I have a long list of members from OPSEU/SEFPO to introduce to the Legislature: Rizza Millares, Angel Martinez, Julie Chambo, Mary Bloomfield, Amy Linn, Ryan Najbor, Cindy Ladoucer, Lori Graham, Tischa Forster, Kimberley McBride, Dalia Campbell, Kurt Hehl, Justin Legros, Kathy Moreau, Mark Halabecki, Brandon Dumoulin, Ed Arvelin, Shane Wakeford, Dustin Bayley, Nils Andersson, Scott Sarginson, Jim Reilly, Bartek Czinar, and Jacqueline Francois. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

I would like to welcome, from Cystic Fibrosis Canada, located in my riding, Kelly Grover, president and CEO; Kim Steele, the director of government and community relations; Macrina Perron, an amazing parent; and the many other team members, including Ron, who I spoke with today passionately about their needs and advocacy on cystic fibrosis.

I’d also like to welcome the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada—the one and only Gini Dickie, member of the Fred Dowling co-op; Olive Hersey, member of the Heath Street co-op; Jennifer Irving, member of the Lotus co-op; Simone Swail, manager, government relations, CHF Canada; and Nicole Waldron, member of the board of directors, CHF Canada.

I’d also like to welcome all of the wonderful members I will be meeting with later this afternoon from OPSEU/SEFPO.

Welcome to Queen’s Park. Welcome to your House.

I’d like to welcome today representatives of the Ontario Real Estate Association from my riding: Donna Mathewson, Rob Longo, Dave Burke and Steve Park. Welcome to Queen’s Park.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in the House today to recognize the incredible work of the Alzheimer Society of Ontario.

Like many other cities in Ontario, the Richmond Hill seniors’ population is growing rapidly. Many seniors are struggling with dementia and other forms of this life-changing illness.

I can still recall the dilemma Florence faced when her grandfather disappeared on her. He cannot speak much English, and he is totally lost when he’s on the street alone. Florence’s family is very grateful for the Finding Your Way program. It is supported by the Ontario government and delivered all across Ontario by the Alzheimer Society. This program is very important because it recognizes that it takes all of us working together to help keep our seniors safe.

I want to end by sharing an amazing statistic with you. More than one million people have benefited from the Finding Your Way program through the tools and seminars it offers. That’s a truly marvellous thing.

With so many people coming together to help care for and nurture our seniors, we are helping to make a difference for the people in Ontario.

J’aimerais remercier Chantal Filion et Macrina Perron, qui sont ici avec Cystic Fibrosis. Bienvenue à Queen’s Park.

I’d like to welcome three proud Windsor–Essex realtors to the House today: Mark Lalovich, Elica Berry and Damon Winney.

It is my pleasure to welcome OPSEU/SEFPO members. I notice that nobody on the government side—they claim to be for the unions, but nobody is introducing them, so I’ll take an opportunity. I’d like to welcome Rizza Millares, Angel Martinez—

Interjections.

Later today, Life Sciences Ontario will be here to meet with some of our members and host a reception in the dining room this evening. I hope everyone can join.

In my past capacity as a financial adviser, I’d like to welcome all the financial advisers here today.

Again to the Premier: We also heard yesterday that Children’s Hospital at London Health Sciences Centre announced the heartbreaking decision to cancel surgeries for sick children. In-patient bed occupancy is higher than any other time during the pandemic, despite the hospital’s efforts to expand capacity and to move children to the adult ICU. The director of pediatric critical care says the crisis is getting worse every day and they don’t know how long the cancellations will last.

We’ve been hearing that this government has a plan for the crisis in our pediatric hospitals.

How can the Premier possibly defend a plan that causes sick children and their families to suffer?

This government’s so-called plan is devastating for families like my constituents.

Why did the Premier fail to provide the supports and resources needed by Children’s Hospital and other pediatric hospitals to prevent surgeries and procedures from being cancelled?

It is obviously deeply disturbing for all of us to hear stories about parents who have to wait with their children as they get admitted, as they are waiting for that bed to open up in the hospitals, but I also think it’s important for us to understand and appreciate that these are not new issues and not new problems. We were left, frankly, with a health system that was in dire need of investments. Our government has made those investments, and we continue to make those investments.

We are the first government since the last previous Conservative government to open up two new medical schools in the province of Ontario.

We will continue to do what is right and what is needed.

But, yes, I do find it disturbing when we hear stories about how parents have to wait for that bed to become available and the child to ultimately be in a hospital room.

We have put in place with our partners, including Ontario Health, constant contact with pediatric hospitals, Ontario Health, primary care practitioners, community health centres to make sure that everyone is working at full capacity so that we have access to the care we need.

