Hansard Transcript 2021-Mar-09 vol. A | Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Bill 257, An Act to enact the Building Broadband Faster Act, 2021 and to make other amendments in respect of infrastructure and land use planning matters / Projet de loi 257, Loi édictant la Loi de 2021 sur la réalisation accélérée de projets d’Internet à haut débit et apportant d’autres modifications en ce qui concerne les infrastructures et des questions d’aménagement du territoire.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’ll recognize the Minister of Infrastructure to lead off the debate.

Hon. Laurie Scott: I’m pleased to rise today to speak about the Building Broadband Faster Act, 2021. I will be sharing my time with Minister Walker and the member from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry.

Now more than ever, we need to build better infrastructure faster, laying the foundation for growth, renewal and long-term economic recovery. We need an Ontario-made plan to build infrastructure cost-effectively, to create good jobs and to connect communities to what matters most.

Our proposed legislation comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has shined a glaring spotlight on the digital divide. Today, as many as 700,000 households across Ontario lack access to reliable broadband. That’s hundreds of thousands of people who are struggling to work, learn or connect remotely from home; hundreds of thousands of families struggling to access vital resources like virtual health care or to connect with loved ones and friends through video calls without constantly dropping out; hundreds of families struggling to reach their fullest potential, not to mention local businesses across Ontario—a family farm, a bakery or a bed and breakfast—that need reliable broadband to source supplies or connect with their customers, or the entrepreneurs who need connectivity to get products and services to the global markets.

In today’s 21st-century digital world, those who lack access to reliable Internet only continue to fall further behind. Mr. Speaker, that’s why we’re proposing to take bold action through these legislative changes. The proposed act would, if passed, help connect communities to reliable high-speed Internet sooner by accelerating the deployment of provincially significant broadband infrastructure.

In order to understand the impact this act would have on communities, I will first briefly explain how broadband is often deployed to underserved or unserved communities. To connect communities to broadband, telecommunications service providers often need to run broadband cables over long distances. These cables are usually buried in the ground or attached in the air to hydro poles. Frequently, telecommunications service providers pay annual fees to attach these cables to hydro poles owned by utility companies. Sounds simple enough, but the reality is that Ontario has the highest hydro utility pole attachment rates in Canada. These costs are a real financial barrier to expanding broadband to unserved and underserved communities in our province. There are other barriers too, such as potential delays in accessing those same poles and municipal rights-of-way to install broadband on municipal land.

If passed, our proposed legislation would provide the ability to reduce these barriers. Through this legislation, our government is introducing the Building Broadband Faster Act, 2021. This act, if passed, would help to accelerate broadband infrastructure deployment by providing the Minister of Infrastructure with the authority to reduce barriers for provincially significant projects. This would include the ability to ensure municipalities and utility companies provide timely access to their infrastructure, such as municipal rights-of-way and hydro utility poles.

This legislation would also, if passed, allow the government to help reduce the time it takes to prepare electricity infrastructure, such as hydro utility poles, for new wire attachments on provincially significant projects, and it would help accelerate what has been a slow and cumbersome process whenever a new attachment request is made.

If passed, this legislation would help ensure that owners of underground infrastructure provide locations of their infrastructure within 10 business days for specific broadband projects before a dig. This would allow service providers to more quickly start work on laying down underground broadband infrastructure without worrying about damaging other wires and lines.

Our proposed Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act, if passed, would also amend the Ontario Energy Board Act. It would provide the Ontario government with the regulation-making authority to reduce barriers regarding the development of, access to and use of electricity infrastructure by third parties. This would include the authority to reduce or fix the annual charge that telecommunications companies must pay to attach their wire lines to hydro utility poles. It would also allow the government to enact regulations to establish performance standards and timelines on how utility companies must respond to attachment requests.

The amendments would also provide the authority to require utility companies to consider possible joint use of hydro utility poles during their planning process and require transparency around when and where hydro utility poles are scheduled for replacement or refurbishment. This would help to save time and money in the future as telecommunications service providers seek to enter new communities. This innovative new approach builds on previous commitments our government made in our 2019 broadband and cellular action plan to remove barriers.

Why is this a priority? It’s a priority because this affects the livelihoods and well-being of mothers, fathers, students, seniors, businesses and workers. They are our families, our friends and our neighbours, some of whom live just down the road from us, often past an invisible line that divides those who have access to broadband and those who do not. They are individuals and families who are being left out of the 21st-century digital economy.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take a few minutes to share stories from people who have written to me from across the province about their frustrations. I know there are a lot of technical things in what I just said, but here are the real stories.

In Wellington county, a couple found working from home difficult, their Internet signal too weak at times to even transmit a single file, not to mention that their Internet cut out during their son’s exam.

In eastern Ontario, a small business owner outside of Ottawa asked when she will have the Internet speeds to sell her products online.

I’ve heard the story of a resident in Thunder Bay who found many good jobs they would love to take but, without reliable Internet, didn’t qualify for them.

In a nearby township, a resident told us their mother is helping their children with remote learning, but the poor Internet connection has resulted in many frustrations and has led the family to tears.

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And then there are the seemingly absurd situations, the ones that you can’t believe you’re reading about in the newspaper if it wasn’t also happening to you as well. It was reported that a northern Ontario resident, along with his wife and teenaged sons, had to ration how many hours they can go online since they live just over a kilometre from the cut-off for unlimited Internet. When the COVID-19 outbreak occurred, the sons had to sit on benches outside their schools—initially in cold March weather—to connect to the school’s WiFi.

We’ve heard stories of people having to drive to fast-food restaurant parking lots, cafés and local libraries. This is only a small sample of the many, many letters that are sent to me and my ministry, and the stories that I read every single day. As someone born and raised in rural Ontario, I understand and have personally experienced many of these frustrations.

Mr. Speaker, our proposed legislation, if passed, would help connect communities like mine and those I just mentioned to reliable broadband sooner by accelerating the deployment of infrastructure. As our Premier has said, no infrastructure project is more important to the people of Ontario than broadband, and there is no infrastructure project that can change people’s lives more than broadband. This is an issue that I often focus on during the day, and it’s what I think about long after the offices are closed.

Since day one, we have taken action to improve connectivity in communities all across Ontario. Last November, our government announced it was making a historic investment of nearly $1 billion to improve and expand broadband and cellular services. That is an additional $680 million on top of our previous commitments. This includes doubling our funding to $300 million for our Improving Connectivity for Ontario program, or ICON, which we launched last summer. We expect the first projects to receive approval later this spring.

We are also partnering with the Eastern Ontario Regional Network to invest in a cell-gap project to improve cellular service in eastern Ontario. When the project is complete, residents in eastern Ontario will get near-complete cellular voice coverage and increased access to mobile broadband in areas where they work, live or travel. Meanwhile, in southwestern Ontario, we’re helping to bring high-speed broadband to homes and businesses by investing in the Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology project, also known as SWIFT. Contracts have already been signed in Lambton, Wellington, Norfolk, Oxford, Dufferin, Caledon, Grey, Essex, Bruce, Simcoe, Waterloo, Brant and Niagara. Construction is under way in some of these communities, and residents are already starting to receive fast, reliable broadband service.

Most recently, I joined my colleague Minister MacLeod to announce more than $4.8 million to upgrade broadband at public libraries in unserved and underserved communities. Upgraded broadband at these libraries will mean greater access to services, skills training and career development.

Mr. Speaker, we’re also advancing the well-being of communities by investing in projects in northern Ontario to bring high-speed broadband to residents in towns and First Nations communities, such as the investments being made in the Matawa project. This winter, we also announced nearly $11 million to bring faster broadband to several communities in northern Ontario. Through the Next Generation Network Program, for example, a new tower was built in Carling township to bring high-speed broadband to the area.

I love hearing stories of those who are now benefiting. In a video about the Carling township project, one resident said she tears up just thinking about the difference that this will make in their lives. She talks about how she can now better connect with her family. “You have changed our lives for the better,” she says. Mr. Speaker, these are the encouraging stories and they give me renewed energy as we continue to tackle the digital divide.

But is this enough? No. Do we need to do more? Yes. Even with all our investments, barriers to expanding broadband are preventing communities from getting connected quickly. I’m sure many in this House have heard frustrations from their constituents on this issue. That’s why, Mr. Speaker, we are proposing these important measures today.

In this 21st-century digital divide, rapid technological advancements have transformed how we go about our daily lives. It’s changed the way we interact with others, the way we work, the way we learn and the way we shop. Virtual delivery of health care and justice are just two of the sectors being transformed during this pandemic, not to mention our shopping habits. According to Statistics Canada, the nominal GDP associated with the digital economy was more than $109 billion, or 5.5% of the total economic activity in Canada in 2017, and no doubt that share has only increased since then.

In this year’s business confidence survey, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce asked its members about their top priorities they would like the provincial government to act upon to increase competitiveness. The number one priority: They wanted us to invest in infrastructure, specifically mentioning broadband. The chamber says such investments are one of the most cost-effective ways governments can drive development and growth, and we could not agree more. In the same survey, they asked what the biggest barriers were to starting a business in Ontario. Access to broadband Internet was listed as one of the concerns, right next to access to markets.

Access to broadband has become the bare minimum to participate in today’s digital economy. The digital divide is a threat to regional economic growth and to the competitiveness of businesses in these regions. In today’s knowledge-based economy where the Internet of Things, AI and autonomous vehicles are no longer considered future technologies, our province needs higher broadband penetration for us to compete on a global stage. We need to be digitally connected if we want to innovate and expand into new markets. Nowadays, you can start a business in any part of the province. All you need is a connection—a reliable one.

A report from Accenture stated that incremental new telecommunications connections from 2018 to 2019 directly boosted Canada’s output by over $50 billion, or roughly 2% of the GDP. At least one study shows that broadband deployment promoted rural employment and wage growth in the service industries in Canada. Better broadband will also support farms, supporting precision agriculture techniques, including smart sensors to measure soil conditions and tracking devices for livestock. It’s amazing, Mr. Speaker.

Better broadband will also help tourism businesses when the pandemic begins to wane. Whether it’s accommodations, food and beverage, or recreation, businesses will need reliable broadband to serve and book their guests and to market themselves. Better broadband will help the health care sector, as more organizations provide telehealth services. It will also help producers create media content, helping to spread our cultural industries far and wide across the globe. Better broadband will mean businesses will be able to market their goods and services, from a local microbrewery to a bowling alley, from a new food product to outdoor recreational facilities. Better broadband means smaller businesses can compete with larger e-commerce companies so that made-in-Ontario products can also arrive at your door.

Broadband infrastructure is a necessary cornerstone for an innovative economy that attracts businesses and incentivizes technological advancement. Undoubtedly, Mr. Speaker, it will result in the rise of new industries and new innovations. Our proposed legislation, if passed, would help modernize the regulatory environment to support broadband expansion so that we can accomplish all of this.

