What I can confirm to the member opposite is that under our Progressive Conservative government we have hired nearly 7,000 additional education workers, supporting our kids within our schools—and not only have we hired more, but we pledged to continue funding 1,800 additional education workers and 800 teachers, who will support our kids within our schools, as part of our program before the union.

Mr. Speaker, we fulfilled our end of the bargain—we said we would repeal Bill 28, and that was the biggest barrier to getting a deal, and then 48 hours after us doing so in good faith, they announced a strike notice. We said we would increase pay—335 million more dollars this week compared to last week, a material improvement for every worker, especially for the lowest-paid—and they’ve still rejected the offer. We have now moved to a flat rate, a demand of the union—not to differentiate wages for lower and higher incomes—and we still don’t have a deal.

It is abundantly clear what the fault line is preventing the union from accepting a deal; it is a desire for higher wages.

Our kids should be in school on Monday.

This is what’s becoming a casual invocation of a strike notice every few weeks in this province—every few years. That’s not acceptable.

The NDP wants to normalize strikes because they were standing with the union when kids were out of school. They should be standing up for parents.

Stand with this government. Let’s get a deal. Let’s keep kids in class.

Interjections.

We have significantly increased the pay—$335 million more in a week. We provided a flat rate. We are maintaining the best benefits and pensions and sick leave—and even still, the never-ending, moving yardstick and goalpost of CUPE.

Accept the deal before us, and make sure kids in this province stay in school every single day.

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—

My question is for the Minister of Education. I’ll get the page to pass over these CUPE education support workers forms to him as well.

Students deserve an ECE in every classroom.

Parents need an EA for every student who needs personal care to attend school.

People across Ontario depend on custodians and cleaners to protect the health of our children.

Instead of money for ECEs in every classroom or additional funds for EAs, the government passes the burden to parents to hunt down scarce private resources.

Why doesn’t the Conservative government think that it’s worth properly investing in the people and the public school supports that parents already have available in our schools to help their children catch up and be successful?

Sean and Julia are the parents of two children with autism in my riding. They reached out to my office to express how much our education support workers mean to them and to their children:

“These workers keep June and Chaz safe. They help them to learn and be successful and happy at school each and every day.

“More support workers are needed to help support kids like ours to integrate into mainstream classes. When schools don’t have the staff, parents like us have to pay ABA staff out of pocket or our kids can’t go to mainstream class to work on integration.

“When your family relies on education support workers for the well-being and safety of your child and this government creates conditions that drive them from the profession it’s really scary.

“These workers are truly essential.”

This is not about money. This is about knowing that the workers that children get to know, workers that parents trust and depend on, will not only be here for their kids today but will continue to be there for the kids in the future.

My question is, when will the Premier admit that wanting kids with exceptional needs to have support for the entire school day—not just a fraction of the day—is not about money but it’s about kids?

Interjections.

The minister says there have been 2,246 lost days since 1988, but in terms of school years, that’s 11 and a half years—

Interjections.

The minister has been saying there have been 2,246 lost days since 1988; in terms of school years, that would be 11 and a half years. Nobody is buying the spin.

People are tired of the minister’s games. Parents saw through what the Conservatives did last time.

My question is, when will the Conservative government take the time and energy they waste on spin and just sit down and negotiate a fair deal that will put education support workers in every class and keep them there?

I’d like to know why Jeff Burch doesn’t support a great parliamentarian like Jim Bradley.

Speaker, through you to the Premier: Yesterday, in a move no one asked for or recommended, this government, with absolutely no consultation, tabled a bill that would allow them to appoint regional chairs in Niagara, York and Peel. Just four years ago, in the middle of the municipal election campaign, this government cancelled regional chair elections in these regions—elections in which citizens were electing their chairs-at-large. They didn’t trust citizens with free and fair elections. Now they don’t even trust democratically elected councillors to choose a chair. Now the Premier is going to hand-pick who he wants to rule in his stead, as he hands them additional powers to do his bidding.

Why is the Premier showing such disdain for municipalities and turning local democracy into his own personal sandbox?

Member for Eglinton–Lawrence.

The next question.

I’m just going to remind the House that we’re not going to ask the pages to deliver notes during question period anymore.

Start the clock.

Minister of Education.

Final supplementary.

Start the clock.

The member for Sudbury has the floor.

Interjection.

Interjections.

Start the clock.

The member for Sudbury still has some time.

Once again, I’m going to ask the minister to refer to members by their riding names—the same courtesy that each of us would expect of each other.

Interjections.

Supplementary question.

Premier Ford made it crystal clear to Ontarians that the Strong Mayors, Building Homes Act was just the start, that we wanted to ensure that by the time those two new mayors were sworn in in Ontario’s two largest cities, Toronto and Ottawa—he made it crystal clear that that was the start.

