In the Thunder Bay regional hospital, because of Bill 124, the wages of people who sterilize medical equipment have fallen so far below inflation that these workers have to take on additional part-time jobs just to survive. In their words, “We sure went from heroes to zeros in a hurry.”

Will the government ensure that these workers earn a wage that reflects their important contributions to our public health care?

I would like to introduce the students from the elementary school Paul-Demers from my riding. They’re visiting Queen’s Park. Welcome to the Legislature.

I will just be quick. I want to welcome the students participating in the program today for Black students in the Legislature. Welcome to the Legislature.

I move that the following change be made to the membership of the following committee:

On the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, Ms. Begum replaces MPP Kernaghan.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas in the First and Second World Wars, over 7,000 First Nation members, as well as an unknown number of Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous recruits, voluntarily served in the Canadian Armed Forces; and

“Whereas countless Indigenous peoples bravely and selflessly served Canada at a time of great challenges for Canada; and

“Whereas this spirit of volunteerism and community marked the life of the late Murray Whetung, who volunteered to serve in the Second World War; and

“Whereas many First Nations individuals lost their status after serving in the wars off-reserve for a period of time; and

“Whereas despite this injustice, many continued to recognize the value in continuously giving back to their com-munity; and

“Whereas the values of volunteerism and community are instilled in the army, air, and sea cadets across Ontario; and

“Whereas the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act establishes an award for the cadets and tells the story of Indigenous veterans’ sacrifice and mistreatment;

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

“To urge all members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to support the passage of the Murray Whetung Community Service Award Act, 2022.”

I will sign my signature and—

After decades of gridlock in this city, our government put forward a transit plan for the city of Toronto and York region, and our government brought that plan forward to the city of Toronto. In November 2019, when the member opposite was a member of city council, they know that when we put that forward, city council had a chance to review it—and, in fact, even to vote on it.

After we got the city of Toronto’s support for it, we brought that plan forward to the federal government. And after we reached an historic agreement with York region and the city of Toronto and the federal government on our subway plan for the greater Toronto area, we’ve been consulting non-stop with the city of Toronto and with York region. We’ve been looping in our federal colleagues, Mr. Speaker, because we know how important it is to have all parties and all levels of government aligned.

Over 100 consultations have been held with the city since we reached that agreement, and we will continue to operate in a transparent and open way with the city of Toronto.

Speaker, on February 9, in a radio interview on NewsTalk 1010, the member from Toronto Centre said, “We have been aware that there was going to be some removal of trees. Our community has been in consultation and communication with Metrolinx.”

The member opposite wants to put forward a narrative against the building of the Ontario Line because they voted against it when it was brought to city council. But our government will not be deterred. We are going to address the transit deficit that was left by the previous Liberal government and we’re going to build the Ontario Line—

Interjections.

Thank you so much to the member opposite for that question. I know how important it is for the members of your community.

Prior to COVID, we had 700,000 residents—constituents—across the province that did not have access to high-speed Internet. Our government invested $4 billion to make sure that we connect everyone in the province of Ontario by the end of 2025. Mr. Speaker, that includes investments into SWIFT and EORN. We also worked and developed a partnership with the federal government to the tune of $1.3 billion. All of those investments will connect 375,000 people in the province.

This was such an innovative process that we actually won a silver medal in the CCPPP conference for innovation and excellence. We have 40,000 to 60,000 premises to go and we will not stop until every single person is connected in the province of Ontario.

Madame Gallagher Murphy moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 70, An Act to proclaim the month of June as Seniors Month / Projet de loi 70, Loi proclamant le mois de juin Mois des personnes âgées.

President of the Treasury Board.

The House recessed from 1141 to 1300.

Miss Surma moved first reading of the following bill:

Bill 69, An Act to amend various Acts with respect to infrastructure / Projet de loi 69, Loi modifiant diverses lois sur les infrastructures.

First reading agreed to.

First reading agreed to.

On the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, Ms. Begum replaces MPP Kernaghan.

Is it the pleasure of the House that the motion carry? Carried.

Motion agreed to.

The bill proclaims the month of June in each year as Seniors Month.

Seniors Month will place a greater significance on the health and well-being of our seniors and will serve as a catalyst to keep our older adults socially connected and engaged in their respective communities.

My question is to the Premier. Recently, the city of Toronto has created a subcommittee out of frustration and the need for more insight and input into the massive Ontario Line project. This means that they’re going to have to dedicate city staff and other resource time to make sure that they can actually staff those committee hearings.