We know challenges and barriers remain. In fact, a CD Howe Institute report that was released last month confirmed that at a time when digital infrastructure investment is the most critical, too many barriers remain. The report stated, “Canada’s telecommunications facilities and services providers and potential investors in the Canadian telecommunications sector face an uncertain regulatory framework that operates too slowly in a fast-paced industry, with challenges of cost.” Mr. Speaker, our proposed legislation would help address those costs and barriers and help ensure communities are connected more quickly and cost-effectively.

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Through our consultations, industry, municipalities and the utility sector all recognized the linkages between access to infrastructure, like hydro utility poles and rights-of-way, and effective deployment of broadband. Although utility regimes throughout Canada vary, all provinces have identified access to infrastructure as a barrier to broadband deployment. We’re not the only province to consider policy and regulatory interventions to help deploy broadband faster, but if passed, Ontario will certainly be taking the lead.

Everyone has a vested interested in deploying broadband faster to unserved and underserved communities; the COVID-19 pandemic has only underscored this need. We have seen how lack of access to broadband hurts the most vulnerable among us. This is an issue of digital inequality, especially for those who have unequal access to vital services like health care, education and access to job opportunities.

I will quote our friends down south. Former chair of the Federal Communications Commission Michael Powell once said, “Broadband access is the great equalizer, levelling the playing field so that every willing and able person, no matter their station in life, has access to the information and tools necessary to achieve the American dream.” By helping to expand broadband faster, we will also level the playing field for individuals and families across our great province so that they too can have the tools and information needed to achieve their dreams.

Lack of connectivity can also mean a degradation in the quality of life. Connectivity for older adults and people with disabilities, particularly in rural and remote areas, has become vital. That includes for health care, learning, access to social and community services, and services to reduce social isolation. With the access to government services increasingly online, people with disabilities and others benefit tremendously from increased web connectivity, but the people of Ontario will first need access to reliable high-speed broadband. No matter who you are, no matter where you live, the people of Ontario need action now.

As you can see, we don’t just have an economic imperative to pass this legislation; we need to ensure that no one is left behind when accessing vital services, especially the most vulnerable among us. Passing this legislation is just the right thing to do, and so we are doing the right thing by coming before the House to propose these measures to help speed up broadband deployment so everyone can participate in the digital economy. We will continue to advocate on behalf of the people of Ontario to urge the federal government, which regulates the telecommunications sector, to accelerate and properly fund access to reliable broadband.

Our province is stepping up, continuing to invest in reliable broadband. We believe the government can be the catalyst for getting reliable broadband service to communities. To quote the top action recommendation from the C.D. Howe report from a diverse working group that consists of private and public sector and academic representatives, “Action by governments is urgently needed to ensure that public policy and the regulatory framework encourage deployment of the next generation of telecommunications infrastructure for Canada to remain competitive in an increasingly digitally mediated ... economy.”

So time is of the essence. We must act now, without delay. By enacting these measures, we will help to ensure that every community in every region in the province can more quickly participate in the modern digital economy and contribute to our economic recovery.

This legislation, with the changes that we are proposing, is important to Ontario’s future prosperity. It is important to the small business owner just outside of Ottawa who wants to sell her products online. It’s important to the resident in Thunder Bay who wants to apply for good jobs without worrying whether their unreliable Internet will disqualify them. It is important to the family in northern Ontario who would no longer need to sit outside on cold benches right next to their school to download coursework. It is important to the family who would no longer have to deal with the frustrations of a poor Internet connection that has led them to tears.

Broadband is key to our economic recovery and renewal, and will help us create jobs and invest in the future of our province. Let’s move forward together to ensure that we don’t leave anyone behind in today’s digital economy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I said at the start that I would be sharing my time with Minister Walker and the MPP from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The minister did say she would be sharing her time, so I turn to the Associate Minister of Energy.

Hon. Bill Walker: I am pleased to rise to continue second reading debate on the proposed Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act, 2021, to connect more people across Ontario communities to reliable high-speed Internet.

I thank the Minister of Infrastructure, the member from Haliburton–Kawartha Lakes–Brock, Laurie Scott, for opening this debate, and also her team at Infrastructure Ontario for all of their great work. I look forward to comments from the parliamentary assistant for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the member from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry, Jim McDonell, who will be speaking after me, closing remarks on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, the COVID-19 pandemic has made reliable broadband access critical for Ontario families, businesses and individuals to be able to work from home, learn online, connect with family and friends, and access vital services. However, as many as 700,000 households and businesses in Ontario still lack access to adequate broadband speeds or have no Internet connection at all.

Now, more than ever, as the province recovers from the pandemic, we need an Ontario-made plan to help build infrastructure faster, strengthen our communities, and lay the foundation for growth, renewal and long-term economic recovery. That’s why I’m proud that our ministries worked together to take swift action to remove barriers and help expand access to broadband service in unserved and underserved communities across the province.

With the introduction of the Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act, 2021, or SBIEA, the Ontario government is taking steps to remove barriers to help connect more communities to reliable high-speed Internet faster. Through this legislation, the government is introducing the Building Broadband Faster Act, 2021, and proposing amendments to the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998, to support the expansion of broadband service throughout the province.

If passed, this legislation would provide tools to help reduce costs to Internet and telecommunication service providers associated with attaching broadband wirelines to hydro utility poles. It would also help provide for timely access to hydro utility poles and to municipal rights-of-way to install broadband on municipal land. Our intent by removing these barriers is to speed up Ontario’s broadband expansion. This would increase our competitiveness and make life more convenient for individuals, families and workers. These proposed measures build on the province’s Up to Speed: Ontario’s Broadband and Cellular Action Plan.

On November 4, 2020, the Ontario government announced a historic investment of almost $1 billion to improve broadband and cellular services, which is an additional $680 million on top of our previous commitment. As the Associate Minister of Energy in the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, it is my honour to be able to speak to some of the steps our ministry is taking to contribute to the expansion of broadband connectivity to every community in Ontario and how hydro utility poles in the province can play a role in broadband expansion.

We believe all Ontarians deserve access to reliable high-speed broadband and equal opportunity to engage in our ever-growing digital economy and lifestyle. COVID-19 has only magnified the digital divide that has put many without reliable connectivity at a disadvantage, especially those in unserved and underserved communities. Broadband connectivity is fundamental to our economic recovery and the shift to the future digital economy.

As a government, we cannot afford to let barriers that may easily be removed stand in the way of achieving this important goal. We know that the barriers facing Internet and telecommunications service providers include challenges with attaching to hydro utility poles, and we know that Internet and telecommunication service providers based in Ontario face the highest hydro utility pole attachment rates in Canada. That is why we’re taking steps to make it easier and more efficient and cost-effective for telecommunication service providers to use existing electricity infrastructure, such as hydro utility poles, to expand access to broadband services.

One way we are seeking to accomplish this is by proposing amendments to the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998, or OEBA, that would help reduce the barriers telecommunication service providers encounter when seeking access to hydro utility poles. If passed, these proposed amendments would provide the Ontario government with regulation-making authority under the OEBA regarding the development of access to or use of electricity infrastructure by third parties for non-electricity purposes. These would include regulations and provide authority under the OEBA that would address barriers to broadband expansion, such as:

—reducing or fixing the annual rental charge that telecommunication service providers must pay to attach their wirelines to hydro utility poles;

—establishing performance standards and timelines for how quickly utility companies must respond to attachment requests;

—requiring local distribution companies to consider possible joint use of hydro utility poles when developing their network expansion and asset investment and maintenance plans; and

—transparency around when and where hydro utility poles are scheduled for replacement or refurbishment. This would help save time and money in the future as telecommunication service providers seek to enter new communities.

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Mr. Speaker, the goal of these amendments is to ensure that telecommunication service providers can quickly, cost-effectively and safely attach assets to hydro utility poles. Telecom service providers, working with utilities, would determine which hydro utility poles could be used for providing service. By reducing barriers and costs for Internet providers to use existing electricity infrastructure, we are creating a path forward to deliver cost-effective and timely broadband service to communities across our vast province. We firmly believe that this legislation will send a strong signal to Internet and communication service providers, providing them with the certainty they need in their planning process.

I want to stress that we will work with electricity utility companies to ensure ratepayers’ bills are not increased due to this initiative. While hydro utility poles and other energy infrastructure require maintenance and repair, we will work with the Ontario Energy Board, local distribution companies, telecommunications, and Internet service providers to ensure that when maintenance and upgrades are related to broadband expansion, electricity ratepayers pay only their fair share of associated costs.

As mentioned previously, the Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act, 2021, would also enact the Building Broadband Faster Act, 2021, or BBFA. The BBFA, if passed, would help to accelerate broadband infrastructure deployment by providing the Minister of Infrastructure with the authority to reduce barriers on provincially significant projects, including the ability to:

—ensure municipalities and utility companies provide timely access to their infrastructure, including municipal rights-of-way and hydro utility poles when appropriate;

—support an approach to reduce the time it takes to prepare electricity infrastructure such as hydro utility poles for a new wireline attachment for provincially significant projects; and

—ensure owners of underground infrastructure provide locations of their infrastructure within 10 business days for specific broadband projects prior to a dig through the Ontario One Call system. This would allow Internet service providers to more quickly start work when laying down underground broadband infrastructure. I’m pleased to say that my colleague MPP McDonell will be providing more details on these aspects of the legislation in his words.

Mr. Speaker, COVID has truly shone a light on what the realities are when you don’t have reliable Internet service. Certainly in my riding of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound that’s evident, and many of my colleagues both in our party and across all of the parties, particularly those in our First Nations communities—and I see one of my colleagues walking down the steps here this morning—have shared with us just how critical that infrastructure is in their communities, not just in the time of COVID but at all times—

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Water.

Hon. Bill Walker: We’re trying to help you, Sol.

Speaker, it really does show what this technology can do to stabilize our communities, to improve our lives and to ensure that we all have that access. It has been said in here by the Minister of Infrastructure that this is the great equalizer, broadband across our great province, and that it can level the playing field.

I certainly am one of those supporters who significantly believe that. In Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound, there are parts in the beautiful Bruce Peninsula, especially where there’s a lot of that Niagara Escarpment rock, that we have to figure a way to get the service through. People want to come and want to enjoy it. We’re seeing a huge increase in real estate values, people wanting to get out of those urban centres, especially as a result of COVID. Who would not want to come to the beautiful Bruce Peninsula—and all of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound, but especially on those beautiful blue waters, looking out? If you could sit on your deck there and do your job, whatever it is—your volunteering, your capacity, your inventing—why would you not want to do it there? This truly will allow that to happen.

Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge SWIFT, Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology, and all of their team for the work they’re doing. This is a group created by the western wardens’ caucus of southwestern Ontario, so virtually from Windsor all the way up to Tobermory, if you will, and a swath all the way through. All of those wardens and municipalities have been working collaboratively, which is fabulous, in ensuring that we all have that ability.

