There was a time when companies were fleeing Ontario—300,000 jobs left here. But under this government, we have lowered the cost of doing business by over $700 billion a year, every year. The result? Look at Telus—a $23-billion investment in network infrastructure and broadband technology, creating 9,500 new jobs over the next five years. Tata Consultancy Services, an Indian tech firm, launched their fifth global hub right here in Toronto—5,000 new jobs and 100 internships for those 65,000 STEM grads.

We have created the right climate for companies like LTTS and Snowflake to locate right here in Ontario, all because Ontario is open for business.

My question is to the Premier. I hope that I get an answer from the Premier.

My constituent Stephanie told me that when she had to get Tylenol for her child she went to five stores and they were all out.

My constituent Ronnie told me that when his one-year-old was sick, he went to every single nearby pharmacy and none of them had Tylenol.

This shortage is straining physicians. The ERs for children are bursting.

What is this government doing to ensure that all families have access to the medicine they need—including the ones that are manufactured right here in Ontario? Why is it that American pharmaceuticals can create a workaround and we don’t see the same thing happening right here in Ontario?

It’s great that our government is attracting investment from around the world to create jobs for our annual 65,000 STEM graduates.

For Ontario to outperform Silicon Valley, our government must also support the Ontario-made technology ecosystem.

We heard that in 2021 alone, Ontario attracted record levels of venture capital investments, leading the nation with $8.4 billion in investments.

Will the minister explain how our government is ensuring Ontario’s venture capital sector and high-potential technology companies are staying ahead of competitors to the south?

The supplementary question.

Minister of Health.

The next question.

Remarks in Oji-Cree. My question is to the Premier.

The children in northern First Nations are the most vulnerable in Ontario because of their limited access to health care. Because of the lack of children’s pain and fever medications, Nishnawbe Aski Nation leaders and their allies are planning to travel to the US to get these medications, because this government cannot ensure supply.

The thought of losing any of our children because we do not have these basic medications available is intolerable.

How is Ontario working with Nishnawbe Aski Nation to address this issue?

Interjections.

The member opposite raises a very important issue. In fact, I met with the grand chief early today and it was one of the conversations that we had. How do we ensure that our federal government actually steps up and stops putting barriers to ensure that we have children’s medication? I have spoken to Minister Duclos as recently as this past weekend. Of course, it was raised by all of the health ministers at our federal-provincial-territorial meeting last week. I have received assurances from Minister Duclos; frankly, I wish that he had acted sooner. The barrier that we have seen that is preventing children’s medication to be imported into Ontario and Canada is disturbing. I think, in this case, we should have had a short-term solution that said, “If it only has English on the packaging, we want it, because we are in short supply.” The federal minister has finally acted on that, and I am pleased to see that action.

The member opposite talks about how important it is to build up and ensure that we have sufficient supplies here in Ontario. Where was that member when we were building up Ontario and making sure that we had a supply of personal protective equipment built here in Ontario? Was the member supporting those initiatives when we made a made-in-Ontario solution that said, “If you have ideas, if you have initiatives, we want to hear about it and we want to be part of the solution”?

Interjections.

We will continue to ensure that manufacturing is a large part of what we want to see in the province of Ontario, and I hope the member opposite will support that when they come forward.

Thanks to the member opposite for the question. He does come from Durham region, which is Ontario’s clean energy capital—Canada’s clean energy capital, as a matter of fact—home to Darlington and Pickering nuclear generating stations, with 76,000 people working in this sector in Ontario and across the country.

The Premier had the vision three years ago to sign an MOU and to lead the MOU with three other provinces—Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick—on the deployment of small modular reactors, and boy, have we seen progress on this file since he had the vision to do that.

This time last year, OPG decided on the technology that they were going to be building on the site at Darlington, the GEH BWRX-300, a 300-megawatt small modular reactor that is going to be producing clean, reliable electricity on our grid by 2028. Saskatchewan has signed on to purchase potentially four and site them in their province to help them eliminate coal generation in Saskatchewan. We have seen TVA, one of the largest utilities in the United States, sign on and collaborate. And just a couple of weeks ago, the federal government signed on with almost a billion dollars from the Canada Infrastructure Bank—

Anyone who reads a newspaper or watches the news also knows that there is an increase internationally in RSV and influenza. We’ve seen that. We’ve prepared for that. We’ve worked with our hospital partners.

I’m going to again say that when children’s hospitals and the staff within them stepped up and helped when our hospitals were being challenged with COVID-19 patients—we are now seeing those same hospitals reciprocate and assist children’s hospitals with pediatric patients. That work will continue. That innovation will continue.

