.

Thank you very much. I wish to acknowledge this territory as a traditional gathering place for many Indigenous nations, most recently the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

This being the first sitting Monday of the month, we are now going to have O Canada and the royal anthem.

Playing of the national anthem / Écoute de l’hymne national.

Playing of the royal anthem / Écoute de l’hymne royal.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I neglected to do the Lord’s Prayer. We’ll do so now. Let us pray.

Prayers.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I recognize the government House leader on a point of order.

Hon. Paul Calandra: I’m seeking unanimous consent to move a motion without notice respecting distancing in the chamber, the use of electronic means of communication for meetings of standing and select committees and the voting procedure.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government House leader is seeking unanimous consent of the House to move a motion regarding physical distancing and a number of other matters related to our response to COVID-19.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Speaker?

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

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Our intention is to support this unanimous consent, but I just want to point out to the government House leader that there is a difference in

part 37 in regard to the standing orders that are referred to—and we have, like, two seconds to figure out what that means. I would ask that the government House leader provide us with actual final copies in advance so that we can actually look at this and so that we don’t have to delay anything in getting the business of the House done.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Does the government House leader wish to reply?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Not specifically. We will stand down for now and get back to it in a moment.

Tabling of sessional papers

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I beg to inform the House that during the adjournment, the following documents were tabled:

—the 2019-20 annual report, from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario;

—a report entitled Overview of Ontario’s Borrowing Authority, from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario;

—a report entitled Update on Ontario’s Credit Rating, from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario; and

—a report entitled Federal and Provincial COVID-19 Response Measures, from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario.

Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I also beg to inform the House that, pursuant to the order of the House dated July 15, 2020, establishing the Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight, the Clerk of the House has received written notification from the House leaders of the recognized parties appointing the membership of the committee as follows: Mr. Bailey, Monsieur Bisson, Mr. Fraser, Ms. Hogarth, Mr. Kramp, Mrs. Martin, Mr. Oosterhoff, Ms. Park, Mr. Rakocevic, Ms. Singh, Brampton Centre, and Ms. Triantafilopoulos.

Social distancing in the chamber

Hon. Paul Calandra: I’m seeking unanimous consent to move a motion without notice respecting distancing in the chamber, the use of electronic means of communication for the meeting of standing and select committees and the voting procedure.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government House leader is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to move a motion which he has described. Agreed? Agreed.

Hon. Paul Calandra: I move that for the duration of the fall sitting period and any extension thereof, members be permitted to speak and vote from any member’s desk in the chamber in order to observe recommended physical distancing; and

That notwithstanding any standing order or special order of the House, for the duration of the 42nd Parliament, or until such earlier date as indicated by the government House Leader, all standing and select committees are authorized to use electronic means of communication when meeting, and committee members, witnesses, and/or staff are not required to be in one physical place, in accordance with the following guidelines:

(

a) The electronic means of communication is approved by the Speaker;

(

b) The meeting is held in a room in the Legislative Building, and at least the Chair/Acting Chair, and the Clerk of the Committee are physically present;

(

c) Other members of the committee participating by electronic means of communication, whose identity and location within the province of Ontario have been verified by the Chair, are deemed to be present and included in quorum;

(

d) The Chair shall ensure that the standing orders and regular committee practices are observed to the greatest extent possible, making adjustments to committee procedures only where necessary to facilitate the physical distancing and electronic participation of members, witnesses and staff; and

That in order to practise appropriate physical distancing during recorded divisions, standing orders 30(c), 32(

b) and 37 shall be suspended for the duration of the 42nd Parliament, or until such earlier date is indicated by the government House leader, and the following substituted:

“30(

c) When a recorded division is required, members shall proceed to the members’ lobbies to register their vote with the Clerks. The ayes shall be recorded in the east members’ lobby and the nays shall be recorded in the west members’ lobby. Subject to standing order 13, every member shall have their vote recorded in this manner.

“(c.1) Thirty minutes shall be allotted to the conduct of each vote, during which time the division bell shall ring, and after which time no further votes shall be recorded.

“(c.2) The whips of the recognized parties, or their designates, may attend the members’ lobbies to observe the taking of the vote, and copies of the Clerks’ tally sheets shall be made available to each whip as soon as possible after the vote.

“(c.3) For each vote held under this proceeding during the afternoon routine, 30 minutes shall be added to the end of the afternoon orders of the day, unless the government House leader indicates otherwise....

“32(

b) Excluding the time taken to conduct recorded votes as determined by standing order 30(c.3), the time allotted for the afternoon routine each day shall not exceed 90 minutes. At the end of that time, the Speaker shall interrupt and shall put every question necessary to dispose of the proceeding currently occupying the House, and thereafter immediately call orders of the day....

“37 Any divisions deferred under the standing orders shall be disposed of consecutively, and notwithstanding standing order 30(c.1), where there is more than one deferred vote, only 15 minutes shall be allotted to subsequent deferred votes after the first vote.

“37.1 If deferred votes continues past 1 p.m. on Monday or Thursday or past 3 p.m. on Tuesday or Wednesday, the Speaker shall immediately call reports by committees once all deferred votes have been taken.”

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government House leader has moved that for the duration of the fall sitting period and any extension thereof, members be permitted to speak and vote from any member’s desk in the chamber in order to observe recommended physical distancing—

Interjection: Dispense?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Dispense? Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Motion agreed to.

Members’ Statements

Broadband infrastructure

Mr. Gilles Bisson: I can tell you that all of us here in this assembly have been running across the same problem when it comes to access to Internet. It doesn’t matter if you’re an urban member or a rural member, accessing high-speed Internet for many people across Ontario is virtually impossible. We’ve been getting phone calls, as you have on the other side of the House, because the children have had to stay home and learn by way of the Internet last spring, and there are going to be some of them doing the same thing again. You have parents that are working at home and they do not have access to the Internet.

In places like Connaught, Barbers Bay, Kamiskotia in my own community—and it would be the same across Ontario—you have a real problem making sure that people have access to good broadband Internet.

Now, the government has made announcements that they’ve got some funding coming, but they keep on announcing the same money over and over again. We don’t see any new towers going up and any remarkable change when it comes to service.

So I’m making this following proposition to the government: Why don’t we work together in order to make sure that we’re able to put together a system that makes some sense to be able to make sure that, if you live in northern Ontario or downtown Toronto or Ottawa or Timmins or wherever it might be, that you can have access to cheap, affordable broadband Internet, because today the Internet is important when it comes to being able to do what we do on a daily basis?

We here are prepared to work with you. We’re asking you to work with us in order to serve the people of Ontario, who we were all elected here to represent. Let’s get this problem fixed, because it is a real problem across this province.

Anniversary of 9/11

Mr. Roman Baber: Last Friday, our friends south of the border and people across the world marked the 19th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Motivated by evil ideology, September 11 shook all of us to the core.

Folks like to say that they remember exactly where they were when the first plane hit the north tower. Sure, I remember, but where we were matters less. What really mattered in those 60 to 80 critical minutes is where New York’s first responders were: the men and women of the New York and New Jersey police departments, New York and New Jersey fire, New York paramedics and port authority folks—ordinary people who ran into burning towers, into chaos, into an incredible risk, and evacuated and saved thousands of people.

They did it not just because they’re heroes; they did it because it’s their job. They did it because that is the sacrifice that we ask police, firefighters and paramedics to make for our loved ones, for our friends—for all of us. All together, 343 firefighters, 50 police officers and a dozen paramedics died inside or at the foot of those magnificent towers. Hundreds more got sick.

God bless our police, fire and EMS for keeping us safe, for running into danger when everyone else runs from it, and for serving us every day, not knowing if they will come home. We owe police, fire and EMS a debt of gratitude. God bless them and God bless the memory of all those who perished.

Student safety

Ms. Jennifer K. French: As everyone has said, we have been hearing from parents across the community. I have some letters. This one is from Richard Campbell of Whitby, who wrote to this government:

“As you know, the people of Durham region and Ontario have worked very hard to make many sacrifices that flattened the curve and continue to reduce and eliminate the prevalence of the COVID-19 virus in our communities. It is critical for students, families, staff and our economy that we do not erase the progress we have made because of your ministry’s plan to reopen schools.

“Without additional measures, you are risking a second closure of schools, businesses and our economy, along with the individual social and financial impacts that would come with it....

“The health and safety of students and staff should be the top priority.

“As parents of elementary-aged children, we feel as though we must do everything that we can to ensure that students, parents/guardians and staff do not have to worry about the return to school. We urge you to do the same.” That’s from Richard in Whitby.

Kristy Micklewright writes:

“My concern comes from the obvious divide in approaches between elementary and secondary grades. It appears that the elementary grades are returning to business as usual and secondary grades are putting some sort of measures in place to socially distance....

“It leaves me feeling concern for the elementary teachers and students. And also leaves me seeing how our elementary teachers are being used primarily as a daycare substitute and their role as educators is being put to second place....

“Please re-evaluate the elementary return-to-school protocols. Put more measures in place to allow for social distancing and small cohorts.”

Justin Hines is asking this government to “do right by the children of Ontario and make up for the shameful lack of planning....”

We hope that the government will hear these voices and those from across the province, reverse course, and do right by the children of Ontario.

Ann Keeley-Meloche

Mr. Will Bouma: I stand here today to posthumously recognize a long-serving and dedicated community worker in Brantford–Brant.

Ann Keeley-Meloche supported the Navy League and Sea Cadet programs in our community as well as in neighbouring Woodstock and Kitchener for over 25 years. She also served as a provincial coordinator of training for the Sea Cadets and director at the provincial level for the Navy League Cadets. Through her tireless work in the cadet programs, she kept hundreds of youth off the streets and out of trouble.

Ann was also nominated for several awards and recognitions, but sadly, she passed away on August 20 of this year.

I spoke to a cadet parent recently and he told me that his son, who is aging out of Navy League Cadets and had no intention of continuing, decided to go and join the Sea Cadets “for Mrs. Meloche.” I am most impressed with a person who, even in death, is inspiring the youth of Brantford-Brant-Six Nations into community service, excellence, mentoring younger cadets and being the best that they can be.

Last June, I hosted the top cadets from my riding right here in the Legislature, and Ann accompanied them. She was absolutely beaming with pride for the eight cadets and commanding officers, for their hard work and dedication to our community.

On behalf of a grateful community that Ann has served so faithfully and, indeed, the entire province of Ontario: She will be dearly missed.