Recently, through our government, the Ontario government, $16 million was approved for Bruce county and $17 million for Grey county to get the contracts, to put shovels in the ground and to get that fibre laid. This is going to have a huge impact. Approximately 5,200 homes and businesses will be connected in Bruce county alone, and about 3,900 in Grey county. Of course, this is not only just for the fibre, because this then allows something like, perhaps, satellite service providers. We can’t get down every little nook and cranny for one house at the end of four or five miles on a gravel road. Yes, we still have gravel roads in Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound. That’s something that many people, particularly in the urban areas, should come up and explore and see just how we have that tranquil style of life.

There are all kinds of technology that I believe, by having the fibre in the ground, allows you to then expand. Hopefully we, at some point in the future, will get there. Many people want it yesterday. They want it today for sure, and if not, the latest is tomorrow. But it is challenging. Even with this, there are billions of dollars needed, and I know the infrastructure minister has been pushing her federal counterparts to provide even more funding on a federal basis so that we can, again, expand to every single home and ensure everybody has that reliable service. This is hugely transitional. This is going to impact jobs.

Recently, I was down in the home of the other Speaker, Mr. Arnott, in Wellington. We toured back in the spring, I think, of last year, and I know the member from Perth–Wellington was also there as the parliamentary assistant. We were touring some of the agricultural users—and the technology that’s changed. They can be driving their tractor, their combine, whatever, and they have that signal from the satellite right there at their disposal, so they can preprogram things. They can understand the conditions better. So this is going to be transformational. But they need the connectivity if they’re going to actually take advantage of the new technology and make those improvements, be more productive, actually have the ability to farm even more productively.

Education: Without any other thought, Mr. Speaker, this has certainly shown us that we can do things in an emergency so kids can still get their education if they have that connectivity. Again, it’s absolutely critical in areas of our province like rural and northern Ontario, and particularly our First Nations communities.

Health care: again, the ability to not have to travel. In our case, many of our referral centres are to the London or Waterloo area. In many cases, people are travelling in the middle of January or February in a snowstorm, Mr. Speaker, just to be able to sit with that specialist for 10 or 15 minutes to have a consultation. We can now do that through technology if we have reliable connectivity, and that’s absolutely transformational, Mr. Speaker.

I always go to my friends in Tobermory, the very tip of the peninsula. It’s an hour just to get off of the peninsula in the middle of the dead of winter, to go for a 15-minute appointment—and then they’ve got to travel to Toronto, to London, to Waterloo or wherever that may be. So this, again, will make it safer for them, make it more convenient and reduce their stress and ensure that we have access, frankly, to physicians around the world, with specialties that we may need going forward. I think it’s wonderful.

I want to applaud the Attorney General. We’ve really done a lot of work in the last little while, particularly as a result of COVID, where we’ve been able to move things through the system and modernize our judicial system; things, again, where we used to take a prisoner from Midland, for example, all the way down to Brampton or Milton just to have an appearance. It would take three or four hours each way, in inclement weather. Now they can do that all by video. They can do that as a result of technology. So there’s an environmental impact, a safety impact, a cost-saving impact, and it allows people to get through the system that much quicker. Again, certainly I think, in the judicial system, the ability to have a fair hearing as equitably and timely as possible is absolutely critical.

I think, Mr. Speaker, we are very fortunate to have this technology amongst us. I applaud our government. I think one of the members yesterday opposite said we hadn’t done anything in regard to broadband and/or infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, I want to—a billion dollars was approved by the member from Ajax, the finance minister in the last budget. A billion dollars: $680 million more than our original commitment, Mr. Speaker, because we could see how much this was going to transform our province.

I’m excited for areas like Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound and all of our areas of the province that are going to be beneficially impacted by this.

Mr. David Piccini: EORN.

Hon. Bill Walker: I know, certainly, in EORN, in eastern Ontario, exactly—the equivalent of SWIFT. I don’t know what EORN stands for, but I’m sure the member—

Mr. David Piccini: Eastern Ontario Regional Network.

Hon. Bill Walker: Eastern Ontario Regional Network, or something like that. Anyway, it’s a really good organization. It’s almost as swift as SWIFT, Mr. Speaker; not quite. Their acronyms aren’t quite there, the same as SWIFT.

One thing I will say with SWIFT that I hear in my riding, Mr. Speaker—it’s kind of an interesting acronym—it’s not quite as swift as the people of Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound were hoping, because they would have liked to have had that connectivity a couple of years ago. But I again want to applaud the members of the western wardens’ caucus and SWIFT for the collaboration and for actually coming to the table and ensuring that we’re working in partnership, that we’re working again for the greater good, and I’m excited for what that’s going to mean to our small companies. We’ve had a number of small companies start as a result of this that are playing a niche market. There’s lots of talk on whether the technology will stick with the fibre or satellite technology. Who knows, Mr. Speaker? I’m certainly not a tech, you might say. But at the end of the day, who knows what we’ll have in another couple of years, that we’ll have different advancements in technologies that, again, will allow every single person to have a reliable connection?

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It’s truly one of those things that, when we think back to not even that far ago and what we tried to do without technology and what now we just take for granted—having our cellphone, having our computer, being able to send a message around the world and back in 30 seconds or less so that you actually have the information at your disposal. This, I can’t state enough, in our First Nations and Indigenous communities that are remote and want to have that accessibility, that want to have the ability to have the same health care, the same ability to communicate and connect with the world—I truly think this is going to be a game-changer. It’s going to level the playing field and ensure that we have it. We’ll continue to push for all of those different opportunities.

Again, I know the Minister of Infrastructure—and I applaud her and her team. I want to reach out to our federal counterparts, who we’ve done great things in collaboration with across all of what we’re doing in the pandemic, to ensure that we can get to that point and ensure that we do.

Mr. Speaker, before I turn things over to my colleague, let me close by reiterating how vital it is that we help connect communities to reliable high-speed Internet faster by accelerating the deployment of provincially significant broadband infrastructure across Ontario. I speak to the urgency of this deployment from the point of view of my constituents in Bruce–Grey–Owen Sound, who want and need broadband across local communities to level that playing field and ensure that we have businesses that can thrive and grow and create more good-paying jobs in the future. For rural communities, access to broadband, much like access to affordable natural gas, is a game-changer, and there is no limit to the new opportunities it will help to create.

We cannot leave behind the hundreds of thousands of households and businesses in Ontario that still lack access to adequate broadband or have no Internet connection at all. We owe it to everyone in all communities across this province to participate fully in this rapidly expanding digital economy to work effectively and productively from home, to run a business, to take part in online learning, to connect with family and friends and to access a growing number of online services like health care, banking and shopping.

With the regulatory measures and additional enforcement powers proposed in the Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act, 2021, if passed, we’ll be able to remove barriers, which will ultimately allow many people to get connected to the Internet as quickly as possible.

Broadband connectivity is essential to job creation, economic growth and the delivery of public services, such as education and health care. Today, Ontarians expect and deserve reliable broadband service wherever they live, learn or do business, and this legislation is going to change that.

Now I’m going to turn it over to my colleague and friend the member from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry to bring it home.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): As the ministers have indicated, their cleanup hitter in this debate this morning will be the member from Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry.

Mr. Jim McDonell: Thank you, Speaker. As a goaltender, I’m used to cleaning up after Mr. Walker.

It is my pleasure to rise today in support of my colleague and friend the great Minister of Infrastructure, Minister Laurie Scott, in support of her Bill 257, the Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act, which, if passed, would connect communities to reliable broadband sooner by helping to accelerate the deployment of provincially significant broadband infrastructure across Ontario.

Broadband has become an essential service in Ontario, and I’m proud to see that our government is taking action. The act, if passed, will help expedite the delivery of broadband projects of provincial significance by removing barriers and streamlining processes related to infrastructure that may result in delays to timely completion of these broadband projects, while enhancing fairness, coordination and engagement with the public and private sector stakeholders. Now, more than ever, we need to build better broadband faster, strengthen our communities, and lay the foundation for growth, renewal and long-term economic recovery.

Over the past few months, COVID-19 has altered our lives as we know it. It has underscored the importance of broadband connectivity in our daily lives, our well-being and our economic resilience. Today, as many as 700,000 households in Ontario lack access to reliable high-speed broadband. That is why I am pleased to say that our government is proposing to remove barriers to help build broadband faster in communities, and in a more cost-effective way, opening our province to business and creating good jobs. Our proposed Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act would, if passed, help connect communities to reliable broadband sooner by accelerating deployment of provincially significant broadband infrastructure across Ontario.

The pandemic has only magnified changes that were already under way. This includes the continued global shift to a digital community and a digital economy. Just in the last year, we have seen great changes in the way Ontarians, let alone the members of this House, go about their daily lives. We are conducting education, commerce, consultations, conferences, health care and meetings with colleagues and stakeholders by digital means. Our communities need to be connected to reliable broadband to ensure people can work from home, learn online and connect with family and friends, to access virtual services.

As a member of Queen’s Science ’77 alumni, we no longer have to wait five years for our annual reunions as we now meet about every six weeks, and our next one is on St. Patrick’s Day; I’m sure it will be the quietest we’ve ever had.

Since day one, we have been committed to improving broadband as this government and we have taken action to help improve connectivity in communities across the province. Our 2019 broadband and cellular action plan includes a historic investment of nearly $1 billion over six years and is already improving connectivity across the province. This investment includes doubling our funding to $300 million of our Improving Connectivity for Ontario program, also known as ICON, which was launched last summer. For example, we’re investing in the Eastern Ontario Regional Network Cell Gap Project to improve cellular service in eastern Ontario.

The Eastern Ontario Regional Network, or EORN, is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving rural connectivity, supporting economic growth and enhancing quality of life. Created by the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, EORN helps to create innovative public-private partnerships to address the digital divide and support a stronger future for rural eastern Ontario.

On the project’s website, the chair of EORN and the warden of Peterborough county, J. Murray Jones, has this to say: “COVID has shown us just how critical it is for everyone to have broadband access. It’s how we reach markets, create jobs, teach our kids and offer health care.... To ... level the playing field, rural communities need a once-in-a-generation investment in connectivity.” I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment, Speaker. The region is home to almost 1.2 million people spread over 50,000 square kilometres. Eastern Ontario can only thrive if the residents have the tools to succeed.

Mayor Allan Thompson, chair of ROMA, always commented at our monthly AMO meetings that he was pleased to hear the support for SWIFT, the broadband project in southwestern Ontario. Today, those tools include access to high-speed Internet at home, work and on the road, and it is key to our economic prosperity.

Since 2010, municipal governments across rural eastern Ontario have come together to improve local connectivity through EORN. We’ve had great success working together with our neighbours. However, it is an ongoing effort as technology continues to drive greater demand for speed and bandwidth. When the project is complete, residents of eastern Ontario will get near-complete cellular voice coverage and increased access to mobile broadband in areas where they work, live and travel.

From 2010 to 2015, EORN oversaw a $175-million investment in new broadband infrastructure, funded by all three orders of government and the private sector, that:

—connected a 5,500-kilometre fibre-optic backbone across the region;

—improved connectivity for about 90% of the homes and businesses, adding more than 140,000 new broadband subscribers so far;

—connected more than 60 business parks with fibre broadband;

—created a 10-year digital strategy focused on economic growth;

—generated additional telecom investments, bringing total project value up to $260 million.

