I think we can all agree that home care done well is what seniors want, and we certainly support that. But home care done well is not by any means going to come out of this bill. We have seen the effects of privatized long-term care brought in first by the Mike Harris government and entrenched further with this government, and with this plan we see up to 30% of tax dollars going into shareholder profits from that large amount of money.

My question is, why should taxpayers be paying for shareholders profits when that money could be going to support pay for PSWs and quality care for our seniors?

My question is to the Premier. My caucus colleagues and I have heard from a number of seniors in our communities who are struggling to find flu shots, RSV vaccines and COVID-19 boosters. From reports of limited eligibility for seniors in my own riding of St. Paul’s to RSV doses costing seniors $200 to $300, this government is once again failing to support vulnerable Ontarians, especially those in rural communities, quite frankly, heading into another respiratory illness season.

My question is for the Premier, and hopefully he’ll answer today: Why haven’t you ensured all seniors in Ontario have reliable access to vaccines to keep them healthy?

I have to say, what we’ve been able to do with a brand new RSV vaccine that was not available ever—we, for the first time, have made that available, free of charge, for our seniors in our most vulnerable settings. Of course, those are our long-term-care homes and our high-risk retirement homes. Why did we do that? Because we understand and we know that with limited supply, you focus on the people where it’s going to make the biggest impact. We are doing that.

Of course, we are also making it available through our pharmacy channels, because we know how valuable and important our pharmacy partners are in accessing and giving those flu and RSV shots to individuals in community who want it. But first and foremost, free of charge, using your OHIP card, we are providing it to high-risk seniors in retirement and long-term care.

I’m happy to expand on that important topic the member brings up for Richmond Hill, who works very hard for seniors in her riding. Thank you for that.

Just last Tuesday, Mr. Speaker, I was at Belmont House—about a click up the road here from Queen’s Park, not far at all—to announce $10 million in diagnostic funding. This funding will allow long-term-care homes in the province to purchase specialized equipment that will help manage or treat conditions that normally lead to an emergency room visit or a hospital visit. Nobody wants that, of course, for our seniors—so think minor ailments, fractures. Instead of the senior going to the hospital for diagnostics, imagine the diagnostics coming to the senior—the right care in the right place.

This would also enable specialized staff training to make sure they can diagnose residents within the comfort of their own home. It’s this Premier that’s investing record capital dollars into expansion, record dollars into making sure that we have the human health resources and into diagnostics for better outcomes for our amazing seniors in Ontario.

This fund will make sure that specialized teams of nurse practitioners and registered nurses will be available in underserved communities. This fund, along with the Local Priorities Fund, will make sure that long-term-care homes have access to specialized equipment. We know seniors are living longer, coming to long-term-care homes with more complex needs. We need to be aware of that situation and adapt with the times.

That’s what we’re doing here. We’re not building beds; we’re building homes in this province for our seniors. Let’s remember, our seniors built our communities. They built this province. They built this country. They built our lives. They took care of us; we’re going to take care of them. It’s this government that’s getting it done for seniors.

This petition is entitled “Expand Ontario Seniors Dental Plan.

“To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

“Whereas seniors have to access the Ontario seniors dental plan through local public health units;

“Whereas the number of dentists registered with public health units to be covered under the Ontario seniors dental plan is low in northern Ontario;

“Whereas the small number of dentists registered with the Ontario seniors dental plan limits the capacity of public health units to serve their patients in northern Ontario; and

“Whereas the income threshold for seniors to be eligible for the Ontario seniors dental plan is unreasonably low—an annual net income of $22,200 or less for a single senior; a combined annual net income of $37,100 or less for a couple—thus creating a huge barrier for low-income seniors to access dental care;

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

“—to invest into community health centres, aboriginal health access centres, and public health units to build and expand dental suites and to hire more dentists; and

“—to facilitate the implementation of the federal dental care plan, which covers all seniors with income lower than $75,000, when it becomes law.”

I endorse this petition, and I will sign it and give it to Danté.