My supplementary is also for the Premier. Since 2018, more Ontarians are lacking access to a family doctor, not fewer Ontarians. Like every other part of the province, the shortage of family doctors is having a profound impact on my own hometown, in Ottawa. Ottawa Public Health estimates that some 150,000 Ottawa residents don’t have access to primary care, and OPH admits that this number could be wildly underestimated.

The problem is only getting worse. In the first six months of the pandemic, twice as many family physicians stopped work completely compared to trends from the previous decade. In Orléans, several family doctors have announced that they are closing their practices later this spring. Some of these are very young doctors, Mr. Speaker. They’re not closing due to retirement; they’re closing because of the challenges within the health care system and the lack of support from this government. This is leaving potentially thousands more residents in the lurch without primary care.

A group of community leaders and not-for-profit groups are coming together to explore the creation of a community health centre for Orléans and for east Ottawa. Will the government support the creation of a new community health centre in east Ottawa to provide primary care to these residents?

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and we pay our respects to the community and the event there. Similarly, Shoal Lake 40, a First Nations community in my riding, had an experience, a fire that occurred in the community on February 11.

There is no question, Mr. Speaker, to the member’s point, that fire preparedness and readiness has been a long-standing issue on reserve. I have notified the Chief in Shoal Lake 40 of our preparedness to support them moving forward and to take a look at options that the province can do to support efforts by the federal government to ensure that fire safety and the equipment necessary to enforce that or to bring that to a community is put in place. It’s time.

Thank you very much.

The supplementary question.

Thank you to the member from Ajax for the question and for her endless work on behalf of her constituents.

I’m glad to inform the member that unlike the Liberals, our government is delivering for riders by bringing Presto into the modern era. Our government introduced the credit card tap payment feature on Presto for GO, Brampton, MiWay and Oakville transit riders in August of last year, and it was met with terrific success.

I’m pleased to inform the House that just last month, on January 23, we extended this credit card tap payment feature for riders in York, Burlington, Hamilton and in the member’s own riding of Durham. The credit card tap system is fantastic news for transit riders, because Presto is simply a game-changer when you modernize it. The fact is that eight participating agencies means that 700,000 taps have been used with credit cards on these transit agencies, and achieving this milestone so quickly, Speaker, demonstrates that our government is delivering transit improvements that riders want and enjoy. By improving this Presto system, we’re getting it done for riders.

Our government is now building on our introduction of credit card tap features across the rest of the 905. In fact, Speaker, we are working to implement debit tap card payment capabilities at each of these 905 transit agencies that currently accept the credit card payment feature.

What’s more, Speaker, Metrolinx, on behalf of our government, is working with the TTC to update Presto devices so that both credit and debit payments can be brought to the largest transit agency in our country for Toronto riders.

We’re not going to stop until we connect the whole grid with these payment options so that commuters can conveniently get to work, to school, wherever they need to be. Unlike the opposition, Speaker, our government is turning Presto around and providing a modern fare system that works today and for generations to come.

Ma question est pour le premier ministre. On January 28, the community of Weenusk tragically lost its fourth resident due to a house fire. Sadly, this time it was a 10-year-old child. My sincere condolences go out to the family and the community.

This tragedy occurred because the community does not have proper firefighting equipment and no fire department. How is this even possible? This is a fundamental necessity to protect and save lives.

The community is asking the government for help. They have a fire truck waiting in Winnipeg. They need infrastructure. Monsieur le Premier Ministre, what will your government do to help this community to ensure history does not repeat itself?

In Kiiwetinoong, the house was at the corner where the fire station would be. We have a sitting fire truck in Winnipeg. And we say we talked to the federal—well I think we have a responsibility as a province to make sure that we protect the First Nations community. So I ask again: What will your government do to protect these communities?

For far too long, Ontario’s transportation network was neglected under the previous Liberal government. Ongoing failures under their leadership led to increased costs for riders and less service in accessing communities in our province. This is unacceptable. Our government needs to take urgent action to make public transit easier and more convenient for the people in my riding.

As a government, we need to ensure that we are helping individuals and families get to work, school and appointments easily, more safely and more reliably. Can the Associate Minister of Transportation please share with the House what our government is doing to make it more convenient to take transit?

The people of my riding were left behind under the previous Liberal government when it came to transit investments. Making public transit more accessible for the people of Ajax and all residents of Durham region and beyond needs to be a priority for our government. As a government, we need to ensure that transit is easier to take, more flexible and convenient for everyone. Reducing barriers to getting on the bus, especially for new users, means greater transit use, less emissions and a greener province.

Speaker, can the Associate Minister of Transportation elaborate further on what our government is doing to deliver on transit?

The member opposite is right: One death is too many. That’s why I’m proud that our government recently endorsed the release of Canada’s first National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Ontario led the approach in forwarding the national action plan to the FPT forum of justice ministers with a written request that they commit to taking further action to improve justice system responses, including holding perpetrators and offenders accountable.