And Speaker, that’s not all, for this regional project has also spurred new private sector investments since 2015, including $100 million in new broadband infrastructure, with more fibre and wireless equipment in the pipeline. The proposed legislation in Bill 257 is designed to strengthen communities and connect families and individuals to what matters most. If passed, this is exactly what today’s proposed legislation is designed to do.

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On March 4 of this year, Minister Scott had this to say in the House upon introduction of this vital bill: “It would pass the Building Broadband Faster Act, modelled on the Building Transit Faster Act, which would give authority to the Minister of Infrastructure to reduce barriers to” deploy “broadband-related infrastructure. And it would create regulation-making authority under the Ontario Energy Board Act, 1998, to reduce barriers regarding the development of, access to and use of electricity infrastructure by third parties. This authority would be used to make it easier for telecommunications service providers to use existing electricity assets such as hydro utility poles, as well as municipal rights-of-way, to expand access to broadband while reducing the costs to do so.” This authority would also “require utility companies to consider possible joint use of hydro utility poles during their planning process. Again, this would help to save time and money in the future.”

Prior to my time here, I worked for Bell Canada, finishing my career in their network planning group. You don’t have to go back very far, to the late 1990s, when access to the fledgling Internet was a whopping 64 kilobits, if you were lucky. I remember the big win, the program that allowed Bell to expand its local calling areas to allow every subscriber to access an Internet service provider, or ISP, toll-free. At 64 kilobits, the long-distance charges were really adding up.

When DSL technology arrived, making one-megabit service available, that was a huge jump, but it was short-lived. Within just a few years, five-megabit service arrived on the scene and is still the rural Cadillac today, if you are lucky. Of course, if you’re more than two kilometres away from a Bell switch or a remote, speed drops off quickly.

The COVID-19 pandemic truly exposed the weaknesses of slow Internet. Three megabits will allow you to watch a movie on Netflix, but stay off the Internet, or don’t expect to sign up to your local online course or watch a second movie. I can tell you from experience, when my daughters would turn on their favourite movie on Netflix, it was time to sign off the Internet. There lays the problem. For a family with young children or a business trying to access markets, those speeds make it very tough.

In my riding of Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry, many people would be happy with those limitations, for many don’t have any high-speed at all. About two years ago, Bell Canada served the city of Cornwall and a number of villages in South Glengarry with their fibre to the home product. Rural areas such as Lancaster, Glen Walter, St. Andrews, and my area around Williamstown had local fibre placed, and I can tell you, the service was like night and day. The basic speeds of 150 megabits or more allow you to watch multiple programs and record others simultaneously.

The benefits of fibre cannot be overstated. Businesses can now access high-speed fibre from their home, which is so important to their development and expansion.

This legislation helps overcome many of the artificial barriers that may have driven up costs. Ontario is the most expensive jurisdiction in North America to place telecommunication facilities, and this bill will help address that. Engineering design requirements used all around North America for more than half a century are no longer accepted in Ontario, allowing local distribution companies to charge excessive make-ready costs.

Capital is a limited resource, and it is attracted to the areas of greatest return. Unfortunately, today, that is not in Ontario. I understand that the fibre to the home project was planned to be rolled out years before in Cornwall, but these excessive costs forced the company to move the dollars to a Quebec location served by Hydro-Québec.

The changes proposed in this legislation will not cost the taxpayers of Ontario any dollars to address, but the changes will provide many benefits by allowing scarce capital to do so much more. Our government got elected on a promise of eliminating unnecessary and expensive red tape, and this is just another example of getting the job done.

Speaker, there is more to do, but unfortunately, they fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government, and I know our minister has been working with her federal counterparts to address these issues.

As an example of needless restrictions, local telephone companies cannot extend local high-speed facilities across an artificial exchange boundary, whereas no such restriction applies to any other service provider. I have neighbours and friends who have no access to high-speed services, wired or wireless, but their next-door neighbour has high-speed Internet, at a fairly high speed. Unfortunately for them, they are served from a different exchange.

These restrictions date back to earlier days, when the basic telephone was state-of-the-art technology. But times have changed, and it is time to change some of these old laws that keep Ontarians and their businesses from enjoying the benefits that are enjoyed throughout the modern world. Prime Minister Trudeau has committed to the majority of Canadians having this existing technology by 2030. The rest of the modern world is getting these services today, and it’s time for Canadians once again to become world leaders and not to accept mediocre, as we seem to accept this far too often today. With the financial challenges we are all facing during this global pandemic, this is welcome news for every Ontarian.

As you know, Speaker, I am proud to serve my constituents of Stormont–Dundas–South Glengarry as their proud MPP, and I am proud of our government and the great Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, as his parliamentary assistant to municipal affairs.

As a former reeve, warden, member of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus and a rural resident, I know first-hand the challenges our municipal partners are under, whether it be the long travel distances, inclement weather, financial constraints and now a pandemic. Increasing connectivity has allowed us in rural Ontario and northern Ontarians to conduct virtual council meetings and maintain ongoing meetings with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, with the minister, PA Gill and myself.

In support of Bill 257, I wanted to share a quote from the mayor of Bracebridge, who was recently elected as president of AMO and is a terrific municipal partner I have come to know very well. President Graydon Smith: “The need for better rural and northern connectivity is clear. Speeding up provincially funded broadband projects will connect more people, faster. AMO looks forward to working with the province to make real improvements that benefit people and their communities.”

We’re working to remove barriers to broadband expansion so that more people and businesses will be able to benefit from better broadband services. To accomplish this, we must ensure the municipalities provide timely access to municipal rights-of-way and that utility companies provide timely access to their infrastructure.

Let me be clear: Ontario values its relationship with its municipal partners and stakeholders and will continue to work collaboratively to deliver broadband to the communities that need it the most. The authority to direct work is intended as a last resort and will only be used when all measures to reduce holdups have been exhausted. In doing so, we are going to see change coming, especially in rural Ontario.

Now, this may come as a surprise, but I know, for my own grandchildren—and I don’t like to be the bearer of bad news, but with greater connectivity, these investments will remove a cultural staple, especially in rural Ontario, and that is the elimination of the snow day. As many of you here today, I remember my children anxiously gathered around the kitchen radio, bookbag in one hand and lunch and extra gear in the other, waiting to hear the possibility of the school buses being cancelled. Our kids, through broadband investments, will remain connected to their classroom no matter what the weather is outside.

Bill 257, if passed, sends a clear signal that Ontario is committed to expanding broadband connectivity to underserved communities in Ontario. The legislation, which will include certain regulatory measures, additional enforcement powers and our government’s significant investment in broadband projects, will complement our existing and regular engagement with municipal and other stakeholders. It will help us get as many people as possible connected to the Internet as quickly as possible, and it will help make Ontario more competitive while boosting our long-term economic recovery and is important to our province’s future prosperity.

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We need to also allow the use of the latest technology. During my time as mayor of South Glengarry, we applied for and secured a number of grants to provide high-speed Internet service throughout our township. After picking off many villages and hamlets, we looked to service the most difficult areas, receiving a number of wireless proposals. Grant guidelines restricted or, perhaps more appropriately termed, handcuffed proponents from using the latest cell technology of the day, which provided a superior Internet service of 10 megabits per second. To meet the terms of the grant, the supplier installed equipment that was being removed from the Toronto market and was manufacturing-discontinued.

At the time, the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus was about to start its government-funded program to place wireless Internet service across eastern Ontario. At a ministry meeting, I raised the question as to why the program would not allow the latest cell technology to be used and provide both cell and Internet service, likely for less government money due to the extra revenue stream. The ministry, which was under the then Liberal government, was very clear that they could not be part of any project that allowed big cell companies to access government dollars to subsidize cell service. I pointed out that while they drove to eastern Ontario along Highway 401, able to talk on their cell throughout the trip, that was not the case in rural Ontario, where most areas had limited or no cell service at all.

Roughly $250 million was spent to place low-speed wireless service, and there is still limited or no cell service to date. This month, the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, or EORN, supported by shared funding from this government, the federal government and the municipalities that make up the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, will award a contract to one of the major cell companies to provide cell service to eastern Ontario—about 10 years later.

Mr. Speaker, this is a classic case of a government refusing to use the latest science in delivering critical infrastructure. Just a few years later, this same Liberal government would once again refuse to listen to industry and its own experts, costing Ontarians more than $100 billion for the passage of the failed Green Energy Act.

I want to thank Minister Scott for all the hard work that she has put forward in Bill 257, Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act, for it helps to build a stronger Ontario by letting our world-class companies build tomorrow’s network.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): We have time now for questions and responses.

Ms. Jennifer K. French: I listened carefully to the government members about Bill 257, which, Speaker, you’ve perhaps heard a lot about and read a lot about out in the media and the broader world. But you wouldn’t know, based on today’s debate, about schedule 3. Schedule 3, interestingly, the government members didn’t talk about. But I’ll play the game for a moment and I’ll talk about broadband.

I do know that the Minister of Infrastructure has been talking about broadband for a long time, and so I guess my question to her is: As we hear about the importance of rural broadband and connectivity and hearing about life for rural communities, I’d like to know why the word “rural” isn’t in the bill, but also I want to know how the minister is feeling about her bill being co-opted by this government and schedule 3 taking over, so that this isn’t a conversation about broadband; it’s a conversation about destruction of wetlands and rewriting laws. How does the minister feel?

Hon. Laurie Scott: I thank the member opposite. I think that almost every sentence that I speak speaks about rural Ontario and connectivity for unserved and underserved areas and how important it is to everyone’s daily lives now, especially since COVID has hit.

Mr. Speaker, I have not been shy to say that infrastructure is a marquee part of our government—investing in all kinds of infrastructure. Today we’re mainly talking about broadband and facilitating how we can get broadband connections to those people in our communities—where I live, there’s no question that’s an issue—so that they can participate in not only the government services that are offered, but we all know that they live and work from home now and we have to do this for our economy to get everyone connected as soon as possible. I’m going to continue to speak about infrastructure—all kinds of infrastructure that facilitates not only broadband connection, but also transit and housing.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The member for Northumberland–Peterborough South.

Mr. David Piccini: Thank you to the minister. Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the minister. Folks in rural Ontario, in my riding of Northumberland–Peterborough South, are sick and tired of not having reliable broadband access. In fact, the COVID-19 pandemic has only further highlighted the need for reliable broadband in rural Ontario.

I know that the billion-dollar announcement our government has made has been well received, but people are tired of just seeing the money announcements. Can the minister speak about some of the structural changes in this bill, like hydro poles, that are so critical to ensuring that folks in rural Ontario have the reliable Internet service that they deserve and that they need?

