As we’ve said many times, the difficult and complex fall that was predicted has materialized, and we have three viral threats. It’s changing with every wave. Initially, we had personal protective equipment, adult ICUs and adult ward beds that needed attention; now it is pediatric ICUs—and, frankly, it is not because of COVID, but because of RSV and influenza. That is why we planned for that. We’ve said this many times. We made investments in the NICU units. We made investments in pediatric hospitals. And we expanded our health human resources and beds, across the board, in hospitals.

As Dr. Simpson noted, it’s not unusual for 14- and 16-year-old patients to be looked after in adult ICU beds. That is commonly done. That is what is happening now.

We’re making sure that we have the resources for our children and that they get the best care possible, and we know our health care workers will deliver it.

As Dr. Simpson also noted, “What is important to emphasize is that all pediatric patients will be seen when they come to a hospital. If they require admission, then we will look after them.”

Like Dr. Simpson said, I have great faith and confidence in our health care providers across the province. They are expertly trained to support all of our health care needs and will do whatever it takes to make sure our children get the care that they need.

I just have to say, I thought the opposition was trying to ask questions about what is going on in hospitals today, not some fantasy that they think might be happening in the future.

Let’s just talk about what’s happening in our health care system and what has happened in the past.

In the 2012 Auditor General’s report on health human resources, it was revealed that northern Ontario had a shortage of 200 physicians or 40,000 hours of care, and yet little was done. Who held the balance of power at that time? I think that was these guys, the opposition, the NDP.

The former Premier admitted that she was freezing hospital spending for years, and in 2015 she eliminated 50 medical residency positions from Ontario. They defended that decision, when 800,000 Ontarians were without a family doctor, by saying, “We are scaling back to make better use of our health care dollars.” This reduction came in the same year when 250 nurses were being laid off. You supported them every step of the way.

We’re fixing the system—

Thank you to the hard-working member from Don Valley North for the question and for his advocacy on behalf of internationally educated health care workers.

This government is breaking down long-standing barriers so that health professionals can work here in Ontario, no matter where they come from. These changes will finally bring more internationally educated health care workers into our health care system faster, helping to care for Ontarians when they need it. So far this year, through our Supervised Practice Experience Partnership program, over 900 internationally educated nurses have been matched with hospitals, and in total the college of nurses has registered 5,848 internationally educated nurses.

Working in partnership with the College of Nurses of Ontario and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, these changes will support our record-breaking, historic recruitment plan and make it easier and faster for health care professionals to be trained in Ontario.

The important changes that will come into effect immediately include allowing internationally educated nurses to register in a temporary class and begin working sooner while they work toward full registration; making it easier for non-practising or retired nurses to return to the field by introducing flexibility to the requirement that they need to have practised nursing within a certain period of time before applying for reinstatement; and creating a new temporary independent-practice registration class for physicians from other provinces and territories, making it easier for them to work up to 90 days in Ontario.

Additionally, even more changes will come into effect on January 1, including requiring health regulatory colleges to comply with time limits to make registration decisions, prohibiting health regulatory colleges from requiring Canadian work experience for the purpose of registration, and accepting language tests provided under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to reduce duplicate language-proficiency testing for immigrants who want to practise here.

Together, these changes are going to help make sure we have the health care workers we need in Ontario.

I haven’t seen the letters you referred to, and I can’t speak to the minister’s schedule, but our government does understand the unique health care challenges in the north. We’re committed to ensuring that everyone in Ontario has access to the health care that they need.

While physician supply across Ontario is projected to consistently exceed population growth—leading to an average annual net increase of approximately 581 physicians each year until 2029—we know that there are still some northern communities that have trouble recruiting and retaining doctors, which is why our government is investing in initiatives to help improve access to physician services across the north.

This includes, for example, $32 million this year for residents’ salaries and benefits, medical education and training, allied health professionals and remote First Nations family residency programs at the northern Ontario medical school.

We’ll continue working to make sure everyone in Ontario has the health care that they need.

Thank you to the member opposite for the question.

Our government has got a record investment in recruitment, retaining and training new health care providers, and we’re making sure we have health care providers all across the system.

The College of Nurses of Ontario has reported that in the first eight months of this year they registered 12,800 nurses. That is a record. So our changes and our investments are having an effect.

I understand that nobody likes to wait for diagnostic imaging, and diagnostic imaging has caught up—our surgical backlog. We’ve had the diagnostic imaging actually exceeding targets that existed before—although there may be one reason why this individual is waiting. I understand that Niagara has just gotten a new MRI machine. So I hope she gets her MRI very shortly.

On March 28, 2022, a three-year physician services agreement was ratified by the Ontario Medical Association and its members. It’s a true milestone, as it is the first time that a deal has been reached in over a decade without an arbitrator. Under the new virtual care framework, the ministry and the OMA are implementing a new pricing structure for virtual care—something which didn’t really exist before the pandemic—that ensures that patients are receiving services through the avenue that best reflects a patient-physician relationship, video versus telephone.

We want to be clear: All medically necessary virtual care services, including initial patient visits by telephone, will continue to be insured under OHIP. Patients will continue to have access to clinically appropriate virtual care where virtual care is the appropriate service, like in rural and remote mental health services. We’re going to make sure that Ontarians get the care they need, and we’re making virtual care permanent for the first time ever.

This government wants to make sure that every Ontarian has the health care they need and deserve. Ontario funds team-based care, such as community centres and family health teams, to improve access to primary care for vulnerable populations and trans populations. Many primary care teams run primary care programs as part of their LGBTQ+ services, or specific clinics for trans populations, providing interdisciplinary primary care services, including mental health services, for their clients.

In addition to the many groups that provide services to the trans community, there are two specific family health teams that have dedicated trans programs: the Couchiching Family Health Team for trans health services, and the Queen Square Family Health Team in Brampton for trans health/gender health in the community. There is also the Sherbourne community health centre, which provides guidance and resources that could be used by all primary care providers when caring for transgender individuals.

Ontario also funds over 500 community-based mental health and addictions providers across the province. These are services targeted to LGBTQ+ and available through many of the agencies free of charge.