The public meeting that the member opposite referenced is actually community coming together to solve problems. They have a new hospital president and CEO who will bring that innovation and those ideas to ensure that, absolutely, the Chesley emergency department does not have the same challenges they had last summer.

It is important for the member opposite to understand that as our government expands the number of pathways for individuals to be able to train and become nurses in the province of Ontario, like the Learn and Stay program, as we work with the College of Nurses of Ontario to ensure that individuals who are waiting to get their licence assessed get that done quickly—we have made those changes, Speaker, and we will continue to make those changes. Why? Because we want to ensure that people who want to practise medicine and serve the people of Ontario can do it quickly in the province—

Thank you to the member opposite for the question. In terms of nursing environments, our government has invested $73 million over three years to train and provide clinical placements for over 16,000 PSWs and nursing students; in addition, $35 million to increase nursing enrolment to add 2,000 nurses to the health care system, $34 million over four years to increase enrolment at six Indigenous institutes and $100 million to add 2,000 nurses to the long-term-care sector by 2024-25. Eligible PSWs will receive up to $6,000 a year.

We also have a nursing program transformation, partnering with MCU and LTC, that will increase access to nursing programs at publicly assisted colleges.

Mr. Speaker, we’re investing in PSWs, nurses, colleges and universities, and international students, international nurses and recruitment.

I have a petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario that reads:

“Whereas to address the current staffing shortages in the health care sector, the Ontario government has proposed an investment of $200 million in 2023-24 to address immediate staffing shortages; and

“Whereas to grow the workforce for years to come, this includes:

“—offering up to 6,000 health care students training opportunities to work in hospitals providing care and gaining practical experience as they continue their education through the Enhanced Extern Program. This program has offered these opportunities to over 5,000 health care students; and

“—supporting up to 3,150 internationally educated” workers “to become accredited nurses in Ontario through the Supervised Practice Experience Partnership program; and

“Whereas more than 2,000 internationally educated nurses have enrolled in this program and over 1,300 of them are already fully registered and practising in Ontario; and

“Whereas Ontario is continuing to hire more health care workers to ensure that everyone can see a trained professional when they need to; and

“Whereas key new investments in 2023-24 to build the health care workforce include:

“—$22 million to hire up to 200 hospital preceptors to provide mentorship;

“—$15 million to keep 100 mid-to-late career nurses in the workforce; and

“—$4.3 million to help at least 50 internationally trained physicians get licensed in Ontario;

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

“To urge all members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to support the passage of the Ontario budget bill, Bill 85, Building a Stronger Ontario.”

I wholeheartedly support this petition. I will affix my signature to it here and I will be passing it to page Felicity to bring to the table shortly.