Hon. Laurie Scott: I thank the member from Northumberland–Peterborough South for the question. He and I speak about broadband daily, I think, and about the connectivity to our constituents that needs to happen. Yes, this is federally regulated telecommunications, and the province of Ontario—the Premier, in 2018, said that we have to connect people all across Ontario, that we are all in this together. We have put $1 billion on the table, and not only did we do that, we sat down with the utilities, with the telecommunications, with the municipalities and said, “How do we build this faster? We need a plan.” This Building Broadband Faster Act that I’m introducing right now is key, because we heard about delays to utility poles and we heard about delays to municipal rights-of-way.

Mr. Speaker, we are all at the table, and we’re going to build broadband faster.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Next question.

Mr. John Vanthof: My question is to the Minister of Infrastructure. I have enjoyed over the years working with the minister on various things, including broadband. We welcome the introduction of this act, but there are a few questions we have. I would like to refer to schedule 3, basically the explanatory notes: “The Planning Act is amended to provide that ministerial zoning orders made under section 47 are not required and are deemed to never have been required to be consistent with policy statements issued under subsection 3(1).”

So “deemed to never have been required”: Could the minister describe which broadband installations this applies to?

Hon. Laurie Scott: I thank the member across for the question. I’ve quite enjoyed working with the member and hearing his constituents’ concerns. There is no question that we share a lot of frustrations for our constituents mutually in accessing broadband.

But, Mr. Speaker, infrastructure is all-inclusive, and it’s helping people in whichever way we can help people. So when we’re talking today—and I talked a lot about broadband and I will continue to do so, and the historic investments we’ve put into facilitating broadband connections across rural Ontario. That is the focus of what we’ve heard from constituents and what we are planning on doing.

Infrastructure, as I said, means lots of things: broadband, housing, affordable housing, transit, hospitals, education facilities, correctional facilities. So we are having—

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Thank you.

The member for Ottawa West–Nepean.

Mr. Jeremy Roberts: I appreciated the remarks from all of my colleagues on this side on this very important issue and want to commend the Minister of Infrastructure for bringing this important legislation forward. Over the summer, I had the chance, through the standing committee on finance, to hear from hundreds of Ontarians around the province on different issues facing them during the pandemic, and time and time again, broadband Internet came up. Whether it was talks about how we could expand health care services virtually or help businesses to grow and expand, the need for broadband was clear.

I wonder if the Minister of Infrastructure could talk a little bit about how this bill is going to accelerate that push for broadband, particularly in my own home region of eastern Ontario?

Hon. Laurie Scott: Thank you very much to the member for his question. He has certainly heard the stories over and over again.

The Eastern Ontario Regional Network is a great group of municipalities that work—in this case, I think it was mentioned about their cell-gap project that’s going to connect almost 100% of the people in eastern Ontario. That’s going to be an immense difference to the quality of life of the people there.

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Mr. Speaker, when I was making my opening remarks, I explained in detail about stringing wires. It seems so simple when we say this. This makes a huge difference. The delays that have occurred in just being able to string those wires to connect those homes, those farms, those businesses—you would think it’s simple. We say, “Take action. What is needed to make it more simple than it is today and bring down those barriers?” That’s what we have done.

I hope the members opposite will support this critical infrastructure bill that we’re bringing forward so we can connect all Ontario and all be on a level playing field.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): Next question?

Mrs. Jennifer (Jennie) Stevens: My community of St. Catharines and the Niagara region value their environment and wetlands, and neighbour on the Great Lakes. We are lucky to have not had any ministerial zoning orders, because this government has used the extensive powers it already has to green-light development on protected wetlands. It has felt like abuse of power, but this legislation changes the rules to ensure it cannot lose the mountains of lawsuits they already see right now.

My question: Can it be explained to the residents of St. Catharines and the Niagara area, if this legislation passes, why it is okay to have the minister be sole arbitrator of planning impacts across Ontario while cutting our local voices off, like Indigenous groups, environmental groups and, more importantly, the local municipal governments?

Hon. Laurie Scott: Our government has been clear that every single ministerial zoning order issued on non-provincially-owned land has been at the request of the local municipality. So our proposed changes will ensure that the priority projects do not face unnecessary barriers and delays after receiving an MZO.

Mr. Speaker, I’m sure the member opposite has residents in her area, even though there are large cities there, who need broadband connection so their lives can improve. We are making changes and bringing in regulations that will help improve the lives of her constituents. We have listened to the people of Ontario, and they do want to progress in making broadband connections, affordable housing, better transit, better hospitals. That’s what infrastructure does.

If they do not want to get on board with building a better Ontario, then I challenge them to vote against this bill.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): The time for debate in this matter has been concluded.

Second reading debate deemed adjourned.

The Acting Speaker (Mr. Percy Hatfield): We are a minute or two before members’ statements, but with your permission, we can move the agenda along right into members’ statements.

Members’ Statements

Soins de longue durée / Long-term care

M. Guy Bourgouin: Je me lève ce matin pour parler de l’éclosion de la COVID-19 dans le foyer d’Extendicare à Kapuskasing. Déclarée le 6 janvier, l’éclosion n’a pas été considérée comme terminée jusqu’au 24 février. Malgré les appels constants à ce gouvernement d’agir de façon proactive, nous avons été témoins d’un long et douloureux déclin qui a coûté 16 vies dans notre communauté.

Speaker, almost 30% of the residents in this home died; 90% of the residents and 19 staff contracted the virus. Families were broken by the lack of measures, by the absence of clear and transparent communication. I’ve heard front-line workers cry for help because they were scared and overwhelmed. I’ve heard from families whose loved ones did not get their baths for days and days, who did not get medication or food for hours. And yet, time and again, we were told staffing levels were “stable,” the situation was “under control,” that it was “business as usual.” That was far from being true.

Avant de finir, je veux remercier les travailleuses et travailleurs de première ligne, les partenaires de santé de la région et la communauté en général pour leur dévouement et leur solidarité pendant cette difficile éclosion.

Public service employees

Mr. Randy Pettapiece: Today, I want to mention two of our most accomplished community leaders. In Perth–Wellington, they’re leading the effort to keep the rest of us healthy. And today, the day after International Women’s Day, I should mention they just happen to be women.

Dr. Nicola Mercer is the medical officer of health for Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. The publication Municipal World just recognized her with the Women of Influence in Local Government Award—a well-deserved honour. They noted that Dr. Mercer was the first medical officer to mandate face coverings indoors. She took some heat, but others soon followed her lead.

In a dark time, Dr. Mercer chooses to focus on the positive. The article states, “That positive focus is something she has relied on throughout her medical career. After all, she went to medical school at a time when other women were few and far between.” My constituents are fortunate to have Dr. Mercer’s positive, forward-thinking leadership in a time like this.

The second public servant I want to acknowledge today is Dr. Miriam Klassen, medical officer of health for Huron Perth Public Health. I’ve known Dr. Klassen for many years. I don’t think she’s taken a day off since this pandemic started. When asked where she finds the passion for her career, Dr. Klassen responded, “You can really make changes for an entire generation.”

They didn’t ask for a pandemic. They didn’t ask to be in the papers every day. Yet their leadership and public service is saving lives. We need them and we thank them.

Autism treatment

Ms. Teresa J. Armstrong: It’s been two years since this government essentially blew up the Ontario Autism Program. Since then, the wait-list for the OAP has ballooned to around 42,000 kids and continues to have children age out of qualifying for the autism program. The children who have been receiving care have suffered a reduction in services, clinics have closed and families are at their wits’ end, hoping that their interim funding won’t run out.

It’s been over a month since the Ford government announced the revamped OAP, and we still have more questions than answers. The minister touts that this is a needs-based program, but can’t confirm that it will be clinicians and not bureaucrats that will get the final word. There’s no confirmation on the appeals process, no specific strategy for northern Ontario, Indigenous and racialized folks, and no mention of adults with autism.

The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services called together an advisory panel, only to ignore its recommendations. There has been a bottleneck of kids without access to programming for years. These age caps will not meet their needs. This is a problem this government created, and yet refuses to solve it.

Every parent of a child with autism will tell you that every day matters. I have spoken to these families, and many of those meetings end in tears. Parents are forced to remortgage their homes, go further into debt, work multiple jobs and travel for hours to make sure their kids get the therapies they need.

They have been going above and beyond to do their part. It’s time for the government to step up and to commit to a truly needs-based model that leaves no kid behind. Families depend on you getting this right, now.

International Women’s Day

Mr. Rod Phillips: I rise today to acknowledge International Women’s Day, which we celebrated yesterday, and the strong women that make Ajax and Durham the great place it is today. As the Associate Minister of Children and Women’s Issues acknowledged in her statement yesterday, I would also like to thank the women in this Legislature, who do serve their communities, the people of Ontario and Canada so well.

Turning to my community, Mr. Speaker: Since its founding, women have played an important role in Ajax. During the Second World War, Defence Industries Ltd. was a munitions complex in what is now Ajax and employed thousands of women from across Canada. These “bomb girls,” as they became popularly known, were young women who worked for years helping to produce heavy artillery shells and anti-aircraft ammunition that helped Canada and the Allied forces win the Second World War. In 1947, following the war, DIL’s site gave birth to the community of Ajax, and it’s a place that so many call home today.

I am proud to have been present, in September of 2018, when Tim Schmalz’s monument that pays tribute to the effort and contributions of the bomb girls was unveiled at Pat Bayly Square. Louise Johnson, who will be celebrating her 100th birthday this June, was at the ceremony. She helped spearhead the commissioning of the installation of the monument that tributes all the women in Canada’s war effort.

The contributions of women to my community have never stopped over the years, and I want to take this opportunity to thank all of them, and women across Canada, for the contributions that they make to making our country and our province great.

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Sickle cell disease

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo: Last week, while the government prepared an awareness bill on sickle cell and thalassemia, I was contacted by Reverend Regena Ward-Provost. Regena wrote, “I am dealing with some serious systemic racism to the point where I’m being weaned off my pain meds as a sickle cell patient.” When I called Regena, she explained that she was struggling. She was on ODSP, and during the pandemic she had fallen behind in her bills and her rent.

Without health care professionals understanding what to look for to diagnose sickle cell, Regena had been misdiagnosed time and time again. But in May 2019, she met a doctor who understood her illness, and for two years, she participated in a specialized clinic to help her manage her pain. And then a visit to a hospital in St. Catharines changed everything. She was deemed a drug-seeker. They didn’t believe the intensity of her pain, and they placed a call to the clinic. She was banned from accessing any services from the program.

Mr. Speaker, Regena is palliative now, and even as she walks this leg of her sickle cell journey, she is fighting for the sickle cell protocol that was developed by experts and people with sickle cell to be made mandatory for all hospitals across the province. The Liberals didn’t implement it, and now Conservatives are making posters.

Posters will not save Regena or others who are suffering these indignities in our health care system. But do you know what will help, Mr. Speaker? The immediate implementation of the sickle cell protocol across all of our hospitals.

Ontario film and television industry

Ms. Donna Skelly: I want to take some time this morning to brag about my hometown of Hamilton’s popularity with movie and television producers. Last year alone, 32 film and television companies brought their productions to Hamilton, and this year that trend continues, with about half a dozen shoots already in production.

