My question is for the Premier.

The alarm bells have been ringing for a while now. The cost of living continues to rise astronomically. Grocery stores are raising food prices. Landlords are raising rents. People are falling behind, and they’re now turning to food banks in record numbers.

In Toronto, for example, the number of people relying on food banks has quadrupled over the last three years. At the Daily Bread Food Bank, there were nearly 270,000 visits in March alone—a record. One third of visitors actually have full-time employment, but they cannot make ends meet. For the first time in 25 years, under this government, the number of children using food banks is going up. One in four visitors at the Daily Bread Food Bank is a child.

Ontario is experiencing a crisis of food insecurity.

We’re talking about hard-working people who can no longer keep up with the skyrocketing cost of living.

Why is this government failing so spectacularly at protecting Ontarians from falling victim to food insecurity?

When the level of food insecurity has reached the epic proportions we are seeing now, it is a clear sign of this government’s failures. We are literally talking about parents and children struggling to eat—even parents who have full-time jobs, making more than minimum wage.

We need to adequately address the historic levels of inflation Ontarians are experiencing with proactive financial relief.

The rising costs of things like food and housing have vastly outpaced this government’s half-hearted measures as they pay lip service to the struggles of Ontarians. For a government with $44 billion in contingency funds, $12.5 billion in excess funds over the next three years, and a well-documented underspending habit, you would think they could find some room in their budget to address the most essential needs.

Something isn’t right.

How can this government run a province, let alone an economy, if hard-working families with full-time jobs can’t even afford to feed their children?

My question is for the Solicitor General.

Constituents in my riding of Thunder Bay–Atikokan see that significant work is under way in correctional facilities across the north. Major infrastructure developments are occurring in facilities located in Thunder Bay and Kenora. It is vital that modernization and improvements to these facilities address the safety needs for staff and provide a high standard of care and supervision for those in custody. All workers need to be assured that they have the tools they need to do their jobs safely and well.

Can the Solicitor General please provide information about the progress and implications of these projects?

While our government is taking action to prioritize safety for correctional staff and for those in custody, we must respond to serious concerns about capacity pressures in the correctional system. Overcrowding creates a difficult, unsafe and unhealthy environment for everyone and leads to increased workplace health and safety concerns.

Can the Solicitor General please elaborate on how these infrastructure projects are addressing capacity in Ontario’s corrections system?

I want to thank the member from Don Valley East.

First of all, I want to acknowledge my niece, my brother Rob’s daughter, up there, from Michael Power. It’s good to see you, honey. I love you. One day you’ll be sitting down here.

Talking about affordability, the member from Don Valley East voted against a 10-cent cut of the gas tax. They voted against getting rid of the tolls on the 412 and 418. They voted against increasing the ODSP by 5%. You voted against increasing the minimum wage—the highest minimum wage in the entire country.

Our province is on fire. We created another 21,000 jobs last month; that’s six consecutive months in a row. Some 640,000 more people are working today than when they had the regime for 15 years and destroyed this province from top to bottom.

Interjections.

We believe in giving back to the people. Speaker, 1.1 million low-income workers have received a tax cut. We made sure that we increased minimum wage, as I said. We extended 10% off tuition for those great students up there—they’re going to university, and they’re paying 10% less; under the Liberals, all they did is jack up the costs.

On health care: We’ve hired 60,000 new nurses registered in Ontario—8,000 new doctors registered. You destroyed health care in this province. There was hallway health care. We’ve never seen a worse system. We’re fixing that system.

We’re making Ontario prosperous, and people are going to thrive and prosper in Ontario.

Speaker, Deondra’s mother, Chanel, and her grandmother Sylvia are in the gallery today. I invite the member to meet with them after question period.

Both Mom and Grandma don’t sleep. They stay up all night watching Deondra to make sure she doesn’t suffocate to death. They are panicked and exhausted.

This is the experience of so many families across Ontario, and yet this government underspends on health care.

Speaker, every day Deondra waits for surgery is another day she risks losing her life; it’s another day the family is put in stress and anxiety.

Will the Premier ensure that every public operating room in this province stays open and is fully staffed so kids like Deondra can get the surgery they urgently need and not have to wait and roll the dice?

My question is for the Minister of Children, Community and Social Services.

Veterans have always held an important and special place in my heart. They defend the rights and freedoms that we often take for granted.

In conversations with members from my Legion, we speak about the responsibilities of the Royal Canadian Legion and Veterans Affairs Canada and the needs of veterans.

