I’m sorry to interrupt the member.

A point of order from the member of from Chatham-Kent–Leamington.

Point of order.

Je vous remercie, et je vous remercie de la question en français.

Nous avons 57 équipes santé Ontario, et oui, elles vont commencer à être responsables pour les services à domicile dans 10 ou 12 parties de l’Ontario à partir de 2025. De rapprocher les soins primaires des soins à domicile, oui, c’est une excellente, bonne idée. C’est ce qu’on avait avant que le gouvernement de Mike Harris soit au pouvoir. On avait une très bonne relation entre les soins primaires et la santé à domicile. Ça, c’est quelque chose qu’on va toujours appuyer et quelque chose de bien. Le problème, c’est que c’est Ontario à domicile, qui est un organisme provincial, qui va donner les contrats, donc on ne sait vraiment pas qui seront les personnes—

We could pay our PSWs more than $18.50 an hour. We could give all of them a raise with the money that we pay to for-profit companies.

Ça faisait longtemps qu’ils demandaient d’avoir un programme d’infirmières. Qu’ils puissent offrir un programme d’infirmières en français, ça va changer la donne. Quasiment tous les collèges en Ontario—le Collège Boréal, qui est situé à Sudbury—offre le cours d’infirmières en anglais. Le Collège Boréal ne l’offre pas encore, mais va l’offrir l’année prochaine, et, oui, on a très hâte. Je vous garantis qu’il va y avoir beaucoup, beaucoup d’inscriptions. C’est un programme qui est en grande demande, et ce sont des professionnels de la santé qui sont en grande demande.

Oui, c’est quelque chose qu’on attendait depuis longtemps. Je suis certaine que le Collège Boréal va faire un bon travail pour avoir des infirmières francophones qui vont au Collège Boréal, qui graduent en Ontario et qui travaillent en Ontario.

I gave the example of the amputee in my riding who gets called back at noon to say, “We will send you a nurse at 2 o’clock,” when he already has a dressing change scheduled for 4. He says, “Well, don’t bother.” So they say really clearly, “You refuse treatment?” The minute they hear those words, they are allowed to bill for that service, but they don’t have to provide it. Therefore, it does not cost them anything.

In bundled care, it’s the same thing. Bundled care is used mainly for people who get discharged from the hospital. Post-hip and post-knee surgery, you get bundled care, where a nurse will come and change your dressing and a physiotherapist will come and show you your range-of-motion exercises, strengthening exercises, balance, how to do stairs etc. It’s called bundled care. They get the fixed amount to provide what the patient needs, and in that fixed amount there will be five physio visits, 10 nursing visits, 20 PSW visits—I’m making that up. They get paid for that bundled care—they provide half of it, and they still get paid the same amount.

La députée sait que pour offrir les soins en français, on doit avoir du personnel de santé qui parle français. Alors, on a une grande pénurie. C’est pourquoi notre gouvernement a soutenu la création d’un campus francophone du Collège Boréal ici à Toronto, où, pour la première fois, on va avoir les infirmières et infirmiers éduqués en français, ici à Toronto.

Est-ce que la députée soutient ce projet?

Questions?

We saw after the Mike Harris government privatized long-term care that conditions for workers and people in long-term care have been disastrous, but enormously profitable to the former Premier himself.

Given the terrible wages and working conditions of PSWs in home care at this time, are you worried that those working conditions and the quality of care will decline even more in order to provide profits to investors?

A 30% rate of profit is quite an extraordinary return. Can you talk about how it is that they’re able to secure such a high rate of return on this service?

On Friday, I joined my colleagues at Peel Regional Police headquarters in Mississauga, where the Premier announced the Preventing Auto Thefts Grant, an $18-million investment over three years to help police services combat auto theft and protect communities, including $900,000 for Peel region.

We know that auto thefts are an increasingly serious problem in Mississauga and across the province. That’s why our government is taking immediate and decisive action to increase safety and security and prevent crime.

Earlier this year, the Solicitor General announced a $51-million investment over three years to fight criminal organizations and put these criminals behind bars.

Although our government is working hard to fight crime, we must be clear: Comprehensive reforms from the federal government are needed to take criminals off the streets and keep them in jails. That’s why this Legislature called on our federal counterparts to implement bail reform. The non-stop game of catch-and-release and the dangerous opposition rhetoric of defunding the police only serves to punish the hard-working, law-abiding residents of Ontario.

We will always continue to support law enforcement officers, such as Peel Regional Police, who are working hard to keep our community safe.

Changes we made earlier this year will provide free tuition at the Ontario Police College and allow up to 550 recruits per cohort—such as the 51 police who graduated in Peel this year.