Broadcast and streaming giants such as Netflix, CBS, Lifetime and Disney have chosen Hamilton for their products; for example, the very popular, and my favourite series, The Handmaid’s Tale has been shooting scenes for its fourth season at Hutch’s, a Beach Boulevard landmark.

In fact, Hamilton landmarks attract attention from many, many producers. The superhero show The Umbrella Academy has been shooting at Dundurn Castle, Liuna Station, Gage Park, Ottawa Street and Dyment’s farm market in my riding of Flamborough–Glanbrook. The crime drama In the Dark was filming at the Hamilton airport in January, and the Netflix fantasy Slumberland is filming at Mohawk College. The director of that production, Francis Lawrence, also directed The Hunger Games.

Hamilton has a thriving film industry. A massive multi-million-dollar studio is set to open this year inside an old manufacturing site. Aeon Studio Group is planning a 14-acre film and television production hub. It’s a Hollywood North dream. Hamilton is the third largest film cluster in Canada, employing thousands of people. I’m so proud.

COVID-19 immunization

Mr. Sol Mamakwa: Since February 1, 2021, I’ve been to fly-in First Nations across Kiiwetinoong to support the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. There was vaccine hesitancy in some First Nations and its members. There was hesitancy because First Nations people have never been in the front of the line when it comes to services like health care. We’re always in the back of the line, Mr. Speaker. Most of our communities do not have access to full-time doctors, clinics, pharmacies or even clean running water.

I knew I had to help, because people were unsure that the vaccine was safe and that it must be taken to protect the health of our families, our languages and our way of life. It took many people to make the vaccine rollout in our communities happen. Miigwetch to the vaccine teams, and especially those in our communities who made sure everyone was on the list to be vaccinated and that the clinics were ready to go. I’d like to do a shout-out to Ornge’s Dr. Homer Tien and all the doctors and the nurses who came up north, many for the first time, to vaccinate the people.

It is a relief to know that we’ve completed phase 1. The vaccination, however, cannot roll out to replace the vast disparities to health care access that people face, but Operation Remote Immunity is a move in the right direction.

Land use planning

Mr. Mike Schreiner: This weekend I had the honour of speaking at a protest march against the government’s plans to destroy the Lower Duffins Creek wetland. It is clear that people do not want wetlands paved over. They don’t want their homes and businesses threatened by flooding. They want their drinking water and the Great Lakes protected.

People are disgusted by the government’s utter lack of concern for the environment. They’re asking why the Premier and the MPP for Pickering are not listening to their concerns; why the government is taking such extreme measures to overturn decades of planning laws and environmental protections to benefit a deep-pocketed developer; why the government has failed in its duty to consult the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation.

Just yesterday, the government put out a release on Ontario’s Flooding Strategy, which clearly points out the importance of maintaining existing wetlands to protect us from flooding. Why is the minister forcing the TRCA to issue a development permit by March 12 to destroy a wetland against all evidence?

I’m strongly urging the government to listen to the people who want this MZO revoked, to listen to the people who want Duffins Creek protected, to listen to the people who don’t want their homes and businesses put at risk due to flooding.

Marian Sunnen

Mr. Rick Nicholls: One hundred years: A lot can happen in a hundred years. Less than a hundred years ago, we witnessed the invention of the TV, the Great Depression, prohibition, World War II, putting the first man on the moon, a nuclear arms race, the expansion of the Internet, cellphones and self-driving cars. It’s incredible. Now imagine if you were alive to see all of that. That would be the case for 99-year-old Marian Sunnen from my riding of Chatham-Kent–Leamington. On Sunday morning, February 28, Marian was excited to receive her first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the John D. Bradley centre.

Marian now lives by herself at the Chatham Retirement Resort, having lost her husband, August “Augie” Sunnen. They were married for 75 years, and she lost him about four years ago. She is excited to be able to see her grandchildren and great-grandchildren more often now, as she will be more protected during the pandemic. Marian will be turning 100 on April 5.

This isn’t Marian’s first pandemic, though. When she was young, she and her family were alive during the third wave of the Spanish flu outbreak. She, her brother and her sisters all contracted the virus. Sadly, her two-year-old brother passed away from it, but she and her sisters all survived.

The pandemic has been tough on all. We’ve seen the impacts it is starting to have on people’s mental health, especially our older citizens. We are working hard to roll out the vaccines and we’re able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. If Marian can do it, we all can do it. We are strong together and we’ll all be celebrating when we can return to our new normal.

Eldercare Foundation

Mr. Jeremy Roberts: It’s a pleasure to rise today to recognize the great work being done by the Eldercare Foundation of Ottawa. In 2008, at the age of 34, Adam Nihmey created the Eldercare Foundation to enhance the quality of life of our seniors in non-profit long-term-care homes. Adam was motivated to establish Eldercare after witnessing his grandmother’s experience. He wanted to address a number of issues facing seniors like his grandmother, including lack of stimulating activity, issues of isolation and poor equipment in homes. He felt compelled to make a difference.

Adam lives in Qualicum in my riding of Ottawa West–Nepean, and his wife, Jessica, and two daughters, Tahlia and Elliora, all have worked together to establish this foundation and do some tremendous work. The charity now provides funds for the 13 non-profit long-term-care homes in Ottawa, two of which are situated in Ottawa West–Nepean. They have raised approximately $1 million so far.

In 2020, Adam needed to step back due to work demands, and a new chair was voted in, Oriana Trombetti. Together with Linda Garcia and Dan Saikaley, they are continuing the good work of the Eldercare Foundation.

Retired board member Betty Hope-Gittens recently celebrated her 80th birthday. To mark the occasion, she organized Betty’s Walk, an 800-kilometre walk of the Camino de Santiago, where she raised $200,000 for Eldercare.

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To all the supporters of Ottawa’s Eldercare Foundation, thank you for all you do to make life better for our seniors.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): That concludes our members’ statements for this morning.

Women’s representation in provincial Parliament

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I would ask for the House’s attention while I give a brief statement. Yesterday, we celebrated International Women’s Day, and I wanted to take a moment this morning to recognize the truly remarkable assembly we have here at the Legislature and acknowledge the outstanding contribution of women here at Queen’s Park.

More and more, women and girls can see themselves represented here at the assembly, in our A Remarkable Assembly: Women at Queen’s Park exhibit; in the portrait of Ontario’s first female Premier, the member for Don Valley West, Kathleen Wynne; and through the hard work and dedication of the women who represent their communities here at Queen’s Park, both past and present.

Two of our colleagues have also assumed new roles to further the representation and inclusion of women in Parliament here in Ontario and indeed across Canada. I am pleased to congratulate the Honourable Lisa Thompson, who has assumed the role of Chair of the Canadian region of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians, and Waterloo MPP Catherine Fife, who is the new representative for Ontario.

The Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians was created in 2005 and is comprised of women parliamentarians from the provincial and territorial Legislatures and the federal Parliament. The CWP is a non-partisan initiative. It works as part of the larger Commonwealth Parliamentary Association towards better representation of women in Legislatures across Canada and throughout the Commonwealth.

I’ve had the privilege of working with both the Minister of Government and Consumer Services and the member for Waterloo throughout their time here in the Legislature, and I know that they will continue to represent us well as part of the CWP. Please join me in congratulating these two members.

Applause.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I understand the member for Kitchener Centre has a point of order.

Ms. Laura Mae Lindo: Speaker, I seek unanimous consent to bring forward a motion requiring the government to implement paid sick days legislation to help protect workers across Ontario from COVID-19 and so no one has to make the difficult choice between staying home when sick and being able to pay the bills.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member from Kitchener Centre is seeking the unanimous consent of the House to bring forward a motion requiring the government to implement paid sick day legislation to help protect workers across Ontario from COVID-19. Agreed? I heard a no.

Question Period

Long-term care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: We’ve seen almost 4,000 people lose their lives to COVID-19 in long-term care. So my first question is to the Premier: Does the Premier believe that he did everything he could to save people’s lives in long-term care?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker, the science table just came out and told everyone in Canada how many lives we did save, and that’s so important. The table showed the residents of long-term care are not only being prioritized in the phase 1 rollout of the vaccine, but 2,079 more infections could have occurred if we didn’t do that, of which 249 would have resulted in hospitalizations and 615 deaths if we didn’t go in there immediately to vaccinate all the folks in long-term care.

Not only did we throw everything we had at it, but so did all the doctors, the PSWs, hospitals—everyone went full steam ahead, and we did everything in our powers to make sure we protected the long-term-care residents.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Well, Speaker, in fact, there is new evidence that was unveiled last night from the testimony at the long-term-care commission. I’m going to speak to it right now: the testimony of Dr. Allison McGeer, a very well-respected public health expert who sits on the science table. When asked in response to a question from the commission about why the second wave was worse in long-term care than the first wave, she said this: In the lead-up to the second wave, “a number of proposals went to the ministry about what could be done; and all of them were deemed by the ministry to be too expensive.” They were deemed by the government to be too expensive.

More seniors died in the second wave than in the first wave, Speaker. Why did this Premier choose saving money over saving lives?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Minister of Long-Term Care.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: I refute the premise of that question. Our government has taken every action possible, even up to making sure that we address the long-standing issues in long-term care left behind by the previous government.

Some $1.38 billion has gone to our long-term-care sector to shore it up. We were able to hire over 8,600 people during the first wave using the pandemic pay. We used the surveillance testing when it was available to us. We used the rapid testing when it was available to us. We established a specialized care centre. We deployed staff from hospitals to address the long-standing and emergency staffing issue. We had an integrated response with Public Health Ontario, the hospitals and public health.

This has been an integrated response. I want to say this issue was long-standing, and when COVID-19 hit, we used every measure possible. There was no expense spared. I am absolutely confident of that.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): And the final supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, one year ago, the Premier said this—it was just repeated, unbelievably, by the Minister of Long-Term Care: “No expense will be spared. We will consider every option to support those Ontarians in need during this crisis.” Dr. McGeer testified the exact opposite. Options were ignored. Almost 4,000 people lost their lives in long-term care because the Ford government didn’t want to spend the money.

So while the Premier was watching, people died in long-term care and families were mourning the loss of their loved ones. Why did he still decide to not spend the money to save those seniors’ lives?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

The Minister of Long-Term Care.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: I absolutely reject that mischaracterization of the actions of this government. As the Minister—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask the minister to withdraw.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: I withdraw.

As the Minister of Long-Term Care, I can tell you no expense was spared. Everything we did was in response to a crisis of staffing, a crisis of capacity, overcoming the structural inadequacies left behind by the previous government; $1.38 billion for COVID response alone, and $1.9 billion in the works to make sure that we have, on an annual basis, the staffing that’s required, making sure that we address the staffing shortage, both on an emergency level and on a stabilization level, and a long-term issue with the staffing. Over 8,000 staff were hired, with the pandemic pay, to stabilize this sector.