Grape and wine industry

Mr. Wayne Gates: Today I’d like to speak about one of the most important and treasured aspects of my riding in Niagara: the grape and wine industry. I always tell people that I have the privilege of representing one of the best ridings in all of Ontario, and the wine industry is a big part of that.

For decades, we’ve witnessed the industry in Niagara grow into one of the most prized wine regions in North America. However, just like other industries in our province, the grape and wine industry is facing an uncertain future. COVID-19 has had a serious, negative impact on our small and medium-sized wineries and our grape growers. With restaurants closed and limited shelf space for our local wines at the LCBO stores, the industry has some serious concerns.

Not only does the industry produce some of the most beautiful wines in the world, but it also generates jobs and economic activity. Ontario produces 60% to 70% of all grapes in Canada, with 93% coming from the Niagara region. The wine industry has a $4.4-billion economic impact on the province of Ontario. I believe it’s time we listen to this important industry and ensure that they have a bright future ahead.

Right now, Ontario wineries are paying a 6.1% tax on retail sales, a tax that is not paid by the foreign competition you see at the LCBO. It makes absolutely no sense. The Conservative government, today, needs to step up with support for the grape and wine industry so we can protect jobs, grow the economy and ensure the future of our great Niagara wines, which I’m sure all my colleagues have drunk more than once.

Dave Smith

Mr. John Fraser: I’d like to say a few words in honour of my friend Dave Smith, who recently passed at the age of 87. Born in Ottawa to Russian immigrants Louie and Annie Smith, Dave was the youngest of 13 children. Dave’s roots gave him a strong work ethic, and he built a successful restaurant and catering business in Ottawa—you may be familiar with Nate’s and the Place Next Door.

Dave’s other passion were his charitable pursuits. Over his lifetime he raised more than $150 million for dozens of organizations in Canada and around the world. He took special interest in youth addictions and mental health supports. That’s how I first met Dave. Because of Dave’s leadership, we were able to work collaboratively with a number of organizations to build residential beds at the Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre and initiate Ottawa’s Project Step program, helping young people struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. The centre is a testament to his compassion and desire to help.

Dave understood the meaning of community. You could always count on him. Most importantly, Dave was generous, kind, enthusiastic and a great friend to everyone he knew. We laid Dave to rest on Labour Day, which was fitting because of his lifetime of tireless efforts.

To Darlene, Dave’s wife of 35 years; his daughter, Sharron Anne; his granddaughter, Kristy; and his many, many, many friends: Dave left an incredible legacy which will live on.

Mental health services

Mr. Stan Cho: I’m honoured to rise in the House today to take a moment and remember a friend who, in August, at the age of 35, died of suicide.

Over the last six months, COVID-19 has changed our lives. As we continue to battle this global health pandemic together, it’s important to recognize its effect on our mental health and the toll this new normal we must endure can take. Speaker, I’ve heard from many friends, family and constituents that they are struggling with loneliness, depression and added levels of stress. While working from home, they’ve found it hard to maintain a healthy work/life balance. While social distancing, they’ve found it difficult to be with the ones they need the most.

Last Thursday was World Suicide Prevention Day, a day to raise awareness that suicide can be prevented. I rise today to remind Ontarians to raise awareness every day; to check in with the colleagues you haven’t seen in months; to express gratitude to our front-line workers working tirelessly away from family and friends; and to lend an ear to a friend who’s struggling, stressed or feeling alone.

Asking for help can be hard, but if you or someone you know needs help, please call the 24/7 crisis services line at 1-833-456-4566 and find resources on connexontario.ca.

Hospital funding

M me France Gélinas: After months of waiting in pain and discomfort, residents of Nickel Belt and Sudbury were really excited: Health Sciences North had started doing surgeries. Appointments were booked, plans were made, and then—nothing. Last week, every single elective surgery at Health Sciences North was cancelled. Why were they cancelled? Because the hospital was once again at over 100% capacity.

While the rest of the province has over 4,500 empty hospital beds, in Sudbury our hospital is full, and over 30 people sick enough to be admitted into the hospital were in hallways, bathrooms or in the hospital basement. This government knows that our hospital is too small. They know that we do not have options for long-term care and that our home care system cannot recruit and retain a stable workforce.

My constituent, Mr. Ron Bradley has been told he needs eye surgery, but it will be over one year before he can get it, unless he’s willing to travel down south. Mr. Bradley is a senior. He needs eye surgery now. Travelling to the GTA is too dangerous for him.

When will the Ontario government start to look at equitable access to health care in this province? These issues did not pop up overnight. They are long-term problems that this government is not interested in fixing—it’s not politically expedient. But, Speaker, every Ontarian deserves equitable access to care, and that includes Ron Bradley and everyone else in Nickel Belt.

Economic development

Mr. Lorne Coe: I’d like to recognize the work that the government is doing to create jobs and promote a safe and stable business environment.

In the month of August, Ontario has seen its employment increase by approximately 142,000 jobs. This is the third straight month of employment increases, which speaks to the incredible work the government is doing in partnership with hard-working Ontario families and local businesses.

Speaking of partnerships, Amazon announced late last week that they will build a one-million-square-foot distribution facility, creating 1,000 new jobs, in the town of Ajax, and a 354,000-square-foot facility in the town of Whitby, with hundreds of full-time jobs. That’s a solid investment in an area known for its strength and resiliency, where innovation transforms lives. More importantly, this great news is a direct reflection of the collaboration that exists between Durham region’s economic development team, the local area municipalities and the Ontario government.

The new Amazon facilities are just one more example of how Ontario is still one of the best places in the world to do business.

Keira Kagan

Mrs. Gila Martow: On August 14, my office staff attended a memorial at the Bialik day school, just north of my riding of Thornhill, to remember and honour the sweet and bright Keira Kagan whose young life was tragically taken on February 9 as a result of a difficult family situation. As part of the memorial, friends, family and community members shared their fond memories of the short but meaningful time they spent with Keira.

To commemorate her life, Bialik unveiled a white friendship bench with a rainbow on it, because little Keira loved rainbows. The bench was chosen to represent the warmth Keira brought to other students each and every day. Adorning the entranceway to her classroom, a colourful rainbow-adorned mezuzah was also placed so that she would always be part of her classroom. Though she was only four years old, this little girl left a big impact on many people’s lives, including teachers, family and friends.

Dr. Jennifer Kagan is Keira’s mother. Since the tragic incident in February, she’s been advocating for changes to our Family Court and law system, not just for her but also for “thousands of parents who are engaged in child custody litigation with abusive ex-partners.” As Jennifer put it in a letter to me, “We need to do better for our children.”

Appointment of Clerks-at-the-Table

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Before I ask for oral questions, I want to bring the attention of members of the House to the appointment of Peter Sibenik and William Wong as Clerks-at-the-Table. A lot of you will know Peter and William for their work as co-counsel in the office of parliamentary counsel, and from occasional professional development assignments here in the House at the table.

As table officers, they will serve the members in a permanent capacity and assist the Clerk and Deputy Clerk in providing procedural advice to the Speaker and to members.

I know that all members will join me in congratulating Mr. Sibenik and Mr. Wong as they assume their new responsibilities.

Independent members

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): As I have done on several previous occasions, I wish to address the House on the participation of independent members. On July 19, 2018, I advised the House how I was going to arrange for the independent members to participate in debates on motions for second and third reading of government bills and on substantive government motions. At that time, I took a strictly mathematical approach to ensure that independent members would have an opportunity to speak in these debates proportional to what any other member of the House would normally have.

I decided that each member would have three minutes in those debates, and I further agreed to aggregate the time for the Liberal independent members, giving them a 20-minute speaking time so that they were able to share and split among other Liberal members.

On October 28, 2019, as a result of vacancies in the House in the ridings of Ottawa–Vanier and Orléans, I informed the House that the time available to the remaining Liberal independent members during debate on second or third reading of government bills or on a substantive government motion would be reduced to 15 minutes.

In May of this year, following by-elections in those ridings, which the Liberals retained, the 20-minute allotment was restored. The Liberal independent group is now currently eight members, and based on the three-minute formula that group is entitled to 24 minutes. They now have formally requested that they be given this full allotment. It is a reasonable request and consistent with the rationale behind my earlier decisions.

Setting aside certain standing order exemptions that do not apply to the Liberal group, members may not speak for more than 20 minutes. It is therefore not possible to give a 24-minute speaking slot. Instead, I will divide the allotment into two 12-minute slots. As before, if speaking times have reduced to 10 minutes under standing order 26(c), then the operation of that rule applies and the speaking time will be 10 minutes, not 12.

I want to thank: the member for Ottawa South for raising this matter and requesting my direction; the Clerk, Deputy Clerk and table staff for their continued support and advice to all the members in this House; and I thank the House for its attention during my statement.

Question Period

School transportation

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My first question is to the Premier. Across Ontario, parents are nervously watching COVID case numbers increase, and in fact, as I was coming into the House this morning I was informed that those numbers are now over 300, at 313, and so parents are, of course, very nervous as they prepare to send their kids back to school.

Thousands of those students, Speaker, learned just over this past week, that their school bus was cancelled, most often because school bus drivers actually fear for their own safety, and the safety of the kids.

Earlier this summer, the Premier of this province said that he was sparing nothing when it comes to the safe return to school. When will he live up to that, Speaker? When will he live up to that, and provide the money necessary to keep our kids safe?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member opposite for the question. Mr. Speaker, as uncles and aunts and moms and dads and grandparents across the province, we are all committed to the safety of our kids. Our plan that has been unveiled has been fully supported by the Chief Medical Officer of Health, it is fully funded and is evidence-informed.

What I can say is that, as we faced unprecedented challenge in this province, I am proud of our people, who have responded with a strong resolve to work together to flatten this curve and allow our kids to remain learning in schools. Our plan of $1.3 billion of investment flowing to the school boards has enabled smaller classroom sizes, robust testing in our schools and a screening apparatus before they enter the school. It is also supported by the hiring of more support staff and more custodians, and more cleaning and improvements to ventilation.

We know what is at stake. We will do everything possible, including more resources and more investments, to keep all students and all staff safe in the province of Ontario.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, experts at the Hospital for Sick Children—and even the government’s own experts—have said that students should maintain a two-metre distance from each other. Given that, can the Premier tell us how many students he feels should be seated on a school bus with 24 seats?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Our government unveiled net investments for student transportation because we know how important it is for moms and dads to have their children get to school safely every single day. That’s the basis for why we have invested an additional $40 million for the driver retention program. This helps to incent more bus drivers in our schools. It also ensures, by providing PPE to all bus drivers, that we’re keeping them safe. We’ve added $25 million to route protection and an additional $30 million to ensure that they’re safe and that they’re clean.

