This petition is signed by residents and members of Jean Lumb school, Bishop Macdonell school, Harbord Collegiate, the Waterfront School, Market Lane, and St. Mary school in my riding.

“Petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Fund Ontario Public Schools.

“Whereas the TDSB has a deficit of $63.2 million for the 2023-24 school year, due to continuous underfunding by the Ministry of Education;

“Whereas the Ministry of Education has not reimbursed the $70.1-million TDSB reserve used to cover pandemic expenditures;

“Whereas the deficit and pandemic costs combined result in forcing schools to reduce special-needs assistants, educational assistants, clerical staff, teachers and vice-principal positions at TDSB schools;

“Whereas continued underfunding disproportionately affects the marginalized, the vulnerable, and those with special needs;

“Whereas continued underfunding results in larger, more crowded, and unsafe schools;

“Whereas continued underfunding means that students receive less one-on-one time with educators;

“We, the undersigned parents, guardians, caregivers, students, staff and community members, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:

“(1) To adequately fund and strengthen public education in Ontario so students and education workers get the support they need;

“(2) To reimburse schools and the TDSB for the costs of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

I fully endorse this petition. I will affix my signature and pass it to page Arisa to take to the table.

You know what? I want to continue on that theme. I want to thank the member from Toronto Centre for her remarks today. You mentioned the social determinants of safety. Statistics show that in societies where you have a lesser gap between rich and poor, you have lower levels of crime; you have lower homicide rates. Part of it is really obvious.

Under this government, we’ve got an opioid crisis, an epidemic that is exploding. We’ve got a homelessness epidemic that is exploding. We’ve got food bank lines that are around the block. The statistics show that 80% of homeless youth are victims of at least two crimes per year; 32% reported being victims of sexual assault. So when this government refuses to address those social determinants of safety, they’re actually increasing the amount of work that the police have to do.

What would you recommend to this government, and how would you change this bill to address the social determinants of safety?