Speaker, Ontario is now the innovation and manufacturing gateway to North America, and that is the result of reducing the cost of doing business by $8 billion every year.

Hydrogen Optimized recently announced a $4.6-million investment in Owen Sound. They specialize in the production of green hydrogen through an exciting new manufacturing technology. This will replace fossil fuels in energy-intensive industries like cement and fertilizer production. They’re doing this cutting-edge work while creating new jobs and acquiring state-of-the-art equipment for Ontario. With a $500,000 investment from our government, Speaker, this is how we’re supporting our innovation and manufacturing sectors.

Well, that all changed under Premier Ford. Ontario is now one of the world’s leaders in EVs, with an unprecedented $25 billion in new business, $3 billion in new life sciences, $100 billion in tech, over 660,000 new jobs created. Speaker, that’s the difference when you put in a government that gets it done.

I thank the member for his question. It’s an important question, because the Finch West LRT will give people in the northwest part of the city of Toronto what they’ve been waiting for for a long time, which is a transit system that will offer more choices to travel on their own schedule.

Mr. Speaker, the Finch West LRT will connect the new Finch West subway station, on the Toronto-York Spadina subway extension, to Humber College. We’re talking about 11 kilometres of new, dedicated LRT, with 16 new surface stops, a below-grade stop at Humber College north campus and an underground interchange station at the TTC’s Finch West subway station. This also includes a brand new maintenance and storage facility for light rail transit vehicles.

This system will transform the community. Shovels went in the ground in 2018. The constructors are working diligently to deliver the system, and we look forward to having—

Back to the Premier: Residents in my community have contacted my office to express their frustration, their distress over the incessant overnight construction carried out by Metrolinx. The disruptive noise has become so unbearable that constituents are complaining—just imagine someone drilling in your backyard all night long, for a whole year. The disruptive noise has become so unbearable that constituents are complaining that children and pets are abruptly awakened from their sleep all throughout the night. However, Metrolinx has informed the residents that they possess a permit allowing them to continue these overnight operations until the end of the year because it’s related to the transit system. Whether it’s the Eglinton LRT, Scarborough RT or the Lakeshore East line, Scarborough residents are the ones, always, to suffer.

Speaker, while critical transit work is being done, what will this government do to protect local residents and mitigate the ongoing disruptions to their lives and their well-being?

Interjections.

I hope when you were speaking to those Brock students that you talked about the investments that we are making, increasing the number of student seats for both post-secondary and residency physicians. This means that there are more opportunities for young people who wish to practise medicine in the province of Ontario. They have that opportunity as a result of our government’s investment.

I hope you also highlighted the fact that in the region of Niagara, we are investing and building with that hospital corporation a brand new hospital in the amount of $4.1 billion in your community.

My question is for the Associate Minister of Transportation.

When it comes to communities around the greater Golden Horseshoe, investment is critical. Transportation infrastructure needs to happen now. I’m fortunate to have the GO train station in my riding, but more GO rail services are needed across the region. Unfortunately, the previous Liberal government did not plan ahead to address the future transit needs for people in Ontario. Our government must continue to take action and to do more to provide GO train expansion.

Can the associate minister please explain how our government is expanding GO rail services?

My question is for the Premier. Members of my community are anxiously awaiting the completion and opening of the Finch West LRT line. The construction phase hasn’t been easy, with massive traffic disruptions, vehicular and pedestrian accidents, property damage complaints, a collapsed underground garage of a high-rise condo, a day care flooded with sewage, displacing over 100 children for months, and more. My community has been patient but understandably frustrated.

In light of all of the issues on the Eglinton LRT, what assurances can you provide my community that the Finch West LRT will be completed on budget and on time at this year’s end?

My question is to the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. With our government’s policies, Ontario’s reputation as a hub for cutting-edge innovation continues to grow. With its robust manufacturing sector, it’s crucial that our government attract investments to take advantage of this fact as it drives towards creating an end-to-end economy and ending our reliance on other jurisdictions for critical goods.

Speaker, can the minister please highlight a recent investment that showcases the province’s commitment to fostering innovation and simultaneously supporting our manufacturing industry?

Speaker, with this recent announcement from Hydrogen Optimized, can the minister elaborate on why companies like them are increasingly looking to invest in Ontario and grow in Ontario?