The announcement yesterday, in Bill 39, which it’s pretty obvious New Democrats don’t support—just to add to the litany of housing initiatives this government has done; we’ve done over 90 since 2018. And every single time we try to increase housing supply and actually provide an opportunity for a young person to realize the dream of home ownership, New Democrats vote against it. So it’s no surprise that this member and their party, under the leadership of Marit Stiles, is going to not support—

We’re going to stand up for the dream of home ownership.

Speaker, in the supplementary, I will talk about the significance of that minimum of 50,000 homes in relationship to our 1.5 million homes.

Brampton has been a key auto-assembly jurisdiction for decades, which is why our government led the Stellantis conversion to EV, shoring up thousands of jobs for further decades. We also fund the parts makers through our Ontario Automotive Modernization Program. In Brampton East, O-AMP supported Nahanni Steel, Tipco, RPPL and SHW Pumps, with more than $385,000 in funding. This boosts our supply chain competitiveness, getting them ready to build the cars of the future.

Since 2019, O-AMP has leveraged $36 million in private investments from 150 companies, creating over 820 jobs.

To the member from Brampton East: Let your businesses know that O-AMP has opened another intake just this week to assist even more businesses in Brampton to create good-paying jobs.

That’s why our government has consistently reduced red tape, lowered taxes and fixed that hydro debacle. Businesses are now saving $7 billion in costs every single year. Now we provide entrepreneurs all the tools they need to grow their business.

In Brampton, we fund their small business centre with over half a million dollars annually. We provide over $200,000 to their Summer Company and Starter Company Plus, to help students and young entrepreneurs start their businesses. We’ve provided over $165,000—

My question is for the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

The 2021 census listed the city of Brampton as Canada’s fastest-growing urban centre. Yet for over a decade, under the previous Liberal government, citizens of Brampton felt abandoned. We would continuously raise our health care challenges and increasing unemployment rate.

After a decade of empty Liberal promises, last year our government delivered on the long-promised second hospital for the people of Brampton.

The people of my riding are finally starting to see that Brampton is getting its fair share, but questions remain about employment and jobs in the city.

Speaker, what is our government doing to ensure that my constituents have good, secure, well-paying jobs not only for themselves but for generations to come?

It’s great to hear that our government is focusing on Brampton’s automotive sector, but these are big investments which only apply to a small number of large businesses. While these large businesses provide employment for hundreds of people in my riding—what about small businesses and start-ups? Small businesses and start-ups bring dreams to a reality. I personally know many constituents who rely on their small businesses to provide food for their families. We all know that starting a business is hard work and filled with risk.

What is our government doing to help entrepreneurs in the city of Brampton to start and grow their businesses?

It’s absolutely ludicrous that at a time when he is failing education workers and children, pediatric ICUs are over capacity and we’re in an affordable housing crisis, this Premier is laser-focused on autocratic changes to municipal government.

The Premier isn’t just appointing elected positions; he’s also expanding strong-mayor powers to allow for minority rule while removing environmental protections and gutting conservation authorities.

Here’s what AMO said about the government’s recent housing bill: “The province has offered no evidence that the radical elements of the bill will improve housing affordability. It is more likely that the bill will enhance the profitability of the development industry at the expense of taxpayers and the natural environment.” That’s AMO, who were not even invited to the Bill 23 hearings that the government just shut down this morning.

Speaker, will the Premier admit that he sees municipalities and local democracy as nothing more than a delivery system for his decisions and a way to shop around farmland and green space to his wealthy friends?

Again, the land the member talked about in the first part of the question will provide a significant opportunity for housing. It’s a property that has been discussed for many, many years. The outgoing mayor of Pickering actually wrote to the government and suggested that this property should be part of a future development. This property has been debated in public since the early 2000s, regarding its opportunity to provide housing. The specific Cherrywood property will provide up to 25,000 of the 50,000 homes that the government is proposing with this posting on the greenbelt. To put it into perspective, the best housing start year since 1987 was last year, with 100,000 homes. The average amount of homes being built in Ontario, over 30 years, is 67,500.

So I think the member can understand the significance of why we—

Interjection: All about the money.

My question is to the Premier. The Premier and his Minister of Education have created ongoing chaos in our education system, and confusion for everyone. They have put students, parents—everyone—through the ringer. Their heavy-handed approach with the “notwithstanding” clause to force an agreement upon CUPE was shameful and heavy-handed.

This government did the right thing with the repeal of Bill 28, and our faith in democracy has been restored. But now we need to see a fair deal that is reached at the table. CUPE asked for $100 million to improve the conditions in the classrooms. This is so that they can have more ECEs in every kindergarten classroom and improve the learning environment in our schools that is so desperately needed.

Speaker, will the Premier be willing to work for the majority of Ontarians and put an offer to CUPE that increases the services to our students so that we can have peace in our public schools?

