My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

For over a decade, under the previous Liberal government, the citizens of Mississauga and the region of Peel were abandoned. We saw jobs leaving our region and infrastructure projects that needed repair never being prioritized.

Under the Liberals’ watch, many of my constituents were shut out of gainful employment. Unemployment among young people was worse in Ontario than in rust-belt states like Indiana and Ohio.

Speaker, my very own brother, a skilled automation specialist, left Ontario six years ago due to lack of economic opportunities and settled instead in British Colombia. We certainly could have used his skills right here in Ontario.

The citizens of Mississauga are hard-working and sacrifice every day to make Ontario a better place to live and grow.

What is our government going to ensure that my constituents have good, secure, well-paying jobs for themselves and their children years into the future?

But these are billion-dollar investments, which are possible only for a small number of large businesses. While these large businesses employ thousands of people in my riding, what about the small companies and the start-ups? Small businesses and start-ups are the backbone of our economic strength as a province.

I know many constituents whose small businesses—like Palma Pasta, Lazio Bakery, or Hub Climbing gym—are integral to what makes my riding work and thrive.

But as we all know, starting a business is hard work and is filled with risk.

What is our government doing to help entrepreneurs in my riding and city to start and grow their businesses?

My question is to the Minister of Transportation.

Last March, the ministry, without explanation, reported that the long-overdue replacement of Caledonia’s Argyle Street Bridge would be delayed another year. During an inspection in 2001, it was determined that the bridge was in a state of deterioration. Keep in mind, the current bridge was completed in 1927. It’s now over 20 years overdue and one and a half years since notice of delay by this government.

The approvals have been in place for many years, and yet the July 1 parade in Caledonia took an alternative route to avoid the bridge due to safety concerns.

The people of Caledonia, of Haldimand county, want to know what’s holding up the reconstruction of the Argyle Street Bridge.

In 2019, the ministry set up stoplights at the bridge after the load posting was reduced to eight tonnes. These lights helped clear traffic in the event fire trucks must make a pass.

In August 2020, MTO boarded up the famous Toll House occupied by Lorrie Harcourt. The ministry claimed it needed to expropriate the property on the north side of the Grand River so reconstruction could begin. The ministry kicked this woman out of her home, and yet nothing is happening.

I fear a national headline if the ministry does not get to work.

The community has been waiting for over 20 years. The people of Caledonia are waiting for any government, perhaps this government, to make them a priority. We all want to know what is holding up the reconstruction of the Argyle Street Bridge.

The Liberals and the NDP gave up on Ontario’s manufacturing. In the last economic report, hear their true intention: “shifting employment from goods-producing industries, in particular manufacturing, to service sector.” That’s what they intended to do. But we changed all that, Speaker, by lowering the cost of doing business by $7 billion annually. We lowered taxes. We cut red tape. We reduced their hydro rates.

That’s why investments in Mississauga keep on coming. Cyclone Manufacturing invested $21 million to re-shore from the US a project and create 60 aerospace jobs. Bora Pharmaceuticals invested $2.5 million in Mississauga to scale-up their operation. And there are dozens of auto-parts manufacturers who have invested in their companies through our auto modernization program. Mississauga is, again, where businesses are investing.

With our support, Mississauga’s entrepreneurs now have all the tools they need to grow their businesses. We’re providing Mississauga’s Small Business Enterprise Centre with $420,000 to support local companies, and another $112,000 to support Mississauga’s Summer Company and their Starter Company PLUS. These are companies that help students and young entrepreneurs start businesses of their own.

We want entrepreneurs to know that this government understands them and fully supports their success.

My question is for the Premier.

Judy, who resides in a long-term-care residence in Hamilton, has reached out to my office, and her concerns are alarming. Judy tells me that the staff are overworked, beyond exhausted, and most are working double shifts due to staffing shortages. A few nights ago, there was one PSW on her floor, and she was left to work alone until 4 a.m., when an RN from a private agency was brought in. Thankfully, none of the 27 residents, including Judy, had a medical emergency, fall, or worse.

What is the Premier doing to ensure these homes are staffed to a level of safety and to a level that caregivers were promised for their loved ones?

Speaker, I think that the member opposite is forgetting that the health care system, as a whole, needs to co-operatively work together for the patient. That is our goal, as a government.

I point to Anthony Dale from the Ontario Hospital Association, in reference, specifically, to alternate-level-of-care patients. Health care providers in Ontario are committed to working collaboratively with patients, with substitute decision-makers, families and caregivers during any transition into patient care.

We are transitioning people into their homes with sufficient community care support. We are transitioning patients into long-term-care homes with sufficient support. We’re getting it done because we understand, at the end of the day, alternate-level-of-care patients deserve better than sitting in a hospital waiting for their next transition.

My question is back to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

I want to quote the Ontario Human Rights Commission:

“Access to cooling during extreme heat waves is a human rights issue....

“At most risk are people with disabilities, older people and low-income, Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities....

“This vulnerability is also compounded by social isolation and poverty....

“The Ontario Human Rights Commission calls on the government of Ontario to include air conditioning as a vital service, like the provision of heat, under RTA regulations....”

