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.

I’d like to thank my page, Helen Elizabeth Keys-Brasier from Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock, for her amazing service to this Legislature, and I’d like to introduce her mom, Shelley Brasier, and her sister Lillian Keys-Brasier.

Thank you very much. The supplementary question.

This House stands in recess until 1 p.m.

The House recessed from 1144 to 1300.

First reading agreed to.

Thank you to the member opposite. I don’t know if it is harder than running a dairy farm; I have some friends who run a dairy farm. I’m able to rely on my staff, whereas, on a dairy farm, quite often it’s the family members who are getting up every day of the year. We are closed three days a year, so I can appreciate that dairy farms never close.

Moving all the paperwork onto digital, I think that will save time, money and resources. I’m still the one who likes to mail out cheques. Stamps are not getting any cheaper; the envelopes aren’t as well. Again, I’m not necessarily the most tech-savvy person—I will not pretend to be—but my managers are helping me with that. Ultimately, integrating technology into systems in the business and workplace I think will ultimately help owners be more efficient with their use of time.

Again, as a dairy farmer, you know it’s a balance between family time and work time. I think I’ve got to get with the 21st century and start moving online in some of my forms. I know WSIB has just moved online as well, which, even for myself, I’m very appreciative of.

I don’t need to explain it to this House, but ultimately, there have been supply chain shortages; there have been staffing shortages. So if small-business owners are able to focus a little bit more on the front lines of their business, ultimately they are going to succeed more, and when small businesses and businesses in general succeed, our province does succeed and the people who live here succeed as well.

Most small-business owners I’ve been speaking to over the last three years since the pandemic has started have been stressed and anxious about what’s coming next or what supply chain shortage we’re going into or the inflationary pressures that small businesses are under. Any time a small-business owner can do things more efficiently—again, other than myself bringing things online, most are very happy to be able to bring these types of services online. It’s just a more efficient use of their time

If small-business owners can utilize their time in a more efficient way, the staff will succeed as well, because, ultimately, myself being a human resource grad, we’re able to put more effort into training our staff and ensuring they’re ready for what is presented to them.

I am one of those businesses that didn’t qualify for those grants because my sales weren’t necessarily down; they were flat or slightly up. So I can appreciate that not every business was given the same resources to be able to become more accessible, but it is a priority of this government and our province to be as accessible as possible, even on websites and online features as well.

Speaker, I have a petition here to “Develop an Ontario Dementia Strategy,” and I’m very pleased to read it to the House.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas it currently takes on average 18 months for people in Ontario to get an official dementia diagnosis, with some patients often waiting years to complete diagnostic testing;

“Whereas more than half of patients suspected of having dementia in Ontario never get a full diagnosis; research confirms that early diagnosis saves lives and reduces care-partner stress;

“Whereas a PET scan test approved in Ontario in 2017 which can be key to detecting Alzheimer’s early, is still not covered under OHIP in 2022;

“Whereas the Ontario government must work together with the federal government to prepare for the approval and rollout of future disease-modifying therapies and research;

“Whereas the Alzheimer Society projects that one million Canadians will be caregivers for people with dementia, with families providing approximately 1.4 billion hours of care per year by 2050;

“Whereas research findings show that Ontario will spend $27.8 billion between 2023 and 2043 on alternate-level-of-care (ALC) and long-term-care (LTC) costs associated with people living with dementia;

“Whereas the government must follow through with its commitment to ensure Ontario’s health care system has the capacity to meet the current and future needs of people living with dementia and their care partners;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, call on the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to develop, commit and fund a comprehensive Ontario dementia strategy.”

Speaker, I fully support this petition, will affix my signature to it and give it to page Ryan to take it to the Clerks.

Resuming the debate adjourned on April 6, 2023, on the motion for second reading of the following bill:

Bill 91, An Act to enact two Acts, amend various Acts and revoke various regulations / Projet de loi 91, Loi visant à édicter deux lois, à modifier diverses lois et à abroger divers règlements.

My question is, would you agree that we have to make sure that we cater to or we are very careful about making it accessible to those who may not have everything electronic? A lot of people actually didn’t qualify for grants that were available to small businesses because they didn’t have that documentation or couldn’t meet the deadline to put in everything electronically and therefore qualify for a grant. What are your thoughts on that?

We knew.

Petitions?

I’m really honoured to be reading a petition titled, “Support Gender-Affirming Health Care,” by MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam.