My question today is for the Minister of Infrastructure. In 1969, the Premier of Ontario at the time, the Honourable John Robarts, spoke at the opening of the Ontario Science Centre and shared the following statement: “I am confident that during the next 100 years, it will have an impact on far more people than any other single centennial project.” One hundred years, and that’s from a Progressive Conservative Premier.

How emblematic of this government’s general approach to doing things that they are choosing to demolish it in less than half that time. First, they take apart health care, then the greenbelt, then the science centre. There’s clearly a theme here.

Yesterday, I was joined by OPSEU and community members to reject the government’s decision to demolish and relocate the science centre, a decision, I want to remind everyone, made without any public consultation. My question is, when will this government commit to genuine consultation with the public on the science centre before making community-destroying decisions like this one?

Instead, as we just heard, what we’re hearing is a series of nonsensical justifications for this decision. For example, while this government argues that the new location will attract more visitors, the new centre will be 50% smaller in size. Many Ontarians won’t be able to afford visiting the new centre, and are only able to visit the one we have now because it is centrally located. Not to mention, the current site is situated at the intersection of the Eglinton Crosstown and Ontario Line, which will open up the science centre to even more of the public.

To the Minister of Infrastructure again: Given this public outcry and these arguments, will they re-evaluate the decision to demolish the science centre?

My question is to the Premier.

A core mandate of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. is to generate revenue for the province. By this metric, the government’s ongoing plan to privatize operation of Ontario’s casinos is a failure. Even before all of the contracts have been awarded, fully one third of the contracts were renegotiated, resulting in an estimated loss of $3.3 billion to the province. These renegotiations were done voluntarily—there was no legal obligation for the province to do this—and they amount to a subsidy. These subsidies have been used in the construction of these private casinos. We are subsidizing the construction of casinos in the province of Ontario.

Why is this government continuing down this path and losing billions of dollars that are needed for health care, education, housing and, yes, the environment? Please tell the people of this province why the finance minister is overseeing and condoning this conduct.

The OLG, with the permission of the finance ministry, was not required to renegotiate these contracts, and they didn’t need our help, either. In one case, a private casino operator, with over $3 billion in assets and a net revenue of nearly $300 million annually, was given a sweetheart deal to reduce their revenue-sharing with the province by 25%. Apparently, this government is more concerned about the financial viability of casino corporations than with the needed revenue for education, health, housing and, yes, fighting forest fires.

Was this renegotiation really intended as a gift to friends? Or is the government truly so out of touch with the needs of Ontarians that they prioritize casinos over housing? This is unethical behaviour. I’m asking the finance minister simply to do his job.

Thank you very much to the member for the question. We made a commitment. We’ve been fully transparent with the public that we will be building a brand new science centre with additional, more exhibition space at Ontario Place. The former science centre lands are an opportunity for the province to continue discussions with the city of Toronto. There are opportunities for community amenities and for housing and we will have those discussions with the city of Toronto. But, Mr. Speaker, we are bringing Ontario Place back to life with a brand new science centre with more exhibition space.

It was the Liberals.

Mr. Speaker, through you to the member opposite: Many in this room are students of history, and let’s go back to when the modernization plan was put together in 2012. Does anyone remember who was in power at that time?

Does anyone remember who supported the Liberals?

Interjection: The NDP.

Interjection: Mess.

I have full confidence in the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. We are in regular contact with them. They are good people there managing the taxpayers’ money. To date, modernization has resulted in about $2 billion in capital investment from the private sector. You know what that means, Mr. Speaker? Good jobs and bigger pay-cheques for the workers of Ontario.

We have an obligation to the workers, to the people of this great province, the jobs that they create, the private sector that—we don’t create the jobs; the private sector creates the jobs. Let me talk about my own riding, Pickering. You know what we have in Pickering now? A new casino, the Pickering casino, which is creating literally hundreds and hundreds of new, good-paying jobs, right next door to Ajax, right next door to Whitby and, yes, right next door to Scarborough.

This is what the government is about. It’s about creating the conditions so that jobs and people can work in this province and support their families.

Thank you to the associate minister for the update on this important project. This is encouraging news for many people across the GTA. Transit infrastructure expansion is vital to help growth in Ontario’s economy so that goods can get to market and so that hard-working Ontarians can get to their jobs. Our government must continue to invest in expansion of transit services. Can the associate minister please explain how our government is delivering on transit services for the people of Ontario?

Speaker, I am very happy to keep talking about Scarborough, and let’s get to it, because there’s a lot happening in that member’s riding.