Over 500 people died in BC during their last heat wave, and the vast majority of them were elderly people who lived alone in un-air-conditioned apartments.

Will this government listen to the Ontario Human Rights Commission, make AC a vital service, and set a maximum temperature for homes?

I know the member opposite will vote against improvements in long-term care, because the member voted against the increases in long-term-care capacity in her own riding. Additional beds? The member voted against that.

What this legislation does specifically is ensure that, for somebody who is a patient in a hospital and about to be discharged, we’re able to match up an appropriate home. So exactly what the member is talking about is what the whole point of this bill is. Looking at the services a person needs if they’re going to be discharged from a hospital—does the long-term-care home have the services that patient needs to care for them properly, to care for them better? It also includes $5 million of support this year, right now, for behavioural services of Ontario. It includes $2.6 million of support for a partnership with Baycrest to have leading-edge behavioural services, and a $20-million local priorities fund to ensure that every home, frankly, has what the senior needs before they get there.

I assure this minister that I will vote against his bad bills each and every time—as I will Bill 7.

Not repealing Bill 124 and the push to move residents from ALC to long-term care are not going to solve the issue. PSWs are nervous and they’re fearful that they’re not able to provide the care necessary.

Judy goes on to tell me that she’s worried for her neighbours, other seniors, and their caregivers who visit daily to fill in the gaps. Her request was clear.

Premier, when will you admit the reality of long-term care and support and protect health care workers whom residents like Judy depend on?

Interjections.

The supplementary question?

The member for Kitchener–Conestoga, come to order. The member for Niagara West, come to order.

Restart the clock.

Minister of Long-Term Care.

I want to thank the member for the question.

Our government appreciates the work of the human rights commission.

As the member noted, recently the human rights commission has issued a statement regarding air conditioning in apartments. We take those recommendations very seriously and will consider it, as we do when we look at issues regarding the Residential Tenancies Act.

My question back to her: Are you going to support pro-tenant measures? Are you going to support landlord measures that we put into place? And do you want to build upon our success?

My question is to the Premier.

My constituent Summer has contacted my office to express concern about the high temperature in her apartment. A candle in her apartment even melted of its own accord. The temperature must have hit at least 46 degrees Celsius or higher to melt a paraffin candle. Speaker, people will pass out from heat exhaustion or even die from heatstroke in this temperature.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission recently ruled, “Access to cooling during extreme heat waves is a human rights issue.”

Will the Premier today obey the human rights commission of this province, make air conditioning a vital service, and establish a maximum temperature in apartments? If not, why not?

I want to thank the member from Essex for being such a strong voice for better jobs and bigger paycheques for the people of Essex.

Speaker, unlike those in other parties who want to “phase out” well-paying and in-demand careers, our government knows that our skilled trades workers are heroes and we need more of them. That is why we are leading the way with a historic investment of more than a billion dollars over the next three years. With this unprecedented funding increase, we’re working with employers and our labour partners to reduce the stigma around these meaningful careers and expand training opportunities.

Mr. Speaker, when you have a job in the trades, you really do have a job for life, and you can be damn proud of what you built.

Our government is working every day to spread opportunity more widely and fairly to every corner of this province.

Pre-apprenticeships, like the member mentioned, really do lift people up and help them move off of social assistance and into a meaningful career—people like Nattisha, a single mom who got to buy the tools she needed and try different trades in the construction industry through the Hammer Heads program. She’s now making $44.08 an hour, with a defined pension and benefits. It’s truly a life-changing career for Nattisha. She has been able to buy a car. I remember talking to her, and she told me that for the first time in her life, her two daughters look up to her.

Mr. Speaker, we need more life-changing stories like Nattisha’s. That’s why we’re working every day. We’re on a mission to get more people into these amazing careers.

Ma question est pour la ministre des Affaires francophones.

Monsieur le Président, la pandémie a eu des répercussions importantes sur les petites entreprises de toute la province, dont plusieurs dans les communautés francophones. Pour beaucoup, ils sont encore confrontés aujourd’hui à des défis dans le cadre des problèmes de chaîne d’approvisionnement économique mondiale. J’ai entendu des histoires d’électeurs de ma circonscription de Windsor–Tecumseh et de nombreuses entreprises et groupes communautaires francophones qui ont eu du mal à joindre les deux bouts pendant cette période et comptaient sur le soutien de notre gouvernement pour rester à flot. Nous devons nous assurer de donner des outils aux Ontariens, y compris les Franco-Ontariens, qui souhaitent contribuer à l’économie de notre province.

La ministre des Affaires francophones peut-elle expliquer ce que fait notre gouvernement pour soutenir les entreprises francophones alors que nous sortons de cette période d’incertitude économique?

En plus de la création du fonds de secours COVID-19, qui a soutenu les organismes francophones sans but lucratif pendant la pandémie, notre gouvernement a aussi bonifié le Programme d’appui à la francophonie ontarienne, le PAFO, en le doublant. Nous avons aussi mis sur pied la Stratégie de développement économique francophone, avec maintenant 38 programmes permettant de mieux appuyer les entrepreneurs francophones.