They’ve slammed Metrolinx and the provincial government, who are charged with building the subway line, for being too secretive.

When will the government finally give public answers about when they expect the Ontario Line to be completed and how much it will cost?

The Ontario Line has already doubled in cost. It is going to be the most expensive and overpriced transit line in the history of Ontario. Local businesses and taxpayers want to know—they demand an answer: Are they going to get a good deal from this government, especially since the notifications around tree removal and other types of construction headlines are being blocked by someone in the ministry?

My question is: Will this government actually provide the information that the city of Toronto and the residents deserve? Will they give it to them in a timely fashion and when will my community get an apology for the fact that they were blocked from notifications for the removal of the trees in Osgoode Hall as well as Moss Park?

I want to thank the member for Nickel Belt for her work on this petition to keep the Noëlville OPP detachment open. It’s important to many people in that area, including Robert Mayer from Sudbury and my in-laws, who actually live in Noëlville.

“Whereas insufficient communications and consultations have taken place with communities and relevant stakeholders concerning the OPP Noëlville detachment’s continuing operations; and

“Whereas the residents and visitors in the municipalities of French River, Markstay-Warren, St.-Charles, Killarney and Britt-Byng Inlet as well as the First Nations of Dokis and Henvey Inlet deserve equitable access to a reliable, timely and efficient police response;

“We, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to direct the Ministry of the Solicitor General and the Ontario Provincial Police to continue having Ontario Provincial Police officers reporting to an operational detachment location in Noëlville.”

I support this petition, Speaker. I’ll affix my signature and give it to page Liyao.

Our government will continue to make historic and unprecedented investments into the health sector across this province. Just last year, we invested an additional $5.2 billion to support the delivery of health care services all across this province. That included investing and making sure that we increased or actually opened up additional medical seats for those in the north to ensure that there was better care for residents across all parts of this province.

We’re continuing to ensure that we make the necessary investments in health human resources: over 12,000 nurses were registered, a record year in this province. We will continue to make sure that those investments are being made all across this province.

Mr. Speaker, our government will continue to make these historic and unprecedented investments across this province. We ask the members opposite to stop voting against many of those measures that we have put up, including this historic investment of over $5 billion in additional support, and join our government in increasing investments in health care across this province.

This petition is entitled “Make Registered Psychotherapy Services Tax-Free.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas mental health ... is health care;

“Whereas the mental health crisis facing Ontarians has gotten worse with the pandemic;

“Whereas BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+ folks, women, and people with disabilities have historically faced significant barriers to accessing equitable health care services due to systemic discrimination;

“Whereas registered psychotherapists provide vital mental health services, especially as an early intervention;

“Whereas a 13% tax added to the cost of receiving psychotherapy services is another barrier for Ontarians seeking this vital care;

“Whereas registered psychotherapists are still required to collect HST from their clients, while most other mental health professionals have been exempted;

“Therefore we, the undersigned, petition the Legislative Assembly of Ontario to pass the Making Psychotherapy Services Tax-Free Act” by MPPs Andrew and France Gélinas “immediately, to remove this barrier to access to mental health services.”

I firmly support this petition. I have affixed my signature and will hand it to Wyatt for the table.

“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” between 2023 and 2043 in the province of Ontario; and

“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.”

I fully support this. For the love of humanity, let’s get it done.

I would like to thank Diane Roy from Westree in my riding for the petition.

“Gas Prices....

“Whereas northern Ontario motorists continue to be subject to wild fluctuations in the price of gasoline; and

“Whereas the province could eliminate opportunistic price gouging and deliver fair, stable and predictable fuel prices; and

“Whereas five provinces and many US states already have some sort of gas price regulation; and

“Whereas jurisdictions with gas price regulation have seen an end to wild price fluctuations, a shrinking of price discrepancies between urban and rural communities and lower annualized gas prices;”

They petition the Legislative Assembly as follows:

“Mandate the Ontario Energy Board to regulate the price of gasoline across Ontario in order to reduce price volatility and unfair regional price differences while encouraging competition.”

I support this petition. I will affix my name to it and send it to the table with my good page Liyao.

“911 Everywhere in Ontario.

“Whereas when we face an emergency we all know to dial 911 for help; and

“Whereas access to emergency services through 911 is not available in all regions of Ontario but most Ontarians believe that it is; and

“Whereas many Ontarians have discovered that 911 was not available while they faced an emergency; and

“Whereas all Ontarians expect and deserve access to 911 service, throughout our province;”

They petition the Legislative Assembly as follows:

“To provide 911 emergency response everywhere in Ontario by land line or cellphone.”