Could the minister please share a program that we have put in place by our government that supports our veterans?

When we think of veterans, many of us instinctively think about our older generations, those who served in the world wars and the Korean War.

However, the reality is that there are many young veterans who served Canada in more recent conflicts, such as the Afghanistan war. It is vital that programs and supports adapt to meet their modern supply needs for their families.

Can the minister please elaborate on how the Soldiers’ Aid Commission is responding to younger generations of veterans?

Mr. Speaker, we are very cognizant of the disproportionality impacting racialized and Indigenous students in Ontario. It’s the basis for why we essentially eliminated the ability of principals and educators to suspend children in kindergarten and grades 1, 2 and 3. There’s got to be a better way by which we can ensure these young people are focused and stay in school, integrated in their classrooms, than to suspend them at that young age.

Mr. Speaker, we also saw the data that informed the decision of this government to destream the entire grade 9 curriculum, on the basis that we want to give young people equal opportunity and a pathway to success by removing the barriers that impede their progress.

We know there’s more to do in the context of fighting racism, discrimination and barriers in school. I look forward to working with the community to build further initiatives we can undertake in this province to ensure every young person graduates, achieves and gets a good job in this province.

When the NDP and Liberals had an opportunity to work with the government to eradicate regulation 274, a regressive regulation that denies principals the ability to hire a highly talented racialized educator in a community with many racialized kids, they opposed that effort.

If members opposite wanted to advance the cause of anti-racism, you would have supported the government destreaming the curriculum; you would have supported the government when, for the first time in the history of Canada, we actually overtook and supervised a board on the basis of anti-Black racism.

We have taken action in this area; unfortunately, we’ve done so without the support of the NDP and the Liberals in this province.

Thank you again to the member opposite for the question.

Obviously, this government has pulled out all the stops and is in the midst of the largest health human resources recruitment and training-retention initiative in Ontario’s history. We’ve made record investments, as the Premier noted earlier—60,000 new nurses here in Ontario, and 8,000 new doctors, including 1,800 family physicians. We are going to continue to make those investments. That’s part of the reason we brought forward Bill 60.

We’re also, in our Your Health plan, expanding family health teams. We’ve got a $30-million investment in that.

We’re doing everything we can to make sure that Ontarians get the kind of care that they know and deserve.

This question is to the Minister of Education. Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board trustee Sabreina Dahab this week successfully passed a motion to redraft 2022-23 suspension and expulsion data to show desegregated categories such as gender and race by June 2023, because she knows what it will show: that kids in schools who are the most impacted by discretionary suspensions and expulsions are Black, racialized, Indigenous and disabled students.

We have the data to support that suspensions and expulsions don’t work. They perpetuate the school-to-prison pipeline.

In 2020, the minister announced a ban on discretionary suspensions for children in kindergarten to grade 3. Is the minister willing to extend this ban to include all elementary school students?

The data is clear: Discretionary suspensions are a tool that feeds racism, anti-Black racism and ableism in our school system.

Will the Minister of Education answer Trustee Dahab’s question and extend your ban on discretionary suspensions for kids in elementary school to go beyond grade 3?

Supplementary question.

I want to thank the great member from Ajax for the great work that she does in her riding.

Thank you very much for the important question.

I know the debt that we owe to veterans for the sacrifices they have made to our country, and that they continue to make to make sure that we live in a better place.

Mr. Speaker, Ontario is the only province in Canada with a financial assistance program created specifically for veterans. The Soldiers’ Aid Commission provides financial assistance for veterans and their families of up to $2,000 per household for the following items: health-related items like hearing aids, glasses, prescriptions and dental needs; services like home repairs, moving costs or furniture; specialized equipment like assistive devices, wheelchair and prosthetics; personal items; and employment-related supports like work clothes, workboots, short-term courses to improve employment opportunities.

I will have more to say in the supplementary.

Mr. Speaker, we must never forget the bravery and sacrifice of our veterans.

I thank each and every person who serves us in uniform.

Thank you to the member from Newmarket–Aurora, a great member in that community.

I am proud that our government is taking action to ensure that students across the province have the tools and skills they need to build prosperity for their generation in Ontario. Our Minister of Education has worked diligently to ensure that this becomes a reality.

