It’s my honour to present this petition on behalf of Lynn Mayhew, from the families of incarcerated women and girls at the Andrew Mercer Reformatory. This petition was submitted by Lorraine Vasiliauskas. The petition reads:

“Extend Access to Post-Adoption Birth Information.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas current legislation does not provide access to post-adoption birth information (identifying information) to next of kin if an adult adopted person or a natural/birth parent is deceased;

“Whereas this barrier to accessing post-adoption birth information separates immediate family members and prohibits the children of deceased adopted people from gaining knowledge of their identity and possible Indigenous heritage;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to extend access to post-adoption birth information (identifying information) to next of kin, and/or extended next of kin, if an adult adopted person or a natural/birth parent is deceased.”

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

Supplementary?

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

The division bells rang from 1139 to 1144.

Ms. Armstrong has moved private member’s notice of motion number 34. All those in favour will please rise and remaining standing until recognized by the Clerk.

Motion negatived.

The House recessed from 1149 to 1300.

It’s an honour to be able to rise in this House and share details about the investments in health care that are being made in Niagara, under the leadership of this Premier and this Minister of Health.

We’re seeing a new West Lincoln Memorial Hospital for the first time in our region.

We’re seeing 1.3 million square feet of new health care coming on board in the new South Niagara Hospital.

We’ve seen the doubling of the nursing program at Brock University, going from 300 to 600 new nursing students each year.

We’ve seen free tuition and expanded personal support worker supports at Niagara College, bringing many new PSWs on board.

Palliative care expansions—adding over 24 new beds to the region, going from 16 to 40 palliative care beds in Niagara region.

We’re seeing hundreds of thousands of dollars in increased supports for Pathstone’s youth mental health.

We’ve seen the new mobile health mental clinic going in through the south Niagara region as well.

We’re seeing $8 million for a new community paramedicine program, supporting seniors aging in place across the province.

We’re seeing a new youth—

Interjections.

This petition is being tabled on behalf of Lynn Mayhew, from families of incarcerated women and girls at the Andrew Mercer Reformatory, and submitted by Katie-Marie McNeill. It reads:

“Extend Access to Post-Adoption Birth Information.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas current legislation does not provide access to post-adoption birth information ... to next of kin if an adult adopted person or a natural/birth parent is deceased;

“Whereas this barrier to accessing post-adoption birth information separates immediate family members and prohibits the children of deceased adopted people from gaining knowledge of their identity and possible Indigenous heritage;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to extend access to post-adoption birth information (identifying information) to next of kin, and/or extended next of kin, if an adult adopted person or a natural/birth parent is deceased.”

I support this petition and will affix my signature to it.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I want to thank my colleague for that very important question. The people of Ontario care about the welfare of animals, and so does our government. We are committed to developing a strong system to protect animals, and we have delivered on that promise.

Ontario has the strongest penalties in Canada for people who violate animal welfare laws. Just last year, regulations under the animal welfare act were passed to increase standards of care for dogs kept outdoors. Our government takes animal welfare and safety very seriously.

But everyone has a responsibility to protect animals. If you suspect that neglect or abuse of an animal is taking place, please report it. The number you can call is 1-833-9-ANIMAL, and is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It’s my sincere pleasure to introduce, from the town of Tecumseh, Councillor Brian Houston, who is in the east members’ gallery this afternoon.

My question is to the Premier. April 1 is fast approaching, and parents of children with autism are worried. After meeting with local trustees in Oshawa, it is clear that parents of children with autism who will be transitioning from the ending legacy autism program and into schools don’t have answers about what will happen after April 1, once that legacy program is over.

Parents who are going in to register their children for school are met with surprised principals and no plans for support. At a time when special education needs are already terribly underfunded, my question is: What is this government doing to support students with autism to ensure a successful, smooth and supported transition from the legacy program into the classroom?