We’ve done everything possible to ensure assigned seating on our buses, to ensure a lower quantum on them, and more importantly, that they are constantly cleaned throughout the day.

We will continue to support our drivers, our schools and our parents as we get through this unprecedented challenge.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Last week, a woman named Angela, a driver from Durham, reached out to our office with the same concerns that parents have been expressing. A copy of her route that she provided to us showed 68 children on a single bus at once—68 children on one 24-seat bus. That is three kids per seat on a standard school bus, Speaker.

How can Ontario’s children and the school bus drivers expect to stay safe in these cramped conditions? It doesn’t make any sense. Perhaps the Premier can tell us exactly how those folks are going stay safe.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: How our buses are going to remain safe is by ensuring that they are constantly cleaned, which is why we’ve invested an additional $40 million so that our operators, our consortia and our school boards have the financial latitude to ensure that they’re constantly cleaned and that those high-contact places are cleaned often. More importantly, PPE and masking are required on our buses, like in schools. A full suite of PPE is provided to our workers, to our bus drivers, and likewise training for them.

We have put in more funding for route protection because in this province, like in all provinces, for well over a decade we have faced a driver shortage that I know all members in this House are cognizant of. It’s precedes our election, but, nonetheless, it is our priority to make sure that we retain that talent and that we have committed workers who are going to get our kids to school every day single day.

School transportation

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier, but I have to say, I’m pretty shocked, because if there was a driver shortage before, it is getting worse now because this government has not invested properly in the hiring of more bus drivers and the provision of more buses for school boards to be able to safely distance our kids and keep those drivers safe.

In fact, we did hear from another driver—his name is William—from Hamilton who drove a bus for students with special needs. William was forced out of his job due to health concerns for himself and his family. Across the province, drivers like William are making similar choices. Over the last three days, thousands of students learned that their school bus routes have literally been cancelled.

How can the Premier tell the parents of this province that he spared no expense when bus drivers across Ontario are walking away from the job because they are afraid of the lack of protections for themselves and their kids because the Premier won’t spend the money to keep them or their passengers safe? How can he tell parents that he spared no expense?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: In the context of our investment to ensure our schools, our playgrounds and our buses are safe, we’ve invested over $70 million, partially to restore or renew the driver retention program. What that does, Speaker, is it ensures that some incremental dollars flow to our workers, who are often older, who work very hard and are fully committed to our kids. By doing that, we help retain them.

We recognize that this pandemic may have exacerbated an issue that governments in this province and this country have faced for well over a decade. That is a reality in the labour market. But what we can do on our levels, within our authorities, is ensure that the driver retention program remains. We can ensure that enhanced cleaning is provided in our buses. We can ensure assigned seating and masking to protect the students and very much protecting the staff members who drive them.

We are committed to ensuring that funding continues to flow. In fact, just weeks ago, we announced another $25 million on route protection. We will do everything we can, working with our school boards to ensure that kids can safely get to school each and every day.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, with all due respect, if the government knew this was a problem for a decade, they should have been prepared and fixed it so that kids could get to school safely and bus drivers could work safely.

So the Premier knows—that’s what I just heard—what parents and school boards and school bus drivers have been sounding the alarm bells on for some time now. For weeks, they have been sounding the alarm bell that this was going to be a problem, but apparently the government wasn’t listening.

Debbie Montgomery is a school bus driver who has been speaking out for weeks about the government’s failure to protect students on school buses. She says, “Action is urgently needed to protect students and school bus drivers across the province....” She says that drivers are ready to work with school boards and health experts to develop standardized health and safety pandemic protocols on passenger limits, social distancing, mask requirements, bus sanitization procedures and personal protective equipment use.

Will the Premier listen to Debbie? Will this government step up to the plate and protect our kids and the school bus drivers?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Speaker, I was very pleased to meet with school bus drivers last week, as well as the head of the school bus driver association of Ontario, where she had affirmed her gratitude to the province for our investment, knowing that it’s going to make a difference—an unprecedented investment in transportation, because we realize, Speaker, that a challenge that extends beyond our provincial border has long been a challenge for government. That’s why we’ve put monies in place immediately through this pandemic to backstop and to ensure we retain those bus drivers.

The extension of the driver retention program will help incentivize workers to stay. We are providing full PPE, full training for them and likewise mandating, like in our schools, the same program and same requirement of masking of our kids—assigned seating to strengthen the contact management protocols, whenever a challenge arises.

Speaker, we recognize there is a challenge. We are all working together—our school boards, consortia and parents—and understanding that in this pandemic we will face challenges. How we get through this is by working together, ensuring those dollars flow to our front lines and, Mr. Speaker, this Premier and this government will continue to do just that.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Between the lack of adequate physical distancing and the lack of streamlined protocols to sanitization, it is abundantly clear—abundantly clear—that the Premier’s school bus plan for students and drivers was in fact no plan at all. Will the Premier now, then—since we’re in this crisis at this moment—provide for the funding and the directive to cap all school buses at 50% capacity?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Mr. Speaker, what the government has done is provide an unprecedented amount of funding to our school boards, school bus drivers and consortia to ensure that we can do three things:

(1) We can ensure that they’re cleaned more often, more regularly and more intensively than ever before.

(2) That we can reduce the amount of children on those buses.

(3) That we could ensure that our masking protocol is the most comprehensive in this country.

We have done all of that, following the Chief Medical Officer of Health. In fact, Dr. Cohn, the president of SickKids, who was mentioned in an earlier question, has said that it’s critical to understand that not one single measure is going to help mitigate the risk, we need to put a lot of these measures in place in order to mitigate the risk as much as possible.

We have a comprehensive plan, with masking, with cleaning, with screening, Speaker, as well as the hiring of more than 625 public health nurses. In each and every area in this country, we lead. In fact, when you compare provincial investment in British Columbia and the New Democratic government, we are spending twice the rate as the NDP in BC. We are fully committed to our students, and we are going to continue to demonstrate to parents in this province that we’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe.

Education funding

Ms. Marit Stiles: This question is also for the Premier. For a lot of parents this has been a very anxious weekend, with COVID-19 cases on the rise again and serious concerns across Ontario about the government’s school readiness plan.

Last week, we saw hundreds of students in Ottawa kept home, and according to the government’s own data-reporting site, today we have 15 new cases in schools. I’m hearing from parents in all corners of this province who are alarmed that their children will be in classes as large as 30.

Speaker, through you to the Premier: Why has the government refused to fund the smaller, safer classrooms needed to keep our students safely distanced?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. Mr. Speaker, on the contrary, this province and government have invested $1.3 billion in monies to flow to respond to this challenge and to ensure that our kids and our staff remain safe.

In the context of classroom sizes, in the Toronto District School Board, where the member hails from, for context, in the more intensively staffed schools and those communities with high risk, in kindergarten to grade 3, they’re capped at 15 students. From grades 4 to 8, they’re capped at 20 students.

In every region of this province, we are seeing net reductions in classroom size. We are seeing more distancing. We are seeing over 2,000 teachers being hired, according to estimates by the ministry. We are seeing more custodians being hired, more public health nurses. We had 460 public health nurses in this province dedicated to schools. Under this government’s leadership, more than 517 were hired as of today, and we are on track to hire 625—more than doubling the capacity of those medical practitioners in our schools.

In every realm, we lead. We will continue to be responsive to the risk and to take further action to ensure all students are safe in this province.

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

Ms. Marit Stiles: I’ll point out to the minister that the TDSB dug into their own reserves to bring some of those schools to 15 students. Why won’t you give the same thing to the rest of the students in this province?

The minister says that more funding for school preparedness is going to be available on an as-needed basis, but with families in Peel region and elsewhere pulling their children out of class by the thousands this weekend, it’s more clear than ever that funding is needed now, not weeks or months from now.

Parents, employers and communities don’t want to wait and see who gets sick, and hope for the best. They want the government to do everything possible right now to prevent the spread of COVID-19 before it’s too late. Will the government finally treat this with the seriousness it deserves and flow the money needed to ensure smaller classes, safer buses and more student supports across this province?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ll ask all the members to make their remarks through the chair.

The Minister of Education to reply.

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

Let me affirm to this House what we are doing. Some 37 million pieces of PPE have been delivered to schools for the month of September, thanks to the leadership of Minister Thompson, ensuring that we have a supply chain that continues to flow the products that we need to keep them safe. As of today, 517 more public health nurses have been hired, more than doubling the capacity of public health nurses within our schools. Over 1,300 custodians are expected to be hired through this process, and more over the coming weeks.

Over 2,500 educators are expected to be hired as a consequence of our aim to reduce classroom size and maximize distancing. And we are the only province—and proudly—to have an asymptomatic testing regime that will focus on those higher-risk communities. We have unveiled $1.3 billion in funding available.

To correct the member opposite, it’s not just Toronto district Catholic and public school boards that have reduced classroom sizes. In every single school board, they have taken action, provided for by funding from the province, supported by the reserve funding and supported by the federal funding. We are all doing our part to ensure that classroom sizes could be reduced and, ultimately, our schools can be safe.

Student safety

Mr. Kaleed Rasheed: My question is to the Minister of Education. Speaker, over the summer, I heard from parents, students and teachers how important it was to them to return to school in September. Students missed their friends and getting the education that they deserve. Of course, safety is top of mind for them, and safety is top of mind for our government, too.

My three eldest kids were excited to be back in class with their teachers and friends. I’m proud that our government released a nation-leading plan, with the investments to back it up, to ensure our reopening of schools is done in a safe and fully funded way.

Can the Minister of Education please tell this Legislature how our government is ensuring a safe reopening of schools?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I want to thank the member for his question and for his advocacy not just as a parent, but as an effective member from Peel, working so hard to ensure that their voices are heard.

Speaker, the voices of parents, of students, of educators—everyone within our system—are being acted upon to ensure that our schools are safe. It is the reason why the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the foremost medical authority of this province, who has ably advised our cabinet and our province on how to get through this pandemic, has given his stamp of approval.