I was honoured to participate in the announcement with the Minister of Education that our government will be revising the grade 9/10 curriculum and implementing the requirement for students to take at least one technological course. This is great for all students, but especially for girls, who will now have even more exposure to the highly rewarding fields in STEM. This is reassuring news for me, as a public servant and a mother—that we are taking the right measures to prepare young women to pursue fulfilling careers in the skilled trades and STEM. This supports the creation of thousands of jobs that are being triggered by—

Young women deserve a life of opportunity and one that will help them become successful leaders in any industry they choose. Part of navigating that success is exposing young women to non-traditional careers early in their education.

Our government’s commitment to equip students with the skills they need in STEM will prepare them for careers for the future.

Young women who traditionally may have been discouraged from entering the trades will now develop skills and knowledge that will help them understand and contribute to the technological advances in the changing workplace and world.

The recent changes in the graduation requirement are another step our government is taking to increase women’s participation in the workforce and empower them to succeed in sectors that are vital to our economy. We have taken these steps because we know that when women succeed, Ontario succeeds.

Thank you to the minister for that response. This is all good news for the people of Ontario.

Since day one, our government, under the leadership of the Premier, has been committed to eliminating barriers to economic success for all Ontarians and acknowledging the unique contributions of diverse communities.

Throughout my home region of Windsor-Essex, we have not only seen a rich history of people of African descent, but we are also seeing many active community organizations and projects dedicated to preserving this vital history and building a bright future ahead. The Black community, as well as other diverse communities and their businesses, are truly crucial to the growth and success of Windsor and the surrounding areas.

Can the minister please elaborate on the supports that are available for diverse communities across Ontario?

Mr. Clark moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 97, An Act to amend various statutes with respect to housing and development / Projet de loi 97, Loi modifiant diverses lois en ce qui concerne le logement et l’aménagement.

Thank you to the associate minister for that response. It is encouraging that all students will have an opportunity to explore options for career pathways in technology and trades-related occupations through hands-on experiences and technical skills learned in the classroom.

Our government must implement solutions now that will help address Ontario’s significant labour shortages.

It is projected that by 2026 approximately one in five job openings in Ontario will be in skilled trades-related fields. With more than 100,000 unfilled skilled trades jobs right now, it is critical that our government does all that we can to attract more young women to pursue fulfilling, good-paying careers in the trades.

Can the minister please elaborate on how technological education will help prepare young women to pursue careers in sectors that are vital to our economy?

The proposed Helping Homebuyers, Protecting Tenants Act would amend the Planning Act, the City of Toronto Act, the Residential Tenancies Act, the Municipal Act and other legislation.

The proposed changes continue to build on the actions we’ve taken to ensure we reach our goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031.

The bill and proposed regulations would, if passed, encourage more housing by supporting a new provincial policy statement, make life easier for renters and freeze government fees.

In partnership with municipalities, our proposed changes would support Ontarians by helping to increase housing supply across our province.

I have a petition entitled, “Invest in Ontario’s Arts and Culture Sector.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas the arts and culture sector contributes $28.7 billion to Ontario’s GDP and creates over 300,000 jobs;

“Whereas the Ontario Arts Council budget has not been increased at Ontario’s rate of inflation, exacerbating the income precarity of artists and cultural workers, some of whom are earning less than $25,000 per year, and still less for those from equity-deserving groups;

“Whereas the income precarity worsened during the pandemic through issues of regulatory unfairness in the arts and culture sector, disproportionately impacting the performing arts sector and OAC-determined priority groups, including BIPOC, Indigenous, women, people with disabilities, and LGBTQIA2S+ artists and cultural workers;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to sustain the Ontario Arts Council budget of $65 million in the 2023 provincial budget and adequately invest in the arts and culture sector, including supports for equity-deserving groups, small, medium and grassroots collectives in our communities, and individual artists to ensure their personal and economic survival.”

I wholeheartedly support this petition. I will add my name and send it with Mikaeel to the table.

I will be happy to present this petition.

“Petition to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from the Elementary Teachers of Toronto to Stop the Cuts and Invest in the Schools our Students Deserve.

“Whereas the Ford government cut funding to our schools by $800 per student during the pandemic period, and plans to cut an additional $6 billion to our schools over the next six years;

“Whereas these massive cuts have resulted in larger class sizes, reduced special education and mental health supports and resources for our students, and neglected and unsafe buildings;

“Whereas the Financial Accountability Office reported a $2.1-billion surplus in 2021-22, and surpluses growing to $8.5 billion in 2027-28, demonstrating there is more than enough money to fund a robust public education system;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to:

“—immediately reverse the cuts to our schools;

“—fix the inadequate education funding formula;

“—provide schools the funding to ensure the supports necessary to address the impacts of the pandemic on our students;

“—make the needed investments to provide smaller class sizes, increased levels of staffing to support our students’ special education, mental health, English language learner and wraparound supports needs, and safe and healthy buildings and classrooms.”