Our government used rapid tests that had to be approved by Health Canada. Were there delays with approvals? Were there delays getting—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.

The next question.

Long-term care

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, my next question is also for the Premier. But I have to say I’m astounded that this government is responding in this way, when we know the pain and anguish that family members—the worry, the fear—had for their loved ones in long-term care as they watched the second wave come upon us.

Here is what Dr. McGeer said: In the lead-up to the second wave, “Quebec ... hired a large number of additional staff.” That would be last summer, not a month ago or a week ago. “We chose not to do that in Ontario.”

Quebec hired 10,000 PSWs. Experts did say that that saved lives. The Premier could have saved lives by spending the money to staff up last summer. Why didn’t he spend the money to staff up and save the lives of vulnerable seniors in long-term care?

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The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Long-Term Care.

Hon. Merrilee Fullerton: It’s very clear that there’s information missing from the narrative across the chamber. Our government, with its pandemic pay and the emergency and stabilization process that we used, albeit different from Quebec’s, achieved 8,636 hires during that time. We stabilized the sector. We worked desperately and frantically around the clock—many, many people working to stabilize this.

I want to clarify that Quebec did not hire 10,000 PSWs. They trained orderlies in three months, in 12 weeks. They did not create 10,000 PSW positions. They did not hire 10,000 PSWs. They hired orderlies and got to about half the amount, of which many of those wanted to leave.

We need a process by which we create a better place to live and a better place to work. That’s exactly what we’re doing in long-term care, after years of neglect.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. The supplementary question?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Speaker, I’ll tell you what’s missing here in Ontario. What’s missing is the iron ring the Premier promised around long-term care. But there’s an iron ring around the Premier; there’s an iron ring around the Premier when it comes to answering questions.

Here’s what Dr. McGeer said: “Dr. Stall and Dr. Brown also put forward a number of proposals for trying to empty out the four-bed rooms, so that we didn’t have three or four residents in a room throughout the second wave ... there was no hope that anything that cost that amount of money was going to be undertaken.”

The minister at the same time in this Legislature was saying they were “using every possible measure” when responding to my colleague from Timiskaming in his questions in question period.

My question to the Premier again is, why won’t the Premier admit that as he watched people dying in long-term care, he still couldn’t bring himself to spend the money to save their lives?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Members will please take their seats.

The Premier to reply.

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker: The only person who was missing and missing and missing was the Leader of the Opposition, who was nowhere to be found—disappeared for a year, did absolutely nothing for people in long-term care, did nothing for the people of Ontario. As we were working our backs off 24/7, she was Shangri-La-ing somewhere. Don’t ask me where, but there was nowhere to be found with the Leader of the Opposition.

It’s easy to sit here and play the armchair quarterback. As we were making sure that we accelerated the build program by 30,000 beds—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order.

Hon. Doug Ford: Can I continue, Mr. Speaker?

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Opposition, come to order.

Please conclude your response, Premier.

Hon. Doug Ford: As our government has approved nearly over $2 billion—never been approved before in the history of this province, $2 billion in staffing up to 27,000 people. We’re already in the process of hiring 8,600, as the minister mentioned. We are all over this.

Again, Mr. Speaker, where was the Leader of the Opposition—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Please take your seat.

Final supplementary?

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Imagine how those families are feeling today. Imagine the pain and the anguish they’re feeling, knowing that their government didn’t spend the money necessary to keep their loved ones safe. It is absolutely horrifying.

Will this Premier now admit that in fact there was much more he should have done and there was much more he could have done to prevent the pain, the anguish, the horrors that families faced, thousands of families, as 4,000 people lost their lives to COVID-19 when the Premier didn’t want to spend the money to save them?

Hon. Doug Ford: Because you always want to quote doctors, I’ll start quoting doctors as well. Researchers estimate that there was roughly a 90% reduction in cases among residents and nearly an 80% reduction in staff eight weeks after the vaccinations began on December 14.

“Prioritizing the vaccination of long-term-care home residents was highly efficient in resolving the province’s most tragic problem during this pandemic,” said Dr. Peter Jüni, scientific director of the provincial COVID advisory table.

I’m sure when you have an advisory table, Leader of the Opposition, you have different points of view. We’re taking the point of view that we’ve done everything in our power—and on top of it, when you’re doing it, you’re insulting the doctors, you’re insulting—

Ms. Andrea Horwath: Evidence doesn’t back it up.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Leader of the Opposition will come to order. Thank you.

Interjection.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to ask the Premier to withdraw.

Hon. Doug Ford: Withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The next question.

Land use planning

Ms. Catherine Fife: My question is to the Premier. Last night, the Ford government secretly, quietly signed six new minister’s zoning orders behind closed doors. We’ve had a look and, once again, prominent PC donors are among the people who stand to benefit. An NDP analysis previously shows that at least 19 of this government’s previous MZOs benefit PC Party donors and insiders. Why is this government using MZOs to bulldoze wetlands and green spaces to let its buddies make more money?

Hon. Doug Ford: Through you, Mr. Speaker, so many different governments, including the previous government, would hide MZOs. We’re proud to announce that we have MZOs, because it’s about the economy. Once we get through this, people are going to be looking for jobs. We can’t wait four years—and by the way, Mr. Speaker, we only sign an MZO once we get a letter from the mayor of the region or the chair of the region, the mayor of the city and council. Once it gets approved, it’s an ask by them. We don’t go into towns and all of a sudden just issue MZOs. It’s an ask from each region and each city, and I want more MZOs to stir the economy, to get jobs out there, because the Leader of the Opposition—they don’t worry about jobs. They all get their big fat paycheques. They don’t worry about the hard-working working-class folks. We do.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question.

Ms. Catherine Fife: I want to point out to the Premier that municipalities have said that this decision-making process is being done under duress, and you are authorizing the destruction of wetlands under the cover of COVID.

This government has used MZOs more than any other government in the province’s history, and they’re doing it not for the benefit of the people; it appears like they’re doing it to help their friends make more money. Big donors like Flato Developments are getting priority status thanks to this government’s decision to quietly sign a whopping six new MZOs late last night. Why is this government putting money and politics ahead of the province and our environment?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Before I invite the Premier to reply, I’ll remind the members that the standing orders prohibit imputing motive. I’m going to ask the member from Waterloo to withdraw.

Ms. Catherine Fife: Withdraw.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): And the Premier now to reply to the issue that was raised.

Hon. Doug Ford: They say one thing and then they say another. They flip-flop back and forth. My issue with that is, right now, we’re building four rapid long-term-care facilities to make sure that we have the beds that long-term-care patients need.

I guess everyone in this room has heard the escalating cost in housing. It’s no longer just that young people can’t afford housing; it’s everyone. And something that they don’t understand is something called supply and demand. We want more houses out there, more condominiums, more townhouses to make sure that people can afford it. You put a greater supply; what happens? A huge supply: The number starts flattening out, the cost of it. It will make it more affordable.

We will never stop issuing MZOs, for the people of Ontario, the people that need housing. There are 40,000 people moving in the GTA, the fastest-growing region in North America. And guess what, Mr. Speaker? If it was up to them, they’d be living in mud huts right now. They wouldn’t be—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. The next question.

COVID-19 immunization

Mr. Toby Barrett: My question is to the Minister of Health. With each passing day, there seems to be obviously more light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to COVID-19. Whether it be more vaccines being approved or an increase in shipments of the Pfizer vaccine, Ontarians have good reason to feel more hopeful with each passing day.

I will say, my constituents are anxious to get their COVID-19 vaccine, and I know we’re working around the clock to make sure they get that. We have the most effective vaccination campaign in the country. My question: Would the minister please provide an update to this House on the progress of our province’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout?

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you to the member from Haldimand–Norfolk for your question. Our government has said from the beginning that we are committed to having one of the most effective immunization campaigns in the country, and we are well on our way to achieving that goal. By the end of this week, we will have administered over one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to eligible Ontarians all across our province. This early success is yet another sign of how effective our government’s vaccination plan continues to be as we receive more doses of the vaccine from the federal government.

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In order to build from this success, we recently announced our second phase of the vaccine rollout. Starting on March 15, we will be launching an online booking system and a provincial customer service desk to answer questions and support appointment bookings at mass immunization clinics.

Our government will continue to work with all of our partners around the province to ensure that all Ontarians who want to receive a vaccine will get one.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question?

Mr. Toby Barrett: I thank the Minister of Health for that update and that explanation. My supplementary question is to our Solicitor General.

Solicitor General, in my own riding of Haldimand–Norfolk, I do hear from people—and we hear from people from all over the province—who are concerned about our most vulnerable: people living in remote and isolated Indigenous communities, who oftentimes face a disproportionate risk with respect to the virus. Can the minister please provide this House with an update on what’s referred to as Operation Remote Immunity?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: Thank you to the member for Haldimand–Norfolk for your interest in this, because it is exciting news, as the Minister of Health said. We’ve reached a key milestone in protecting remote and isolated Indigenous communities against COVID-19 by visiting all 31 fly-in communities in northern Ontario and Moosonee to offer first doses for the vaccine as part of Operation Remote Immunity. This important milestone could not have been achieved without the tremendous effort of Indigenous leadership, community members, Ornge and front-line health care workers coming together to stop the spread of COVID-19 in these fly-in communities.

As of March 7, 2021, Operation Remote Immunity has administered 15,324 doses, including 12,660 first doses and 2,664 second doses. This truly is a team effort, Speaker, and I am so proud of the work that Operation Remote Immunity has done.

COVID-19 immunization

M^me France Gélinas: Ma question est pour le premier ministre. The Conservative government’s entire pandemic response has been to show up kind of a day late and a dollar short. But when it comes to the vaccine rollout, that strategy is causing chaos and confusion across our entire province, because the Conservatives still cannot get a website online.

Cities and towns are left to pick up the slack. They are scrambling to get their own booking systems up and running. To add to the confusion, we have hospitals, family health teams and community health centres also all launching their own sites. We even have a website that collects all of the other websites together.

Premier, we have been in this crisis for over one full year. Why wasn’t that enough time to set up a website?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Health.

Hon. Christine Elliott: Well, I would say to the member opposite that we do have a plan. We have a website that we’ll be launching on March 15. We want to make sure that it’s robust enough to be able to handle the large volume of calls that we know it will receive. We know that in several other provinces, their websites crashed very early on. We want to make sure that our system will not do so.

But what is happening is not at all unexpected. It was part of the plan from the beginning that each of the 34 public health units was going to be responsible for the running of their own plan. There is a central plan, but it’s going to look different in each of the 34 public health units, because they know the particulars of their own geographic area. Many of them have already started up their own websites. It’s anticipated that most of them will then merge into the central website as of March 15, but some of them will not; they already have websites that are up and running and are serving their own purposes.

I think the fact that we will have administered a million vaccines by the end of this week speaks for itself about the success of this—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.

And the supplementary question.