I have spoken to all four sick kids’ hospital CEOs. I’ve said, “Whatever you need, however we can help, please let me know.” We have given those investments. CHEO, in particular, in Ottawa—transferring a ward room and making it into a pediatric ICU within weeks is an incredible innovation and shows leadership and shows people understanding that where there’s need, we will find—

We have made sure that investments are happening in our health care system as recently as four months ago, with the passage of our budget, which included an increase of $5 billion. We are making the investments. We are working with our health care partners. We will continue to do that work because we understand that people want to have a health care system that is healthy and ready for them when they need it. And that is happening in the province.

My question is to the Premier.

This government’s Bill 23 changes the definition of affordable housing from one based on income to one based on average market prices. Under this new definition, a family would need an income of at least $130,000 to afford a so-called “affordable” home in the city of Toronto. This is far beyond what most education workers, teachers, library workers, nurses, PSWs, transit operators, tradespeople—or most workers in Ontario—make, quite frankly, in a year. It’s more than what many of us MPPs in this room make in a year.

Will you amend this bill’s definition to give working Ontarians the chance at a home they can actually afford?

My question is back to the Premier—I would love it if he would actually answer his questions, as the Premier: What in this bill protects tenants in my community of St. Paul’s? Where is the real rent control, vacancy control, demoviction or renoviction protections that make rentals affordable?

My question is for the Premier.

In today’s Ottawa Citizen: “Children’s Health Crisis: Seven Kids Resuscitated at CHEO”—and today’s Hamilton Spectator says that McMaster Children’s Hospital is running out of cribs and infusion pumps for medication, and it is only expected to get worse.

We know that children’s surgeries are being cancelled across the province and that emergency rooms and ICUs are more than overwhelmed.

The Chief Medical Officer of Health said that if surgeries are being cancelled and hospitals are in crisis, he would consider mandating masks. Anyone who reads a newspaper or watches TV knows we’re already there.

So, through you, Speaker, will the Premier require universal masking in our schools and on public transit, or at the very least, do what he’s asking others to do, which is to wear a mask whenever possible?

Interjections.

I can tell you, there is nothing more frightening than watching your child struggle to breathe. There is nothing more powerless than that feeling. Right now in Ontario, there are hundreds, thousands of parents in hospitals and at home feeling exactly the same thing.

The people who are caring for them, the people at CHEO, are asking us to do something very simple: to wear a mask. That’s all they’re asking us to do. They need other help, but that’s a simple thing we can all do right now.

Speaker, will the Premier do the right thing and require masking in schools and on public transit, and wear a mask himself?

Thank you. The next question.

Minister of Health.

I think the member opposite is making the case exactly for Bill 23.

We’ve talked to our municipal partners, and we realized that it takes too long to get housing in the ground. We also know that municipal fees are adding an average of $116,900 to the end cost of a home in the GTA. So we know that costs are too high, we know that fees are too high, and we know that it takes too long to get shovels in the ground.

Exactly what we’re proposing under Bill 23 moves forward on those baseline costs. It allows development charges to be waived for affordable housing, for sustainable housing, for inclusionary zoning—all of the things that New Democrats talk a good game on, but then when it comes to actually voting for it, they always vote against. This is, again, a challenge with Ontario’s New Democrats. They say one thing and then do something completely different.

Interjection.

Thanks again to the member for the question.

There’s a lot happening. I talked about what’s happening in North America. There’s a lot happening in Europe. The world really is watching what’s happening as this first grid-scale modular reactor is being built at Darlington. A company out of Poland has already signed an MOU with an Ontario company, BWXT out of Cambridge, to purchase a billion dollars’ worth of key components—that’s good jobs that will be in our supply chain here in Ontario, but there’s the opportunity for so much more.

Just last month, I was in Europe, visiting with officials in Poland and the Czech Republic, along with members from OPG and Laurentis energy, their international arm, where they signed two SMR collaboration agreements with Czech and Polish companies. Estonia is also very interested, and many others in Baltic countries and in eastern and central Europe are interested.

Our technology that we’re building right here in Ontario—technology that’s going to result in more economic activity, cleaner air for the people of Ontario, great-paying jobs—

Supplementary question?

The Minister of Colleges and Universities to reply.

Every day, Ontario’s police officers put their lives on the line. They go above and beyond to serve and protect our communities. Thank you.