On behalf of Origins Canada, I’d like to present this petition submitted by Valerie Andrews:

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas current legislation does not provide access to post-adoption birth information ... to next of kin if an adult adopted person or a natural/birth parent is deceased;

“Whereas this barrier to accessing post-adoption birth information separates immediate family members and prohibits the children of deceased adopted people from gaining knowledge of their identity and possible Indigenous heritage;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to extend access to post-adoption birth information (identifying information) to next of kin, and/or extended next of kin, if an adult adopted person or a natural/birth parent is deceased.”

I’d like to attach my name to this petition and then send it back to the centre table with page Jing.

The bill is called the Peter Kormos Memorial Act. This is something that my colleague Peter Kormos was really adamant about.

The Gift of Life Act currently requires that consent be obtained before tissue can be removed from a human body to be used for therapeutic purposes. Under the proposed amendment, consent would no longer be required, except for children, and a person may object to the removal and use of a tissue prior to their death, or a substitute decision-maker after the death has occurred. Those changes would make sure that the more-than-1,300 people presently on the wait-list for a transplant would get quicker access to life-saving care.

I am happy to present several hundred signatures on this petition to save the Welland hospital emergency department.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the current Niagara Health system restructuring plan approved by the Ontario Ministry of Health includes removal of the emergency department and associated beds and ambulances service from the Welland hospital site once the Niagara Falls site is complete, creating inequity of hospital and emergency service in the Niagara region and a significant negative impact on hospital and emergency outcomes for the citizens of Welland, Port Colborne and all Niagara;

“Whereas the NHS is already experiencing a 911 crisis in EMS, a shortage of beds and unacceptable off-loading delays in its emergency departments across the region;

“Whereas the population in the Welland hospital catchment area is both aging and growing;

“Whereas the Ontario Legislature passed a motion by Niagara Centre MPP Jeff Burch on April 13, 2022, to include a full emergency department and associated beds in the rebuild of the Welland hospital;

“Therefore, be it resolved that we call on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to work with the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Niagara Health system to implement motion 47 to maintain the Welland hospital emergency department and adjust its hospital plan accordingly.”

I’ll affix my signature and hand it to the Clerk.

I beg to inform the House that today the Clerk received the report on intended appointments dated March 23, 2023, of the Standing Committee on Government Agencies. Pursuant to standing order 110(f)(9), the report is deemed to be adopted by the House.

Report deemed adopted.

Madame Gélinas moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 84, An Act to amend various statutes with respect to the removal and use of tissue from a human body for therapeutic purposes, medical education or scientific research / Projet de loi 84, Loi visant à modifier diverses lois en ce qui concerne le prélèvement et l’utilisation de tissus d’un corps humain à des fins thérapeutiques, pour l’enseignement de la médecine ou pour la recherche scientifique.

First reading agreed to.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? I heard a no.

All those in favour, say “aye.”

All those opposed, say “nay.”

In my opinion, the ayes have it.

Interjection: On division.

Motion agreed to.

Thank you to the Solicitor General for that response. Unfortunately, there are situations where distress, neglect and abuse to animals continue to occur throughout the province. As a few examples, dogs can become victims of puppy mills, where they are kept in inhumane conditions, and animals that are kept outdoors can be exposed to unsafe conditions such as lack of shelter or water. Another situation that illustrates the urgency of this problem is the detrimental effect on pets that are left in cars in extreme weather conditions.

Speaker, can the Solicitor General please elaborate on how the PAWS Act protects the welfare, health and safety of animals?

I would like to ask a question to our great Minister of Health—to share with this House what we are doing for the great people of Niagara and the historic investments we are making in Niagara.

In my response to the member from Orléans, I mentioned the gas tax. I just wanted to clarify for the record, if there’s any ambiguity, that what I was referring to was our government passing legislation to reduce the gas tax by—

I don’t think the minister heard the question of what was being asked, and again has gone back to the OAP talking points and their funding. This is not what we’re talking about. We’re talking about a program, the legacy program, that is ending March 31. Children will be transitioned into schools across all of our communities on April 1 without programs in place.