The reason why he has done so is because we’ve introduced layers of protections which uniquely differentiate our province in this country: the fact that we have public health nurses being doubled; the fact that we are hiring more custodians and cleaning staff; the fact that we have an asymptomatic testing program; the fact that in this province, we are ensuring that all school boards have additional funding—$1.3 billion in additional funding—for a one-year investment, a one-time investment, to do everything we can to keep our kids safe. That’s our commitment. That’s what we’ll continue to do.

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

Mr. Kaleed Rasheed: I want to thank the minister for his answer and just say again how happy I am to hear our government has such a strong plan in place to keep our children safe as they return to school. I’m sure all of us are aware how eager students were to get back to school and see their classmates.

It’s no secret that the Minister of Health has been working tirelessly over the last six months to ensure that our province can safely reopen. As our children return to schools and their parents return to work, I know our government is committed to taking every precaution necessary to protect their health and well-being. Can the Minister of Health please tell this House how our government plans to continue to protect Ontarians as we move forward with this next stage?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you to the member from Mississauga East–Cooksville for his question and his advocacy. The progress that we’ve made so far has only been possible because Ontarians have demonstrated incredible resolve. But we can’t stop there, especially as our students are returning to school and to post-secondary institutions.

That’s why we’ve taken a pause of four weeks, or two incubation periods, before considering any further loosening of public health measures or any further openings of businesses, to make sure that we avoid returning to broad-scale shutdowns and returning back to stage 2. No one wants to have to do that.

But it remains critical that everyone continues to act on the public health measures that we’ve been emphasizing for many months. This includes everyday measures like proper hand hygiene, social distancing and, of course, wearing a mask in situations where that’s not possible. These actions will help to keep everyone safe so that we can, after this four-week period is over, hopefully be able to start loosening our restrictions once again.

Small business

Ms. Catherine Fife: My question is to the Premier. Speaker, we all know that businesses are struggling. In Waterloo, 15 businesses have closed—11 directly due to the effects of COVID-19. Our main streets are hurting in Ontario. The finance committee heard from businesses all summer. Businesses facing eviction and increased rents—but they still came to the committee, they took the time to bring solutions to us. The problem is that this government is not listening. They’ve heard that businesses need a functioning rent relief program, yet they’ve done nothing. They’ve heard that the provincial tax deferrals need to turn into grants, yet they’ve done nothing.

The province cannot afford to see its main streets hollowed out. Will the Premier listen to what these struggling businesses are saying and come to the table with meaningful, financial, direct support for businesses in the province of Ontario?

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

Hon. Rod Phillips: I thank the member for the question. I’d like to thank, as well, the committee: over 80 hours of testimony, over 200 witnesses—a great deal of work done by members across the aisle.

Back in March, our government announced our action plan of $17 billion of support. Since that, in August, with the update that was provided in the quarterly update, that amount of support has gone to $30 billion. Of course, an important element of that support is directed exactly at the businesses that the member references: $57 million in partnership with the federal government with regard to the Digital Main Street program, and $175 million for support in terms of electricity rates.

This government will continue to listen, just as it has through the committee, and it will continue to make a difference for businesses on main streets in Ontario.

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

Ms. Catherine Fife: Money spent saving businesses now will pay off in the long term. This government should consider these as investments in our economic recovery, especially if we face a second wave.

The Ontario BIA Association came to the finance committee with practical recommendations to support their 110,000 member businesses. They need the insurance sector to honour their business interruption insurance and not raise rates. They need direct rent relief to commercial tenants. They need caps on commercial rent. They need an extension on eviction protection. They need clear and consistent communication moving forward. These 110,000 members expect a partner in the recovery in this province.

It’s clear that lessons can be learned from the first wave, but the work needs to be done now. For many small businesses, it’s too late. Is this government actually going to step up and fight for our local businesses and offer real support for these important factors in our economy?

Hon. Rod Phillips: That is exactly what this government has been doing, fighting for small business, just like it was fighting for small business, frankly, before the pandemic. It’s great to see a colleague across the aisle now taking an interest in business.

We talked about rent programs; 47,000 tenants representing almost 500,000 employees have taken advantage of the rent support program. The program to suspend evictions has been extended. Again, the SCOFEA committee did a historic level of consultation. They listened—and this was, I must say, an action taken on both sides of the House—and we very much respect that feedback.

A $30-billion program has been put in place to support Ontarians, including Ontario’s businesses. We will continue to support those businesses. We will continue to make sure that that backbone of the Canadian economy and the Ontario economy stays in place.

Education funding

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Premier. To say it has been a chaotic and uncertain start to the school year would be an understatement. All schools aren’t open yet, and we’re already seeing hundreds of students and their educators being isolated in places like Ottawa, my hometown. Classes are being collapsed and are getting larger instead of smaller. There are empty classrooms all across this province, and every day the case counts are rising.

Speaker, it didn’t have to be this way. The Premier refuses to acknowledge that the single most important thing we can do to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 in our schools and in our communities is classes that are smaller and safer. Speaker, through you, why is it that the Premier will not commit to making every child’s classroom smaller and safer?

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

We are fully committed to the full layers of protection, ensuring that, yes, we maximize distancing, but also ensuring that we have masking in place, additional cleaning of our schools, testing of our students, screening before they’re entering, cohorting of the kids to make sure that we maintain and limit the amount of spread within our schools. In every single realm, we lead in this country, knowing that as the risk evolves, we’ll be there for our kids and for our schools.

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

Mr. John Fraser: Actually, the number that counts, and I’ve been hearing numbers all morning, is how many children you can put in a classroom and effectively reduce the spread of COVID-19. That’s the number. That’s the number you should be driving towards.

For months, parents, teachers, educators, principals, trustees and public health experts have all been asking you to make class sizes smaller. What is so hard about that? Why can’t that happen? In the last month, the federal government has given three quarters of a billion dollars—three quarters of a billion dollars—to help Ontario schools. You’re not using that money. In fact, you’re holding some of that money back. What’s with that? How do you explain that to parents? It’s hard for them to understand that. I don’t understand that. Maybe you do. So, Speaker, through you, why does the Premier refuse to make every child’s class smaller and safer?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Again, I’ll ask the members to make their comments through the Chair at all times.

Minister of Education to reply.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: We have ensured that funding from the province, supported by reserve funding by the boards and now federal funding, all of which is supporting the safety of our schools—the single largest fiscal investment in school safety in this nation by any standard, $1.3 billion more to ensure that every single school is safe.

Speaker, just so we’re clear, the member opposite asked why we are holding back $380 million in federal funding. I’ll alert the member, who is from Ottawa, that the federal government has apportioned $380 million effective September 1 and is holding the next $381 million until January 1. I’d ask the member opposite to stand with us—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I’d ask the member opposite to join us, constructively, and I mean that, to urge the federal government to deliver more flexibility for those dollars and to expedite them, given the need in our schools and the risk in our communities.

Mr. Speaker, we’ll continue to ensure all these layers of prevention are in place, that we reduce classroom sizes, that we ensure ventilation is improved and that ultimately—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. I say to the members, even if you’re wearing a mask, I can still recognize your voices.

The next question.

Wildlife management

Mr. Toby Barrett: We have a beautiful and varied natural environment here in Ontario. Lakes and rivers dot the landscape, from lowlands in the south to boreal forest and the Canadian Shield in the north. Our province is home to many fish and wildlife species that make our ecosystems unique, provide plenty of recreational opportunities for families and support business and tourism across the province.

Of course, we want to ensure that our fish and wildlife remain healthy and abundant—a difficult task that requires vigilant oversight as circumstances on the ground are always changing. One of the more challenging species to track and monitor is the Canadian moose. Can the minister shed some light on what his ministry is doing to ensure that moose populations are well managed and protected?

Hon. John Yakabuski: I want to thank the member for the question. Above all, my ministry is concerned with the well-being of our wildlife and the support of our outdoor recreation activities, such as hunting and fishing, that form a part of our heritage.

The iconic moose is a majestic animal and a staple of Ontario’s landscape. Moose hunting contributes over $205 million a year to Ontario’s economy and forms a key part of the livelihoods and cultures of our northern communities and First Nations. We are improving how moose are managed to ensure sustainable populations while making tag allocations fairer and more consistent.

The task of wildlife management is not a simple one. No region is perfectly alike, and it’s important for us to listen to the concerns of all parties in all regions of this province as we improve the moose hunting system in Ontario.

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

Mr. Toby Barrett: Speaker, I’m glad that after so many years of Liberal inattention, we have a minister who understands the importance of fish and wildlife in our province, within our culture and within our economy. This iconic animal, in particular, is so important to the health of our ecosystems and to our rich hunting tradition in the province of Ontario.

Minister, I know you’ve already done so much to improve the state of hunting and fishing for people in Ontario. Last year, you convened the Big Game Management Advisory Committee, an independent, third-party committee comprised of hunters and experts that uses data from wildlife population surveys for the purpose of gathering recommendations, all for the purpose of ensuring a fair and sustainable management of our big game species.

Hon. John Yakabuski: I again thank the member for his question. I’d be happy to outline some of the things we’ve done so far. In order to protect the population of the species, we are proposing stricter calf tag quotas, new bow hunting seasons and quotas for moose. As it stands now, some hunters have been applying year after year for the tag draw but have never received one.

Beginning in 2021, we are introducing common sense and fairness to the process by making it easier for those who’ve been consistently unsuccessful in the draw to receive a tag. Changes like that are what we’re all about in this government: listening to the concerns of the people of Ontario and making common-sense changes that bring fairness and accountability to the government and the management of our resources and the environment.

Special-needs students

Mr. Joel Harden: My question is for the Premier. As many kids in Ottawa head back to class this week, I’m thinking in particular of students with disabilities and their families, like Megan Leslie, a proud mom of a deaf son in elementary school who is beside herself right now because she cannot find access to American Sign Language

interpretation.

For Megan’s son, and 340,000 other special education students in Ontario, this pandemic has been particularly challenging. Instead of giving students with disabilities the resources they need to thrive, this government has allocated a paltry $70 per student for its COVID response in our schools.

Can the minister explain to Megan why he believes $70 per student is enough to support her son’s learning needs?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: I know that for all students with exceptionality and disability that we have in our province we have an obligation to ensure they’re supported. It is why we have successively, throughout this pandemic, increased investment in both mental health and special education. We are seeing net hiring of more EAs, supported by an additional $12.5 million for spec ed and $30 million more in a one-time, one-year investment to hire more psychologists, psychotherapists and social workers in the province of Ontario, in addition to $50 million for equity, for technology to make sure that we equalize access, particularly for those kids.

