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July 14, 2020

42nd Parliament, 1st Session

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Hansard Transcripts

vol. A

Hansard Transcripts

vol. B

Votes and Proceedings

Orders and Notices

Hansard Transcript 2020-Jul-14 vol. A (PDF)

L175A - Tue 14 Jul 2020 / Mar 14 jui 2020

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF ONTARIO

ASSEMBLÉE LÉGISLATIVE DE L’ONTARIO

Tuesday 14 July 2020 Mardi 14 juillet 2020

Notice of reasoned amendment

Member’s comments

Orders of the Day

Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 visant la protection des locataires et le renforcement du logement communautaire

Members’ Statements

Education funding

Anti-racism activities

Child care

Anti-vaping initiatives for youth

Women’s issues

Education funding

Economic reopening and recovery

Bear control

COVID-19 response

Franklin Horner Community Centre

Question Period

Education funding

Education funding

Long-term care

Economic reopening and recovery

Government contracts

Education funding

Natural gas

Long-term care

Education funding

Mental health and addiction services

Commercial tenant protection

Birth alerts

Education funding

Professional and amateur sport

Deferred Votes

Rebuilding Consumer Confidence Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 visant à rétablir la confiance chez les consommateurs

Petitions

Long-term care

Economic recovery

Arts and cultural funding

Justices of the peace

Optometry services

Affordable housing

Long-term care

Tenant protection

Palliative care

Student work experience

Tenant protection

Orders of the Day

Select Committee on Emergency Management Oversight

Reopening Ontario (A Flexible Response to COVID-19) Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 sur la réouverture de l’Ontario (mesures adaptables en réponse à la COVID-19)

Royal assent / Sanction royale

The House met at 0900.

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

Prayers.

Notice of reasoned amendment

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I beg to inform the House that, pursuant to standing order 74(c), the member for Timmins has filed with the Clerk a reasoned amendment to the motion for second reading of Bill 197,

An Act to amend various statutes in response to COVID-19 and to enact, amend and repeal various statutes. The order for second reading of Bill 197 may therefore not be called today.

Member’s comments

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Yesterday, the government House leader, Mr. Calandra, rose on a point of order and asserted that the member for Waterloo, Ms. Fife, divulged information regarding an in camera meeting of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. At that time, I undertook to take the matter under advisement and provide a statement to the House. I am now prepared to make that statement.

While disclosing information regarding an in camera meeting of a standing committee would be inappropriate and could be a valid point of order, the Speaker has no way of knowing what transpires in each standing committee, especially during their in camera sessions. This issue would therefore properly be raised in and considered by the committee.

Orders of the Day

Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act, 2020 / Loi de 2020 visant la protection des locataires et le renforcement du logement communautaire

Mr. Clark moved third reading of the following bill:

Bill 184,

An Act to amend the Building Code Act, 1992, the Housing Services Act, 2011 and the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 and to enact the Ontario Mortgage and Housing Corporation Repeal Act, 2020 / Projet de loi 184, Loi modifiant la Loi de 1992 sur le code du bâtiment, la Loi de 2011 sur les services de logement et la Loi de 2006 sur la location à usage d’habitation et édictant la Loi de 2020 abrogeant la

Loi sur la Société ontarienne d’hypothèques et de logement.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Hon. Steve Clark: Thank you, Speaker. It’s nice to see you in the chair. You look very chipper for being here as late as you were last night.

I want to indicate that I’ll be splitting my time with my two parliamentary assistants: the member for Milton and the member for Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry.

It’s a pleasure to rise in the House today to debate third reading of Bill 184, our proposed legislation, the Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act.

It was just over a year ago that this House passed the More Homes, More Choice Act, making it easier to build more homes more quickly across Ontario. It was a comprehensive suite of legislative, regulatory and policy changes to transform Ontario’s broken housing system.

Before COVID-19 changed the landscape of our province, we were seeing the positive signs of the More Homes, More Choice Act. We were seeing a quarter-century high for new rental construction applications, starts and completions.

But COVID-19 has disrupted many aspects of our lives, from our jobs and the economy, to transit and transportation; from our health and our hospitals, to schools and homes. And yet, the essentials remain the same. People still need places to live at prices they can afford. They need good jobs so they can feed their families. And we need to restart Ontario’s economy as we recover.

Les gens ont encore besoin de logements qu’ils peuvent se payer. Ils ont besoin de bons emplois pour pouvoir nourrir leur famille, et nous devons relancer l’économie ontarienne à mesure que nous nous relevons.

That’s why we’re cutting red tape and making costs more predictable for home builders, while encouraging them to build a variety of different types of housing. We’re also ensuring that municipalities can better predict their revenues while continuing to build parks and other vital community services.

Our plan also helps individual Ontarians; for example, through our series of housing innovation guides. We know that the demand for alternative, innovative and affordable types of housing is growing—like tiny homes, second units, life leases and co-ownership. Our government wants people to be well-informed before they buy or before they build. That’s why we created a series of guides to provide practical information to those considering these types of innovative housing options.

Many, many municipalities also recognize the growing need for more types of housing that people can afford, and we’re looking at ways to encourage and motivate them. Madam Speaker, I’ll use the example of Oshawa, which is leading the way in allowing more tiny homes—and I appreciate the fact that you were able to attend the announcement with your mayor some time ago.

While cutting red tape and streamlining regulations helps, we also need to look at Ontario’s different housing systems. Whether it’s our community housing system, the rental housing market or how we administer building code services, it all needs to work efficiently and effectively to help address Ontario’s housing crisis. The Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act includes proposals to improve those areas, and also to dissolve the Ontario Mortgage and Housing Corp.

This morning, I’d like to share some of the proposed changes with the members in regard to the Residential Tenancies Act. As we all know, the Residential Tenancies Act sets out the rights and the responsibilities of residential landlords and tenants in the province of Ontario. These rules affect landlords, and when the rules are burdensome and complicated, they impact the supply of rental homes, which can make prices go up or down. The rules also affect tenants. And while the Residential Tenancies Act sets out the rules, from rent and repairs to entry and evictions, the Landlord and Tenant Board is responsible for resolving disputes.

Parts of this law have been around in one form or another for decades. Our government believed, as part of the More Homes, More Choice Act, that it needed a bit of updating. That’s why we consulted on changes to the Residential Tenancies Act as part of the Housing Supply Action Plan.

I want to remind members that when we consulted on this piece of legislation, we received over 2,000 submissions, and 85% of those submissions were from the public. These consultations were crucial in developing this important piece of legislation and the piece of legislation, Bill 108, that was passed a little over a year ago.

The consultation is why we’re suggesting that landlords would not have to tell prospective tenants how old the fridge is or how much energy it uses or the past electricity usage in the unit in kilowatt hours—which can be difficult if the tenant pays their own utilities.

Finally, the law presently requires that landlords use a standard lease, which outlines renters’ rights and responsibilities in easy-to-understand language. So we’re proposing to remove the requirement that landlords give renters a printed pamphlet which basically duplicates the same information that’s on the standard lease. The standard lease provides more information than the pamphlet to ensure that parties know their rights and their responsibilities before they sign the lease.

We’re also proposing to change how some disputes are handled, to make the process easier to understand and to ensure that the parties have an opportunity to have a timely resolution. For example, it allows landlords to have compensation claims for unpaid utilities, rent or damages go to the Landlord and Tenant Board in situations where, previously, they would have to go to Small Claims Court.

However—and I know the members opposite are very interested in this—a large portion of the Residential Tenancies Act deals with evictions, and this is a very, very important part of the legislation in which detailed requirements within the act are easily misunderstood, so I’d like to clarify how the process works.

The eviction process has five basic points: notice, application, hearing, order and enforcement. Those are the five basic steps. In most cases, the first step is for the landlord to give the tenant a notice in writing that they want the tenant to move out. Landlords must use the official notice form that is given to them by the Landlord and Tenant Board. The notice includes details of why the tenancy is ending, and it may include information on what the tenant can do to prevent the eviction; for example, repairing damage or paying overdue rent.

Let me be clear: An eviction notice is just the first step in a five-step process. A tenant who receives an eviction notice does not have to move out, and the form says that. If the tenant does not remedy the situation or move out on the deadline listed on the notice, the landlord can move to the second step and apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board to evict the tenant.

Step 3 brings both parties together to discuss the eviction application. In most cases, the Landlord and Tenant Board will

schedule a hearing to decide the landlord’s application. It will mail a notice of hearing to the landlord and the tenant, along with a copy of the application. The Landlord and Tenant Board adjudicator will make a decision about the landlord’s application and whether the tenant should be evicted or not.

This is step 4: It’s called an eviction order, and it’s always put in writing. The Landlord and Tenant Board will mail a copy of the order to both the landlord and the tenant. If the eviction order is for unpaid rent, the tenant can still prevent the eviction by paying the money that they owe before the deadline and by telling the Landlord and Tenant Board of that fact. If the tenant doesn’t move out on the termination date listed in the eviction order, the landlord cannot personally enforce that order. For example, the landlord cannot change the locks. This is illegal, and it is an offence under the act.

An eviction order, as I think most on the opposite side will know, can only be enforced by the sheriff’s office. So step 5 requires that the landlord file a copy of the eviction order with the sheriff’s office to have it enforced.

We know that COVID-19 has brought financial hardship to many tenants. That’s why we’ve moved quickly to suspend enforcement of evictions, to keep people in their homes. C’est pourquoi nous nous sommes empressés de suspendre les expulsions pour veiller à ce que les gens conservent leur logement.

While landlords can still give eviction notices, that’s only step 1 of the process. All hearings related to the eviction applications are suspended, and no new eviction orders will be issued unless it’s for illegal acts or serious safety concerns. By order of the court, enforcement of eviction orders is suspended until the last day of the month in which the state of emergency ends.

We also know that COVID-19 has not been easy for landlords, especially small landlords, and I think members on both sides of the House have heard from small landlords in their communities during COVID-19. However, we have heard many, many stories about landlords and tenants working together. I’m going to talk about one story from a Kitchener landlord who rents out her basement and says she is being as understanding as possible with her tenant. She said, “He contacted me and said he’s been laid off, so I told him to work it out. Put it off for a month.

Catch up later.” This means the unpaid rent falls to her, but she says she’s going to run it on her line of credit for a month until she can catch up herself.

And it’s not just small landlords, Madam Speaker. I know of one property management company, which has more than 70 buildings across Ontario, who said that solutions could include rent deferrals and repayment plans, while another just outright suspended rent increases.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Or provincial support. Provincial support would be good.

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

Hon. Steve Clark: And I’m heartened when I hear those type of stories.

I would hope that what I heard on the opposite side was a thank you to those landlords and tenants who are willing to work things out.

