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?

Supplementary.

Speaker, while the member opposite is going to disparage individuals who are regulated under the same regulated health profession as nurses working in hospitals, in long-term-care homes, we are going to embark on and continue to expand upon the largest health human resource expansion in Ontario’s history.

Last summer, when we directed the College of Nurses to quickly expedite, review and ultimately license appropriate nurses who have been trained in other jurisdictions, they had a historic high: In 2022, over 12,000 nurses—over 6,000 of which were educated outside of Ontario and Canada—have now been given the opportunity to register and practise in the province of Ontario.

Those types of initiatives are going to expand our health human resources so that everyone, whether they are in community, long-term care, hospital, in our surgical and diagnostic centres have appropriate care.

My question is to the great Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. Our government believes that anyone who wants to work should have the opportunity to work; however, individuals with developmental disabilities often face barriers in securing stable and fulfilling employment.

Speaker, the statistics are clear: There are approximately 2.6 million people in Ontario who live with disabilities. Sadly, only 55% of these people are employed.

Individuals with disabilities deserve opportunities to master in-demand skills, gain valuable experiences and build the confidence they need to thrive in their communities. That’s why our government must continue to make investments that would build up Ontario’s workforce.

Speaker, can the minister explain how our government is supporting employment opportunities for all Ontarians?

Ontario continues to face a historic labour shortage, with nearly 300,000 jobs going unfilled every day, costing our economy billions in lost productivity.

While our government is investing in training programs and providing support, there must also be accessible and inclusive employment opportunities. As the minister states, “We need all hands on deck” in order to build a stronger Ontario for the next generation. That means that we must ensure that all Ontarians have access to the skills they need to find rewarding jobs.

Speaker, can the minister please explain how investments by our government will open pathways for more inclusive workplaces?

Thank you to the great member for that question.

Yes, I would love to provide an update on the Learn and Stay program. I’ve had the opportunity to speak about this exciting grant on several occasions in the House and how it will directly address the health care challenges Ontario is facing.

On May 16, at Georgian College in Owen Sound, alongside Minister Jones and MPP Byers, we announced the launch of applications for the new Ontario Learn and Stay Grant. Incentivizing students to study and work in the sector will not only alleviate the health care strain and bring stability to underserved communities, but it will also steer students in the direction of meaningful careers.

Speaker, I am pleased to report that to date, as of 9 a.m. this morning, we have had 4,135 students start or complete the application to the Learn and Stay program. This outstanding number proves that students are eager to begin lifelong careers in the health care sector.

Unlike previous governments, this government is taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to supporting students in every way possible, to support our—

My question is for the Associate Minister of Housing. For too many Ontarians, including young people, newcomers and seniors, finding the right home is still too challenging. The housing shortage is affecting all Ontarians, including rural, urban and suburban communities across our province, and it has unfortunately reached crisis levels.

Our government has been working on behalf of the people of Ontario to address the shortage of housing in our province and has passed several pieces of legislation to significantly increase the supply of housing. However, our government must do more to find solutions to address the housing crisis and to speed up the pace of housing construction.

Speaker, can the associate minister please explain how our government is removing barriers to getting more homes built in Ontario?

It is positive to see that several municipalities have committed to achieving our province’s housing targets, and their support is vital to accomplish this goal. The commitment by municipalities to work collaboratively with our government in developing strategies that will provide real and long-term housing solutions is important and essential.

Speaker, can the associate minister please explain how our government is supporting municipalities across our province so they can deliver on their housing commitments?

It’s so encouraging to hear the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant program has been so well received by students looking to pursue meaningful careers in health care. We know that some regions in our province face urgent staffing shortages. This uptake in applications will greatly assist in filling these local health care staffing needs.

While the Learn and Stay grant program is a positive step in addressing staffing shortages across Ontario, our government must continue to be proactive by implementing programs to produce results. People in communities like Chatham-Kent–Leamington and across the province are looking for assurance that when they need access to health care, the professionals will be there to care for them.

Speaker, can the minister please provide an update on how local communities will benefit from students enrolled in programs through the Learn and Stay Grant program?

Thank you very much.

The supplementary question.

One more time, I’ll remind the members to make their comments through the Chair, not directly across the House at each other.

Start the clock. The next question.