We’re ensuring IEPs are being followed. We’ve asked every student to have five days’ provision of in-class supports, creating consistency in their lives which so many of their parents have asked for. We’re fully committed to working with those children to give them an opportunity to learn and to be safe in school.

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

Mr. Joel Harden: For months, grassroots disability leaders have insisted that this government do more. Now we have a situation where a deaf child in Ottawa may not even be able to understand what’s going on in his class. That’s how bad it has gotten.

Being included at school means being able to participate in the classroom. That means ASL

interpretation and educational assistants to help autistic students, dyslexic students, Down syndrome students or students with pronounced social anxiety.

We need strong provincial funding—not $70 per student—to accommodate these students at this remarkable time, but, so far, candidly, through you, Speaker, this government has failed them. Can the minister tell us when kids with disabilities in particular will be treated seriously by this government and get the support and funding they deserve?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. I want to note for that child in Ottawa that the director of the Ottawa Catholic School Board, Tom D’Amico, said that, this year, class sizes will be smaller than ever before because the board has a plenitude of teachers. They are hiring in real time. That is not a unique experience. We are seeing hiring province-wide in public and Catholic education. Moreover, we’re seeing an additional $12.5 million being dedicated for special education, plus those mental health investments.

We recognize that on those parents it has been most especially challenging. It’s why we insist, for every school board, that those children, irrespective of those challenges—that they’re there every single day, that they have access to five days of consistent learning in school. We are hiring more EAs. We are providing more technology and more PPE to their staff members to keep them safe.

We are fully committed to ensuring that every child sees himself or herself reflected in their schools and they can be supported as they go through the journey of learning.

Personal support workers

Mr. Mike Schreiner: My question is for the Premier, but first, I want to thank everyone who’s worked so hard for Ontarians during this pandemic. I’d like to welcome back all MPPs, journalists and staff.

During the last seven months, we have heard the Premier say that PSWs are the real heroes of this crisis, that they are champions, but these heroes need more than empty words. They need a living wage so they don’t have to run from one low-paying job to the next. These heroes are overwhelmingly women and people of colour who work incredibly long and hard hours to care for our loved ones.

Speaker, I have one simple question: Will the Premier raise wages for PSWs, so these front-line heroes are treated like the working heroes they really are?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): To respond on behalf of the government, the Deputy Premier and Minister of Health.

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you very much for the question. This is a really important issue. Of course, we’re very, very grateful for the work that has been done by all of our front-line workers—doctors, nurses, personal support workers, staff, volunteers, everyone—but you’re right: Personal support workers are in a particular situation. We are graduating thousands of personal support workers every year, but they are dropping out for various reasons—pay being one of them, but there are other reasons, as well. We are working steadily towards a solution for this, which I’ll address more in my supplementary.

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

Mr. Mike Schreiner: Speaker, I believe the minister needs to understand the critical staffing shortages our long-term-care facilities face. The recent LTC staffing study over the summer found that half of PSWs working in long-term care leave after five years “due to burnout of working short-staffed.”

These front-line heroes are tired. They’re overworked. They’re underpaid. They did not stop being heroes on August 13, when pandemic pay ended. We could be on the brink of a second wave in our long-term-care homes. The issue is dire and urgent.

Speaker, will the government commit today to immediately addressing the staffing shortages in our long-term-care homes and extending pandemic pay for all front-line health care heroes?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Well, I certainly can agree with you that there is an urgent need for personal support workers in our long-term-care homes, but also in home and community care. You’re absolutely right that we need to make sure that we have the health human resources necessary in order to fight a potential second wave of COVID-19. We have a fall preparedness plan that is virtually ready to go, and that is one of the important issues that it does address: the lack of personal support workers in particular, but there are also shortages of nurses, as well.

We know that we need to do that in order to be able to successfully fight a second wave of COVID-19, and we are addressing that both with respect to the pay issue, but also with respect to scheduling of hours, work locations and the ability to ladder—to be able to help personal support workers to be able to move from that level further into the health care system, to perhaps become registered practical nurses or registered nurses. They need to see a future in health care, and we are looking at all of those aspects with our health human resources plan, which we will be discussing with everyone in the Legislature very shortly.

Community safety

Mrs. Nina Tangri: Good morning, Speaker, and to everyone in the House today.

My question is for the Solicitor General. Last week, I was pleased to join the Solicitor General and Ontario Provincial Police Commissioner Carrique to open a new OPP highway safety division detachment in my riding of Mississauga–Streetsville.

I know that constituents in my community have been concerned about safety on our roads and highways, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May, for example, the OPP charged an individual for going 207 kilometres per hour on Highway 403 in Mississauga. This reflects a widespread increase in street racing and other driving offences on our roads and highways in the midst of COVID.

Can the Solicitor General explain how this new OPP detachment will help support community safety in Mississauga, particularly on our highways?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Thanks to the member for Mississauga–Streetsville for her question. I know how important road safety is to her and for her constituents. I was pleased to join her and many other Peel MPPs, as well as Commissioner Carrique, in Mississauga last week.

I think it’s really important that we understand that as we continue to respond to the unprecedented challenges presented by COVID 19, our government will continue to put safety first. Every day, hundreds of thousands of commuter vehicles and transport trucks use the 400-series highways in the region, which is why it’s critical that police have the tools, resources and equipment needed to keep people safe.

This $200-million state-of-the-art facility will bring policing in the region into the 21st century, ensuring that front-line OPP officers who are working to keep the 400-series highways safe in Peel region and across the GTA can continue to do it with updated resources.

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

Mrs. Nina Tangri: Speaker, through you: Thank you to the Solicitor General for her response.

We know that while police services are reporting that some crime statistics have dropped during the course of this crisis, not all criminals are staying home. In August, Peel Regional Police seized 41 illegal guns off our streets. I’m sure we can agree that in the midst of this crisis, the last thing people need is fear of crime in their community.

Can the Solicitor General explain how the opening of this new OPP detachment in Mississauga fits with our government’s commitment to keeping our communities safe?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: The member is absolutely correct. Ontarians should never have to live in fear of crime, least of all during the pandemic.

The opening of the Mississauga detachment is part of our government’s OPP modernization phase 2 project. This is a $182-million initiative to replace nine aging police detachments across Ontario and bring them into the 21st century. Many of these projects are coming to fruition, including in Little Current, Parry Sound and Clinton, with more in the coming weeks, and of course, the one in the member’s riding, in Mississauga. This builds on a landmark $20-million investment our government has made in Peel region with their police service earlier this year.

Whether it’s addressing road user safety on our highways or tackling the pressing issue of gun and gang violence, our government is committed to ensuring that those on the front lines have the resources to keep their communities protected.

Child care

Ms. Doly Begum: My question is to the Acting Premier. This government continues to download the costs of child care onto parents who are struggling during COVID-19. Parents continue to be charged or risk losing their child’s spot if they are not able to make the difficult decision to send their child within 14 days.

On the other hand, many child care centres have been forced to close because of low enrolment, increasing deficits and uncertainty about how this government will support them.

Mr. Speaker, will this government finally step up and support the child care sector that is hurting due to the lack of support from this government?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Mr. Speaker, our government has provided unprecedented access of investment and PPE to our child care operators, because we recognize from the moms and dads of this province that they need to have reliable access and affordable access to child care.

When we came to power two years ago, we inherited the most expensive child care as a consequence of the former Liberal government.

But we recognize that we have to do more for parents. It’s why we are investing, on an annual basis, $2 billion to support our operations and $1 billion to construct 30,000 new child care spaces, 10,000 of which will be within our schools. We have a child care tax credit that is supporting parents—up to 75% of eligible expenses.

And just a week ago, I stood with my federal counterpart Minister Ahmed Hussen to announce an additional $234.6 million in a safe restart to our child care sector, to backstop them and to support them as they go through this unprecedented challenge.

Speaker, we have provided more funding, PPE, training and clear protocols, and we’ll continue to be there for our parents, for operators, and of course for our kids in this province.

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

Ms. Doly Begum: Mr. Speaker, we continue to hear press conference after press conference where the minister reannounces the same inadequate funding that came from the federal government.

Child care centres, workers and parents have continued to express their concern that they’re being kept in the dark about how this government will support the child care sector that takes care of our children.

Will this government commit to being transparent with the parents of this province, the child care workers and the operators about what kind of support they will be receiving and when?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Speaker, I’m proud to report that child care operators are not waiting for investment. They have received investment every step of the way through this pandemic.

At the very beginning of this challenge, we ensured that operators had additional supports—stabilization funding, essentially—to backstop them, given the reduced amount of kids within our child care centres and the increased cost borne by our operators. We gave them support. We expanded PPE financing and funding for them, and of course, we’ve provided clear guidance developed by the medical community and endorsed by the Chief Medical Officer of Health. Every step of the way we’ve been there for our child care operators.

We want parents to know that in this province, we will continue to do everything we can to ensure labour market access, to ensure that women, most notably, can participate in the economy and to make sure that their children remain safe along the way.

Mental health and addiction services

Ms. Lindsey Park: My question is for the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions. Over the past several months, the impacts of COVID-19 have meant that people have been staying at home, that there has been widespread physical distancing, and that people are inundated, if they turn on the radio, television or their online news source, with information about the virus. That has been challenging for many people and families across Ontario.

Constituents in my riding of Durham have expressed concerns about their own mental health and their family members’ and neighbours’ mental health. As the member from Willowdale mentioned, they’ve been experiencing loneliness and, for some, depression at elevated levels that they haven’t experienced before.

Our government has continued to address the mental health of all Ontarians since the start of the outbreak, and I wondered if the minister could update the Legislature on some of the things he has been working on to address the mental health and well-being of Ontarians during COVID-19.

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: I would like to thank the member from Durham for that great question. Mr. Speaker, since the start of the outbreak, we’ve seen thousands of Ontarians reach out for help. It has been our mission to ensure that people in the province of all ages who need the extra help are able to access the supports that they need, when and where they need them.

That’s why I was proud just recently to stand alongside Premier Ford to announce an increase to our $12-million commitment to mental health and addictions during COVID-19 by another $14.75 million. These investments will reach every corner of the province, from the GTA to rural and remote communities, including Indigenous communities across the province. Our government will always stand up for Ontarians living with mental health and addiction challenges and will ensure that people get the help they need when and where they need it.

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

Ms. Lindsey Park: I want to thank the minister for his work standing up for Ontarians who have been struggling during these unprecedented times. It’s so good to hear this is helping people in every corner of the province, whether it’s Kenora, Sault Ste. Marie, Hamilton or in my riding of Durham.