This government is providing police with the resources and training they need to be successful. We are firmly committed to—

I am pleased to rise to speak about the Nova Vita women’s shelter.

Domestic violence is a horrific form of intimate partner violence that affects roughly 100,000 Canadians each year. Domestic violence has devastating effects on a victim’s physical health and mental well-being. Often, the effects of domestic violence can seriously disrupt a victim’s social and economic well-being as well.

That is why the Nova Vita women’s shelter has dedicated itself to fighting to end interpersonal violence and abuse by supporting individuals and families who have experienced domestic violence.

Nova Vita was founded in the Brantford-Brant community in 1982, and it has flourished into a beacon of hope for everyone affected by domestic violence.

In 2003, Nova Vita renovated their emergency shelter, which is open 24/7 and provides a safe place for women and children experiencing abuse or homelessness to eat, sleep and meet with Nova Vita workers for support.

Nova Vita continues to engage in evaluative research of its many programs and services, in partnership with a variety of educational institutions, to ensure that those who rely on their services for support are receiving the highest-quality care.

I am proud to represent a community that takes care of its own.

On behalf of Brantford-Brant, I want to extend my thanks to Nova Vita for protecting the most vulnerable in our community.

Nova Vita, keep up the great work.

In 2022, Chad Bélanger was the victim of a tragic accident while driving between Kapuskasing and Val-Rita on a short work delivery. His vehicle was in a head-on collision with a commercial truck after the truck crossed two solid yellow lines to pass another commercial vehicle going up a hill. He survived, but with extreme pain, bruises on vital organs, including the heart and lungs, a severe concussion, and memory loss from the accident. He had a broken jaw, broken neck, broken ribs. He now lives with anxiety and PTSD.

Currently, there is a grey zone for drivers when it comes to this dangerous manoeuvre. Police officers cannot fine someone for passing on two solid lines; they can only give a slim $85 fine when it is considered unsafe passing. This leaves little room for prevention, and most times it takes an accident to have any consequences from this careless driving.

Speaker, Chad’s Law is a common-sense law. Ontarians wrote to me in complete shock that this was not already illegal, like in all the other provinces in Canada.

As an MPP from northern Ontario, I know all MPPs representing communities from all parties can testify to how dangerous Highways 11 and 17 can be.

Winter is at our door; highways in the north will become more dangerous.

I hope we can all work together, and not wait for another accident, to make passing double lines finally illegal.

We’re very excited, on this side of the House, that the government has signalled they may support a motion by our caucus and the amazing member from St. Catharines to provide full coverage for birth control under OHIP. This could be a game-changer for so many women in Ontario who can’t afford or have easy access to contraception.

Our leader has said, “There’s no doubt that lowering the barriers to accessing contraception can have a huge impact on people’s ability to have control over their family plans and their bodies. It’s long overdue, and it’s just common sense.” I would add that it certainly is worth fighting for—and truly encouraging that the government is considering supporting.

After all, as MPP Stevens has said, “This isn’t just about health; it’s a matter of gender equality.”

Advocates have said that ensuring women don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars a year on birth control will offer more protection for victims of sexual violence, provide women with autonomy over reproductive health, and act as yet another step towards gender equality.

Many people don’t know that “in abusive relationships, violence often escalates during pregnancy,” says Krista MacNeil, the executive director of Victim Services of Durham Region. “The cost of unwanted pregnancies in Canada [is] in excess of $320 million. By contrast, no-cost contraception represents a fraction of that cost and the lives of women are worth this investment.”

Let’s hope that we can work together to expand contraceptive health care for women in the province of Ontario. Let’s get it done.

November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in men and women in Ontario. In Canada, 30,000 people are diagnosed each year, making it the most commonly diagnosed cancer type.

November also marks Radon Action Month, yet there is little known about this invisible and odourless radioactive gas that is naturally released from rocks, soil and water. It can get into homes through cracks and holes over time, and breathing in this gas can cause lung cancer. For those who do not smoke, radon gas is the leading cause of lung cancer, responsible for over 3,000 deaths in Canada each year. Home testing kits for radon are inexpensive and can be purchased at your local retailer.

Madam Speaker, our government has already made strides in cancer prevention, such as our initiative to start screening earlier for breast cancer.

I am thankful to the survivors and advocates for their dedication to this cause—including those from the Canadian Cancer Survivor Network, Right2Survive, Lung Cancer Canada, and others—for their continued advocacy on this imperative and deadly issue in Ontario.