I’m heartened to hear those stories of people working things out during the pandemic. I’d like to take a moment to recognize and thank every landlord who is working with their tenants to defer or reduce rent, to come up with repayment plans and to find ways to keep people in their homes.

We want to encourage more landlords and tenants to work together, and not just during COVID-19. Nous voulons encourager plus de locateurs et de locataires à travailler ensemble, pas seulement durant la pandémie de COVID-19.

I also want to thank every tenant in Ontario. I know for many of you these last couple of months have been difficult, and we appreciate you working with your landlord and continuing to pay rent if you can. J’aimerais aussi remercier tous les locataires de l’Ontario. Je sais que les derniers mois ont été difficiles pour bon nombre d’entre vous, et nous vous sommes reconnaissants de collaborer avec votre locateur et de continuer de payer votre loyer si vous le pouvez.

When rent is overdue, instead of a hearing in front of the Landlord and Tenant Board, we on the government side want to encourage landlords to work with tenants to come up with a repayment agreement. This has always been an option, but we’re proposing changes to the Residential Tenancies Act that would encourage more landlords to explore repayment agreements, and it’s a shame the official opposition is misinterpreting what these agreements are all about.

Ms. Catherine Fife: It’s not just us.

Hon. Steve Clark: I hear, obviously, on the other side—I think they’re asking me to give you an example, so I will do that, so thank you for that suggestion.

Let’s use a tenant named Tony. Today, if Tony doesn’t pay his rent, his landlord can go to the board and seek an eviction for outstanding rent using the five-step process that I described earlier in debate. But at some point during the process, Tony’s landlord can work with him to come up with a repayment agreement. If he still doesn’t pay his rent, then his landlord has to restart the process all over again.

So we’re proposing to treat rent payment agreements like any other mediated settlement at the Landlord and Tenant Board, where the negotiation replaces a formal hearing. Tony’s landlord would file a notice and an application—so that’s step 1 and step 2—but instead of a hearing in front of the board—step 3—she would work with him to come up with a rent repayment agreement. That agreement then, after it’s agreed upon, would be sent to the Landlord and Tenant Board for review, and if the board agrees, then it would issue what’s called a consent order, which is step 4.

Step 4, the consent order, would set out the terms of the repayment. If they don’t grant the order—and this is very important—then the original process continues, and Tony and his landlord proceed to a hearing. If Tony breaches the agreement that the board had approved and he doesn’t pay his rent, his landlord can seek an ex parte eviction order, basically continuing the process at step 4.

Madam Speaker, I want to clarify two misunderstandings we’ve heard about this process. First, this could not be imposed on tenants. Tenants must agree and participate in developing the rent repayment agreement, and if they don’t, the normal process would continue and the eviction application would go to a hearing in front of the board. Let me be absolutely clear for members of the opposition: No one can be evicted on the basis that they refused a repayment agreement. Suggesting this in any way is wrong, and it dangerously misinforms tenants of their rights.

Second, the process would not apply to landlords who reached a separate repayment agreement with their tenants outside of the Landlord and Tenant Board process. It must be an agreement that has been approved by the Landlord and Tenant Board as part of the eviction process. Again, I’m trying to help members of the opposition: Private repayment agreements that haven’t been issued a consent order by the Landlord and Tenant Board do not fall under this process.

As Ontario begins to recover from COVID-19 and people return to work, we need to ensure a manageable transition. We need to find a way to keep tenants in their homes, while ensuring that landlords can afford to pay their bills, too, so we don’t lose rental units. That’s why we’re requiring the Landlord and Tenant Board, during a hearing, to consider whether the landlord tried to negotiate a repayment agreement with a tenant if they fell behind in rent after March 17, 2020. This must happen before the board can issue an eviction order for nonpayment of rent.

At eviction hearings, adjudicators must already review and consider the circumstances of each case to determine whether or not the eviction should be refused or delayed. This change will require that all adjudicators must consider whether the landlord made efforts to negotiate a repayment agreement. We are doing this to encourage repayment agreements, instead of evictions, for rent arrears accumulated during COVID-19. This highlights to landlords the importance of trying to negotiate a repayment plan and to ensure that tenants who have lost their jobs or are facing challenges as a result of COVID-19 still have a chance to maintain their tenancies.

I think we all know that the Landlord and Tenant Board adjudicators are fair and impartial, operate at arm’s length from government and will consider whether the landlord has attempted to negotiate a repayment plan based on the particular circumstances. As we have done since the outbreak of COVID-19, we continue to urge landlords and tenants to work together.

Madam Speaker, many Landlord and Tenant Board hearings deal with overdue rent and evictions, but that’s not all they do. The board also hears disputes about maintenance and reasonable enjoyment, about subletting apartments and suite meters. There are many good landlords and many, many good tenants.

As in any relationship, legitimate problems can arise from time to time. Mediation and alternative dispute resolution, where appropriate, can help people to find that way to de-escalate tensions and to move forward by mutual agreement. Encouraging an alternative dispute resolution is already done in many, many provinces. Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island—all of those provinces use this method today.

I said at the outset that this legislation is about helping make our housing system work better. We want to simplify and clarify. Where appropriate, mediation would be part of that formula. We’re also proposing a change to help hearings run more efficiently and make sure both tenant and landlord concerns are heard at the board.

Right now, tenants can raise new issues that would be the subject of a separate application at the LTB, like a leaky roof at an eviction hearing for nonpayment of rent, without telling the landlord beforehand. But if the landlord doesn’t know an issue will be discussed and isn’t prepared for it, the hearing may be postponed. Today, landlords must give the board notice of any issues that they want to discuss at any hearing, and we’re proposing to extend that same requirement for tenants as well.

To be clear, tenants can still raise certain matters without notice, such as those related to their landlord’s application or their rent payment; for example, if they lost their job during COVID-19. But if they want to raise a new issue that would be subject to a different application, such as a leaky roof, then they need to let their landlord know in advance. That way, everyone can prepare and hearings aren’t unnecessarily postponed. Tenants could still raise new issues at the hearing if they can provide an explanation that is satisfactory to the board on why they couldn’t give advance notice.

Otherwise, tenants can file a separate application with the Landlord and Tenant Board to address those other issues.

So again, let me make this clear, one more time for members of the opposition: The bill does not prohibit tenants from raising new items at an eviction hearing. It doesn’t do that. It simply requires that they give advance notice to the board so that everyone is prepared for the hearing and the hearing is not unnecessarily delayed because of those matters.

I also want to make one other clarification for the House, because over the last several weeks, members of the opposition, the independent Liberal members, have been claiming that this bill would make illegal rent increases legal if they go unchallenged from the tenant for 12 months. Again, it’s simply not correct.

Section 136(2) of the Residential Tenancies Act says that any rent increase is deemed lawful if a tenant pays it without dispute for 12 months. So this has been the case since 1998, and this bill, Bill 184, does not change that either. Saying otherwise, again, is simply fearmongering. It is not true. This has been in place in the act since 1998.

Before the COVID-19 outbreak began, my ministry was hearing increasing complaints about renovictions. I see the member for University–Rosedale here. She has brought many renovictions to the floor. That’s when a landlord evicts a sitting tenant to renovate the unit and re-rents it at a much higher price. To be clear, repairing and renovating units is not against the law. In fact, maintaining and modernizing units and making sure they meet the building code and the fire code requirements makes them better, makes them safer places to live.

But if a landlord needs to evict a tenant to do the repairs, they must give the tenant the opportunity to move back in at the same rent before offering it to others. If they break the law, we’re proposing to increase the maximum fines upon conviction to $50,000 for an individual and $250,000 for a corporation.

S’ils enfreignent la loi, nous proposons d’accroître l’amende maximale sur reconnaissance de culpabilité à 50 000 $ pour les particuliers et à 250 000 $ pour les sociétés érigées en personnes morales.

The Landlord and Tenant Board can also order that landlords compensate tenants, and we’re proposing to raise that amount to up to a year’s rent. Again, I think in this case an example is probably easier. Let’s say the Landlord and Tenant Board finds Amal was evicted in bad faith and orders her landlord to pay her compensation. Amal was paying $1,500 a month for rent before she was evicted. She found another apartment for $2,000 a month. So right now the landlord could be ordered to pay her up to $6,000 in compensation. That’s the difference between her old rent and her new rent—$500—times 12 months.

Under our proposed changes, Madam Speaker, the landlord could be ordered to pay an additional year’s rent, or $24,000. That’s an increase in compensation of $18,000 under this proposal. This also ensures tenants could receive compensation even if they were not living somewhere with higher rent—such as moving in with a roommate or a relative until the renovations are complete.

The RTA recognizes that small landlords are different from landlords who manage big apartment buildings. So if you bought a house, rented out the basement to help pay the mortgage and now circumstances have changed—you’ve got a growing family; you need that extra space—the act allows you to evict the tenant, but you must pay compensation. This is called “landlord’s own use.” But if you sell your house to move to one that is larger—it maybe has more bedrooms—and the purchaser wants to evict the tenant so they can use the basement, that’s called “purchaser’s own use,” and the tenant isn’t entitled to compensation.

If passed, our legislation would ensure the tenant is compensated, no matter who wants to use the unit, if they are evicted for no fault of their own.

Sadly, my ministry has heard about increasing abuses of “own use” evictions, so we’re proposing that if a landlord wants to evict a tenant to use the unit themselves, they would have to tell the Landlord and Tenant Board if they have done this before or if they have tried, even unsuccessfully, to do it before, so we could help our adjudicators look for patterns and so that they could identify landlords who may be breaking the law.

Madam Speaker, the Residential Tenancies Act is a very important piece of legislation. It directly impacts the lives of millions of renters across the province, countless thousands of landlords. The Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act proposes amendments that would make renting easier and fairer for both tenants and landlords. When people have a home, they can put down roots and they can be part of a community. They’re healthier; they’re more productive. That’s why we’re protecting Ontario’s tenants and landlords and making life more affordable for individuals and families across the province.

C’est pourquoi nous protégeons les locataires et locateurs de l’Ontario et rendons la vie plus abordable pour les particuliers et familles de l’ensemble de la province.

We took a lot of time with our consultations. As I’ve said in this House before, the Housing Supply Action Plan had five themes: speed, cost, mix, rent and innovation. Bill 108 dealt with four of those themes. Our innovation guides dealt with one of those themes as well. Bill 184 deals with the words and the ideas that we heard from tenants and landlords across the province. It’s a bill that has been mischaracterized throughout this process. We’ve tried this morning to set the record straight.

I want to thank all of the members on all sides of this House for the work that they’ve done in committee. There were a number of deputants at committee. I want to thank Chair Kusendova and the members of the committee for their work. I’d also like to thank both of my parliamentary assistants: the member for Milton and the member for Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry. Also, the member for Etobicoke–Lakeshore was involved as my former PA in the Housing Supply Action Plan consultations. All of them have done incredible work.