My question is for the Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity. The COVID-19 pandemic has left many families across Ontario dealing with many challenges. Sadly, the pandemic has increased the frequency and severity of domestic violence for many women in our province.

According to the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses, there have been 43 femicides in Ontario within the past year.

Living a life free from violence is a fundamental human right, but gender-based violence continues to be a significant barrier to achieving gender equality in Ontario. Can the minister update this House on our government’s work to end gender-based violence?

Can the associate minister please share further details on how the Investing in Women’s Futures program expansion will proceed?

My question is to the Minister of the Environment.

This House hasn’t heard much from the Minister of the Environment lately, and no wonder; his government’s record on the environment and climate change has sunk to new lows. This government is gutting conservation authorities. It’s going to allow development on flood plains during a climate crisis. It’s ramping up greenhouse gas emissions from our electricity system. It’s doubling down on unnecessary highways that will make congestion and emissions worse. And it’s destroying the greenbelt on behalf of a few powerful landowners and PC donors.

What wisdom can the environment minister share at the climate conference in Egypt when he’s enabling some of the worst attacks on the environment I’ve ever seen here in Ontario?

After the minister returns from Egypt and is back on the job, will anyone in Ontario even notice?

I’d like to respond to His Majesty’s opposition—he has greetings from the minister from COP27. He’s glad to be there representing Ontario and, indeed, Canada.

I will take no lessons from the opposition when it comes to our climate change plan. We’re very proud of our climate change plan. In fact, we are on target to meet or exceed our commitment for 2030, reducing emissions by 30% below 2005 levels.

Some of the things we have done, for example—electric vehicle production in Ontario. We’re going to lead the world. We have massive investments in EV battery production taking place in the Windsor-Essex area. We are changing furnaces to arc electric at the Sault Ste. Marie and Hamilton steel mills, which will be the equivalent of taking two million cars off the road.

So I say to the Leader of the Opposition, we are well on target to meet or exceed our guarantees for 2030, and we’re very proud of our made-in-Ontario climate change plan.

I want to expand on that. Yes, we are making sure that the environment is a number one priority. However, let’s be clear: We were elected in a massive majority by answering the call that Ontarians gave us to build Ontario—and we’re going to. I say to the leader: The two are not mutually exclusive. We are able to build Ontario and provide what is needed for the increase in population coming over the next couple of decades, and we are able to do that while respecting and protecting the environment. We’re able to walk and chew gum at the same time.

I understand the people on the other side—unfortunately, all they want to talk about is blocking our efforts to do what is necessary to make sure that Ontario continues to lead.

We will get both done, and we’ll protect the environment at the—

I want to thank the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Colleges and Universities for your commendable work in providing wraparound supports in mental health for our youth.

Mr. Speaker, over the break, I had the privilege of attending the 40th annual meeting of the Federal, Provincial and Territorial Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women, which was capped by the announcement of the first National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence.

Ontario’s endorsement of the 10-year National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence includes a framework for anyone facing GBV to have reliable and timely access to protection and services, no matter where they live. The action plan is anchored by five pillars: support for victims and survivors and their families; prevention; a responsive justice system; implementing Indigenous-led approaches; and social infrastructure and enabling environment. I’m really happy that this agreement marks a milestone investment on Ontario’s path to ending gender-based violence.

That’s why I was really proud to be able to announce, alongside the Minister of Finance and my colleagues from Durham, that our government will expand the Investing in Women’s Futures program by up to 10 additional service sites. The call for proposals has just closed, and I can share with the House that we received about 136 applications. My ministry is currently reviewing those applications.

Building programs that give women wraparound supports to overcome barriers, build their skills and gain employment is a key step for women entering and re-entering the workforce.

This investment of $6.9 million over the next three years for the—

Order.

The next question.

Interjections.

The next question.

Interjections.

Start the clock. Next question.

I want to thank my friend and colleague for the chance to highlight and honour the contributions of individuals and organizations across Ontario who have been recognized through the Attorney General’s Victim Services Awards of Distinction.

We all know, in the face of unprecedented challenges, dedicated professionals around Ontario—generous volunteers, outstanding organizations—they’ve all demonstrated an irrepressible drive to raise awareness of victims’ issues, increase access to crisis intervention services, and provide compassionate service and support in times of need. This esteemed recognition highlights the dedication and compassion of professionals, organizations and volunteers working to support people who have experienced victimization due to crime. The award also recognizes the courageous efforts of individuals who have been personally impacted by crime and are now working to raise the profile of victims’ issues in this province, including in rural, northern and Indigenous communities.

Last year we gave awards to individuals and organizations in Thunder Bay, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Oshawa, Sarnia, Thornhill, St. Catharines, Burlington and Whitby; this year, I hope and expect that we’ll have nominations from as broad a field again.