We need to invest in our schools. In fact, the lack of support for Ontario school boards, including the Toronto District School Board, in the 2023 education budget is deeply concerning. Our government’s failure to provide reimbursements for pandemic-related expenses not only affects the financial stability of the board, but it also has a direct impact on the education workers who provide vital support to our students.

With the potential cuts to nearly 500 positions, we risk losing the expertise and support of educational assistants, child youth counsellors and administrative staff, who are critical to the success of our students.

Many of my constituents have shared their worries about the already underfunded education system and how further cuts would only make things worse.

A parent in my riding, Bethany Lynn-Rice, shared that her son, who has an IEP and is diagnosed with ASD, hasn’t received adequate support due to staff shortages, leading to an unsettling year. Bethany also shared about her daughter, who has been facing bullying, especially at recess, because there aren’t enough supervising staff to supervise during recess. Bethany and so many other parents are worried that cutting more staff positions will only make things worse for her children and for many children across this province.

We have seen far too many school safety issues over the past year as students transition back into in-person learning.

With these funding cuts, we also risk losing important mental health support staff, who are critical to the well-being of our future generation—

I rise to share wonderful news, from last Friday, in my riding of Durham. Together with my colleague the member for Scarborough Centre and the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, we confirmed the wonderful news that Bowmanville High School has received $77,200 in grant funding from the ministry’s Skills Development Fund for the purchase of high-tech machinery to better prepare our students for careers in the tooling and machine industries.

Mr. Speaker, with hundreds of students graduating each year from Durham College’s various industrial programs, this investment is an excellent example of our government’s commitment to invest in the skilled trades and encourage the youth of Ontario to pursue rewarding careers in the skilled trades.

Under the leadership of Premier Ford and the Minister of Labour, along with the valued partnerships of the Canadian Tooling and Machining Association and the Ontario Council for Technology Education, our government is fulfilling its commitment to our youth to invest in new technology and invest in the skilled trades at the college and secondary levels.

I’d like to recognize all who joined my colleague and I, including the chair of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, Steve Russell, his colleagues, and Mayor Adrian Foster, all of whom pledged to support our government’s investments in a key industry that will create well-paying, long-lasting jobs for our youth and contribute to Ontario’s prosperity in the future.

Thank you very much for the question.

I’d certainly be happy to look into this case, if you want to talk to me about it afterwards.

Nothing is more important to all of us than protecting the health and well-being of Ontarians, and especially our children.

We’re working with pediatric hospitals to ramp up their capacity wherever possible, and that means making permanent investments to increase the number of critical care beds at CHEO, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario; McMaster Children’s Hospital; London Health Sciences Centre Children’s Hospital; Hospital for Sick Children; and the Kingston Health Sciences Centre.

This government has invested almost $1 billion in the surgical recovery funding. We will continue to make the investments necessary and spare no expense to make sure that the people of this province, and especially our children, continue to have access to the quality care that they know and expect.

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.

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.

Thank you to the member from Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas. I know the member spoke a lot about some of the challenges in Hamilton. I appreciate you talking about those. I’m a Hamiltonian myself—born there; high school there. I know the problems of Hamilton.

But in this bill—speaking of this bill, Bill 91—through the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, we are looking at updating the Services and Supports to Promote the Social Inclusion of Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act, 2008. The new developmental services funding approach is based on the government working to develop a new, evidence-based funding approach that will determine funding for adult support based on a person’s assessment needs.

I’d like to ask the member, can you support this change in this Bill 91?

Ma question est pour la députée de Newmarket–Aurora.

Madam Speaker, I was pleased to recently visit Hawkesbury and District General Hospital together with the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Health. Hawkesbury General Hospital is such a great example of a provider that provides services in French. From the moment that patients enter the hospital, we see the signage in the French language and the idea of an active offer is fully implemented there.

I was also pleased to see the government support the expansion and renovation of this hospital with millions of dollars of infrastructure funding in 2022. We were able to visit this beautiful new hospital. I wanted to ask the parliamentary assistant if she can comment on why it’s important that we continue supporting hospital infrastructure projects, but specifically the ones that are servicing our francophone community?