With your indulgence, Madam Speaker, I’ll send it over to my parliamentary assistant for housing, the member for Milton.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I recognize the member from Milton.

Mr. Parm Gill: Thank you, Madam Speaker.

I’d like to thank the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing for the opportunity to speak to Bill 184 and how it would help the people of Ontario. I’d like to begin by highlighting that housing in Ontario varies widely. From home ownership and rental homes to community housing, housing in Ontario takes many, many forms. Across the province, about 3.8 million households own their home. We know that home ownership remains the goal for many individuals and young families in this province, but for many of them the price of owning a home has become out of reach. The dream of a home ownership is just that: a dream.

That’s why our government launched More Homes, More Choice: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan more than a year ago—because we believe everyone should be able to find a home that meets their needs and their budget. Our plan helps to build more homes more quickly by: working to speed up development; by reducing red tape to make it easier to build the housing that people so desperately need:

—reducing the layers of permits, government approvals and charges that add to the cost of housing;

—addressing the mix of housing by making it easier to build different types of homes to make sure people have a range of options to meet their needs;

—encouraging innovation by clarifying rules and helping people take advantage of creative housing solutions; and

—making it easier to build all types of rental housing, from secondary suites like basement apartments or laneway homes, to large apartment buildings, because about 1.6 million households live in rental housing in Ontario.

One piece of our plan is to defer development charges for rental and not-for-profit housing. Municipalities are able to collect development charges on every new building or facility to help pay for infrastructure projects like roads, transit and police stations. I want to be clear: We believe that growth must pay for growth.

We know that municipalities need a way to pay for things that growing communities need, and we have heard that there are ways we can reduce costs to help create more housing supply, including rental housing. Right now, home and condo developers can cover development charges by pre-selling units. Rental and non-profit housing builders don’t have that luxury. They’re stretching every penny.

By deferring development charges instead of paying up front, rental providers will be able to spread those payments over five years, and they would be payable at occupancy. Non-profit housing providers will be able to spread those payments over 20 years. Deferring those charges would also encourage builders to create more affordable housing while ensuring that municipalities can still fund the essential infrastructure they rely on.

We propose changes to improve the rental housing system for both tenants and landlords with improvements to the Residential Tenancies Act, as the minister recently shared with this House.

But not everyone can afford to rent or buy a home, like people living in transitional housing or seeking help with addictions or mental health through supportive housing. They might be escaping human trafficking or domestic violence and need a place that keeps them and their family safe. And there are vulnerable people with no home or family who seek help from Ontario’s emergency shelters.

Every person in our province has been impacted by COVID-19. Protecting the health and well-being of all Ontarians continues to be our government’s number one priority, and we understand the particular impact that COVID-19 is having on the most vulnerable people in our communities, including those who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

For example, we know that people in congregate care settings like emergency shelters and some forms of supportive housing are at increased risk of COVID-19. That’s why our government is investing $350 million in 2020-21 through the new Social Services Relief Fund to help protect the health and safety of some of the province’s most vulnerable people.

This includes funding to help municipalities adapt their local housing and homelessness systems to the impacts of COVID-19, including purchasing personal protective equipment, ensuring physical distancing, improving cleaning, increasing staffing and developing long-term housing. This funding may also be used to make local community housing systems safer from COVID-19.

This investment complements the approximately $1 billion we invested last year, and will continue to invest in 2020-21, to help sustain, repair and grow community housing and help end homelessness in Ontario.

As communities continue to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, it is becoming even clearer that we need a strong community housing system that can meet local needs. However, our community housing system is under pressure. There are too many families living in places that are overcrowded and run down. I know that some families don’t even feel safe. And as housing providers’ operating agreements and mortgages expire, we risk losing much-needed community housing units. That’s why our government has been taking action to renew our community housing system.

Last spring, we launched Ontario’s Community Housing Renewal Strategy. It focuses on sustaining, repairing and growing the community housing system. Our plan is to transform a fragmented and inefficient system into one that is safer, more streamlined, sustainable and easier to navigate to help the people who need it most.

We need a community housing system that meets people’s complex and changing needs. That’s why, since the Community Housing Renewal Strategy was released in April 2019, our government has delivered on a number of commitments under the strategy.

We’ve heard housing providers’ concerns about long and complicated rent-geared-to-income calculations, so we’ve simplified them to make rent easier for providers to calculate and easier for tenants to predict.

We’ve also protected tenants who receive child support payments from being penalized financially and removed rules that punish people for working more hours or for going back to school, because we want people to seek opportunities, go to school, accept work and become economically self-sufficient.

And we’re reducing red tape because our partners asked us to, because they want to spend time working with their community, not buried in paperwork.

All of this will help make community housing more stable for the future.

We’re also doing our part to shorten the wait-list for community housing. Under the old system, applicants could refuse multiple housing offers and still stay at the top of the waiting list, hoping for a different unit to become available. Meanwhile, a unit sat empty, waiting for someone to accept an offer. That’s why we’ve required tenants to prioritize their first choice and accept the first unit they are offered, while allowing service managers the flexibility to make exceptions in extenuating circumstances.

We’ve also listened to our partners’ concerns. Municipalities and housing providers have told us that when they evict tenants from community housing for committing a crime, some simply move right back into the same building. These are serious crimes like drug trafficking or committing acts of violence or human trafficking. So we gave housing providers the tools they needed to help keep their building safe. Now, if a tenant has been evicted for illegal activities and they try to come back to community housing, housing providers can say no.

If they pose a threat to the community, housing providers have the ability to turn them away, keep them out, and make their building a safe place to live and play once again. Our government is sending a clear message that dangerous criminal activity is not welcome in our community housing. It puts our communities and families at risk. Parents shouldn’t have to worry about their children’s safety when they’re playing right outside of their front door.

These early steps are already in effect, and service managers may choose to implement the rent-geared-to-income changes now or next year. This would help give communities and housing providers the time they need to make important business decisions and plan for implementation.

In Ontario, the province sets the legislative framework for community housing, but community housing operations are managed by non-profit housing corporations and housing co-operatives, by municipal governments and district social services administration boards. These organizations are important partners in community housing renewal. They play a critical role in providing affordable housing through subsidized or low-end-of-market rents for people who simply can’t afford to find homes in the private market.

Many housing providers’ operating agreements and mortgages are coming to an end, and some housing providers are unsure if they will be able to continue to provide these much-needed homes. This uncertainty creates a significant risk for those households that rely on rent-geared-to-income assistance.

As part of the second stage of the multi-year strategy to stabilize and grow Ontario’s community housing sector, our government is proposing enabling changes to the Housing Services Act, 2011, that would create a new legislative framework for community housing providers to enter when their original obligations end and to improve the access and accountability systems for community housing to better serve people in need.

Our proposed changes, if passed, would help maintain our community housing supply by giving housing providers with expiring operating agreements ways to transition to a new system. This new system would encourage current operators to remain in the community housing system and encourage others to offer community housing.

We’re also proposing ways to protect vulnerable households and make sure they don’t lose their homes if some providers decide to leave the system.

Madam Speaker, we recognize that Ontario’s community housing system is diverse. It includes large and small housing providers with different needs and capacities. A one-size-fits-all approach does not work here. We’re proposing to tailor our approach for different categories of housing providers to ensure that all providers get the help they need.

We also recognize that many community housing units are in need of urgent repair. That’s why we’re allocating funding so that tenants are living in safe and sustainable conditions. With our federal and municipal partners, we are working to repair and expand community housing. Through the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative, launched in April of last year, $81 million is available in 2020-21 to repair, regenerate and expand community housing and to support affordability for tenants. At the same time, we launched the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative, which will see $65 million in funding available in 2020-21.

We believe that municipalities and communities are better able to decide where these resources need to be spent. So we have made this funding flexible so service managers and Indigenous program administrators can direct it to local priorities, from housing supply and affordability, including new affordable rental construction, to community housing repair, rental assistance and rental support, or affordable home ownership.

Another new initiative to help people afford the housing they need is the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit. It is a portable benefit, so individuals and families can use it to pay the rent, not just in community housing, but in any home they rent anywhere in the province. This $40 million in funding, which will roll out over the next year, gives people real choices on where they live and helps them find housing that better meets their needs. Madam Speaker, it will help some people remain in the communities they love but can no longer afford.

They can use it to help with the cost of rent so they can keep the housing they have, or they can use it to move anywhere in the province so they can choose to live close to family, friends and their support network.

Our affordable housing program and funding is putting decision-making back in the people’s hands. It lets individuals and families decide where they want to live, giving them more flexibility and more choice. And it also means we can act more quickly to help the people who need it most. Some 1,900 families and households have already received funding since April, and this could increase to 5,200 by the end of the year. The number will continue to grow every year.

Madam Speaker, our government believes everyone deserves a place to call home. The proposed legislation before you today provides many ways to improve community housing. Our approach is based on four core principles:

—matching people with the right housing based on their needs;

—building effective relationships between all levels of government, housing providers, tenants and Indigenous community partners;

—promoting innovation and long-term sustainability; and

—ensuring supports and services are flexible and that rules reflect local realities.

Building on that fourth principle, Madam Speaker, service managers know their communities best. That’s why they are responsible for managing applications and local wait-lists for community housing. We want to improve access to housing assistance for people who need it most, and to modernize accountability approaches to put people first. And we want to help service managers. That’s why we’re proposing to require service managers to have certain local eligibility rules for rent-geared-to-income assistance, to reflect their community’s unique needs.

This would also help service managers identify and prioritize applicants’ housing needs, to ensure that rent-geared-to-income assistance goes to those who need it most.

We are also proposing to require service managers to have an access system for housing assistance, beyond just rent-geared-to-income assistance. Over time, this may enable service managers to better match people with the housing and supports they need. We’re also suggesting broadening the types of housing assistance that could be included in their service level standards, to encourage creativity and local flexibility while maintaining accountability and deep subsidies for those who need it.

We know how important this is and that we need to get this right, and we know we need to help our partners to make this plan a reality. If the Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act passes, we will consult with the service managers and stakeholders on regulations to protect our existing housing stock and create new community housing supply. We’ll work with them to improve the community housing access system and encourage innovative, business-like approaches.

We want to strengthen the community housing sector’s capacity, and help service managers to move to this improved system and help them successfully manage through this change. That’s why we’re proposing a phased, incremental approach to change, in partnership with service managers. We will work with our partners to make our community housing system more efficient and sustainable, and to ensure that people can access the affordable housing and supports they need today and in the years to come.