Two things: Whenever someone on this side of the House says “innovation,” what you should really hear is “privatization,” because the only innovations they have brought forward for the five and a half years that they have been in power are privatizations of our health care system.

Interjection.

The other is that they have changed it so there are no more set amounts for home care—it used to be like this. We don’t have a set amount anymore. It doesn’t matter, because home care cannot make a deficit. The agency that receives the funds—it used to be home and community care—receives the funds and cannot do a deficit. So from February and March, in my riding, it doesn’t matter how high your needs for home care are; you get two baths a week. That’s it. That’s all. It doesn’t matter that you’re not able to go to the bathroom by yourself, that you’re not able to transfer from your bed. You get two baths a week—because that’s all the money they have left.

Thank you to the member from Nickel Belt for her comments.

As we all know, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

We’re bringing a lot of change to our home care sector for the first time in 25 years. As you know, we revisited the legislation. We took off the service maximum, so people can get the amount of home care that they need in their home, and there’s the opportunity for innovation and integrated care in home care for the first time.

In my area, the North Toronto Ontario Health Team has established a neighbourhood care team in a seniors’ housing building offering low-income senior tenants a range of health care services, including regular blood pressure checks, foot care, access to social workers, wellness checks etc.

Can the member opposite not see the importance of innovating and trying to bring new ways of providing home care to our seniors?

Questions?

Third reading debate deemed adjourned.

As a young man growing up in Leamington, Ontario, the southernmost community in Canada, my geography had a profound impact on me—in particular, our friends, allies and closest trading partners from the beautiful state of Michigan. My airwaves were filled with the music of Motown, our local news was from Detroit, and the skyline I adored, growing up, had the shimmering Renaissance Center standing on the shores of the Detroit River. This unique geography also influenced the sports teams I cheered for.

My grandfather Joseph was born in a small community near Flint, Michigan. My great-grandfather played baseball for the development team for the Detroit Tigers while working in a local automotive plant. This history made for enjoyable and interesting traditions, not to mention two beautiful Thanksgiving dinners and University of Michigan football. I was inspired by a young coach called Bo Schembechler, whose leadership, commitment and grit guided my life. I believed in the team. I was guided by a mantra: “Those who stay will be champions.” No person is more important than the team; no coach is more important than the team—the team, the team, the team. If you take this mantra with your daily life, just take into consideration what effects that might have on the outcomes.

Yesterday, in front of 116,000 fans, they defeated their rivals from Ohio State, with a score of 30-24.

Congratulations to the University of Michigan and to the fans worldwide for believing in the team. Hail to the victors.

As we welcome the festive season, it is crucial to address a growing concern in our communities. While the holidays traditionally see an increase in food bank usage, this year presents an unprecedented challenge. Minister, today’s Feed Ontario report highlights a distressing reality: a significant rise in food bank use across Ontario—an increase of over 38% from last year. This is double the increase Ontario saw during the 2008 recession.

In Niagara, organizations like Community Care, Salvation Army, and the local churches run our food banks. They are an incredible force for good, yet they face immense strain due to systemic issues beyond the holiday spike. The root causes—chronic income insecurity, precarious employment, and a dire shortage of affordable housing—all demand our immediate attention.

This crisis calls for more than seasonal generosity. It requires concrete action from the government of Ontario. We should be leading by example, showing compassion at this time of the year, providing emergency assistance for food banks that are ringing the alarm bells. In order to get there, it will require a bridge, and the province holds the purse strings.

Minister, it is time to seriously look at emergency assistance for food banks.

As we move towards the new year, let us embrace a vision of hope and resilience.

Thank you very much. Members’ statements?

Please join me in warmly welcoming our guests to the Legislature today.

Applause.

In tribute to my predecessor, Percy Hatfield,

A heartwarming story of community generosity shall be revealed.

This weekend over 600 Goodfellows stood at street corners aplenty.

Exchanging Windsor Star newspapers for nickels, toonies and bills of twenty.

In the frigid cold, at Tecumseh and Forest Glade.

I joined the 600 volunteers who encouraged that trade.

For 110 years strong, this tradition has endured,

The gift of monthly food boxes and hampers to the needy is assured.

Thirty-three hundred such hampers are known to be needed.

But in true Windsor-Essex form, we know that this target will be exceeded.

And as this holiday campaign ends, our Goodfellows keep helping the masses

With shoes, boots, breakfasts and bagged lunches for students in classes.

And their food bank on Tuesdays and Fridays helping many families eat

Prices keep on climbing and they struggle to make ends meet.

To the Goodfellows serving us across Windsor and Essex county,

A sincere thank you for filling families’ dinner tables with a generous bounty.