Our government has made a clear commitment to mental health and addiction treatment during COVID-19, which has touched the lives of all Ontarians of all ages. I wonder if the minister can update us on some of the specific types of services and supports that our investments will help to deliver.

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: Our investments include additional funding to expand virtual and online services being used by thousands of Ontarians, such as Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for those experiencing stress, anxiety and depression, and will also provide targeted virtual addictions supports to those in need. This investment also includes funding to specifically support culturally safe services for Indigenous people in Ontario, including a focus on children and youth.

Mr. Speaker, we’re also proud to be investing over $2.9 million to fund eight research projects that will help support Ontario’s response to COVID-19.

Our government recognizes the long road to recovery that lies ahead and that much more needs to be done. That’s why we’ll continue working with our partners to enhance existing supports while exploring new and innovative services to ensure Ontarians receive the high-quality care they deserve.

Education funding

Ms. Jennifer K. French: My question is to the Premier. Families are anxious about back-to-school during this pandemic. Gail Young is concerned about classroom overcrowding. She says, “My grandchildren could bring home the virus.”

Garry Cubitt believes that “the primary students and teachers are really at risk. They need smaller classes, masks, and separation.”

Tina Walker points out, “Special-needs kids have not been addressed at all. The plan is unsafe, callous and risky.”

Amy Colegate says, “I’m a parent of a vulnerable child and my own parents are seniors. I worry about the government prioritizing the economy over lives. When I say this, I don’t mean it abstractly. The life of my child is at risk.”

Amy Coady says, “Please put children and families at the centre of the discussion. You have treated them like an afterthought.”

Emily Walters asks for “more staffing, smaller class sizes and even more custodians.”

Mike Mutimer says, “We only have one chance to do this properly. It can’t be rushed and it can’t be done just to satisfy reopening the economy. We need to make sure we’re doing this right.”

Speaker, will the Premier abandon his shortcut plan and instead do this right, make smaller classes and make children’s well-being the priority this September?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Thank you very much to the member opposite for the question. In the context of the broader risk we face, we have seen rising numbers of COVID-19 in the past days in this province. We have an obligation as a people to do everything humanly possible to reduce the risk. We have made incredible gains, as the Deputy Premier has made clear. We have all sacrificed—every single one of us—and we must maintain that momentum in order to ensure that these kids can continue to learn. That is our commitment. It’s what we’re doing in government, but we need all people to do their part.

In the area of Durham, for example, we have seen the net hiring of 32 public health nurses. I was pleased to meet with the chief medical officer of Durham just a few weeks ago with Minister Scott and Minister Bethlenfalvy. We were able to discuss with him the additional actions being taken to reduce the risk in that community. We have an additional $3 million for teacher staffing provided in the context of COVID to that school board alone to hire more educators, to ensure more distancing and ultimately to ensure that all layers of prevention are in place to keep our students safe.

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

Ms. Jennifer K. French: Again to the Premier: Parents have been sharing their concerns about back-to-school during COVID-19.

Heidi Wayling writes: “My five-year-old should be entering his second year in kindergarten. For the past two months my stress levels trying to decide what we are going to do have been very high. It has only gotten worse the last couple of weeks.

“I do not feel he is safe, physically, mentally or emotionally, returning to his class of 29 kids and being told he must stay distanced from them all. How will this even be possible? He is very energetic, and will not be successful sitting at a table all day. At the same time, spending hours a day watching a teacher online is not in his best interest.

“I cry myself to sleep often. I feel like if I send him, I’m putting his life and the lives of our family members at risk. Most of my friends are very angry about the position we’ve been put in.”

Speaker, will the Premier change his mind and start capping class sizes and commit to parents like Heidi that their children will be able to learn safely while supported in smaller classes?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: In every school board in this province, including Durham public and Catholic, we are seeing net reduction in classroom size and the enhancement of distancing. I was in Durham just a few weeks ago with the Premier and with colleagues, with the members from Oshawa and from Whitby. I was proud to fund a $29-million investment, the new Paul Dwyer that is in Oshawa, that’s going to make a big difference for hundreds of students in that community.

We are renewing schools—half a billion dollars—to give them the safest environments to learn on an annual basis. We will continue to lead and invest, to listen to the science and take every action to keep our students safe.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder

Mr. Stan Cho: My question this morning is to the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. Young people are our future, and I think all members of this House will agree that it is crucial to protect and support that future. Today I’d like to ask the minister about a disability that affects one in 33 children born in this country. I’m talking about fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, or FASD, a lifelong disability that has no cure and affects all communities in Ontario and all ethnic, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

Our government knows that we need to support families impacted by FASD and to help them in ways that improve their day-to-day lives. Speaker, through you: Minister, can you tell us what our government is doing to support youth and families affected by FASD?

Hon. Todd Smith: Thanks very much to the member from Willowdale for the great question this morning.

Less than a month before COVID-19 hit the province, I had the opportunity to meet and interact with some of the remarkable children and families that are part of the rural FASD, or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, network here at Queen’s Park. It was one of the most memorable moments that I’ve had in this role as minister in this portfolio. Those young people have hobbies, they have dreams, they have goals that they want to achieve, and we would like to give them the opportunity to achieve those goals by ensuring the right supports are available from the provincial government.

That’s why last week, during a visit in Kitchener–Waterloo, I announced that our government will be investing an additional $3 million every year to expand and support services for families that are dealing with FASD. We want them to be able to access supports, build on their child’s strengths and have them feel more confident in addressing any challenges that may arise. We’ve heard loud and clear that these supports are making a difference. That’s why we’re ensuring that they are available to families dealing with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Mr. Stan Cho: The minister is correct: It’s crucial that we support the youth living with FASD. But, Minister, what about those who go unsupported? We know that these youth can face incredible challenges in their lives, from increased mental health issues to run-ins with the youth justice system and struggles with substance abuse. We also know that there are two key components to addressing the harmful effects of FASD in Ontario: supporting those who are affected by it and raising awareness of the causes and effects of FASD.

Through you, Speaker: Minister, can you share with the House how that annual $3-million investment is going to help those two objectives?

Hon. Todd Smith: Thanks again to the member from Willowdale. Over the next two years, our investment will be funding 26 more FASD support workers who will provide information, develop care plans, help families access resources and connect parents to support networks and diagnostic services.

We’re also introducing new family capacity-building workshops and service provider training, as well as continuing to support local family caregiver support groups. These groups will not only provide a support network for families going through similar challenges, it will allow families to share information and provide access to trained professionals to help them learn real-life tools and hands-on strategies that will support their children with FASD.

We have also introduced a new public awareness campaign, which is really important. It’s already under way and running through the month of October as well. It will build public awareness of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, and will address the misconception that this is only an issue for women, rather than one that affects all of us. We all have a role to play in helping expectant parents have an alcohol-free pregnancy.

Education funding

Mr. Wayne Gates: My question is to the Premier. I recently held a digital town hall across Niagara to hear from parents, educators, school staff and students to discuss the Ford government’s back-to-school plan. I had a teacher tell me, “It feels like we’re going down the runway but still trying to attach the wings to the plane.”

Most powerfully, we heard from an 11-year-old student who started a petition asking for smaller class sizes so he can return to school safely and see his friends.

Haley, a parent at my town hall, said, “We don’t see any direction from our government.” She tried to find the government’s child care plan on the website, and couldn’t actually find a plan anywhere.

Speaker, keeping our kids safe is the Premier’s responsibility. I’ll repeat that: It’s the Premier’s responsibility. He could use some of that $6.7 billion he was supposed to spend combatting COVID-19, but hasn’t.

Parents are expecting and demanding responsible leadership. Will the Premier act today to make class sizes smaller, fix air filtration systems and ensure our kids can safely distance so the virus doesn’t spread in our community, and jeopardize—

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Last week, I was very proud to join my parliamentary assistant to visit schools, both Catholic and public. We visited Twenty Valley Public School, which is an amazing school in Lincoln. We met the principal, we met educators, we met the chair of the board. I’m proud to note that in that school, as in all schools we are seeing across the province, efforts have been made to reduce the classroom size, to maximize distancing, to assure safety.

We spoke to Chair Barnett as well as Chair Fera, both of whom are working very hard to ensure that all classrooms in our province have improved safety measures and layers of prevention in place. In that community, we’re seeing more outdoor experiential learning. We’re seeing an aggressive act to ensure cohorting is in place. We’re seeing co-operation by educators, administrators, public health and the Ministry of Education. We are all working together with a singular mission, which is to keep all students and all staff safe in this province.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. That concludes our question period for this morning.

There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1149 to 1300.

Committee sittings

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I beg to inform the House that, pursuant to the order of the House dated March 19, 2020, I have received from the government House leader a letter indicating that it is in the public interest for committees to resume regular business as of September 21, 2020. Committees may therefore resume their regular meetings next week.

Reports by Committees

Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: Pursuant to the order of the House dated May 12, 2020, I beg leave to present the second interim report, Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism, of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Mr. Sandhu has presented the committee’s report. Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs is pleased to present its second interim report, Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Tourism. The Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries appeared as the first witness. Following the minister’s update, the committee heard from over 120 organizations, businesses and individuals from across the province representing the broad range of activities that constitute Ontario’s tourism sector.

On behalf of the committee, I would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their views and personal stories with us. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the committee, the Clerk of the Committee and the committee staff for their commitment, hard work and co-operation.

Report presented.

Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: Pursuant to the order of the House dated May 12, 2020, I beg leave to present the third interim report, Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Culture and Heritage, of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Mr. Sandhu has presented the committee’s report. Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Mr. Amarjot Sandhu: The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs is pleased to present its third interim report, Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Culture and Heritage. The committee held four days of hearings, with the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries appearing as the first witness. The committee also heard from dozens of witnesses from this multi-faceted sector, including Ontario’s Big Eight culture and heritage powerhouses.

On behalf of the committee, I would like to thank all the witnesses for speaking with us and everyone who sent in submissions. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the members of the committee again, as well as the Clerk of the Committee and the committee staff for their commitment, hard work and co-operation.

Report presented.

Introduction of Bills

Employment Standards Amendment Act (Sick Notes), 2020 / Loi de 2020 modifiant la

Loi sur les normes d’emploi (notes médicales)

Mr. Schreiner moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 200,

An Act to amend the Employment Standards Act, 2000 in respect of sick notes / Projet de loi 200, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2000 sur les normes d’emploi en ce qui concerne les notes médicales.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

First reading agreed to.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Would the member for Guelph care to give a brief statement explaining his bill?