But Madam Speaker, improving the community housing system is just one important aspect of this bill. I’d like to give our parliamentary assistant for municipal affairs the opportunity to discuss proposed changes to the Building Code Act.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I recognize the member from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry.

Mr. Jim McDonell: Today, we’ve heard the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing speak once again about important aspects of the Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act. He carefully explained how our government’s approach will strengthen protections for tenants and also help landlords, while also encouraging dispute resolution amongst the two.

We also heard the parliamentary assistant for housing speak about another key piece of our proposed legislation that would see the creation of a strong community housing system that can meet local needs, giving vulnerable families and individuals the security of knowing they have a roof over their heads.

I’m very pleased to speak on a third piece of the proposed legislation. Our proposed changes to the Building Code Act would enable the transformation of how building code services are delivered to the public, municipalities and the building sector.

Building regulations have a long history in our society. The earliest building code dates back thousands of years, to about 1800 BC. Throughout history, building codes have regulated how a society’s structures are designed and constructed.

Today, building regulations in Ontario are crucial to our safety and well-being. Most of us don’t appreciate the impact Ontario’s building code has on our daily lives. It helps ensure that our homes, workplaces, hospitals and schools are built to design and construction standards that allow us to live comfortably without concern for our health or safety. It also helps to ensure that public health and safety standards are consistent across the province.

But Ontario’s building code is always evolving and is growing increasingly complex. It is a living document.

Before the establishment of Ontario’s building code in 1975, building regulations and standards were generally left up to each municipality. This created a disjointed collection of regulations across the province, making it more complicated for builders, architects, contractors and engineers to work and build in multiple jurisdictions. Designers, product manufacturers, suppliers and contractors also found it very difficult to develop cost-effective, standardized products to conduct business in more than one region.

Through a legislative framework governing the construction, renovation, change of use, and demolition of the province’s buildings, the Building Code Act superseded existing building codes and helps promote construction uniformity and consistency throughout the province. While the province has responsibility for administering the building code, including developing legislation and regulations, municipalities enforce it.

A new edition of the building code is released regularly to ensure that Ontario remains at the forefront of building standards and innovation across Canada. Changes can also be made in between editions to support emerging issues.

In 2019, changes were made to Ontario’s building code to harmonize it further with the 2015 National Model Construction Codes. These model codes are created by the federal government and form the basis for minimum building requirements for provinces and territories across Canada. Provinces are not required to adopt the federal codes but can choose what, if any, codes to incorporate into their respective provincial codes. Currently, 60% of Ontario’s building code is already harmonized with the federal codes.

We are working with other provinces and the federal government to further harmonize building codes across Canada. This will strengthen Ontario’s economy by reducing red tape and regulatory burdens, and it will eliminate barriers to businesses nationally.

By continuing to evolve, Ontario’s building code can respond to technological developments and the ever-changing building sector.

I know that our building code is one of the most comprehensive and innovative in North America. And when our building code has more advanced standards than the national codes, we will keep our advanced standards. It is a critical tool not only for municipalities and the public, but also for the building sector—a sector that contributed over $38 billion in 2019 to our economy and is a driver for industry innovation. So it is essential to Ontario’s safety and prosperity that those who use building code regulations—the building sector, the municipalities and the public—have the best support possible to fully understand, implement, maintain and enforce it.

The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the body that currently provides building code services to municipalities, the building sector and the public, is challenged to meet the service delivery needs of stakeholders. Our government recognizes that the building code services need to be transformed and modernized and that these services need to be responsive and provided in a more timely manner.

So we must deliver services to our building sector that work for them and support their continued economic growth by strengthening public safety, streamlining customer service and approval processes, delivering services that the building sector needs, providing timely and modern tools and products, promoting consistency across the province and enhancing integrity in the system.

As part of our plan, we are proposing legislation that would allow us to enable the future creation of an administrative authority. This authority would help deliver faster and better building code services that support our building sector, municipalities and the general public. We are still working on the details of what that authority would look like and what services it would provide. We remain committed to continuing discussions on this with our building sector partners, about how the authority would be governed, funded and the scope of services it could deliver. We know how important this is, and we will take the time necessary to get it right.

Our proposed changes to the Building Code Act, if passed, will help the building sector get much-needed housing to market faster and help create jobs—two things that have become even more vital to Ontario’s prosperity since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Bill 184 provides certainty for both landlords and tenants—something that we’ve heard loud and clear during our consultations.

Although I believe the bill to be quite clear, I heard statements from the members opposite that made it clear that they did not understand the parts of the legislation concerning evictions. I was very pleased to hear the Honourable Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, provide a real-life example of the requirements of the landlords, the tenants and the Landlord and Tenant Board. I believe it provides the protections and the certainty both groups have been asking for. We would accomplish this while continuing to ensure public health and safety is protected.

Speaker, I thank you for this opportunity to speak this morning.

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

Ms. Suze Morrison: I’d like to address my first question to the minister. Why did your government vote against an amendment that we put forward at committee that would have banned all COVID-19-related evictions?

Hon. Steve Clark: I want to thank the member for the question. As the member who has been spreading the most misinformation regarding COVID-19—

Ms. Suze Morrison: Point of order.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): Okay, let’s stop the clock. I’ll ask the minister to withdraw.

Hon. Steve Clark: Withdrawn.

This morning, Speaker, I tried in my half hour to explain to the members opposite that the issues within Bill 184 that still allowed a tenant who wanted to have a hearing before the Landlord and Tenant Board—that they would still be able to have that hearing. It’s very, very important to set the record straight. I want to make sure that tenants and landlords who are watching third reading debate realize that we still are providing that opportunity for our tenants.

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

Ms. Suze Morrison: More than 45 legal clinics and legal experts signed on to an open letter calling Bill 184—or as my constituents call it, the eviction bill—the wrong bill at the wrong time. In this letter, they said, “Aside from the landlords, speculators and developers, no one is protected by the provisions of Bill 184. The changes proposed to the Residential Tenancies Act (RTA) are a collection of pro-landlord amendments that will impoverish and displace tenants.”

To the minister: What do you have to say to those 45 legal clinics and legal experts that have all challenged how this bill will actually protect tenants—and is, in fact, just a pro-landlord piece of legislation?

Hon. Steve Clark: The Protecting Tenants and Strengthening Community Housing Act strengthens protections for tenants. It’s going to make it easier for tenants and landlords to resolve disputes. As I said in my address this morning, adding mediation to the Landlord and Tenant Board process is a measure that is used in many other provinces. We want to reinforce the necessity to look at a repayment agreement between landlords and tenants.

There are a number of measures regarding renovictions that members opposite asked for that we’ve put in this bill. They asked for strengthening language on renovictions, and we’ve added it. We have added strengths in this bill. Plus we are responding to the Auditor General’s recommendation on our Community Housing Renewal Strategy.

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

Ms. Goldie Ghamari: I listened intently to your discussion there, Minister, and also there’s been some conversation back and forth in the House, especially yesterday. There have been some concerns from members opposite about what our government is doing to support people who have no homes right now.

Minister, my question to you is, what are you doing currently and what is our government doing to support people who have no homes and to support homeless shelters, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Hon. Steve Clark: Speaker, I want to say, through you to the member for Carleton, my neighbour in eastern Ontario, I want to thank you for the question.

Our government responded very early during the pandemic to provide $200 million to our local service managers. These are the municipal employees who are on the ground helping our most vulnerable. Some $148 million of that came from my ministry to help those community members respond to local issues. Some increased rent banks, increased utility banks. Others helped with physical distancing in our shelter systems. Many rented hotel and motel rooms to ensure that our most vulnerable had a safe place during the pandemic.

Then we added an additional $150 million just a few weeks ago to, again, help those people on the ground who know their communities. We’re doing a lot during the pandemic, and I want to thank all of our municipal partners for their assistance.

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

Ms. Suze Morrison: Respectfully, I’d like to counter the statement made by the minister that we’ve asked for anything in this bill. That, quite frankly, is not the case. In fact, when it comes to renovictions, we heard over and over again from tenants and tenant advocates at committee that the root cause of renovictions—the perverse financial incentive to kick long-standing tenants out to jack up the rents, lies in the fact that we do not have vacancy rent control between tenants in the province of Ontario.

Tenants and tenant advocates begged us to implement rent control between tenancies in this province, and we in fact put forward an amendment to this bill that would do just that. This government voted that down.

We also brought in an amendment that would have increased fines even further than what was proposed in this bill, for the truly bad corporate actors in our system. Again, this government voted against that.

Can the minister say why he voted against both of those amendments?

Hon. Steve Clark: So let me get this straight. This member is standing up this morning to indicate that she is against, that tenants who are being renovicted—she is against our proposals to increase fines. She is against our proposals to raise compensation. And she’s against our rules that are tightening the system to encourage everyone to follow the law.

We believe on this side of the House that there needs to be access to alternatives at the Landlord and Tenant Board, like mediation, where appropriate, so that the landlord and tenant can resolve their issues without going to a hearing. But make no mistake, as I said many times—

Interjections.

Hon. Steve Clark: And she can laugh all she wants, but if a tenant requires a hearing, they will get one. It’s clearly in the act. It can happen.

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

Ms. Christine Hogarth: I want to applaud the minister and the government, because with some of the work with More Homes, More Choice, we’re actually increasing the supply of purpose-built rentals, which is an important part of our plan to make sure we have affordable housing for all.

Minister, I would just like to talk about some of the things the members opposite said. When people hear what the opposition is saying, they’re concerned and they’re worried. Can you explain to us a little further on how this bill is going to protect tenants?

Hon. Steve Clark: The proposed changes double the maximum fine amounts to discourage unlawful evictions. They also increase compensation for tenants who have been evicted in bad faith. And we want to help adjudicators identify landlords who have a history of renovictions. These are concerns that have been expressed by all members of the House to me as minister. When tenants are evicted for causes beyond their control, most landlords must offer compensation. We are strengthening this for tenants. We want the issue between landlords and tenants to be worked out.

We have seen tremendous co-operation between landlords and tenants, as I said this morning in my half-hour address, and we will continue to encourage that collaboration.

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

Ms. Suze Morrison: Stakeholders told us at committee that moving post-tenancy debt collection from Small Claims Court into the Landlord and Tenant Board, as this bill proposes to do, will cause even further delays at the board. As the minister has stated, their goal is to speed up processes at the Landlord and Tenant Board, and this will have the exact opposite effect.

So is it the minister’s intent to stand here in this House today and inform us of some sort of new substantial amount of funding increase that will be going to the Landlord and Tenant Board to support the board to handle this substantial increase in caseload? Because from where I stand and where stakeholders in this province stand, this is a move that looks to just massively increase the number of cases before the board without actually providing the board any resources to handle them.