In addition, our government has recently invested up to $3.6 million this year to support survivors of human trafficking and gender-based violence in rural and remote communities. On February 10, the government provided part 1 of Ontario’s response to the Office of the Chief Coroner, and this response reflects the progress made so far.

We will continue to work across government to provide an update and comprehensive response in the future.

Thank you, Speaker—and I might be jumping ahead a little bit, but I do want to welcome the family of former MPP Mike Ray to the House. I know you’ll be identifying them later on.

I would like to welcome Lara Suleiman and Sofia Ouslis from Western University, my alma mater, who are joining me today from the University Students’ Council’s Women in House initiative that sends students to shadow a female MPP. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Speaker, with utmost pleasure, I want to share the joy of something I have been waiting for for over four years: to welcome my brother, Shalinder Anand, and his lovely wife, Sweety Anand, visiting for the first time this House of responsibility. Remarks in Punjabi. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

I, too, would like to welcome three students from the Women in House program, Gia, Iris and Sarah, who are here to learn about our parliamentary democracy and who will be shadowing me today. Welcome to the House.

In September 2015, Carol Culleton, Anastasia Kukyk and Nathalie Warmerdam were murdered by a man in Renfrew county. The perpetrator knew all three women.

Their tragic murders led to the Renfrew county inquest, which last June made 86 specific and concrete recommendations to prevent intimate partner violence. The very first recommendation is to identify the problem and declare intimate partner violence an epidemic. Will the Premier accept the first recommendation from the Renfrew county inquest and declare intimate partner violence an epidemic?

I’ll ask the government again: Will they implement the first recommendation and name intimate partner violence what it is, an epidemic? And furthermore, will they do recommendation number 4 and create the role of an independent survivor advocate to advocate on behalf of survivors and their experience in the justice system?

I beg leave to present a report on Value-for-Money Audit: Condominium Oversight in Ontario, 2020 Annual Report of the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario, from the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and move the adoption of its recommendations.

As Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, I’m pleased to table these four reports today.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the permanent membership of the committee and substitute members who participated in the public hearings and report-writing process. The committee extends its appreciation to officials from all of the ministries and agencies who participated in these respective hearings. The committee also acknowledges the assistance provided during the hearings and report-writing deliberations by the Office of the Auditor General, the Clerk of the Committee and legislative research.

This legislation will support the implementation of the Your Health plan by first establishing a new legislative framework to support the expansion of surgical surgeries in the community. It will also enable Canadian registered health professionals to practise in Ontario immediately, without waiting for registration with the relevant college. It will allow pharmacists to independently initiate prescriptions based on the pharmacist’s own assessment of a patient’s health when providing medication therapies. And, finally, it will enhance privacy obligations for external data indicators and facilitate safe interaction of de-identified health administrative data across the system.

MPP Andrew moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 61, An Act in respect of the tax treatment of psychotherapy services provided by certain practitioners in Ontario under the Psychotherapy Act, 2007 / Projet de loi 61, Loi concernant le traitement fiscal des services de psychothérapie offerts par certains praticiens en Ontario en application de la Loi de 2007 sur les psychothérapeutes.

Mr. Speaker, I beg leave to present a report from the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs and move its adoption.

Thank you, Speaker. There’s a bit of a theme. I’d like to welcome Joy Chen and Shreya Menon from Western University Students’ Council’s Women in House, who are also shadowing me this afternoon.

To reply, the Solicitor General.

The House recessed from 1209 to 1500.

Report adopted.

Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Debate adjourned.

Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Debate adjourned.

Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Debate adjourned.

Does the member wish to make a brief statement?

Debate adjourned.

Ms. Jones moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 60, An Act to amend and enact various Acts with respect to the health system / Projet de loi 60, Loi visant à modifier et à édicter diverses lois en ce qui concerne le système de santé.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

My question is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services. All women and children in Ontario deserve to live without the threat of violence. Sadly, incidents involving human trafficking in women fleeing abuse occur in our province. Many women who leave these circumstances often face challenges in finding support. These obstacles are more pronounced in rural and remote parts of Ontario, where distances make accessing resources extremely difficult.

Everyone has the right to be safe. As a government. we are responsible for directly addressing this issue. What is our government doing to support these women and children?

Speaker, how is our government ensuring appropriate funding for women in rural, remote and northern communities?

Our hearts go out with communities that have lost loved ones. This is absolutely the case. But the Office of the Fire Marshal will support enhancements to public safety in all of Ontario, particularly northern Ontario.

I have remained in close contact with Indigenous provincial and federal partners to ensure that First Nations communities across our province have the support they need. Pour moi, en tant que solliciteur général, rien n’est plus important que la sécurité de notre province.

Over the past six months, provincial ministries have reviewed the jury’s recommendations. The work needed to understand, assess and plan for the recommendations is complex and must be done with care and attention. As the relevant ministries work to provide the Office of the Chief Coroner with an update on these recommendations, we’re committed to breaking the cycle of intimate partner violence and supporting survivors to help keep our communities safe. I look forward to a completed review and recommendations before the summer.