Le Programme d’appui à la francophonie ontarienne vise à soutenir le développement à long terme des communautés francophones de l’Ontario. Monsieur le Président, grâce à une enveloppe budgétaire maintenant de deux millions de dollars, ce programme appuie le dynamisme des communautés francophones au niveau local et au niveau régional.

De plus, l’accès à une main-d’oeuvre bilingue qualifiée est un défi réel pour nos entreprises, et c’est pour cette raison que notre gouvernement demande au gouvernement fédéral plus de contrôle sur l’immigration, pour qu’on puisse appuyer leur opération et leur croissance.

Mr. Speaker, since the 1990s, the involvement of women in the skilled trades has been less than 5% of the total workforce. A recent news article detailed the challenges many women in the trades face. Poor retention was identified as a contributing factor for the low number of women in the field. That’s why we must increase female representation in the skilled trades.

Ontario has a massive skilled jobs crisis, and we need all hands on deck to help us build a stronger province.

Through you, Mr. Speaker, can the Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity please inform the House of the progress made by our government in encouraging young women to enter the skilled trades?

Speaker, a career in skilled trades has countless benefits. Jobs in this field are in high demand, pay well, and will comprise 20% of jobs by 2025.

I recall travelling in Ottawa with the Minister of Labour in the previous legislative session. It was very inspiring to see so many young women in the trades when we visited IBEW as well as when I visited the steelworkers.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister please share details on the programs put in place by our government to raise awareness and encourage young women to consider a career in the skilled trades?

Thank you to the member from Carleton for the question.

Mr. Speaker, I recently spoke to a young woman named Sophie, who shared with me a time when she had left her partner and was left with no job, no home and no financial stability. When she was in a shelter, she was able to access their back-to-work program, which enabled her to enter the carpentry trade. Now she is a successful journeyperson and is on the job site. Her credo has been, “If you can see me, you can be me,” and she is inspiring other young women to enter the trades so that they can experience the same rewards and financial stability that she has.

Women like Sophie show us the progress that our investments and programs are making. And they need us to accelerate their efforts so that more women can follow in their footsteps and see further progress in changing the landscape of the trades.

I’ve said it before on this floor: Women belong in all places, in all spaces, and at every table. That includes a construction site.

Mr. Speaker, our government invested record amounts into the skilled trades strategy: $288 million in the 2021 budget; and $90 million in the 2021 fall economic statement; and not only that, but we have proposed an additional $114 million over the next three years through the 2022 budget. Within that, we’ve invested $22 million this year to enhance the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program. These investments will help women and girls to explore the skilled trades and set them on a path towards financial stability. As part of this funding, school boards can request additional funding to promote 14 trades in which women have been historically under-represented. That is why it is imperative that all members support the 2022 budget and help deliver the resources they need to not just get by in our economy but to get ahead in our economy.

Supplementary question?

Again, the member’s question gives me an opportunity to highlight the five-point plan that we have put in place and are driving towards efficiencies in innovation within our health care system—things like easing pressure on emergency departments by actually investing and launching new provincial emergency department peer-to-peer programs, investing over $300 million as part of the province’s surgical recovery.

We are encouraging innovation in our health care sector. Those ideas are coming forward for review and assessment, and we are making the investments to ensure people get the health care they need, when they need it, where they want it, which is in their community.

We have, through our actions, invested to ensure that today, right now, in the province of Ontario, there are 400 doctors practising in rural and northern Ontario who weren’t there three years ago.

We’ve invested to make sure that when internationally educated health care professionals want to practise in the province of Ontario and have submitted their application to the College of Nurses or the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario—we are acting to make sure that those are being assessed and given appropriate review quickly so that they can practise.

We know that there are people across Ontario who want to practise in health care in Ontario, and we’re expediting that process to ensure that we have those people in place where we need them.

My question is to the Premier.

Speaker, many of my constituents have reached out, horrified about creeping privatization and the overt destruction of our treasured public health care system under the Ford government.

Ryan wrote to me about how the care he received for his aortic stenosis would have cost at least $250,000. Without it, he would not be alive. He remains deeply thankful, but he worries about the deteriorating quality of health care and this government’s obvious movement towards profit-making in health care.

Will this government continue to destroy health care with their privatization agenda or finally fund health care and health care workers properly?

Underfunding health care by $1.8 billion last year was a destructive act, and so is Bill 124, and now the government claims the system they’ve been strangling is barely breathing. This government manufactured this crisis in order to promote privatization.

Heather wrote to me about her stepfather being pushed out of hospital into a for-profit long-term-care home, where they would then squeeze an additional $4,000 per month for his care.

Is this government morally and ethically comfortable padding the pockets of the private long-term-care industry and private, for-profit hospitals rather than fixing our public system and paying health care heroes what they deserve?

The supplementary question.

The division bells rang from 1144 to 1149.

All those in favour of the motion will please rise one at a time and be counted by the Clerk.

Be it resolved that the bill do now pass as entitled in the motion.

Third reading agreed to.

The House recessed from 1154 to 1500.

Report adopted.