I understand this is very challenging—when we see these surges, when we see increases in viruses such as RSV, when we see increases in influenza. What I would ask, respectfully, is that all of us make sure we are part of the solution by encouraging our constituents to get that flu vaccine. If you haven’t yet received your booster shot for COVID-19, do it. That will make a difference in our hospitals, in our primary care facilities, and it will ultimately protect our children.

As I said, our best defence is to make sure that people get that flu vaccine, that we have sufficient investments in place at pediatric hospitals and, frankly, in community hospitals.

I want to highlight some of the partnerships that have happened. We often talk about the highly skilled, exceptional workers who are in our pediatric hospitals, but we also have highly skilled, caring, compassionate health care workers in our community hospitals. Now we have partnerships where SickKids nurses are training community hospital nurses on what to expect and how to deal with patients with, for example, RSV. It’s working. We will continue to do that work.

Speaker, the Premier has been on record—in fact, it was in his book—about his interest in the strong-mayor system.

When we tabled this bill, the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act, almost immediately upon election, we made it very clear that we were going to put a plan in place not just to give the mayors of Toronto and Ottawa strong-mayor powers, but the Premier was extremely transparent in communicating that we were going to continue that opportunity to other regions. Bill 39, the Better Municipal Governance Act, is on the floor for debate in the Legislative Assembly. It provides exactly what the Premier promised, and that is to extend these powers to other regions in the province. As well, in the spirit of collaboration, we’re acting on the suggestion that Mayor Tory put forward and putting it in this bill so that he has tools to get shovels in the ground faster.

We’re in the middle of a housing crisis. I hate to keep reminding—

Speaker, the Premier is using Bill 39 to allow the mayor of Toronto to pass laws at city hall with the support of only one third of council. The mayor could pass laws with the support of just eight members out of 25. We operate in a democracy—50% plus one, majority rule. But this bill silences two thirds of council. It silences the voice of the majority of Torontonians in how our city is run.

Will the Premier abide by the democratic process and withdraw this absurd bill?

My question is to the Premier.

CTV News reported yesterday that a four-year-old with Down syndrome spent 40 hours in the ER of Cortellucci Vaughan Hospital before she was finally transferred to a bed. The child’s mother, Jasmine, was forced to create a makeshift bed out of chairs for her exhausted and sick daughter, who was suffering with a fever, vomiting and had low oxygen levels.

Our youngest children are sick and suffering because this government didn’t do enough to prepare for this crisis.

I ask the Premier, how many more kids will have to wait long hours for care before this government takes action to relieve the burden on hospitals and ensure our kids get the care that they need?

Why didn’t the Premier tell people during the recent election campaign that he’d be undermining democracy as part of his program?

I want to acknowledge my friend Macrina Perron from Cystic Fibrosis Canada and congratulate her on her philanthropy award from Nipissing University.

While I have a few horses in the World Cup race, my number one steed is, of course, Team Canada.

I’d like to ask unanimous consent for all members in the House, if they so choose, to wear any Team Canada swag to support our team. Go, Canada, go.

That concludes the time we have available for introduction of guests.

Speaker, we learned that the mayor of Toronto and the Premier were having these backroom conversations as far back as this summer. This is how the government operates—secret conversations behind closed doors. We saw that with the cuts to the greenbelt. Backdoor meetings led to results for wealthy donor developers at the expense of the interests of the people of Ontario.

Will the Premier stop his backroom deals with donors and serve in the interests of the public?

Hate in all forms has no place in Ontario, and to be clear, this includes anti-Semitism. We will not let anti-Semitism disrupt our way of life, especially here in Ontario.

Mr. Speaker, this is very personal to me. I’m proud to serve a Premier and a government who have used our diversity as our greatest strength. The proof of our diversity is right here—all those who sit around me, in our party, working together.

So what can we do? We can call it out. Anti-Semitism is toxic to our democracy, and when we combat anti-Semitism, we protect our human rights and our human dignity for all, and we protect our common values in our communities. It doesn’t matter where we come from or how we got here; it’s about doing the right thing and calling out hatred for what it is. It has no place in Ontario, and we will not tolerate it.

Interjections.

We’ve invested over $25 million to protect against hate-motivated violence, racism and hate.

Just two weeks ago, I was proud to be with our Minister of Education and our caucus members at an important announcement of mandatory Holocaust education in the grade 6 curriculum, commencing for the first time next year.

Some things have to matter: the rule of law; our ability to live safely in our own communities one to another, free of hate and discrimination. Mr. Speaker, this must matter.

The final supplementary.

Restart the clock.

The next question.

Restart the clock.

Supplementary question.