Mr. Speaker, we have increased funding for school boards by 14% when compared to the former Liberals. We have increased funding by $78 million for the Toronto District School Board, even though, to the member opposite—we can disagree often on opinions but not on facts—there are literally 8,000 fewer students, yet they have $78 million more than they did when we started.

As the member opposite will know, as a parent and a parliamentarian, the per-pupil funding—when student enrolment rises, funding rises. When enrolment declines, as does the funding; it’s commensurate with the amount of kids in the system. Yet even with fewer kids, funding is up. That’s such an important point for people in Toronto to know. We are stepping up with investments in Toronto. We’re building modern schools in Toronto. We’re expediting the delivery of schools in the city of Toronto. We’re building in all of your communities, because we appreciate there’s more to do.

The best way we can help Toronto is to vote for our budget, vote for our plan, vote for a responsible course of action that lifts standards, elevates the expectations of the system and stands up for—

The member opposite has the gall to speak about transparency. We are the only jurisdiction in the nation that required every school, 4,800 schools, to publicly report on the state of ventilation at the school level—the rate of ventilation, the use of filtration. We require every school to have a MERV 13 for the schools that have mechanical ventilation. We have a standard that no province has. If a school does not have mechanical ventilation, we require a HEPA filter in every single learning space: the classes, the gyms, the libraries, the learning commons. That is the gold standard when it comes to elevating expectations on ventilation.

If the member opposite was so concerned about this, then you should explain to the parents here why you voted against the measures that improved the air quality in Ontario’s publicly funded schools.

Interjections.

My question is to the Minister of Education. The Ford Conservative government is refusing to reimburse the $61 million the TDSB was forced to spend from their reserves during the pandemic. The government knows that school boards cannot run deficits, which means the TDSB is being forced to make cuts. Now, across Toronto, schools are learning that staff positions will be cut: teachers, education assistants, counsellors, vice-principals—522 staff positions cut. This government is starving the public education system.

Speaker, we know Conservatives don’t like public health care. Are they now after our public education system too?

Thank you again to the member for that question. Yes, I’d love to provide more specific details on this grant.

In northern Ontario, for the member for Thunder Bay–Atikokan, 237 students have applied to programs at Lakehead University and Confederation College. These are students who will go on to work at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, St. Joseph’s Care Group and more within the region.

In the east, the member from Renfrew–Nipissing–Pembroke: 106 students are eager to attend programs offered at Algonquin College that will support health care needs for Pembroke Regional Hospital and Deep River and District Hospital.

In the southwest, the member for Windsor–Tecumseh: 387 students will go on to support the local health care needs across the entire region, including at the Windsor Regional Hospital.

Speaker, that is obviously only a handful of the ridings represented. The number of applicants increases every day. When our Premier promises to get it done for the people of Ontario, we get it done.

The only record here is how often the minister can repeat the same talking points while per-student funding is down $1,200.

Our kids deserve the caring adults they need in classrooms, and they also deserve safe, healthy learning environments. We know that clean air improves health, reduces absences and results in better learning outcomes and test scores, yet this government isn’t bothering to monitor, report on and improve indoor air quality in schools. For a government that talks a lot about accountability, they sure have problems showing it.

Ontario School Safety is here today calling for action. Will the minister meet with them and will the government fund an expert air quality committee to oversee air quality in schools?

I really do want to thank the member from Brantford–Brant for this great question. Speaker, we are undertaking thoughtful, impactful actions to address housing affordability and supply for all Ontarians. Our latest action plan allows our government to boost construction while supporting current and future homeowners and renters. It is this government that is protecting tenants from unfair practices. We’re reducing red tape, and we’re assisting first-time buyers, something the NDP once again voted against.

We’ve laid the foundation to increase the supply of market housing so that affordability is within reach for every single community across this province. And, Speaker, I’ve been to Ottawa, Perth county, Wellington and London—right across many communities—and we’ve heard the same about the need and the appreciation for the bold measures our government is taking to combat the housing supply right across this province.

The Associate Minister of Housing.

Call in the members. This is a five-minute bell.

The division bells rang from 1159 to 1204.

Ms. Hogarth has moved private member’s notice of motion number 50.

All those in favour, please rise and remain standing until recognized by the Clerk.

Motion agreed to.

The House recessed from 1208 to 1500.

Afternoon meeting reported in volume B.