Hon. Steve Clark: The Public Appointments Secretariat that oversees our government’s appointments to provincial agencies, community boards and organizations to ensure that the process is fair—several members have been reappointed to the Landlord and Tenant Board since early 2019, and recruitment for members of the board is an ongoing issue with our government. I spoke to the Attorney General last evening, and I’m pleased to report that, as of June 2020, there are 30 full-time and 10 part-time adjudicators to the Landlord and Tenant Board. Since June 2019, the government has appointed 18 new adjudicators and reappointed 17 adjudicators, and there will be ongoing appointments to this process.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): There’s not enough time for further questions.

Third reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Ms. Jennifer K. French): I recognize that it is members’ statements.

Members’ Statements

Education funding

Ms. Jessica Bell: Erin Clifford and her partner, Jon, both work from home full-time. Their daughters, Addison and Cara, attend Montrose Junior Public School. During a remote emergency learning, Addison, a grade 1 student, struggled to keep up with her class. It has been heartbreaking for the family to watch Addison’s confidence disappear as she falls further behind. Erin and Jon have done their best to support Addison, but it has been impossible to keep up with the demands of work, child care and learning at home. If schools don’t reopen full-time in September, Erin is considering leaving her job at the University of Toronto to ensure that Addison gets the one-on-one support she needs.

This story, Erin, Addison, Cara and Jon’s story, is happening all across Ontario. If school does not reopen in September, there are working mothers, especially working mothers, who are going to be losing their job. There are parents who are at their wits’ end. They are frustrated, they are exhausted, they are worried and they don’t know what they’re going to do if school doesn’t safely reopen in September.

Now this government has put forward a “Work it out yourselves, board” plan with no real funding commitment and no real support for school boards to allow teachers and kids to return safely. That is not a plan; that is an abdication of responsibility. Parents, teachers, kids: They want this government to come up with a real plan, a real, fully funded plan, that will get kids to return to school safely. Please do that.

Anti-racism activities

Mr. Vincent Ke: When we see instances of racial discrimination and hatred towards Chinese Canadians during the pandemic, like the disturbing video of a shopper at a Mississauga store last week, it is hurtful and offensive to us all as Canadians.

The victim of the racial abuse I referred to was told to “Go back to China” simply because he asked the patron to wear a mask. In response to the racial slur, the victim proudly and clearly stated, “I am Canadian.”

Speaker, I too am Canadian. There are several hundred thousand Ontarians, people just like me, Canadians of Chinese descent who proudly call Canada home and contribute richly to our economy and culture.

During the pandemic, Chinese Canadians united and organized to help people from all different backgrounds out of the goodness of their hearts. They kindly donated PPE, food and money while also promoting and following health and safety guidelines to protect others. They acted in the true Ontario spirit as proud Canadians.

Speaker, here I call for all Canadians to stand together to denounce racism and show the world what it means to be a Canadian. Just like the victim stated: We are Canadians.

Child care

Ms. Judith Monteith-Farrell: Last week, I had the pleasure to meet with a group of early childhood educators, the Thunder Bay ECE Unite group. What a great group of dedicated and devoted women. This group is concerned with this government’s lack of a concrete plan for child care, and so am I.

Kim Kivi, an early childhood educator, told me, “Our before- and after-school care is licensed for 30 children. According to the ministry, we now can only take 10 people.” There are eight children and two educators. That means there are 22 children who do not have care. We were already in a crisis in Thunder Bay with child care, with years-long lists. Now, post-COVID, we’re worse.

Despite the government’s announcements of a sustainability plan for child care, child care operators have not received concrete funding agreements. Throughout the pandemic, this government didn’t communicate critical changes to rules around funding to ensure the continued payment of staff. They also did not consult with the centres on a safe reopening strategy or provide funding to help centres adjust to the new safety requirements.

This government needs to stop paying lip service to the importance of child care and start actually supporting them so that they can keep their staff and avoid massive debts. A safe reopening of Ontario will not be possible without a clear plan for child care.

Anti-vaping initiatives for youth

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: Parents in my constituency of Oakville North–Burlington are very concerned that too many young people have taken up vaping.

Since January, we’ve held two round table meetings that included Halton’s Medical Officer of Health. These participants at these round tables expressed their concerns to me and asked for all levels of government to take action.

A 2019 CAMH survey found that vaping used by youth has almost doubled in two years. Almost a quarter of students in grades 7 to 12 have tried a vaping product in the past year, one in eight were vaping weekly or daily, and 83% of users aged 15 to 19 report using fruit- or candy-flavoured vapes. These numbers are alarming to me and to parents.

Our government heard the concerns of parents, and we took swift action. As of July 1, the Ontario government has restricted the retail sale of most flavoured vapour products and those with high nicotine concentrations to specialty vape stores and licensed cannabis retail stores, and specialty vape stores now must ensure that any indoor displays and promotions of vapour products are not visible from outside these stores. Those who break the rules could face fines between $4,000 to $150,000.

Vaping is a serious risk to the health of our young people, and it’s important that parents find out more about the dangers of vaping and make sure their teens have all the facts.

Women’s issues

Ms. Catherine Fife: Throughout most of the pandemic, we’ve seen a disproportionate impact on women. Women are more likely to work in caring jobs as nurses, PSWs, early childhood educators, midwives or in the retail or service sector. All of these women are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, putting them and their families’ health in jeopardy. Women also make 78 cents on the dollar when compared to men; for racialized and Indigenous women, it’s even less. Whether there is a global pandemic or not, women always disproportionately bear the greater responsibility for child care.

So yesterday when the government announced that, in a few days’ time, much of the province would be moving to stage 3, women across the province were left with lots of questions: “What about my health and safety at work? What am I going to do about child care this summer? How can I go back to work full-time if my kids only go back to school part-time this fall?” Lots of questions with few answers from the government.

The government announced that child care will be allowed to reopen at 90% capacity as of July 27. Why 90%? Is that threshold safe? Has the government provided extra support for ECEs and child care centres for PPE? No, they have not. Before any of these reopenings happen, questions need to be answered. Women and parents deserve answers, and they need support. Our health and, indeed, our economic recovery depend on it.

Education funding

Mr. John Fraser: Ontario’s children need to be back in school full-time in the fall. This must be our collective priority. It’s not just important for our kids’ education, their development, their mental health; it’s a cornerstone of our economic recovery. Getting kids back to school full-time enables parents and caregivers to get back to work, to fully participate in the workforce in Ontario’s economy.

This is especially true for women who, more often than not, have been carrying the freight with our children out of school. For many, their careers have been disproportionately impacted.

Speaker, just like we did in our hospitals at the beginning of this pandemic, we need to invest more in our schools. We need more educators, more supports, extra space for children to learn so we can keep our class sizes smaller and safer. We must also ensure that our local public health units have the resources and tools they need when schools open up, and just like in health care, the government needs to establish a command table that includes parents, students, school boards, teachers’ federations and public health.

Our party has put forward an action plan to invest in our schools because, simply put, it’s the most important thing we can do for our families and for our economic recovery.

Economic reopening and recovery

Mrs. Daisy Wai: Mr. Speaker, we all recognize that other than our health and safety, COVID-19 has heavily impacted our economy. I had organized town hall Zoom meetings since April and continued until June to support businesses in Richmond Hill. I am grateful that MPP Stan Cho, Minister Lecce and Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria joined me in Zoom meetings with businesses and families, working with them on their challenges.

I also joined the Recover Richmond Hill Task Force, working with the city of Richmond Hill and the Richmond Hill Board of Trade, as well as the Markham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan Chinese Business Association. Working together, we identified programs and strategies to assist them to realign their operations and re-establish normal business. We provided individual support and hosted a series of seminars to prepare them on handling their challenges.

It is really encouraging to see how some Richmond Hill businesses and corporations also stepped up to support the community with PPE and other materials. What a difference it made during this difficult time.

Today, when I visit the local businesses to promote the shop-local program, I am touched by the positive attitude, determination and willingness to put in extra time to make up for the challenges caused by COVID-19. I know that our economy is on its path to recovery.

Bear control

Mr. John Vanthof: We are going through never-before-seen times with COVID-19, and some parts of the province face different problems than others. I’d like to focus on a unique problem that one of our towns is facing right now: Kirkland Lake. They are facing a lot of problems with black bears. Black bears haven’t heard about physical or social distancing. In Kirkland Lake, there’s actually a Facebook group where they keep live track of where the bears are going.

If this was happening in a town in southern Ontario, this would be provincial, perhaps national, news, but it’s just another day in northern Ontario. Keep your kids inside—just another day. Could you imagine in southern Ontario if there were bears roaming around and they were told, “Keep your kids inside,” as Bear Wise suggests?

The bears are hungry. We’re not anti-bear. MNR is doing what it could with the budget it has, but keep in mind the differences in this province. There are huge issues in this province with COVID-19, but there are parts of this province who have to wonder if there’s a bear outside the door on a regular basis. We have to look at all our issues.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Goldie Ghamari: Saman and Charlie Lokuwaduge, a father and son who fled civil strife in Sri Lanka two years ago and bought East N West Diner in Richmond, donated commercial grade disinfecting products to the Ottawa Police Services Leitrim station.

ROSSS in Manotick, an organization supporting rural seniors, has, among other things, been providing transportation for essential medical appointments, delivering frozen meals and offering grocery deliveries.

Allan Ryan, president of the Stittsville Business Association, teamed up with Ross and Corleen Bradley to provide gift cards, lunches, dinners and more to the Ottawa Police Service Huntmar station, Ottawa Fire Services station 46, Ottawa Paramedic Service, and staff at local pharmacies, retirement residences and grocery stores.

Manotick Village and Community Association started a community Facebook page that, among other things, helps single-parent families or health care workers who may not have time to shop, coordinating with the Kiwanis Club of Manotick, which created a community pandemic volunteers’ list.

Greely and Metcalfe Lions Club partnered together, pledging $5,000 to a matching-funds campaign of all other donations to the Osgoode Care Centre.

John Stacey, owner of Stagra Automotive in Greely, donated funds for a special staff meal at the Osgoode Care Centre.

Gerry Crepin donated N95 masks to the Osgoode Care Centre.

Ron Miller, owner of Miller’s Farm, Market and Garden Centre in Manotick, bought a meal for every single resident at Hyfield Apartments in Manotick.

The list goes on and on, Mr. Speaker. Unfortunately, I don’t have enough time, but I’d like to thank everyone in Carleton who stepped up to make a difference during the COVID-19 pandemic. You’re an inspiration to everyone.

Franklin Horner Community Centre

Ms. Christine Hogarth: Today, I rise to bring attention to an important charitable, not-for-profit community centre in Etobicoke–Lakeshore, the Franklin Horner Community Centre. Franklin Horner hosts a variety of programs, services and meeting space for community organizations, groups and individual members. They welcome groups of individuals of all ages—a multitude of activities for all. But just like everyone here, they had to reinvent themselves during this unprecedented time.

