Thank you, Minister, for that answer.

Mr. Speaker, the number of job vacancies in our province continues to increase monthly. Many view Ontario as a favourable jurisdiction because of our untold economic opportunity and potential. As Ontario and Canada face economic challenges driven by global uncertainty, all governments must work together to address this issue.

I understand that in Ontario, we can process immigration nominee applications in as little as 90 days, while the federal government requires up to 46 months for the approval process. Because of this unnecessary extended time frame, Ontario and Canada continue to lose billions in economic productivity.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister explain what action our government is taking to address this important issue?

I want to thank the member again for that question.

Speaker, Ontario continues to urge the federal government to work with its provincial partners to expand programs that help fill labour gaps through immigration. I speak regularly with Minister Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, and I’m hopeful we’ll be able to find common ground and make tangible progress on these issues. At minimum, we expect the federal government to double the number of immigrants Ontario can select, and we are ready to offer them our processing capacity.

It is critical that Ottawa address the ongoing application backlogs and approve applications more quickly so workers who want to come to Ontario can arrive and enter the labour market without unnecessary delays. My message to the federal government is simple: Let’s work together and build a stronger Ontario and a stronger Canada.

And the supplementary question.

The supplementary question.

The next question.

The physician shortage in northern Ontario small town hospitals is facing a crisis. With three of six physician positions soon to be vacant in Wawa, the hospital there is desperate for assistance from this government to help to prevent closures and staff burnout.

We’ve already seen ERs and primary care affected across the region in the north. What is this government doing to ensure that small northern hospitals will not have to close their doors to patients?

When concerns about keeping the doors open were expressed to the Ministry of Health officials, the ministry suggested, “Well, why don’t you just divert your primary care support to your emergency support?”

Speaker, this is a recipe for disaster. Without primary care, you’re setting up the system for failure. Will this government work with northern health care providers to recruit and retain doctors in the north?

The Minister of Health.

The supplementary question.

Investing in post-secondary students is critical to building a highly skilled workforce here in Ontario. For our economy to grow and become an economic leader once again, we must support our students in obtaining the relevant experience they need to get good jobs after graduation. When I talk to the good people in Etobicoke–Lakeshore, all those employers said, “We need people.” With the tens of thousands of well-paying highly skilled jobs going unfilled in our province, we must act now to connect students and businesses to these new skills and opportunities for advancement.

Could the Minister of Colleges and Universities update this House on how our government supports students in practical work-integrated learning?

While I’m encouraged to hear that our government is supporting our next generation of workers in this new economy, we need to be confident that all Ontario students will be able to participate. Many students require more selection in learning opportunities to accommodate their unique circumstances and needs.

Speaker, can the minister elaborate on what our government is doing to support these innovative partnerships and increase flexibility for student learning opportunities across Ontario’s post-secondary landscape?

I will reiterate what Dr. Kieran Moore mentioned earlier today, which was that our most vulnerable—our youngest population, people with underlying health conditions—need to be protected. Which is why, earlier today, Dr. Kieran Moore made the recommendation strongly to mask while in public indoor settings. We are taking these actions because we understand there is a percentage of the population who cannot have a vaccine.

Having said that, we have done incredibly well in the province of Ontario to have access and make sure that people who have the ability to have that vaccine get their flu shot, keep up to date on their vaccines and their boosters, because we know that it does make a difference. We know that it keeps our youngest and most vulnerable out of our emergency departments. We know that, by doing the right thing—testing, staying home when we’re sick—we can make a difference and we can take the pressure off those most vulnerable people in our population. I would hope that the member—

We will continue to work with our funding partners to make sure that they have the investments, but we also have a collective responsibility to make sure, individually, we do the right thing and keep our youngest people safe.

We are offering and expanding the number of ambulance paramedics that are training in the province of Ontario through investments in colleges and universities. We are building a health human resources that will be second to none in Canada. We will do that. We are doing it through the College of Nurses and the College of Physicians and Surgeons. We are doing it through our health system, through retention pay. We are doing it through an expansion of our human resources training in colleges with the assistance of our partners. And we will continue to do that work, because we understand that as Ontario’s population grows, we need to make sure that we have the jobs and the resources available for those people who need it when they need it.

Speaker, what the minister is talking about is what the community needs to do to support the hospital. I’m asking what the government is going to do to support the hospital. Empty words and gestures are not good enough. The Premier has offered no aid to McMaster, even though wait times have spiked to 12-plus hours just over this past weekend. His government is sitting on $2.1 billion of budget surplus dollars and they’re not spending it.