I will proudly affix my signature to this petition and send it back to the table with page Evelyn. Thank you.

This petition is entitled: “Protect the Greenbelt: Repeal Bill 23.”

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Bill 23 will remove protected land from the greenbelt, allowing wealthy developers to profit by bulldozing over 7,000 acres of farmland;

“Whereas green spaces and farmland are what we rely on to grow food, support natural habitats, prevent flooding, and mitigate future climate disasters;

“Whereas Ontario loses 319.6 acres of farmland daily to development;

“Whereas the government’s Housing Affordability Task Force found there are plenty of places to build homes without destroying the greenbelt, showcasing that Bill 23 was never about housing but about making the rich richer;

“Whereas the power of conservation authorities will be taken away, weakening environmental protections, and preventing future development;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to immediately repeal Bill 23, stop all plans to further remove protected land from the greenbelt and protect existing farmland in the province by passing the NDP’s Protecting Agricultural Land Act.”

I fully support this petition. I want to thank the people from Cambridge, Waterloo and Kitchener for providing the signatures.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas there is a gap in our current emergency alert system that needs to be addressed;

“Whereas a vulnerable persons alert would help ensure the safety of our loved ones in a situation where time is critical;

“Whereas several municipal councils, including, Brighton, Midland, Bonfield township, Cobourg and Mississauga and several others, have passed resolutions calling for a new emergency alert to protect our loved ones;

“Whereas over 90,000 people have signed an online petition calling for a ‘Draven Alert’ and over 6,000 people have signed an online petition calling for ‘Love’s Law’, for vulnerable people who go missing;

“Whereas this new alert would be an additional tool in the tool box for police forces to use to locate missing, vulnerable people locally and regionally;

“Whereas this bill is a common-sense proposal and non-partisan in nature, to help missing vulnerable persons find their way safely home;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as follows:

“Support and pass Bill 74, Missing Persons Amendment Act, 2023.”

I fully support this petition, will sign it and give it to page Shah.

I would like to thank the incredibly hard-working member from Windsor–Tecumseh for the question.

Speaker, as the member alluded to, a diverse Ontario is critical to the economic success of our province. Diverse communities help enrich our cultural fabric and build our province into the amazing place it is through their talent, hard work, passion, fresh ideas and perspectives.

As part of our government’s ambitious plan to build a strong economy for today and tomorrow, we are investing an additional $15 million into Black, Indigenous and other diverse aspiring entrepreneurs in Ontario to start and scale their businesses. This funding will help them overcome barriers by providing them with coaching, training and start-up funding to get their businesses off the ground and set up for long-term success. As Ontario continues to lead our nation in job growth, this will continue to help create jobs and opportunities for families, strengthen communities across the province, and build a stronger Ontario for all.

Speaker, our government is opening doors and creating opportunities for Ontario’s diverse communities. This year alone, we’ll be investing more than $35 million into the Black Youth Action Plan and RAISE grant to help thousands of Black youth and diverse entrepreneurs succeed and reach their full potential.

I know that my colleagues from across government are doing this work, as well. Whether it’s improving outcomes for children leaving the child welfare system, under the leadership of the new Minister of Children, Community and Social Services; or investing in graduation, coaching and tutoring supports to help Black students succeed in and beyond the classroom, under the leadership of the Minister of Education; or providing under-represented groups with the skills and training they need to find good-paying jobs, under the leadership of the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, our government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure Ontarians from all walks of life have every opportunity to succeed.

First off, I think the Premier did this in the middle of question period, but I’d like to formally welcome my cousin, Stephanie Ford, my uncle’s daughter, to the House. She’ll be with me throughout the day.

As well as a school in my riding—the students from York Memorial Collegiate Institute will be here momentarily touring the Legislative Assembly. I’d like to welcome them to their House.

Let me just, first of all, thank all of the members for what was another very productive week, on behalf of the people of the province of Ontario, and wish all of those who are celebrating over the weekend a very happy and safe holiday.

To the leaders of the opposition: We have not yet finalized the order of business for the week after the constituency week. So I know the leader of His Majesty’s loyal opposition will look forward to spending some time with me as we organize the business over the next few days.