Last week, I had the pleasure of joining their dedicated team as they kicked off their new weekly meal service for seniors called Food with Faraway Friends. It’s a program to get seniors out of their homes if they feel safe to do so. Hot meals can be picked up at the centre or delivered to individuals’ homes. They also have a tent set up outside called the Big Top Café, where you can enjoy some snacks and drinks and a socially distant conversation with a new friend or an old friend.

I would like to thank Laura Latham, executive director, and her team for the amazing work that they’re doing in south Etobicoke and looking after the mental wellness of our seniors.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): That concludes the time we have for members’ statements this morning.

Mr. Gilles Bisson: Point of order.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Point of order, the member for Timmins.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I seek unanimous consent in order to stand down the leads until the Premier shows up.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Timmins is seeking consent of the House to stand down the lead questions for the official opposition until the Premier is present in the House. Agreed? I heard a no.

Question Period

Education funding

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My first question this morning is for the Premier. Yesterday, the Premier announced his plan to move Ontario into phase 3. Unfortunately, the Conservatives’ refusal to include a province-wide plan for child care and education is going to make life even harder for workers and business owners in every corner of our province because it’s going to make it next to impossible for working parents to get back to work. Does the Premier accept the reality that Ontario won’t be able to get back to work if working moms and dads can’t rely on schools and available child care spaces?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. I was proud to join the Premier, the Deputy Premier and the Minister of Finance to announce our stage 3 reopening, part of our broader plan to get our economy back on track. Part of that obligation is for the government to ensure that child care remains sustainable and accessible in every community in this province. It’s why we have taken action in conjunction with working closely with the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Williams, to expand those cohorts.

Based on the incredible work of the people of this province, the risk of COVID has been reduced, and that is a demonstration of all of our collective efforts as a population. As a result, we’ve been able to expand that capacity from 10 to 15. That represents in and around 91% of pre-COVID capacity, to assist those moms and dads, the very people you speak of, to ensure that they can get back to work with confidence and remain safe. Our health protocols remain in place and our funding remains in place to ensure that child care remains accessible and affordable for people in this province.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Yesterday the Premier claimed that it was entirely up to school boards whether they would be able to open all day or all week. But last week, an email to school boards made it clear that the government wasn’t offering boards a choice and that boards were to adopt a model in which kids would be in school as little as two days a week. The Council of Ontario Directors of Education was told, “The government is not flexible on this matter.” So can the Premier clear this up? Was this memo inaccurate, or did the Premier get it wrong yesterday?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: We need to prepare for all eventualities and adopt a prudent flexibility for whatever path this outbreak takes. It’s why we are ensuring that in September we are prepared for three circumstances. As we see around the world in jurisdictions that have reopened their schools, from Hong Kong to Germany, we’ve seen risk when they have done so. We have an obligation to the people of this province to ensure it is safe.

The member opposite, the Leader of the Opposition, yesterday said in a press conference attacking the minister “for not knowing what September will look like.” I’d like to ask the member in her supplemental, could you provide us with the transmission risk and the data of what September will look like?

In the absence of knowing that risk, Speaker, we have an obligation to ensure that we’re prepared for every circumstance, to ensure that the continuity of learning is not impeded, so yes, day-to-day conventional learning with heightened safety and an online option, should it be required, in a hybrid of 15 kids cohorted, based on public health advice. This is not a time to, in any way, infuse a sense of politicizing the circumstances. We have an opportunity to work with public health, to work together as parliamentarians to keep kids safe. That’s exactly what the government will continue to do.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: It’s this government’s obligation to actually put a functioning workable plan together for parents and kids for the fall—a safe plan. That’s going to mean investment, and maybe that’s what they don’t want. Maybe they think that seven cents a kid is enough investment to get our kids back to school safely and our moms and dads back to work. But we don’t think that that’s good enough, and neither do parents and neither do educators and neither do children and neither do school boards. So there’s an announcement for the minister right there.

The fact is, they have been left on their own to confront this challenge, and they’re doing their best to come up with solutions for kids. But the government is not doing their part, Speaker. The boards have been clear: They’re eager to return for five days a week, but they need additional funding, they need additional staff and they need additional space, and the government should be providing it.

Is this government prepared to support school boards and parents that want schools open five days a week come this fall?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: The government continues to work with the school boards under the guidance of the Chief Medical Officer of Health to ensure that, when parents return their children to class in September, it is safe. That is why we have added $730 million more in the Grants for Student Needs to ensure that the restart is safe. It is why we’ve enhanced mental health funding by an additional $10 million. It’s why we’ve added more money for technology—an additional $15 million. The per-pupil funding is up. Every single board in our province is getting more funding to ensure it is safe.

But, Speaker, beyond the investment, it’s preparing for three circumstances because, like the majority of provinces within the federation, we are unaware—unlike the member opposite—of what that risk will be with precision in September. To get this right, to be prudent, to be ready for all circumstances, we’re asking boards to prepare for in-class day-to-day, for online, and for an adaptive, blended model of the two. That is the right thing to do to keep kids safe.

Education funding

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is back to the Premier. But I’ve got to say, a wait-and-see approach is not going to get people back to work. It’s not going to get employers having their staff coming back to work, because those staff are parents and they need predictability about what’s happening in the fall. What they’re all saying—the majority are saying—is that they want five days a week, and they need child care. This government has been crickets when it comes to that kind of commitment.

It’s their job to put something in place that is actually safe and meets the needs of students, parents and the employers of our province. It’s shameful that that hasn’t happened. “Wait and see” is not a plan, Speaker. We need a predictable plan.

In Ottawa-Carleton, the parents were clear that the Premier’s plan to have kids out of school for most of the week in one of their models is not going to work. It’s simply not going to work. Is the Premier prepared to start hiring teachers and education workers and finding more space so that the eager folks that want kids back in the schools five days a week actually get that to happen?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: The government, under the leadership of the Premier, is preparing for all circumstances so that a child’s education is not in any way undermined or impeded. We have a duty to get this right.

We have to ensure that public health data informs our planning. The member opposite is asserting to the government—this is the recommendation of New Democrats—to plan absent public health data. We are saying to the people of this province that, in order to be responsive to the risk that is not linear province-wide and is moving each and every day, we have to plan for all three circumstances. That is a sensible proposal to ensure that no child’s education is at risk in September.

We’re looking around the world, and if we benchmark Ontario versus every other industrialized economy—like Israel, like Hong Kong, including Germany—they have reopened with challenges. So let us learn from those lessons. Let’s put the funding in place. Let’s work together to keep kids in place.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: We’re waiting for that. We’re waiting for funding for PPE. We’re waiting for funding for more staffing. We’re waiting for funding for protective equipment for transportation, for technology and for mental health supports. Seven cents a student, the Ottawa-Carleton board says, is not enough.

When you look at schools in northern Ontario, they’re facing challenges too. Yesterday, teachers in the Keewatin Patricia board told Global News that the general guidelines developed by the Minister of Education don’t take into account the lack of resources in the Far North. Remote schools don’t have extra staff to deal with COVID-related emergencies. They can’t access WiFi for remote learning.

Kim Douglas, a teacher in the Keewatin Patricia board told reporters, “When there’s no administrator on site, and a kid gets sick, what do you do? Who’s gonna be responsible for that child?” It’s a very good question.

Is the Premier ready to admit that the government’s plan for schools is not working, and they need to step up and provide the support that schools need?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Indeed, we understand that in remote and northern communities they face increased challenges. That’s why, under the leadership of the Minister of Infrastructure, we have set aside $315 million to expand broadband in all communities in the province of Ontario. It’s why I joined the Minister of Infrastructure to call on the federal government and the CRTC to invest and to achieve the commitment they set of high-speed Internet for all Canadians. We agree and we asked them to expedite that delivery to help more families in remote parts of the province.

Speaker, every high school in Ontario this September will have Internet. In addition, Speaker, we’ve allocated an additional $15 million in funding for technology to procure around 37,000 devices.

We understand the challenges within the north. It’s why we’re funding and investing in those communities to get them to connect to the Internet so that their kids could, as well, be learning no matter what challenges take place in the fall.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, I’ve got to tell you, parents are really worried that this government is forcing them to choose between their jobs and their livelihoods or their children’s education. That is an unacceptable choice.

Yesterday, the Premier claimed that parents were thanking him—thanking him—for being forced to quit their jobs and shell out thousands of extra dollars for child care costs, just like he claimed that teachers were thanking him last year when he announced 10,000 of them would be fired.

You know what? Working parents and their kids deserve so much better than this, Speaker. Will the Premier stop ignoring this crisis, agree to cover COVID-19 costs such as personal protective equipment, extra staffing, transportation, cleaning supplies and school retrofits and maintenance, and start working with parents and school boards who want to see schools open five days a week, open safely, and make sure child care spaces are there for parents who need them?

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

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Speaker, I’m very proud to be part of a government that is investing over half a billion dollars to rebuild schools and build new schools, after a decade of closure under the former Liberal government.

I’m proud to be part of a government that is investing over $1.3 billion in renewal, achieving what the Auditor General has required us to do: 2.5% in renewal funding to ensure our schools are maintained and ultimately safe for kids.

I’m proud to be part of a government that has increased the Grants for Student Needs and the vehicle funding to school boards, a net $730 million; more funding for cleaning; more funding for technology, mental health and special education. These are the investments that are going to make a difference.

Speaker, we’ve also set aside $200 million in the Supports for Students Fund to hire more educators, to hire more custodians. Some 2,000 more custodians can be hired in school boards as a result of that investment.

We understand the importance of getting it right. We are working closely with the chief medical officer to do that to keep all staff and all students safe in Ontario.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock. Order. The member for Northumberland–Peterborough South will come to order. The member for Carleton will come to order. The member for Mississauga–Streetsville will come to order.

Restart the clock.

Long-term care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: My next question is also for the Premier. This morning I met with Lisa, who’s a front-line worker in our long-term-care system. Lisa is a dietary aid. She spent the last four years working tirelessly to sound the alarm on the crisis in Ontario’s long-term-care system. She notes that one of the key issues, one of the key factors that workers in long-term care are facing is severe understaffing, which has only gotten worse, of course, during the pandemic.

Workers in our long-term-care system, Speaker, are left physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted from being stretched far, far too thin on the job, working long hours and literally putting their lives on the line for vulnerable seniors.

The Premier has a responsibility to protect these workers by mandating a standard of care of four hours per day, per resident, and increasing wages for these workers and protections permanently. He has to take steps forward to ensure the safety and security of these essential workers.