Will the Premier commit today to spending surplus dollars to support McMaster’s hospital and our pediatric care crisis?

Speaker, this Premier and government know that health care is in crisis. Can you imagine going into the emergency room and hearing the pleas of a patient in another emergency room, asking, “When am I going to see a doctor? The pain is so horrific. Please, can I see a doctor? When will someone be able to help me?” That’s what we’re hearing in emergency rooms.

In London, London Health Sciences Centre has reported a 20-hour wait time in emergency rooms. And now, reports are coming from across the province that there’s a dire shortage of ambulances available.

Just last week, I heard from a constituent who had two incidents last month where they called for ambulance services and had to wait for hours for it to arrive to help his wife who had fallen and couldn’t get up. They had to cancel one of the calls because repairmen arrived and were able to help.

My question is, what is this government doing to ensure that people have emergency care services when they need them?

When will the Premier and the Minister of Health respond to the proposal and help fix the problem in London, and across the province, so people have access to ambulance services when they need them the most?

Speaker, my question is for our great Minister for Seniors and Accessibility.

Ontario’s older residents and people with disabilities deserve more inclusive opportunities to stay fit, active, healthy and socially connected in their communities. I have heard from residents across all of northern Ontario about the accessibility issues they face when they are out and about. They face challenges that many of us have not ever considered.

Our government must continue demonstrating leadership by ensuring that Ontario is open and inclusive. Speaker, can the minister please tell us what our government is doing to ensure that people with disabilities in northern Ontario can fully participate in our great province?

Northern and rural communities were neglected for far too long under the previous Liberal government when it came to addressing their infrastructure needs. Seniors and people with disabilities experienced this neglect first-hand.

Speaker, can the minister please explain to the House why the funding for Blind River and across all of northern Ontario is so critical to our government’s overall mission of being open and accessible to everyone?

Supplementary?

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

The division bells rang from 1145 to 1150.

Ms. Khanjin has moved private member’s notice of motion number 8. All those in favour will please rise and remain standing until recognized by the Clerk.

Motion agreed to.

The House recessed from 1153 to 1300.

Report adopted.

Mr. Calandra moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 35, An Act to repeal the Keeping Students in Class Act, 2022 / Projet de loi 35, Loi abrogeant la Loi de 2022 visant à garder les élèves en classe.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

Thank you to the member for asking such an important question. The member from Sault Ste. Marie is doing a marvellous job representing northern Ontario.

It was my pleasure to announce $32,500 in funding as part of our Inclusive Community Grants initiative at Blind River town council last week. The people of Blind River are top notch; they care and want to make their town as accessible as possible. I want to congratulate Mayor Sally Hagman and the entire council for their leadership in making the town a shining example of how any community across Ontario can become more inclusive.

Our Inclusive Community Grants aren’t only in Blind River but all across Ontario. We are investing to help ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to engage in their communities.

Again, congratulations to Mayor Hagman and all the council members of the town of Blind River.

I want to welcome some of my colleagues from the ministry office. Thank you for being here. You provide great support to me and my staff.

Just like Premier Davis before him, Premier Ford is building this great province with Ontario’s Plan to Build.

Today, Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to stand before my colleagues, old and new, to provide an update on the progress we have made on our plan to build Ontario.

Aujourd’hui, j’ai le privilège, en présence de mes anciens et nouveaux collègues, de faire le point sur les progrès que nous avons faits dans l’exécution de notre plan pour bâtir l’Ontario.

And together we have come so far. Together, we’ve invested in Ontario’s automotive and manufacturing capacity and supply chain to become a North American leader in building electric and hybrid vehicles and battery manufacturing.

Together, we’re unlocking the economic potential of critical minerals and the Ring of Fire of the north and connecting them to our world-class manufacturing capabilities in southern Ontario.

We’re building roads, we’re building highways, we’re building subways, and we’re building bridges.

Together, we’ve trained thousands of workers through significant investments in skills training.

Together, we’re keeping costs down for families, for workers and our seniors.

And, together, we’re expanding our health care workforce with more doctors, more nurses and more personal support workers. And we’re well under way on delivering on the largest expansion of long-term-care beds in this province’s history.

Mr. Speaker, in our 2022 Ontario economic outlook and fiscal review, we are tabling the first-ever Building Ontario Progress Report.

Monsieur le Président, dans le document Perspectives économiques et revue financière de 2022, nous présentons le tout premier rapport d’étape, « Bâtir l’Ontario ».

To build Ontario’s economy, we’re making progress in attracting investments and good jobs.