We don’t have enough teachers in the classroom. We don’t have enough EAs in the classroom. We have no extra supports happening April 1. Nobody knows what’s happening. We need answers from this government and we obviously need them soon, since April 1 is around the corner.

Can the Minister of Education possibly tell us what is going to be happening April 1 to ensure that there are supports in the classroom to support all of these children, who have never been in school and need services?

I’m rising on standing order 59. Again, I thank colleagues for a very productive week in the House. I’ll just outline the business for next week.

On Monday, March 27, we will begin debate on the budget bill. In the afternoon, there will be opposition debate number 3, and then we will return to the budget bill.

On Tuesday, March 28, in both the morning and afternoon sessions, we will be debating the budget bill, and in the evening, Bill 73, from the member for Glengarry–Prescott–Russell—I think it’s his first private member’s bill—Supporting Ontario’s Community, Rural and Agricultural Newspapers Act, 2023.

On Wednesday, March 29, in the morning, there will be debate on the budget bill, and in the afternoon, we will continue with the budget bill. At some point, we’ll also continue with debate on Bill 79, Working for Workers Act, 2023. In the evening, we will have private member’s Bill 56.

On Thursday, March 30, in the morning and afternoon, we will continue debate on the budget. In the evening, we will be debating Bill 74 in private members’ business.

I want to read a petition on behalf of Lynn Mayhew, from families of incarcerated women and girls at the Andrew Mercer Reformatory. This petition was submitted by Mary Joe of Thornhill and Lisa Auger of Guelph.

“Extend Access to Post-Adoption Birth Information.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas current legislation does not provide access to post-adoption birth information (identifying information) to next of kin if an adult adopted person or a natural/birth parent is deceased;

“Whereas this barrier to accessing post-adoption birth information separates immediate family members and prohibits the children of deceased adopted people from gaining knowledge of their identity and possible Indigenous heritage;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to extend access to post-adoption birth information (identifying information) to next of kin, and/or extended next of kin, if an adult adopted person or a natural/birth parent is deceased.”

I fully support this petition, sign it and pass it to Stefan to deliver to the table.

I was pleased to get this petition from students and faculty at Notre Dame school in Welland.

“Protect the Greenbelt and Build Real Affordable Housing: Repeal Bill 23.

“In the middle of a climate and housing crisis, we as students and staff at Notre Dame College School in Welland, Ontario, are calling on you to repeal Bill 23. This bill will destroy wetlands, farmland and woodlands and undermine important environmental protection. We need real investment in affordable housing, and this bill will only deliver more money to developers while worsening the housing emergency.

“We, the undersigned, urge you to stop Bill 23. Our school community values our environment, and we want our lands protected for this generation and future generations. Specifically, the Niagara region has some of the most valuable farmlands and ecosystems in all of Ontario. How can a greenbelt be considered green if you plan to allow the land to be built upon and developed?

“This petition was signed by members from our entire school community, including staff, educational assistants, secretaries, custodians and students.”

I affix my signature and send it to the Clerk.

I have a petition here on behalf of Lynn Mayhew, from families of incarcerated women and girls at the Andrew Mercer Reformatory. This petition has been submitted by Susan Duncan of Whitby, Ontario, and the petition reads:

“Extend Access to Post-Adoption Birth Information.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas current legislation does not provide access to post-adoption birth information (identifying information) to next of kin if an adult adopted person or a natural/birth parent is deceased;

“Whereas this barrier to accessing post-adoption birth information separates immediate family members and prohibits the children of deceased adopted people from gaining knowledge of their identity and possible Indigenous heritage;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to extend access to post-adoption birth information (identifying information) to next of kin, and/or extended next of kin, if an adult adopted person or a natural/birth parent is deceased.”

I fully support this petition, will affix my signature to it and give it to page Mikaeel to give it to the Clerks.