“Whereas two-spirit, transgender, non-binary, gender-diverse, and intersex communities face significant challenges to accessing health care services that are friendly, competent, and affirming in Ontario;

“Whereas everyone deserves access to health care, and they shouldn’t have to fight for it, shouldn’t have to wait for it, and should never receive less care or support because of who they are;

“Whereas gender-affirming care is life-saving care;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to support the reintroduction of a private member’s bill to create an inclusive and representative committee to advise the Ministry of Health on how to realize accessible and equitable access to and coverage for gender-affirming health care in Ontario.”

Interjections.

I’d like to thank my colleague from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry for your passionate presentation and also you talking from your experience, your small business background and your in-depth knowledge about small businesses and red tape-ism and how red tape-ism is impacting small businesses in Ontario. This bill is very critical. It’s coming at a critical juncture to change the name of the game.

Mr. Speaker, through you to my colleague, could you explain, from a small business perspective, how this bill will impact our small businesses?

I listened intently to the remarks from the member from Stormont–Dundas–West Glengarry—close?—and it was interesting that he has a restaurant background. Since we no longer operate a dairy farm, my wife is a server in a restaurant, and I’ve learned from her experience, listening to what happens every day, that I think running a restaurant might be a tougher job than running a dairy farm. I appreciate your experience.

Could you be a bit more specific—and you would know the restaurant business very well—about how Bill 91 would specifically address things that you face running a restaurant?

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas anti-2SLGBTQI+ hate crimes and harassment are increasing across Ontario;

“Whereas drag artists have been specifically targeted for intimidation by anti-2SLGBTQI+ extremists;

“Whereas drag performance is a liberating and empowering art form that allows diverse communities to see themselves represented and celebrated;

“Whereas drag artists, small businesses, and 2SLGBTQI+ communities deserve to feel safe everywhere in Ontario;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to pass the Keeping 2SLGBTQI+ Communities Safe Act so that 2SLGBTQI+ safety zones can deter bigoted harassment and an advisory committee can be struck to protect 2SLGBTQI+ communities from hate crimes.”

I will proudly affix my signature to this petition and send it to the table with page Stefan.

Yesterday, we heard from the Attorney General with regard to some of the changes that are being made from a creditor relief perspective. So my question to the member is, when it comes to updating the Creditors’ Relief Act, which is to include electronic formats, what changes are being made and why?

The next question?

Thanks to the member for his speech on Bill 91 this morning. I want to say that schedule 4 in particular in this piece of legislation makes a series of COVID-era temporary legislative amendments permanent. However, the government chose not to make the three paid sick days permanent even after going through COVID and realizing the impact of paid sick days interrupted the transmission of COVID, especially in the restaurant and tourism sector.

So can the member speak to why this government decided that paid sick days were not going to be part of this legislative change when, under schedule 4, the door was open there for you to do so?

Thank you to the member, my colleague from the opposite side. With regard to the Creditors’ Relief Act, it limits the delivery of enforcement documents to mail and in-person service. With the pandemic, we’ve modernized a lot of things. We were all on Zoom and Teams quite often, so it’s good to know that it doesn’t need to be in mail and in person. If approved, the changes would permit the sheriff’s office to serve these documents by email.

We all have email—or the majority of Canadians and Ontarians do—so to allow that process to happen and be more efficient with it—because sometimes addresses aren’t correct. We had an instance in my office, and we were trying to find the person who came in, and the police did not have the correct address on file. So to be able to serve those documents by email is—as much as I’m sometimes against technology, it’s about time that we’re going to update those, if this is passed.

Myself, I do offer the sick days to some employees—my management, specifically. But the one thing that was interesting about the paid sick days, and this is a concrete example, is the 10 paid sick days were actually used by the end of the first month that they were offered. So for the 11 extra months out of the year, they didn’t necessarily factor in that they should carry those forward. So in the end, those 10 days were—I’m not going to say abused, but they were utilized too fast. They ultimately weren’t using them for their sick days moving forward.

But it has now turned into an endemic, and ultimately, the pandemic will carry on moving forward. We were the only jurisdiction in Canada to offer the two guaranteed sick days—

But ultimately, there are a lot of pressures on small business with the inflation and supply chains and the staffing challenges. We were trying not to put too much pressure onto the small businesses. We need the businesses to be able to succeed for the employees to be employed and ultimately for our economy to succeed as well.

Unfortunately, we have run out of time for questions and answers, but we have time for further debate.