My question is to the Premier.

The W. Sherwood Fox school council, along with more than 30 students and parents, sent a package of letters to the Thames Valley District School Board pleading for help. Daily violent incidents and code-yellow lockdowns, more frequent than ever before, have left students feeling scared and anxious about going to school. Parents feel desperate, and they worry every morning when they drop off their kids. Every student’s learning is being disrupted, and the entire school community is being traumatized.

What specific actions will this government take now to deal with the alarming rise in violence at W. Sherwood Fox Public School in London and schools across this province?

Speaker, will this government commit today to provide the funding our schools need so they are safe for students, staff and parents?

I’m proud to introduce the Hands Off the Greenbelt Act, 2023. This bill amends the Greenbelt Act to restrict the minister and the Lieutenant Governor in Council from removing land from the greenbelt area, removing land from the application of the greenbelt plan and removing a designation of land as protected countryside. These new restrictions apply retroactively as of December 13, 2022.

Mr. Schreiner moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 110, An Act to amend the Greenbelt Act, 2005 to provide for a prohibition on controlled-access highways in the Greenbelt Area and make related amendments / Projet de loi 110, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2005 sur la ceinture de verdure pour prévoir une interdiction portant sur les routes à accès limité dans la zone de la ceinture de verdure et apporter des modifications connexes.

A consequential amendment is made to section 9 of the act which will restrict the minister from making an order under either that section or section 47 of the act that would have the effect of contravening the prohibition on controlled-access highways.

Mr. Schreiner moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 111, An Act to amend the Greenbelt Act, 2005 to provide for a prohibition on pits and quarries in the Greenbelt Area and make related amendments / Projet de loi 111, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2005 sur la ceinture de verdure pour prévoir une interdiction portant sur les puits d’extraction et les carrières dans la zone de la ceinture de verdure et pour apporter des modifications connexes.

I thank the member for the question. What we have done in the ministry and across government is we have made sure that the services and the funds that the service providers need are there for them. One of the first things that we did when we formed government is we looked at some of the challenges that service providers were facing, which were the same ones that they had been facing 10, 15 years prior to us forming government. That wasn’t good enough for us. What we said we were going to do is work with the service providers to make sure that the services that the children, youth and families are in need of are not only there, but there for families faster and in a way where they need it and in a way where it’s expedited and processed faster.

We’ve been working directly with service providers to make sure that happens. We’re making sure that the funds are there for the service providers and we’ll make sure that the services and the supports the families rely on are there now and into the future.

We had to look at redesigning a system that was left neglected by the previous government. Unfortunately, throughout their time, your party supported them. You didn’t do anything about it. It was this government that had to step in and fix the mistakes of the previous government and we’re doing that. How are we doing it? In collaboration with service workers, by listening to families and by listening to those who need the services. We will not let them down in—

Thank you to the great member for Brampton North. I look forward to being with the member next week. We’ll have the opportunity to visit one of the recently announced expansion locations for the Investing in Women’s Futures Program. This amazing program is expanding to 10 new locations across the province, and Brampton is receiving one of them.

Mr. Speaker, we’ve heard first-hand accounts from women of some of the unique and disproportionate economic barriers women face when starting, growing or scaling up their businesses. That’s why our government is taking a multi-prong approach to unlock more opportunities for women in the post-pandemic economy. We are supporting women as they enter and re-enter the workforce with programs like the Investing in Women’s Futures Program and the Women’s Economic Security Program, and we’re opening opportunities for women to pursue entrepreneurship as a flexible career path with the Regional Innovation Centre and Small Business Enterprise Centre networks. Because of this, women are breaking down barriers, growing their businesses, and getting it done for themselves, their families and Ontario.

I’m telling you, I’m on a mission to get more women into the trades, because when you’ve got a trade, you’ve got a job for life, according to our Premier, and he’s right too.

Our government is investing a historic $1.5 billion over four years into the Skilled Trades Strategy. Many initiatives will support women and girls in exploring the skilled trades, like the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, the Pre-apprenticeship Training Program, and the Achievement Incentive Program. Thank you to our minister of—the long acronym. These investments enhance opportunities for girls and women to tour college trade programs, participate in workshops, and be mentored by female apprentices and journeypersons.

That’s why I will continue to work alongside the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and with our partners in labour unions and businesses to change the skilled trades culture to ensure that women who enter the trades stay in the trades.

When women succeed, Ontario succeeds.

This question is to the Minister of Community and Social Services. The Galbraiths have been waiting for an assisted living space for their son since 2014. Imagine, day after day, year after year, writing letters and emails, making phone calls and hearing nothing but crickets.

Can the minister tell this family when they will be offered an assisted living space for their son?

Can the government tell us, really, when people can expect to have the services delivered? Eight years is far too long for a family to be waiting to receive supports.

I would like to thank Lorraine Rocheleau from Alba in my riding for this petition.

“911 Everywhere in Ontario....