The front-line workers are there, not only during the pandemic but also afterwards. Will the Premier make a commitment to make those permanent changes for those health care heroes?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Long-Term Care to reply.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you for the question. Our government’s number one commitment is to the safety and well-being of residents and staff, and that has been consistent throughout this pandemic. It was consistent before—every measure, every tool taken. We started as a new Ministry of Long-Term Care. Our government showed its commitment to long-term care and staff in long-term care to understand the staffing challenges.

I’ve stood here and said this before. We know the ward rooms played a role. We know that the staffing crisis that was pre-existing, leading into the pandemic, was a serious obstacle for our homes to overcome the difficulties they were having in controlling the spread. Staffing was an issue, and our government took measures to create flexibility in the staffing, to do everything possible—matching portals, $243 million to help homes address the staffing.

We took every measure possible. The safety and well-being of staff and residents is paramount.

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

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, experts are saying that the matter of a second wave isn’t an if but, rather, a when. So while the government spends it’s time ramming legislation through—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: —that gives a lot of goodies to their developer friends, they are doing nothing to make permanent the changes that we need to see in long-term care.

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Stop the clock.

Minister of Education, come to order. Associate Minister of Transportation (GTA), come to order. Government House leader, come to order.

Restart the clock.

I apologize to the Leader of the Opposition.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, these brave, front-line heroes have literally given their lives—given their lives—in the fight against COVID-19, but it never should have come to this. We all heard that the minister went and asked for more money but was refused. We all know the Premier’s claim about an iron ring around long-term care certainly wasn’t accurate.

By legislating standards of care now, sustainable staffing levels now, fair wages now, the Premier can provide these workers with the safety and security they deserve. So will the Premier listen? Will he listen to what Ontario’s front-line heroes have been saying for years, which the Liberals ignored? But will they do that, adopt these measures now, change them permanently or will we see the vulnerability continue and this deadly virus go through our long-term-care system again a second time?

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you once again for the question. When our homes were affected by COVID-19, our government took every measure—

Interjection: You did not.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: —and we continued to—

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Interjection.

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

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: We continued to take every measure possible. Day after day, we were at work putting dollars behind emergency orders, amendments to regulations, $243 million—

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

The Leader of the Opposition has to come to order.

The Minister of Long-Term Care can conclude.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: This is a global issue, and we will continue to do everything we can that is possible.

The previous government had 21 reports highlighting staffing—that a fix was needed—and they did not act, and you, as the Leader of the Opposition, supported that government.

Interjections.

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

The next question?

Economic reopening and recovery

Mr. David Piccini: My question is for the Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries. As Ontarians think about the new normal, many of them are happy to hear that they can enjoy patio season with families and friends.

Mr. Speaker, when I say the “new normal,” and when Ontarians think about that, behind the new normal are stories; stories like George, who came to Canada as a Greek at the age of 14 and started Olympus Burger, which became Canada’s best burger, which I took the Minister of Finance to last week; Maria and her husband, who started Railside Restaurant; or many of the ma-and-pa shops who serve folks in Northumberland–Peterborough South on a day-to-day basis with a smile.

As Ontarians explore their communities and the province this summer, business generated by patios will be a huge help to our food service sector and the remarkable men and women who work in that that sector.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please share with us just how significant Ontario’s patio access and expansions are going to be to this province over the summer months?

Hon. Lisa MacLeod: I want to say thank you to the hard-working member from Northumberland–Peterborough South. I’m looking forward to joining him on a patio in his community. I also want to thank him and all the members of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, who identified this as an issue early on to make sure that Ontarians could reconnect in their communities.

That’s very important to our tourism sector, but, Speaker, as the member noted, we are now in a new normal. We want to make sure that we travel this province and travel in our own communities as safely as possible. I can tell you, as the member has been obviously circulating in his community to support his community, that I had the opportunity as well to join the Minister of Infrastructure, the Minister of the Environment and the MPP from Cambridge on patios in their communities.

I can tell you, from the contact tracing to the level of sanitization to the physical distancing that’s happening in our areas, it’s very safe to start to circulate around our communities. And as we go into phase 3 across the rest of the province, we’re starting to see that even in dine-in activities.

So I want to say to all Ontarians: Let’s get out there. Let’s support our local economy. This has been a triple threat, of a public health crisis, an economic crisis—but this is a great—

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

Mr. David Piccini: My follow-up question is to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The majority of Ontario, as we moved into stage 2—

Interjections.

Mr. David Piccini: We’re spreading it all around, yes.

The members opposite have no plan for restaurants. They would rather give them handouts than give them a leg up. But that’s not what the hard-working businesses of Northumberland–Peterborough South want. They want flexibility and a government that supports them.

Minister, I know that patio space can be especially limited in rural Ontario. Can you tell us about steps that you’ve taken to help expand patio space so that these small businesses, hard-working men and women, can get back to work and that we as Ontarians can continue to enjoy their restaurants?

Hon. Steve Clark: I want to really thank the member for Northumberland–Peterborough South for all of his advocacy. He has done a tremendous job for his riding during the pandemic. On behalf of his constituents, I want to extend my thanks to him for his advocacy.

He’s right: Restaurants and bars are a very important part of our economy and our communities. We know that Ontario’s patio season is short, so that’s why our government is cutting unnecessary red tape and speeding up the process. I think it’s critical. We issued a new emergency order to allow municipalities to pass temporary bylaws to create and expand patios to serve customers during this short patio season. Our changes are going to shorten the approval time from several weeks to several days.

I want to announce this as well, Speaker, because this is very exciting: At the request of Toronto city council, I issued a new ministerial zoning order to more easily expand patios across the city and to allow the launch of their new CaféTO project.

My message to Ontarians is: Get out and enjoy a patio at a local restaurant this season.

Government contracts

Mr. Taras Natyshak: My question is to the Premier. Yesterday, the Premier refused to answer my questions—some really simple questions—around how a private health care provider was given contracts to do mobile COVID-19 testing.

The Premier also refused to answer my questions as to how his former PC Party caucus executive director, Jeff Silverstein, was able to secure a contract for this company, Switch Health. Instead of transparency, they dodged. If this government truly had nothing to hide, they could have done the right thing and, as I requested, tabled all relevant information on this contract.

Today, will the government do the right thing and table all the documentation of how it selected this private health care company to handle COVID-19 testing?

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

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the member very much for the question. Again, in actual fact, what happened was, the contract was given by Ontario Health. This was not something that had direct responsibility for the ministry; it was done directly by Ontario Health, with a group. It was selected from a group of applicants, and that is how the contract was given.

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

Mr. Taras Natyshak: The government overlooked its own capable public servants in order to outsource to a friendly provider. We certainly heard that before, in the previous government, the Liberal government, the arm’s-length disconnection, but we know that the Premier is now playing from that same playbook. Migrant workers and the whole region of Windsor-Essex deserved a coordinated public health care approach to get testing done months ago—not waiting after a private provider showed up with just the right lobbyist connection to get the Premier’s attention.

Speaker, today I wrote to the Auditor General to ask her office to review these contracts. The Premier has the power to order a review from the auditor. Will he clear the air today and join me in asking the auditor to look into it?

Hon. Christine Elliott: I can assure the member through you, Mr. Speaker, that the contract was granted in accordance with the required procedures that were necessary for this to happen and that the people of Windsor-Essex can be assured that they will receive the testing in the way that they need it. We know that there still are a number of agricultural workers who need to be tested; they will be tested.

We receive the reports on a daily basis about the levels of testing, and right now, Ontario stands as a leader in Canada on testing. We are surpassing over 20,000 tests every day. We are increasing our capacity to 50,000, and that is going to continue until we make sure that we have tested the agricultural workers and we make sure that people are going to be safe and secure in their own homes.

Education funding

Ms. Kathleen O. Wynne: My question is for the Minister of Education. I’m asking this question, of course, in my capacity as a politician, but I’m also asking it as a mother and a grandmother who is extremely worried about the well-being of children and educators of this province.

There’s an enormous amount of debate, and we’ve heard some of it this morning, around the reopening of schools. A common thread throughout that debate is that everyone wants a full return to school, but not if the safety of children and school staff is at risk—I’ve heard government members say that. What is missing from the debate is a thoughtful proposal from the government on how those two might be reconciled.

I’m hearing from constituents—parents—who are worried sick that their children will not be supported in September. Mr. Speaker, if the government were willing to invest the necessary money in helping boards find community space, develop outdoor classroom space, hire additional staff to keep class sizes low, invest in the protective cleaning measures necessary, children could return to school safely, full-time, in September with smaller class groupings. It would not be easy; I understand that. But it is possible with adequate funding. I ask the minister to explain to the children of Ontario why they are not worth that investment.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Thank you to the member opposite for the question. The students of this province are worth investing in, Speaker—$730 million more to do just that: to ensure that students in September, when they return, can do so with confidence that it is safe. There is more funding for PPE, more funding for cleaning, more funding for custodial staff, more funding for more specialized teachers in the areas of math, mental health and special education. That is the reality, Speaker, because we acknowledge that it is going to be increasingly difficult for school boards to operationalize these plans, given the risk.

We also know—and I appreciate the member opposite has acknowledged the unknown of September—that we must be preparing and planning for all circumstances that may manifest in the province. As we look globally to other jurisdictions that have reopened schools, they have seen challenges—in France as well. The lesson learned is to be prepared for three circumstances. Indeed, daily, conventional delivery is our preference. The investments will be in place, the training will be in place, and of course the continued support for all school boards will remain in place to ensure they can be safe in September.

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

Ms. Kathleen O. Wynne: That’s very encouraging, but the trouble is, we’re not seeing the hiring that needs to be done. We’re not seeing the planning that would need to be done. It’s the middle of July; school starts the first week in September. Mr. Speaker, we started raising these issues in May; it’s now the middle of July, and in the intervening weeks there’s a lot that could have been done to ensure safe return to school.

The implications of not getting the reopening of school right are different for different children. Children who were struggling before will struggle more now. The inequities that exist among kids have been laid bare and exacerbated by the pandemic. Schools need more support in order to be able to address those inequities. Most of the money that the minister has announced is money that was already going to schools. There’s a little bit of new money, but most of it is a re-announcement of money that was already going. That’s not good enough, Mr. Speaker.

There is no successful economic recovery without the health and well-being of the two million students in Ontario and their families. I ask the minister, again, why he is not working with teachers and their unions, support staff, administrators, school trustees, parents, students and medical health professionals to determine the investments needed to provide for a safe, healthy, full school reopening this fall.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Thank you again to the member opposite for the question. Indeed, we are working with all stakeholders, federations, boards of education, listening to parents and, indeed, the chief medical officer. I spoke to him as recently as last night, to Dr. Williams, to inform us on the way forward, because at the end of the day, our obligation as a government is to keep our children and our staff safe. We have an interest in ensuring kids can continue learning, however, taking action to reduce the risk in September to them, to their families and to the broader community spread that we seek to avoid.