Mr. Mike Schreiner: This bill amends the Employment Standards Act, 2000, to ensure that employers are not permitted to require a sick note from a qualified health practitioner when an employee is ill.

Statements by the Ministry and Responses

Education

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Back to school is always a significant time for parents, families, children, educators and staff, as well as school boards. However, this year we face challenges like we’ve never seen before. This was apparent as last week many students returned to schools across our great province. Unlike other years, this school year will see students in class while some will be doing remote learning from home.

I know that students, parents and teachers have some worries on the way forward. When I met a mom in Brampton last week, she was nervous. But she was tremendously inspired and reassured when she and I stood together to observe and be greeted by the principal, by positive educators, by well-trained and committed staff who had clearly demonstrated to those parents and to those kids that they have a thoughtful protocol in place to keep their kids safe. And we were both grateful—grateful to the principals, to our educators, to our custodians and to all staff who are working around the clock to get this right.

I’m honoured to stand in this House today to speak about our nation-leading reopening plan, a plan that has been approved by Dr. David Williams, the Chief Medical Officer of Health of this province, and supported by other leading health experts in Ontario.

As the chief medical officer has said, “So if there was any risk, I would not be recommending opening at this time. But we are concerned there’s a risk of not opening and that the students need to be back in those settings for many reasons that our experts and scientists are recommending as well.”

A lot of planning and work has gone into ensuring that Ontario’s staff and students head back to schools safely, because students will benefit from being in class. This includes the hard work and dedication of Ontario’s school boards, administrators, directors of education, chairs and trustees, working together to develop our reopening strategies with a singular mission, which is to keep all students and all staff safe in Ontario. We know that a safe and healthy learning environment is essential for student achievement and for well-being.

Nous savons qu’un environnement d’apprentissage sûr et sain est fondamental pour la réussite et le bien-être des élèves.

In partnership with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, the COVID-19 command table, medical experts, education sector experts, front-line workers, parents, students and teachers, I can say that since March, we have been working literally day and night to develop a comprehensive plan, a nation-leading plan, to ensure all kids are safe, to ensure they remain learning, led by an educator. And we’re providing flexible options to parents, respecting their choices, and providing the resources to our boards, around the clock, for our kids. We know that they deserve no less.

When the school closures began, we acted quickly and decisively to close schools and to launch the Learn at Home portal. It was the first of its kind in our province’s history. This was designed to provide valuable resources so that students could continue their education while schools were closed. This portal also provided resources directly to students and families to support their well-being and to promote positive mental health while they were at home.

In addition, over the summer, students and families were able to take advantage of expanded summer learning opportunities right across Ontario. Over 150,000 students enrolled in credit-bearing secondary school programs, including more than 21,000 students who took Reach Ahead credits. Elementary students participated in literacy and numeracy programs, and students with special education needs and mental health concerns participated in new targeted transition programs in preparation for this coming year.

At the end of July, we officially unveiled our provincial school reopening plan. I want to be clear: This plan is the most comprehensive in this country, supported by the highest level of provincial investment in the country and fully informed by the leading medical and scientific minds of our country. This plan is approved by the Chief Medical Officer of Health and other leading experts. It is nation-leading. It prioritizes health and safety above all else and provides school boards with the resources, the flexibility, to accommodate those regional differences in trends of key public health indicators.

In fact, our government is providing an unprecedented $1.3 billion in a one-time investment this year to ensure that all schools are safe in this province. This support is in addition to the landmark annual investment of over $25.5 billion in education, which represents an increase of $736 million for the 2020-21 school year, compared to that of last year.

Our plan leads in dollars and in science. Our plan has led to class sizes being reduced in all regions of this province. The COVID-19 supports, which are more than any other jurisdiction in Canada, will help to implement physical distancing measures, support the hiring of up to 1,300 custodians, adopt comprehensive and enhanced cleaning protocols in all schools and on all buses, and hire more teachers—thousands of new teachers—in a one-time investment to reduce classroom size as we respond to this pandemic.

It will also help public health hire over 620 school-focused nurses to provide rapid-response supports to schools and boards to facilitate public health measures, including screening and surveillance testing, tracing and mitigation strategies province-wide.

Speaker, while we know that a majority of parents have chosen in-class learning for their children, we also have strengthened remote learning options for Ontario students. This is because we believe that there should be equal opportunities for learning, regardless of the choice parents make for their child and for their family. We fully believe that students should be together in a dynamic, live, safe learning environment led by their teacher if they’re unable to physically be in those classrooms.

We’re providing students and families with clear and transparent standards for those who choose remote learning, which is teacher-led, which is timetabled, live, synchronous and on a regular, daily schedule. We’re making massive investments in remote learning to support them, to ensure that every school board offering virtual learning has a dedicated principal and administrative support, to ensure that it is comprehensive, challenging and as close to the in-class experience as possible.

That’s not all, Speaker. Funding is also allocated to school boards to:

—hire additional staff to keep our classroom sizes down;

—provide additional resources and supplies to clean and sanitize school buses;

—provide additional supports for students with special education needs and for students with mental health challenges;

—improve ventilation, airflow, air quality system effectiveness in our province; and

—provide technology to support the procurement of over 30,000 new tablets for families in need in this province.

My ministry has also been working in collaboration with the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services to ensure that sufficient personal protective equipment has been delivered to all school boards and to all school authorities in this province—over 37 million pieces of PPE just for September alone. This includes 19.5 million masks, 16 million gloves, 317,000 face shields, 320,000 bottles of hand sanitizer, 218,000 containers of disinfectant—the list goes on, but the fact is, we’ve given them what they need to keep our schools and our buses safe.

We’ve also supported First Nation education partners, ensuring that they had timely access to the PPE that they needed to open their schools and safely bus within their communities.

Our plan is also complemented by the federal government, which is providing $380 million to Ontario—providing supports to all provinces in the federation—in support of safe and healthy schools in this province. Our plan will be strengthened by this additional support, even at this late stage.

We are grateful for any investment by all levels to ensure that our schools can be as safe as humanly possible as we respond to this unprecedented pandemic and economic recession.

The funding, which we received on the day of its announcement—we immediately provided certainty to the sector by being very clear on where those dollars would flow—will include $200 million to support our reopening plan; specifically, to give boards the ability to hire additional staff, be it custodians, focusing on things like Internet connectivity, HVAC systems. We gave boards latitude to put it towards the health and safety priorities of their communities.

We’ve also given an additional $70 million—on top of the $30 million we unveiled recently to support additional teacher hiring, which will support, as I noted, north of 2,000 educators in Ontario—in transportation funding. This includes the renewal of the driver retention program, to help our bus drivers and to incent them to stay and do their important work. We’ve also provided $25 million on route protection, to make sure that they are more reliable for parents.

For special education, there’s an additional $12.5 million to hire more EAs in this province, recognizing the acute challenges on those children and on those families.

We’ve provided north of $30 million in mental health supports—of the federal money, we’ve dedicated money for mental health and special education to achieve that—$12.5 million to hire another 125 public health nurses, bolstered by the existing 500 funded exclusively by our province and government; $36 million to remote learning capacity to make sure that we have the technology, the administrative supports and ultimately the wherewithal to ensure that all children who choose online learning have a solid educational experience with an educator leading them live.

We’re also setting aside $50 million for future challenges that we are starting to see manifested, be it in the context of influenza or other issues that can arise. We will be ready, with the funding in place and the monies to flow immediately as the risks arise.

Our government has also released our management plan for schools, developed by medical leaders with one aim, and that is to maximize safety and minimize the risk to all of our children. Operational Guidance: COVID-19 Management in Schools was developed in consultation with public health leaders and the Chief Medical Officer of Health, and aims to keep schools safe and ultimately isolate COVID-19 cases and reduce the spread of COVID-19 within our schools and, really, within our communities.

We named Dr. Dirk Huyer as Coordinator, Provincial Outbreak Response. In his role, he will lead the province’s efforts to prevent and minimize COVID-19 outbreaks in a number of sectors, but most especially within education and child care, within our schools. We have the resources in place, from nursing to testing and enhanced screening and cleaning, to help prevent the spread, coupled with a comprehensive plan to respond to any challenge, immediately and decisively, under the leadership of Dr. Huyer and the Chief Medical Officer of Health.

We’re providing school boards and school authorities with guidance to help them consistently implement prevention measures, maintain accurate records of staff, students and visitors, and work with their local public health units to take appropriate and decisive action when warranted. The document also outlines recommendations for what parents could do to support their kids.

The government’s plan also includes a protocol developed to deal with students who have become ill while they are at school, including isolation, providing PPE to the ill student and to the staff supporting them, and a clear communication expectation to the parent, to the board and to public health.

School boards will be required to work closely with public health units to communicate updates in real time.

It was this government, supported by the Treasury Board minister as well as the Minister of Health and I, that put out a website to publicly and transparently disclose the data that all parents are entitled to in this province in the context of COVID-19 in our schools.

Led by Public Health Ontario, we are unveiling an asymptomatic testing protocol and regime for high school students that will be expansive and focus on the higher-risk communities of this province.

We’re taking every measure to put the health and safety of students and staff first. All parents should know that our government remains committed to the health and safety of all students, families and staff, and we are leaning on the advice of medical experts who are helping to develop and support our plan.

Mr. Speaker, these are the ways in which our government is demonstrating our commitment to keeping our schools, educators, staff and students safe in Ontario.

I want to take a moment to express gratitude. As I said off the top, what I’ve seen in urban and rural parts of our province is an incredible unity and a commitment to the safety of kids. I have seen the professionalism, the thoughtfulness and the can-do spirit that has been embraced by our educators, our staff, our custodians, our bus drivers, our principals—every single person in our schools is doing everything they can, and we are eternally grateful for their commitment and for their absolute support of the safety of our kids.

Now we have a duty as a province to do our part to continue to flatten the curve, to take every single action possible to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our community that, as Dr. Williams has said, can be and will be reflected within our schools. We have to do more in this respect. I know the people of Ontario will continue to make those sacrifices and to do their part as the example we are to the world of what collaboration and commitment to the safety of each other represents.

I encourage every member in this House today to continue to support your communities as we make our way through these uncharted waters during this challenging and unprecedented time.