Let’s talk about crews widening the Sheppard Avenue West bridge between Bakersfield Street and Chesswood Drive, for the increased future service that GO expansion is bringing to the Barrie line. In fact, construction is well under way and slated to continue until September this year, with bridge installation set to begin shortly thereafter. This is another vital infrastructure upgrade for our government that we are delivering: game-changing transit, Speaker, that includes GO expansion that will see riders benefit from more than 6,500 weekly trips on the GO network. When you break it down Speaker, what this really means is that we’re ensuring that more people can connect to local transit, work, health care, education and other critical services across the entire region.

Speaker, the Premier said it best: The members opposite did nothing to build transit in this province. That includes the fine people of Scarborough. We’re doing things differently. We’re getting it done for commuters.

The opposition left a giant transit deficit in this province. We’re filling that gap and we’re building record transit—

The new location at Ontario Place will also be connected by the Ontario Line, which is a brand new subway line that our government is building to provide greater public access to Ontario Place and to make sure that it’s accessible to the public.

Mr. Speaker, we are building a brand new science centre, an innovative place with new and additional exhibition space. We are bringing Ontario Place back to life. We anticipate four to six million visitors a year, and we are all excited for the site-servicing work to start. We will continue working in a collaborative way with the city of Toronto.

The member knows that we did bring in North America-leading standards with the Fixing Long-Term Care Act. The member also knows that he voted against that.

The member should remember that we did increase wages for our PSWs. He will recall that he also voted against that.

The member probably recalls that we also decided that we would hit a North America-leading standard of four hours of care per day. He voted against that.

Moreover, he voted against an additional $25 million for the long-term-care homes in his own riding, to increase the level of care in his own community. He voted against the additional homes that we’re building in his riding and across Niagara. He has talked against the long-term-care expansion that we are doing. He has talked against and voted against the increase in inspections that we’re doing in long-term care.

By every single measure, Ontario has the largest investment in long-term care in North American history—not just in Canada, but in North America—and on every single time he had to support that, he and his party voted against.

I want to thank the member from Brampton East for this really important question. Speaker, giving people with disabilities a hand up to a better life isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s also good for the bottom line.

We owe it to all of them to build an Ontario that truly leaves no one behind. That’s why I was pleased to join everyone’s favourite minister, the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, at Community Living Toronto. We were at Community Living Toronto to announce that our government is investing $6.5 million to support five innovative training projects to help nearly 4,000 people with disabilities find meaningful employment.

Under the leadership of our Premier, our government believes everyone deserves a fair shot at a purpose-driven life.

Through these projects, participants will get tailored supports to learn new skills, set goals and be matched with mentors who can help them succeed.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I look forward to talking about these projects more.

Through the projects we announced during National AccessAbility Week, we’re helping those who need us the most get started with paid job placements in in-demand sectors like health care, information technology and hospitality.

By working with all of our partners, and continued investment to help people with disabilities find careers, we are continuing our mission to make Ontario the best place to live, work and raise a family.

My question is to the Premier. In Niagara, I met with unionized front-line workers from long-term-care homes who are concerned about the use of agency employees and the effects on the quality of care for residents. Permanent employees in long-term care are not paid fair wages for their work, which often leads to them leaving the jobs they love, worsening the staffing crisis. Meanwhile, temporary employment agencies are charging $150 an hour or more, and Ontarians are footing the bill.

Will the Premier rein in temporary staffing agencies and ensure permanent employees are paid fairly to address the staffing crisis?

Many of the temporary agency workers have no training or experience in long-term care. This is leading to reduced quality of care for residents and potential concerns around the safety and well-being of the people in our long-term-care facilities. These are our mothers, our fathers, our grandparents, our aunts and our uncles. It’s all about respect and dignity for long-term-care residents and for the permanent employees in these homes.

When is the Premier going to ensure fair standards are in place at every long-term-care home across the province of Ontario for workers and their patients?

Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Colleges and Universities.

Under the leadership of our Premier, this government has made record-setting investments in health care infrastructure, more support for health care workers, and unprecedented supports to accessing care. Our government believes that everyone deserves to have equal access to health care close to home.

We know there’s more that needs to be done when it comes to connecting Ontarians to care in their local communities. This means that more staff are required to better serve our communities with the greatest need for health care professionals. However, filling these critical roles requires educated and skilled health care professionals.

The minister had previously spoken about the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant program, which incentivizes students to pursue careers in the health care sector.

Can the minister please provide an update on the success of the Ontario Learn and Stay grant program?