I fully support this petition. I will affix my name to it and ask page Yonglin to bring it to the Clerk.

“Let’s Fix the Northern Health Travel Grant.

“Whereas people in the north are not getting the same access to health care because of the high cost of travel and accommodations;

“Whereas by refusing to raise the Northern Health Travel Grant (NHTG) rates, the Ford government is putting a massive burden on northern Ontarians who are sick;

“Whereas gas prices cost more in northern Ontario;”

They petition the Legislative Assembly as follows: “to establish a committee with a mandate to fix and improve the NHTG;

“This NHTG advisory committee would bring together health care providers in the north, as well as recipients of the NHTG to make recommendations to the Minister of Health that would improve access to health care in northern Ontario through adequate reimbursement of travel costs.”

I fully support this petition, Speaker. I will affix my name to it and ask my good page Yonglin to bring it to the Clerk.

I’d like to begin by thanking Dr. Sally Palmer, who has continued to keep up awareness about the conditions for people living on ODSP.

“Whereas Ontario’s social assistance rates are well below Canada’s official Market Basket Measure poverty line and far from adequate to cover the rising costs of food and rent: $733 for individuals on OW and soon $1,227 for ODSP;

“Whereas an open letter to the Premier and two cabinet ministers, signed by over 230 organizations, recommends that social assistance rates be doubled for both Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP);

“Whereas the recent budget increase of 5% for ODSP, with nothing for OW, could be experienced as an insult to recipients, who have been living since 2018 with frozen social assistance rates and a Canadian inflation rate that reached 12%;

“Whereas the government of Canada recognized in its CERB program that a basic income of $2,000 per month was the standard support required by individuals who lost their employment during the pandemic;

“We, the undersigned citizens of Ontario, petition the Legislative Assembly to double social assistance rates for OW and ODSP.”

I fully support this petition. I will affix my signature and give it to Adam.

This petition is “Protect the Greenbelt and Repeal Bill 23.

“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 our food, support natural habitats, prevent flooding and mitigate future climate disasters;

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

“Whereas the government’s Housing Affordability Task Force found there is plenty of places to build homes without paving over the greenbelt, showcasing that Bill 23 was never about housing;

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

“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 Protecting Agricultural Land Act.”

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas Ontario’s social assistance rates are well below Canada’s official Market Basket Measure poverty line and far from adequate to cover the rising costs of food and rent: $733 for individuals on OW and (soon) $1,227 for ODSP;

“Whereas an open letter to the Premier and two cabinet ministers, signed by over 230 organizations, recommends that social assistance rates be doubled for both Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP);

“Whereas the recent small budget increase of 5% for ODSP still leaves these citizens below the poverty line, both they and those receiving the frozen OW rates continue struggling to live during a period of alarming inflation;

“Whereas the government of Canada recognized in its CERB program that a ‘basic income’ of $2,000 per month was the standard support required by individuals who lost their employment during the pandemic;

“We, the undersigned citizens of Ontario, petition the Legislative Assembly to double social assistance rates for OW and ODSP.”

I fully support this petition and will pass it to page Riya to take to the table.

I want to thank Simon Taggart, from Ottawa Centre, for submitting this petition to me, as well as a number of neighbours. It reads:

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas as part of the Highway 417 bridge replacement and operational improvements project, the Ministry of Transportation plans to replace the existing steel noise barriers with translucent Acrylite barriers in the area abutting Highway 417 from Clarendon Avenue and heading west to the Island Park Drive exit ramp (a distance of roughly 188 metres);”

Be it further resolved that “these translucent Acrylite noise barriers are designed to allow light penetration and provide a visual link between the highway and the surrounding area; for the majority of their length, the new barriers would be installed at or just above ground level in a residential area.... As a result, the surrounding homes and neighbourhood would have a visual of the roadway and be exposed to light from vehicles” all day “and the highway lighting system;

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

“We hereby request that the Ministry of Transportation replace the existing steel barriers with a fully opaque noise barrier solution in the location abutting Highway 417 from Clarendon Avenue and heading west to the Island Park Drive highway exit ramp. We feel strongly that the use of a translucent barrier in this location will negatively impact residents in the adjacent homes and surrounding neighbourhood by allowing the infiltration of light pollution and providing an unattractive visual of the often congested highway.”

I’m happy to sign this petition and I’ll be sending it with Liyao to the Clerks’ table.

Ms. Stiles has moved opposition day number 1.

Would the Leader of the Opposition care to lead off the debate?