While our government’s plan will continue to evolve and will respond to the changing threat of COVID-19, I want to reiterate my personal commitment that we will remain steadfast, constant and consistent in our efforts to keep Ontario’s education system and our schools as safe as possible. That includes investing in the necessary staffing resources and cleaning supports, reducing those classroom sizes, hiring more nurses, as well as maintaining strict health and safety protocols to keep our communities and our classrooms safe.

Our government has said that we are putting a pause on loosening of any further public health restrictions, as noted by the Minister of Health. We are taking this step to limit the spread in our community, to help keep the virus out of our schools. Our province has the duty, the responsibility, Speaker, to reduce the spread and to combat these rising numbers, as we’re seeing in communities across our province. And I know we will come together in this time of need, as our nation always has.

Together we’re doing what we are doing to protect the health and safety of our students and staff. It is comprehensive, and we want our next generation of scientists and researchers, our skilled workers and community leaders, to be the best they can be, knowing that they have sound access to education and that they are safe along the way. This is all about ensuring a bright future for the next generation, and for this we are all grateful and we are all proud.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Reponses.

Ms. Marit Stiles: It gives me great pleasure to speak today about the return to school.

In response to the minister’s comments—the minister spoke a lot about confidence in the system. I have to say that what we are seeing in our school system right now is actually closer to chaos, Mr. Speaker. In fact, what we are seeing is the opposite of confidence on the part of our communities, parents and students alike. We’ve seen, as I mentioned in my question this morning, record numbers of students actually opting out of school at a time when we know that many students are desperate to be back in school, to see their friends and to see their teachers. It gives you some insight into how little confidence they and their families have in this government’s bargain basement plan.

Back in July, I proposed an emergency action plan in a motion to this government. It took months before we saw any sort of plan emerge. And in those months, we wonder what they were doing, because we still, to this day, have not seen the kind of investment we need to see to stabilize the child care sector. We still haven’t seen a commitment to paid sick leave and other job protections for the many, many parents who we know will, in all likelihood, have to remain at home for at least part of the time over the next few months and risk their jobs, their livelihood and putting food on the table.

The minister talked a lot about flexibility being built into the system, but as I pointed out this morning in my question, we don’t want investments down the road, if necessary. We want it now. We need it now. We need it today. The minister knows exactly what needs to happen. I think parents across the province, like myself, like many of my colleagues in this room, are wondering, what’s he waiting for? Why is he wasting all this time in the Legislature trying to convince us? He should be out there fixing the problem. It is absolutely outrageous.

I won’t go into great detail, Mr. Speaker, but I will tell you that the numbers the minister is using are questionable. When you look at how this government is funding this COVID-19 return to school, it really amounts to—because he claims all the time that there are more teachers being added to the school system. It works out to about one teacher for every four schools. That’s a quarter of a teacher per school. And even if every school board in this province dug in and spent every penny of their reserves, that would mean only one teacher for every 700 students. That is not going to cut it. We know it.

You know it. Why aren’t you doing something about it? And why are you risking the lives of our children and the health of our communities?

Mr. Speaker, I want to speak for a moment on behalf of many small business people and employers I’ve spoken to over the last few months who have also alerted me to their concerns with this government’s failure of a plan to return to school. At the end of the day, it’s not going to just be about, of course, what we worry about—people getting sick, children getting sick, families getting sick, communities getting sick—but it is going to mean that all of our efforts to stabilize and renew our economy are going down the toilet. It is unacceptable, and I really would encourage all of those employers to speak out and share their concerns with this government, because maybe they will listen to you.

I also wanted to add, because we talked about it this morning—the minister is often referring to these smaller class-size caps. He was right about one thing, which is the amazing work that our teachers, our education workers, our trustees, our school boards, our students have been doing to prepare for this moment, for this return to school, in spite of this government’s plan. It is the school boards and their creativity, their digging into their reserves that has enabled them to create some classes of 15—just a few here and there—for the neediest communities, the neediest students, but it is absolutely in spite of this government’s failures on ventilation, on busing, on class sizes.

I just want to ask the minister one more time: Please, don’t bring it in here. Go out there, fix it, do the right thing. Our students and our families and our communities are counting on you.

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

Responses?

Mr. Michael Coteau: I want to start by saying that I’ve been involved with public education for about 18 years, either as an MPP or as a trustee, and of those 18 years I have to say that this has been the most challenging time for me when it comes to responding to parents—but also as a father of two young girls, one going into grade 5 and one going into grade 9. It was a really difficult time for us, over the last month, to make a decision. I didn’t want to make a decision until I actually knew what the classroom sizes were. My grade 5 daughter—we’re fortunate that her classroom size is going to be pretty low. It’s about 20, so the school is doing very well.

The problem that we’re encountering in the community is with the grades around grade 4, grade 5 to about grade 8, and specifically grades 7 and 8. At one of my schools, I met with the parents on Sunday. Yes, people may know that there’s an average we look for—I think it’s 24.5—but there’s no cap on those numbers, so they can go up based on configuration. The problem in our community right now is that all of our grade 7 and grade 8 classes at one particular middle school—and it’s the only middle school where I’ve met the school council—the numbers are all at 36. To me, this is completely unacceptable.

Not only are those numbers at 36, but we can’t expect kids to jump on a school bus with 60 kids for an hour in an enclosed space like that. When it gets colder, those windows will be shut.

My question to the members opposite—mostly the backbenchers; there are mostly backbenchers here: Would you send your child to a class with 36 students in it? If you’ve gone into a school recently—some of these classrooms are quite small.

The minister talked a lot about making sure they have their PPE, making sure they have the best plan and making sure the system is designed in a certain way, but the minister needs to get into a classroom. If he’s so confident that these are great numbers, why aren’t he and the Premier going into a classroom with 36 students for a day? I challenge them to do that. If the minister wants to talk about his plans, come to meet these parents at Don Mills Middle School, where there are 36 kids in a classroom—currently, that’s the number—and explain to those parents why those numbers are so high.

Make no mistake, this comes down to one issue: The Conservative government does not want to spend the money to lower classroom sizes and hire more teachers. That’s how simple it is. You can talk about your strategic plan. You can talk about your PPE. You can talk about your investment of $1.3 billion—which is less than 1% or around 1% of the entire COVID-19 response in Ontario—on children and youth and education, so child care and education. The simple fact is that this government will not invest the money.

I would say this with complete confidence—and I’ll probably get heckled by members across there—if there was a Liberal government in power today in Ontario that had to make a decision—I’ll even go so far as to say the NDP. If there was a Liberal government in power in Ontario today, they would make the investment into supporting our children, and we would be hiring more teachers and making more investments into education.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Mr. Michael Coteau: The simple fact is that the Conservative government does not want to invest into children in the province of Ontario, and it’s very clear. Through you, Mr. Speaker: Anyone on that opposite side who has a kid who’s in a classroom with 36 students, let me know, and then I’ll believe that you think that plan’s great. But I can guarantee you this: If they had to make that choice between sending a child into a classroom with 36 kids, no one on that side would make that decision. I’d like to know.

Hon. Ross Romano: I already made that decision.

Mr. Michael Coteau: Okay. I’d love to know.

Mr. Mike Schreiner: I rise to respond to the education minister. While I respect the fact that he says he’s been working hard on the government’s plan, I want to know why the plan was delivered late and why the plan doesn’t follow the primary recommendation from health care experts to lower class sizes.

The bottom line is, the reason parents, students, educators, small business owners, people are so concerned about the flaws in this back-to-school plan is that classrooms are overcrowded and buses are overcrowded. Right now, according to the Financial Accountability Officer, there is $6.7 billion of unallocated funds. Why don’t we spend that on our children? Because the return on investment in our children is priceless.

Motions

Private members’ public business

Hon. Paul Calandra: Speaker, I am seeking unanimous consent to move a motion without notice regarding the order of precedence for private members’ public business.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Mr. Calandra is seeking unanimous consent of the House to move a motion without notice regarding the order of precedence for private members’ public business. Agreed? Agreed.

Hon. Paul Calandra: I move that a change be made to the order of precedence on the ballot list for private members’ public business, such that Ms. McKenna assumes ballot item number 10 and Mr. Kanapathi assumes ballot item number 53.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Motion agreed to.

Committee membership

Hon. Paul Calandra: This is a motion on committee membership changes: that the following changes be made to membership of the following committees:

On the Standing Committee on Estimates, Ms. Skelly replaces Ms. Triantafilopoulos;

On the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr. Kanapathi replaces Ms. Skelly; and

On the Standing Committee on Social Policy, Ms. Triantafilopoulos be added.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Mr. Calandra has moved that the following changes be made to membership of the following committees:

On the Standing Committee on Estimates, Ms. Skelly replaces Ms. Triantafilopoulos;

On the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, Mr. Kanapathi replaces Ms. Skelly; and

On the Standing Committee on Social Policy, Ms. Triantafilopoulos be added.

The member for Timmins?

Mr. Gilles Bisson: I’m not going to hold up the debate here for very long, but I just hope this is a signal that the government is trying to send to the opposition and to the rest of the members of the House that they will actually utilize committees in a way that allows us to do some of the critical work that needs to be done, especially around those committees that are the ones that hold the government to account.

For example, there is the committee where we appoint public appointees that has not met for a long period of time. I would imagine that it would be interesting—in order to have some of those people appear before committee. And there are other committees that are oversight committees that need to do some work. So I’m hoping that the government, in a spirit of co-operation, is indicating these committee changes because they will co-operate and actually allow these committees, especially the oversight committees, to do the work that needs to be done in order to be able to hold this government to account.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Does the government House leader wish to respond?

Hon. Paul Calandra: Just briefly, Mr. Speaker. I thank the member opposite for his comments. He will of course know that earlier today we did provide notice that all committees would resume as of September 21.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Mr. Calandra has moved that the following changes be made to membership of the following committees—

Interjection: Dispense.

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

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Motion agreed to.

Petitions

Long-term care

Mrs. Lisa Gretzky: I have a petition here about essential caregivers, “More Than ... a Visitor.” It’s been signed by over 2,300 people.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Ontario government’s guidelines restricting essential caregivers and support persons has increased social isolation, and negatively impacted the mental, emotional, physical health and well-being of residents in congregate care settings; and

“Whereas essential caregivers (often family members and support persons) are more than just visitors, and individuals have the right to access their essential caregivers in their agreed upon, preferred manner; and

“Whereas the provincial government should not unilaterally develop policies regarding access to essential caregivers, and must consult residents, patients, families, experts and workers when developing new policies; an