“Whereas when we face an emergency we all know to dial 911 for help; and

“Whereas access to emergency services through 911 is not available in all regions of Ontario but most Ontarians believe that it is; and

“Whereas many Ontarians have discovered that 911 was not available while they faced an emergency; and

“Whereas all Ontarians expect and deserve access to 911 service, throughout our province;

They “petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To provide 911 emergency response everywhere in Ontario by land line or cellphone.”

I support this petition, will my affix my name to it and give it to my good page Claire to bring to the Clerk.

And the supplementary question.

The next question.

There being no further business this morning, this House stands in recess until 3 p.m.

The House recessed from 1141 to 1500.

Mr. Hsu moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 108, An Act in relation to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) / Projet de loi 108, Loi concernant l’ensemble des troubles causés par l’alcoolisation foetale.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

Mr. Schreiner moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 109, An Act to amend the Greenbelt Act, 2005 to impose limitations on the exercise of powers conferred by the Act / Projet de loi 109, Loi modifiant la Loi de 2005 sur la ceinture de verdure pour imposer des restrictions à l’exercice des pouvoirs conférés par la Loi.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

Mr. Speaker. I’d just like to take a moment to wish the Minister of Red Tape Reduction a very happy birthday.

I just wanted to introduce a very special person from the city of Ottawa. A 21-year veteran of the Ottawa Police Service, deputy police chief Steve Bell, has joined us here in the Ontario Legislature today. Welcome.

Thank you, Speaker. I would like to welcome Lorne Brooker, host of the Lorne Brooker Show on 800 CJBQ, and his very capable assistant, Jim Gibbs. I thank all of the members of the Legislature who joined us for his broadcast this morning in the government House leader’s office. And thank you to the government House leader for letting us use your boardroom this morning.

My question is for Ontario’s Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity.

Women entrepreneurs are an integral part of Ontario’s economy, accounting for nearly 20% of all small and medium-sized businesses in Ontario—and I’m very proud to consider that my mother, Lesley, is one of that 20%. Speaker, 20% is a big number, but I think all members of the House could agree that that number could be quite a bit higher.

The reality is that women continue to encounter social and economic barriers when it comes to starting and growing their businesses. While recent numbers show that there is an increase in overall employment for women, more must be done to increase opportunities for women entrepreneurs.

Could the minister please explain what actions our government is taking to unlock even more economic opportunities for women?

There are over 370,000 jobs that are going unfilled in the skilled trades today, with one in three journeypersons over the age of 55, and many of them are heading towards retirement. Over the next decade, Ontario will need 100,000 workers in the construction sector alone to meet this growing demand.

The unfortunate reality is that women currently account for only 5% of the skilled trades workforce. Our government must act now to ensure that we address the labour shortage and help more women to pursue these in-demand, rewarding and well-paying careers.

Building a stronger Ontario means that we need more workers to help grow our businesses, our communities, and our economy.

Could the minister please explain how our government is expanding opportunities for women to pursue careers in the skilled trades?

Mr. Speaker, I wish to remind everybody about the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs reception that’s happening in rooms 228 and 230 just following these proceedings.

It’s so encouraging to hear the grant application process is now open. This is welcome news to my constituents and for communities across Ontario. Financial supports available through this grant program are a positive step in building up this precious workforce. However, there are some regions in our province still in need of health care professionals, and that’s more urgent. It’s up to our government to implement solutions to respond to local health care needs.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how investments made by our government into the Learn and Stay grant will benefit communities that are currently underserved?

This bill, which was first introduced by my predecessor, the former MPP for Kingston and the Islands, Sophie Kiwala, and also introduced by the former Premier of Ontario, Kathleen Wynne, requires boards of education to develop policies and guidelines with respect to fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, FASD. Teachers’ colleges and early childhood education programs shall be required to provide training with respect to FASD.

Ms. Bowman moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill Pr22, An Act to revive League Technique Inc.

Mr. Speaker, this petition is entitled “Petition in Support of Ontario Getting More Boots on the Ground by Making It Easier to Recruit and Train Police Officers.

“To the Solicitor General:

“Whereas the government of Ontario is committed to ensuring the safety of Ontario communities; and

“Whereas the government of Ontario is committed to supporting our hard-working women and men in blue, who put their lives on the line every day in police forces across the province of Ontario to keep our communities safe;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly as follows:

“To support the passage of Bill 102, the Strengthening Safety and Modernizing Justice Act, 2023, to ensure the following:

“(1) Make it easier for police services across the province to recruit and train more police officers by removing tuition fees for the basic constable training program at the Ontario Police College, also known as OPC, and immediately expand the number of recruits that can be trained each year;

“(2) To expand the Basic Constable Training Program at the Ontario Police College immediately to accommodate an additional 70 recruits per cohort from 480 to 550;

“(3) Starting in 2024, expand the Basic Constable Training Program to four cohorts per year instead of three cohorts;

“(4) Additionally, to support recruitment efforts at a time when local police officers have signalled challenges in doing so, and introduce legislation that, if passed, will eliminate the post-secondary education requirement to become a police officer as set out in the Community Safety and Policing Act, also known as the CSPA, and if passed, the act would amend the CSPA to provide that a secondary school diploma or equivalent is sufficient education for the purposes of being appointed as a police officer; and

“(5) To make the elimination of the tuition fee for the Basic Constable Training Program at the Ontario Police College retroactive to January 1, 2023, and recruits who paid for their 12-week basic constable training earlier this year to be reimbursed.”