Over the last two years, we have attracted more than $16 billion, including $12.5 billion in electric vehicles and EV manufacturing of batteries right here in the province—and $2.5 billion in investments that will help make the province a world producer of clean steel.

Mr. Speaker, we released Ontario’s first-ever Critical Minerals Strategy to support better supply chain connections in northern and southern Ontario. And we are progressing on the roads to the Ring of Fire by supporting ongoing environmental assessment led by Marten Falls First Nation and Webequie First Nation, for both the Marten Falls community access road and the Webequie supply road.

Mr. Speaker, we continue to call on the federal government to be a full partner in the Ring of Fire and match our investment.

To build Ontario’s workforce, we’re making progress in training and educating students and workers to succeed today and tomorrow. The first two rounds of the Skills Development Fund delivered 388 training projects, helping more than 393,000 workers take the next step in their careers. And we’ve already added more than 11,700 health care workers to the system, including nurses and personal support workers. And after two years of pandemic disruptions, our government launched its Plan to Catch Up, so students are in classrooms learning, preparing for the jobs of the future.

To build infrastructure for Ontario, we’re making progress by getting shovels in the ground on critical projects all across Ontario. As I stand here, preliminary fieldwork is already under way for Highway 413, and early construction work has started on the Bradford Bypass. We have completed construction at the Union and Rutherford GO stations. And that’s not all: We broke ground and announced the preferred proponent teams for two key contracts on the Ontario Line. We’ve also invested over $950 million in nearly 190 broadband, cellular and satellite projects, bringing access to over 375,000 Ontario homes and businesses.

Mr. Speaker, to keep costs down, our government eliminated licence plate renewal fees as well as licence plate stickers, and refunded the past two years of fees for eligible vehicles. We continue to help make life more affordable for nearly eight million vehicle owners in Ontario. We’ve saved and continue to save money for Ontario households by temporarily cutting the gas tax and fuel tax, starting on July 1, 2022.

To secure our long-term prosperity, we must increase supply. That means building hospitals and housing, building highways and roads, and delivering manufacturing capacity in this province. And that is exactly what our government is doing. Each and every day, we’re getting it done. We’re continuing to say yes to building Ontario’s economy, yes to building Ontario’s workforce, yes to building Ontario’s infrastructure, and yes to keeping costs down for Ontario families and businesses.

Mr. Speaker, these are uncertain economic times. In 2022, Ontario’s consumer price inflation reached a near 40-year high.

La conjoncture économique est incertaine. En 2022, l’indice des prix à la consommation de l’Ontario a atteint un sommet inégalé depuis près de 40 ans.

We are suffering from high inflation because of the consequences of a worldwide pandemic and Russia’s illegal war on the Ukraine, which has caused supply disruptions across various industries. While inflation eased somewhat in September, the Bank of Canada increased interest rates another 50 basis points, and the cost of groceries and other everyday goods continues to remain stubbornly high. Taken together, the year ahead is likely to be marked by ongoing economic turbulence and a slowdown in growth. Understandably, this is putting financial pressure on families, workers and seniors. This is why our government has a responsible fiscal plan which will help us navigate these uncertain times. This is why, no matter what lies ahead, I have confidence in the resilience of Ontario’s economy, its workers and its people. And I have confidence in our plan.

Mr. Speaker, our fall economic statement also includes new targeted measures to advance our plan. After over 300,000 manufacturing jobs were lost under the previous government, our government is using the strength of our supply chains to support globally competitive, homegrown manufacturing.

Manufacturers are looking for ways to remove emissions from supply chains. That is why we’re proposing to launch a voluntary clean energy credit registry that will boost competitiveness and attract jobs—and Mr. Speaker, I even got a smile under that mask, from Mike Schreiner, across the way. This will also give businesses another tool to achieve their environmental and sustainability goals.

We’re also refocusing our approach to cutting red tape to clear up supply chain delays as well as to support Ontario’s agri‐food system so we can get goods and services to customers faster and help create more jobs.

Mr. Speaker, our government knows that Main Street Ontario matters. That’s why we’re proposing to increase the number of small businesses that could benefit from the small business tax rate. This change will lower costs for small businesses, providing $185 million in income tax relief over the next three years.

Our government recognizes the incredible potential of each and every person in this province. And people living with a disability shouldn’t be punished for working. That’s why we are proposing to increase the amount a person on the Ontario Disability Support Program, also known as ODSP, can earn, from $200 to $1,000 per month. This will not impact their other plentiful income tax supports that they deserve. This measure would encourage people with a disability who want to increase their work hours to do so and would promote more participation in the workforce—while not penalizing them for doing so. It would allow the approximately 25,000 individuals currently in the workforce to keep more of their earnings, and it could encourage as many as 25,000 more to participate in the workforce.