What our government has done, yesterday, for example, in child care, is safely and methodically increase capacity based on public health data available to us that demonstrates that we can indeed cohort kids, keep them safe and provide that assurance to parents, as they return to the labour market, that they can do so with confidence. We’re going to continue to seek the advice of the chief medical officer, indeed work with educators and front-line workers to ensure that when they go back in September, they can do so knowing full well that their children will remain safe.

Natural gas

Ms. Goldie Ghamari: My question is for the Associate Minister of Energy. But before I ask my question, I can’t help but comment. There’s a reason the Liberal Party is in the corner, in the penalty box. They talk about our government investing in children. Well, where was the member for Don Valley West when they shut down Munster Elementary School—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask you to stop the clock. The purpose of question period is for members of the Legislative Assembly to ask questions of the executive council and hold the executive council to account. They might be government backbenchers asking the question. They might be opposition members. But it’s not to take potshots back and forth across the floor against other members.

So I’m now going to start the clock and allow the member for Carleton to place her question to the minister.

Ms. Goldie Ghamari: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Could the Associate Minister of Energy please talk about phase 1 of our government’s natural gas expansion program, which is helping Ontarians in rural and remote areas and in Indigenous communities who have access to natural gas, giving them even more connections coming soon? Our government knows that making the switch from electric heat, propane or oil to natural gas results in significant savings. So could the associate minister please update this House on the status of the natural gas expansion program?

Hon. Bill Walker: Thank you to the honourable member for Carleton for the question and the great work she does on behalf of the people of Carleton.

We are making life more affordable for communities across Ontario through the natural gas expansion program, with projects completed and under way through the first phase of the program.

Last year, I was honoured and pleased to announce that we would be moving forward with a second phase to expand access to natural gas to even more communities across the province. The Ontario Energy Board is currently in the process of collecting information about expansion opportunities through phase 2 and will develop a report on eligible projects.

Due to the pressures faced by municipalities and utilities as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, our government extended the time for proponents to file their project information. Proponents now have until August 4 to file project information with the OEB.

We know that municipalities and utilities across Ontario, and the people that are going to receive these facilities and services, are excited about this program. We encourage all interested communities to partner with their local utility to submit projects for consideration—lowering the costs of their energy bill and providing jobs across our great province.

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

Ms. Goldie Ghamari: Thank you to the associate minister for that response. I want to also thank the associate minister and the minister, who came to my riding of Carleton on February 28, prior to the pandemic, and hosted a very informative round table to learn more about what our government can do to support the people of Carleton. So I really appreciate hearing that update on the status of the program and measures taken by his ministry to accommodate municipalities facing increased pressure due to COVID-19.

I know that many communities across the province, including my own, are excited about expansion projects that have connected them to natural gas, and projects that are currently under way to connect even more communities. Could the associate minister please give us an overview of the benefits that communities in Ontario are seeing from this great program?

Hon. Bill Walker: Again, it’s a great question, and thank you for inviting us first-hand to be up there and see what was needed in Carleton. I’m pleased to say we’re responding.

Through the first phase of this program, unserved areas and communities like Chatham-Kent, southern Bruce, Chippewas of the Thames and Scugog Island are set to see the benefits of this program this year, Mr. Speaker. Residents in these communities will save between $800 to $2,500 on home heating costs, with businesses also set to see significant savings.

Just last week, I was proud to announce up to $1.8 million to expand natural gas access to households and businesses in Saugeen First Nation through the natural gas expansion program, with my colleague Lisa Thompson. Residents and business owners are eagerly awaiting the completion of this project and are excited to get started.

The natural gas expansion program is making a real difference in communities right across Ontario. I’m excited that we are moving forward with phase 2 of the program, and I’m eager to get more shovels into the ground as quickly as possible and help as many people across this great province as we possibly can.

Long-term care

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: My question is to the Premier. Garden City Manor is a long-term-care home in my riding that is in the middle of another outbreak of COVID-19. At least 10 people are sick. Three have died. The home has been inspected 14 times—let me repeat that: 14 times—and each and every time it was found that they had failed to comply with COVID-19 prevention protocols. Staff are doing their best, but they are overwhelmed and they are run off their feet.

Why won’t this government commit to doing something, literally anything, to fix long-term care today? Lives are on the line here. Why? What are you waiting for?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Minister of Long-Term Care.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you for the question.

Let me assure you that we are not waiting and we have been actively working on creating a modern 21 st -century long-term-care system that puts the resident at the centre. Ever since the Ministry of Long-Term Care was created in the summer of 2019, we have been at work addressing the neglect of the past 15 years, and that is no small piece of work, let me tell you.

We have and we will continue to use all our means to build capacity. We will build capacity. We are in the process of using multiple solutions to create the environment in which our residents can be cared for with respect and dignity and where staff can be appreciated for the amazing work that they do in long-term care. That is much more than anybody did for long-term care in the last 15 years. Every long-term-care home has the duty to maintain standards of care. That is not negotiable.

Our government has conducted over 2,800 inspections. The 14 inspections that you refer to are through the public health units. That is—

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

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: The assurance has been over there for two years.

Again to the Premier: The Niagara acting medical officer of health is pointing the finger at both the government and the private, for-profit long-term-care operators. He told us, “What you are seeing is the systemic problems that have caused problems for long-term-care homes in Niagara are at play here.” And according to the medical officer of health, Revera, the big corporation profiting off the care of our loved ones, only operates a “skeleton staff.” But still the Conservatives continue to go out of their way to protect the bad operators like this one.

What is it going to take? How many more lives—how many more families will lose a family member before this Premier finally cracks down on these for-profit homes?

Interjections.

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

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: Thank you for the question.

The evidence is demonstrating that it is the systemic issues, because of the neglect. We have ward rooms that are continuing to exist because the redevelopment did not occur under 15 years. The previous government only managed to build 611 beds between 2011 and 2018. That is the unfortunate reality that our government is dealing with as quickly as possible.

The reality is that we are overcoming the shortcomings that were left behind by the previous government, supported by the NDP, including the staffing. As I mentioned earlier, 21 reports on the staffing fixes that were required—never acted upon by the previous government, supported by the leadership of the NDP.

Older homes had more ward beds. That is the problem. The staff was in a—

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

Education funding

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Premier. Yesterday, the Premier announced phase 3 in the reopening of Ontario’s economy. For families and for our economic recovery, there’s a piece missing, the single most critical piece: the plan to get our kids back into school full-time in the fall.

Speaker, there is no plan to invest in our schools, and no plan to invest in extra educators or extra spaces so that we can keep our class sizes smaller and safer. There’s no plan for students with special needs.

Investing in our schools is actually the cornerstone of Ontario’s economic recovery.

Speaker, through you: Just like we invested in our hospitals in March to make sure that there was space and that they were safe, is the Premier prepared to do the right thing, the same thing, for our schools?

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

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

Speaker, we are putting investments in place. I accept the premise: The most important thing a government can do is to protect our most vulnerable. It’s why the money is in place. It’s why the compulsory training is in place for September. It’s why we continue to work co-operatively with Dr. Williams, the chief medical officer, the command table, the federations and school boards to get this right to keep kids safe in September.

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

Mr. John Fraser: I appreciate the answer from the minister, but he does know that his increase is related to increasing enrolment and labour costs that have increased this year and last year, and it’s not going to fix what we’re talking about right now.

Parents are concerned. They don’t want their schools to be like long-term care, where the government waited a month to raise the wages of the lowest-paid workers and to stop them from working in more than one home—or migrant workers.

We’ve all seen the results of the government not doing what it needed to do when they knew they had to do it. Parents don’t want that to happen here, and there’s a big risk of that. Parents, mostly women, have been carrying the freight since our kids have been out of school. It’s affected their jobs and kept them out of the workforce, and that’s bad for our economy.

Speaker, through you: Is the Premier prepared to do what’s right for the economy and for our families and invest in a plan for our schools right now to keep class sizes small and safer and get kids back into school full-time?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: The answer, in short, is yes. The government will continue to make those investments in school boards right across Ontario to ensure that our kids remain safe.

Speaker, when I announced some weeks ago additional investments in schools—that was set aside to respond to the challenges taking place around us. For example, we’ve seen increased stress and challenges, mental health challenges imposed on our students and our children in the province of Ontario. That’s why, in addition to the historic doubling of mental health funding one year ago, we’ve announced an additional $10 million to hire more psychologists, more psychotherapists, more social workers within our schools.

That’s why, when we acknowledge the potential for students to have to be learning online, given the unknown of the fall, we’ve invested $15 million in new funding to procure tens of thousands of more devices.

We recognize the challenges for school boards, and likewise the ministry, in preparing for September, but we will ensure funding is in place, training is in place, so that we can keep all of our staff, all of our kids and, most importantly, all communities safe in September.

Mental health and addiction services

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: My question this morning is for the Associate Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Minister, COVID-19 has affected so many Ontarians in different regions across the province, especially when it comes to their mental health. In many cases, Ontarians have spent the past few months isolated and alone. For the past few months, Ontarians have understood and supported our shared goal of stopping the spread of COVID-19 so we could move further towards reopening the province.

Constituents in my riding of Oakville North–Burlington are concerned about the mental health of their loved ones, and they know we have taken and are continuing to take action.

Minister, could you please update the members of this Legislature about the actions our government has taken to address the mental health of Ontarians during the COVID-19 outbreak?

Hon. Michael A. Tibollo: Thank you to the member from Oakville North–Burlington for that excellent question.

I want to begin this morning by thanking the front-line mental health workers that have pulled it together and kept the people in the province of Ontario safe during this difficult time. They adapted programs, and they changed to using virtual services and online supports to deliver these services to Ontarians. I congratulate them for the great work and the continued work they’re doing.

The COVID-19 outbreak in Ontario has been difficult for so many Ontarians. The unfortunate reality is that in difficult times, there’s a tendency, when we have these disruptions and stress, for people to not always look after themselves, and that includes mental health. That’s why our government, under the leadership of Premier Doug Ford, took immediate action to respond to this challenge. We invested $12 million in mental health, and we’ve seen the expansion of several notable online virtual supports, including ConnexOntario, Kids Help Phone, Good2Talk and BounceBack Ontario.

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

Ms. Effie J. Triantafilopoulos: Thank you, Minister, for that great answer. It’s very reassuring to know that, even during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, our government has remained committed to making mental health and addictions a priority.

Minister, we know that, in addition to those Ontarians who may be experiencing anxiety and depression during these difficult times, many of our