I proudly affix my signature to this petition, and I will be giving it to page Sophie.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the government of Ontario is committed to ensuring the safety of Ontario communities; and

“Whereas the government of Ontario is committed to supporting our hard-working women and men in blue, who put their lives on the line every day in police forces across the province of Ontario to keep our communities safe;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To support the passage of Bill 102, Strengthening Safety and Modernizing Justice Act, 2023, to ensure the following:

“(1) Make it easier for police services across the province to recruit and train more police officers by removing tuition fees for the Basic Constable Training Program at the Ontario Police College, also known as OPC, and immediately expand the number of recruits that could be trained each year;

“(2) To expand the Basic Constable Training Program at the Ontario Police College immediately to accommodate an additional 70 recruits per cohort from 480 to 550;

“(3) Starting in 2024, expand the Basic Constable Training Program to four cohorts per year instead of three;

“(4) Additionally, to support recruitment efforts at a time when police officers have signalled challenges in doing so, introduce legislation that, if passed, will eliminate the post-secondary education requirement to become a police officer as set out in the Community Safety and Policing Act, also known as the CSPA, and if passed, the act would amend the CSPA to provide that a secondary school diploma or equivalent is sufficient education for the purposes of being appointed as a police officer; and

“(5) To make the elimination of the tuition fee for the Basic Constable Training Program at the Ontario Police College retroactive to January 1, 2023, and recruits who paid for their 12-week basic constable training earlier this year to be reimbursed.”

I’ll proudly affix my signature to this petition and give it to page Mridul. Thank you.

I want to thank my constituents who’ve been collecting these petitions at the Guelph Farmers’ Market. It’s a petition to protect the greenbelt.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Premier has persistently promised over the past four years not to develop the greenbelt; and

“Whereas the Premier has plans to build the Highway 413 that would pave over 400 acres of the greenbelt, and over 2,000 acres of class 1 and class 2 farmland; and

“Whereas the government refuses to repeal Bill 23 and halt their destructive pro-sprawl agenda; and

“Whereas the government now has plans to open up over 7,400 acres of the greenbelt to pro-sprawl developers;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“To instruct the Ontario government to immediately halt all plans to develop the greenbelt and commit to cancelling Highway 413, and to instead invest in livable and affordable communities connected by transit that protect the nature that protects us, the farmland that feeds us and mitigates climate pollution.”

I support this petition, will sign it and ask page Sophie to bring it to the table.

I want to thank the students at the McMaster faculty of social sciences for this petition to raise social assistance rates.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario’s social assistance rates are well below Canada’s official Market Basket Measure poverty line and far from adequate to cover the rising costs of food and rent: $733 for individuals on OW and $1,227 for ODSP;

“Whereas an open letter to the Premier and two cabinet ministers, signed by over 230 organizations, recommends that social assistance rates be doubled for both Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP);

“Whereas the recent small increase of 5% for ODSP still leaves these citizens below the poverty line, both they and those receiving the frozen OW rates are struggling to survive at this time of alarming inflation;

“Whereas the government of Canada recognized in its CERB program that a ‘basic income’ of $2,000 per month was the standard support required by individuals who lost their employment during the pandemic;

“We, the undersigned citizens of Ontario, petition the Legislative Assembly to double social assistance rates for OW and ODSP.”

I will affix my signature and send it to the Clerk.

I have a petition here.

“To Raise Social Assistance Rates.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario’s social assistance rates are well below Canada’s official Market Basket Measure poverty line and far from adequate to cover the rising costs of food and rent: $733 for individuals on OW and $1,227 for ODSP;

“Whereas an open letter to the Premier and two cabinet ministers, signed by over 230 organizations, recommends that social assistance rates be doubled for both Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP);

“Whereas the recent small budget increase of 5% for ODSP still leaves these citizens below the poverty line, both they and those receiving the frozen OW rates are struggling to live in this time of alarming inflation;

“Whereas the government of Canada recognized in its CERB program that a ‘basic income’ of $2,000 per month was the standard support required by individuals who lost their employment during the pandemic;

“We, the undersigned citizens of Ontario, petition the Legislative Assembly to double social assistance rates for OW and ODSP.”

I agree with this petition, will affix my name and give it to page Mackenzie to bring to the table.

It’s my honour to present the following petition. It reads:

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the Haliburton Highlands Health Services board of directors has, without consultation with the affected stakeholders, announced the permanent closure of the emergency department located in the municipality of Minden Hills, Ontario, effective June 1, 2023;

“We, the undersigned, petition that a moratorium of this decision be implemented by the Ministries of Health and Long-Term Care immediately for a period of a minimum of one year to allow for consultations with all affected stakeholders to occur.”

I fully support this petition, will affix my signature and deliver it with page Senna to the Clerks.