Our government also recognizes that there are many ODSP recipients who cannot work and that they need our continued support. That is why, in August, we announced a 5% increase to ODSP rates. Going forward, we plan to adjust ODSP rates to inflation, beginning in July 2023, so when the cost of living increases, income support would increase as well.

Nous entendons rajuster les prestations du Programme ontarien de soutien aux personnes handicapées en fonction de l’inflation, et ce, à compter de juillet 2023. Ainsi, quand le coût de la vie augmentera, le soutien du revenu augmentera aussi.

As we increase support for ODSP recipients, we also must look at reforms so we can improve access and make sure that those who need the support can get it faster.

We want everyone who is able and wants to pursue a job to know that their government is in their corner. That is why we are investing in skills training. Through our Skills Development Fund, we have supported groundbreaking programs that connect job seekers. Through our efforts in skills and training, we are ensuring that they have the skills they need to pursue new opportunities. And I’m pleased to announce today that we are investing an additional $40 million for the latest round of this program. This brings our total funding to a record $145 million.

The skilled trades present an opportunity for a successful career for thousands upon thousands of people, especially high school students. I’m pleased to share that our government is expanding the Dual Credit Program, creating direct pathways for high school students seeking a career in the trades or in early childhood education. This gives students the opportunity to complete credits towards both an Ontario secondary school diploma and a college credential or a certificate of apprenticeship so that they can begin work earlier. Mr. Speaker, there is a future in Ontario for young people in the trades.

As well, we know that these are challenging financial times for many in our province. This government understands that the last thing the people of Ontario need right now is a tax increase at the pumps. That is why we are proposing to extend the gas and fuel tax cuts until December 31, 2023. Extending these cuts would mean households of this province would save $195, on average, between July 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023.

Mr. Speaker, seniors built this province, and we owe them all a debt of gratitude—so thank you. But for too many low-income seniors, covering day-to-day costs has become a source of anxiety. Our government is proposing to double payments for all senior recipients of the Ontario Guaranteed Annual Income System program for 2023. This will provide a maximum increase of almost $1,000 per person for low-income seniors for the year.

Our government also recognizes that we are facing a difficult road ahead, and an economic slowdown in the near term is very real.

Monsieur le Président, notre gouvernement le sait bien : le chemin qui nous attend sera semé d’embûches, sans doute, et le spectre d’un ralentissement économique à brève échéance est bien réel.

When faced with this degree of uncertainty, we need to be flexible and forward-thinking, with a fiscal plan that is ready to support people and businesses when and if the time comes, while also laying a strong foundation for future generations. But for too long, previous governments have allowed our structural deficits to grow. Previous governments added almost $200 billion to Ontario’s debt, and what do they have to show for it? Enough highways?

I would like to introduce Munaiba, who has just joined our legislative office this week as a placement student.

It’s a great pleasure to introduce again Sharon Lee, an OLIP intern working with us and our team for the Ottawa Centre office.

Sharon, it’s nice to see you. Thank you for all your help.

It’s my honour to introduce Lawrence Chan, a 22-year-old newcomer and refugee from Hong Kong. He is now a member of the Toronto Centre riding association family.

We’re joined today by many trade union leaders. l want to recognize Laura Walton, president of OSBCU, and Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario, as well as union leaders. Without naming all of them—because there are so many, I’m just going to name the unions and organizations: OFL, OPSEU, ONA, ETFO, OCUFA, Unifor, the society of professional engineers, OSSTF, the machinists, OECTA, the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, and other CUPE locals, including CUPE Local 7575. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Speaker, I cannot reinforce how pleased I am to hear the member opposite talk about, and encouraging, innovation in our health care system. The number of innovative ideas that have come, particularly through the paramedic system include, of course, the 911 model of care, which allows individuals to get treated outside of an emergency department. That idea came from paramedics. It came from chiefs who understood we have trained health care professionals who can do more, and are willing to do more.

We’ll continue to acknowledge, accept and review those innovative ideas, and approve them when appropriate. But again I cannot underline how pleased I am to hear the members opposite finally talking about embracing innovation in our health care system.

Thank you, Speaker. It’s self-explanatory. The bill allows us to continue working with our friends in education to ensure that our kids remain in school.

Mr. Bethlenfalvy moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 36, An Act to implement Budget measures and to enact and amend various statutes / Projet de loi 36, Loi visant à mettre en oeuvre les mesures budgétaires et à édicter et à modifier diverses lois.