Front-line police officers are leaders in our communities. Our government should be determined to continue providing them with the support, resources and tools they need to do their jobs effectively.

Unfortunately, studies reveal that during a police officer’s career, they will be exposed to nearly 1,000 traumatic events, ranging from fatal car crashes to homicide scenes.

Speaker, could the Solicitor General inform the House about what our government is doing to support the brave men and women who serve in our police services?

I want to take this opportunity to thank the police officers from my riding of Chatham-Kent–Leamington and all across this province for everything they do, every day, in the line of service.

However, the reality is that due to the nature of their jobs, these officers face traumatic situations and are more likely to suffer from PTSD. Our government must ensure that these brave individuals have the resources and treatment they need to heal, return to work safely, and return to their family safely.

Speaker, could the Solicitor General please explain what our government is doing to help our officers with work-related PTSD?

Thanks to the member from Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound for that important question.

Preserving Ontario’s tremendous biodiversity is a key responsibility for my ministry—a responsibility that includes protecting our lands and waters from invasive species. We’re making investments to prevent, detect and respond to the threat of invasive species in Ontario. Our investments are aimed at offsetting the significant social, economic and ecological damage done by invasive species—impacts estimated at more than $3.5 billion each year.

We’ve made significant progress in preventing invasive wild pigs from establishing themselves in Ontario. Wild pigs are now regulated under the Invasive Species Act, and my ministry completed our wild pig strategy in 2021.

We also have the valuable resources and support provided by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. I want to thank the minister for their work on this file as we continue to work together to tackle this important issue.

By investing now to prevent and manage invasive species, we’re protecting our natural resources, mitigating damage to our economy, and preventing future costs.

We work collaboratively with organizations and experts dedicated to protecting our province from harmful invaders. By sharing our knowledge and resources, we can strengthen our mutual efforts in the fight to safeguard Ontario from this threat.

A perfect illustration of the teamwork needed to control invasive species is our efforts to manage phragmites in Ontario. The fight against phragmites, which we all know well, has involved participation from all levels of government, academia, the Nature Conservancy of Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, and more than 25 conservation organizations. We’re working with the Green Shovels Collaborative to plan for broader management of phragmites in Ontario. The work undertaken by the collaborative will help guide our control activities for this damaging species.

And since invasive species don’t recognize international or provincial borders, my ministry does continue to work closely with our Canadian and US federal, provincial, territorial and state counterparts to address these threats to our shared waters and natural environment.

I want to thank my friend for the question. It’s an important issue.

Officers can’t just leave the impacts of those traumatic images behind at the end of the day, but for too long that’s what was expected of police officers by the public, by their superiors—even by the officers themselves.

The Police Association of Ontario was very excited to learn of Ontario’s $45-million investment in supporting the mental health of first responders in our last budget.

My ministry is also working closely with the police associations to continue to make improvements to mental health for our officers.

I can tell the front-line officers this: Your government has your back today and every day.

Monsieur le Président, je suis fier de soutenir nos policiers, qui nous protègent au quotidien.

I’m proud to say that our government has invested over $1 million in the Runnymede project for first responders.

We will continue to work with police associations to build awareness.

Yesterday morning, I was proud to attend the PAO annual meeting. I’d like to acknowledge Mark Baxter, the president, who is with us today.

Monsieur le Président, nous travaillons avec tous les organismes d’application de la loi de la province pour assurer la sécurité des Ontariens.

Thank you to the member for that question.

In fact, when this government came into power in 2018, tuition in Ontario was the highest in Canada. To help students, we decreased tuition by 10% and froze that tuition since then. What we are doing is there to support students, to make education accessible for all learners in Ontario, so we can access the world-class education that’s happening here, at colleges, universities and private career colleges in this province.

It’s this government that is standing up for students by decreasing tuition and freezing tuition, and, in fact, making OSAP eligibility for micro-credentials, for Indigenous institutes—to allow more and more learners to access the education opportunities in this province.

We will continue to work for—

Interjection.

My question is to the Minister of Agriculture.

Every day in Ontario, we lose 320 acres of farmland—farmland that is paved over and will never again grow food.

In 2020, the government was actually looking at things to perhaps stem this flow. They were talking about agricultural impact assessments. But now they’re even talking about paving over farmland that was formerly protected in the greenbelt. Speaker, the nine billion people soon in the world are going to need that farmland, and so are Ontarians.

Do you think housing is expensive? Do you think food is expensive now? Just wait.

Why is the Minister of Agriculture so silent on the preservation of our precious farmland?