M^me France Gélinas: I’d like to point out the families in Rexdale, a neighbourhood right in the Premier’s own backyard and one of the hard-hit COVID hot spots in this city. They are currently paying the price for the Conservative government’s struggling with their vaccine rollout.

Folks who are over 80 years old are eligible to get vaccinated, but they still have no idea how, where or when they are going to book their appointment. There is still no plan to help people who don’t have access to the Internet or who have language barriers or who don’t have a mass vaccination clinic close by. How could it be?

The entire Rexdale area has been described as a no man’s land for vaccines by health officials. If families in the Premier’s own riding cannot get access to COVID-19 vaccines—I’m asking you, Premier, what is going on?

Hon. Christine Elliott: We are committed to making sure that every Ontarian who wants to receive a vaccine in any part of the province is going to receive one.

However, it is important to note that Toronto, because of the large volume of people in long-term-care homes and front-line health care workers—all of those people who were included in phase 1, they still have to finish that. They are not quite ready in every part of Toronto to move into phase 2 and the vaccination of people over 80 years of age. So this is coming forward.

There is going to be the online booking tool as of March 15. There is going to be the customer centre that people can call to make an appointment. We recognize that a lot of people don’t have access to the Internet, don’t feel comfortable making bookings that way, so they will be able to do so by phone.

I can also advise that all of the information relating to booking, which will become immediately available when they are ready to start doing those vaccinations of over-80 people across the city, has been translated into 59 different languages, so everyone will have—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much. The next question.

COVID-19 immunization

Mr. John Fraser: My question is for the Premier.

Ontario is expected to receive AstraZeneca vaccines this week. The government said last week that they’re launching yet another pilot during a pandemic, distributing the AstraZeneca vaccines through pharmacies in three regions. Well, it’s Tuesday, and the pharmacies haven’t been identified, and it’s unclear as to how we can book an appointment. The Premier said they’ll be launching in 500 pharmacies, yet the pharmacists’ association says it’s actually 380 locations. So this is just another important announcement that leaves more questions than answers.

What’s most concerning is, 114,000 of these doses are set to expire on April 2.

Speaker, through you: Can the Premier confirm when the details of this rollout will be put forward and assure Ontarians that none of this AstraZeneca vaccine will be wasted?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Health.

Hon. Christine Elliott: I thank the member for the question.

Yes, I can assure the member that these vaccines will not be wasted. There is a central plan. They are going to be distributed in three locations: in Toronto, in Windsor-Essex, and in the Kingston area.

Because of the fact that the 190,000 vaccines that we are expecting to receive—today, as a matter of fact; a day earlier—are time-limited, you’re absolutely right, we want to make sure that they can be delivered quickly and efficiently through the over 300 pharmacies that have been identified. This list should be available tomorrow—it is because there are some agreements with the individual pharmacies that have yet to be finally signed that we are finalizing. If the ones that aren’t signing right now haven’t been done, we will find another 20 or 30 pharmacies that will be able to deliver it.

But this plan is ready to go. We’ll be receiving applications and online bookings as of Friday, to start the work on these vaccines to ensure that they are—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. The supplementary.

Mr. John Fraser: Speaker, it always seems like we’re weeks behind other provinces.

The Premier said in November that when vaccines arrived, we’d be ready.

Here’s what happened: The government took a vaccine holiday over Christmas. Then they took nearly 60 days and half a million doses to get to the 70,000 residents of long-term care—a first dose to them, the people we said we had to get to first. They were two weeks behind other provinces. Imagine if vaccines had gotten to Roberta Place two weeks earlier.

The central online booking system—well, it wasn’t ready at the beginning of March, like other provinces. And then the head of the vaccine task force says that your doctor is going to be calling you if you’re over 80—except the problem is, nobody told the doctors.

And now there’s a pharmacy pilot with almost no details.

I just don’t know why we weren’t ready. I’m trying to understand why we’re not ready and we’re always playing catch-up. It’s frustrating for Ontarians. By any objective measure, we’re not ready.

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Speaker, through you, what I heard the minister say—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you.

Mr. John Fraser: —can she ensure that the doses—

Interjections.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Order. The House will come to order. The member for Ottawa South will take his seat.

The Minister of Health to reply.

Hon. Christine Elliott: I can assure the member that we do have a plan, that the plan is rolling out as it was intended to. We will be ready. We have been ready to receive the AstraZeneca vaccines. We will be able to deliver them before their expiry, and we can quadruple the number of vaccinations that we’re doing per day in very short order. But what we need are the large doses of the vaccines to come in. We know that we’re going to be receiving larger doses of Pfizer, we’re receiving Moderna, we’re receiving AstraZeneca, and we are ready to deliver them.

As a matter of fact, I was at a mass vaccination clinic yesterday in Scarborough with the Premier. They are processing several thousand people per day, but they can double, triple, quadruple as they need to. So we are ready. As soon as we get those large doses of vaccines in, we will be getting them into people’s arms as quickly as we can, which means the day after we receive them.

Broadband infrastructure

Mr. Toby Barrett: To the Minister of Infrastructure: As the minister will know, Ontario is a vast province. We’re home to a number of urban areas, both large and small, northern regions, beautiful lakes and, of course, sprawling rural areas.

Minister, as someone who represents one of those rural areas, I can tell you that the peace and tranquility found in rural small-town Ontario comes with a price. It comes with a downside. Many of the services, like Internet, that people in the cities take for granted just are not available in rural areas. Without access to adequate broadband and Internet services, many people who live and work in rural Ontario are at a disadvantage. They can’t compete.

Minister, ensuring access to broadband right across the province will create a level playing field for Ontario businesses, including those living and operating in rural areas. Participating in the digital economy is vital to the continued success. Many people are suffering because of unreliable service.

Minister, as we move forward in the digital economy, what can we do to ensure that rural—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much. The Minister of Infrastructure.

Hon. Laurie Scott: I’d like to thank the member from Haldimand–Norfolk for his question and his advocacy for his constituents. He is quite right: Ontario farmers, like so many people living in our province, will benefit from the steps our government has taken to improve broadband service to the many unserved and underserved communities across Ontario.

Almost immediately upon being named Minister of Infrastructure, I began to take immediate action to help close the digital divide, beginning with the release of Up to Speed, our broadband and cellular action plan, and then quickly followed up by making investments to accelerate expansion of broadband projects right across the province.

In the provincial budget presented last fall, we continued our positive steps forward by announcing historic investments in broadband infrastructure, and today, we have legislation beginning debate in this House that, if passed, will help us bridge the digital divide.

We’re taking action to remove barriers, and I expect we’ll have broad support in the House for our broadband legislation.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question.

Mr. Toby Barrett: Thank you, Minister, for what you have done so far to help ensure rural Ontario is able to get connected.

I’d like to read a portion of a letter I received from Bob. He’s a resident of Haldimand county:

“Dear MPP Barrett,

“Like so many other residents of rural Ontario, we’ve been able to enjoy a better quality of life thanks to the many technological advancements of the past number of years.

“The Internet has opened up an entire new way of doing business. I can monitor stock remotely. I can reach new customers who are located hundreds of miles away. I can process orders quickly, track my shipments and ensure they are delivered to my customers’ door on time. However, ensuring this happens smoothly only works with reliable broadband signals.

“And in many rural communities like mine, we simply don’t have adequate reliable service.”

So my question again to you, Minister: Aside from the steps you have taken to improve access to reliable high-speed Internet, what else can be done to get our rural communities connected?

Hon. Laurie Scott: I’d like to thank the member for his supplementary question. I want to say to this House that I understand the difficulties people in unserved and underserved areas experience. Like Bob, I live them too. That’s why, even though broadband is a federally regulated telecommunications, Ontario has not waited for the federal government to take action. We are making historic investments to improve Internet service in Ontario communities that currently lack adequate service. We’ve introduced legislation that, if passed, will remove barriers to help build infrastructure faster, strengthen our rural communities and lay the foundation for growth and renewal. We will also continue to call upon the federal government to properly fund broadband, not just in Ontario, but across the country.

Mr. Speaker, through you, I’d like to call on all members of the House to support Bill 257 and to work with us to ensure that every Ontarian, regardless of where they live, can participate in the digital economy.

COVID-19 response

Ms. Marit Stiles: Good morning, Mr. Speaker. This question is for the Minister of Education.

The reality of the pandemic and this government’s weak plan have had serious consequences for students with complex needs and their families. That includes families at the Beverley School here in Toronto who are worried that their children are falling behind developmentally after a year of disruptions to the daily supports and the therapies they receive at that school. The minister will recall that a variant case shut down classes in late February, and parents told the Globe and Mail this weekend that without regular testing and a plan to vaccinate staff, they expect these disruptions and closures are going to continue.

Can the minister tell the House what steps he’s taking to mitigate these impacts on students with complex needs and why families are still waiting in March for a comprehensive asymptomatic testing plan?

Hon. Stephen Lecce: Some of the great feedback we’ve heard from the developmental disability community was that they often felt ignored in government decision-making processes. The disproportionate impact of the pandemic on those parents was heard by this government when we decided, with the support of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, to allow the most exceptional children back into our schools in January.

And which political party supported us in this House? Not one. The member opposite, her party and the Liberals criticized—in fact, I had calls from members opposite personally asking me to rethink the decision based on risk, when we knew it was the right thing to do for those very children to give them opportunity, access to therapy and the supports that their parents simply could not provide remotely. That is what our government did: We listened to the science, we listened to parents, we listened to the developmental disability community and we took action to ensure that they have support, that they have access to therapy and, most importantly, to provision of in-class supports, which they deserve.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Ms. Marit Stiles: Mr. Speaker, I can assure you the students at Beverley School and their families don’t feel safe right now. The minister’s comments are just not accurate.

By Friday, the government’s own reporting site showed that only 416 asymptomatic tests had been conducted in Toronto schools over the past seven days. That’s the most populous region, one of the hottest spots. Across the province, it was just 3,294. We are hearing that only about a quarter of English public and Catholic school boards have a plan in place, and that number is even fewer when you look at francophone boards. We are nowhere near the 50,000 tests a week that were promised here, and students and families in this province deserve to know why. What could possibly be more important than keeping the children, the most vulnerable children in our province, safe in their schools?

I’m going to ask again: Will the minister please explain why he can’t meet his own 50,000-a-week target—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. Minister of Education.

Hon. Stephen Lecce: It is not lost on any member of this House who recalls that the opposition New Democrats and Liberals called on the government to close schools for the most exceptional children in January. They urged us not to reopen until the stay-at-home order was lifted. They have been on the wrong side of this debate every step of the way.

It is this government, this Premier, this party that ensured schools opened safely. We have 99% of schools open in this province. We have a program of testing, under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, which has ensured 37,000 tests under the age of 17 last week alone, thousands more in the Ministry of Education program. In that program, where 563 schools were identified last week, we had a positivity of 0.36%, safer than the communities that they operate within.

What that demonstrates is that our program—informed by the best science, supported by the Chief Medical Officer of Health, funded by our province—is working to keep schools safe, and we will continue.

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Land use planning

M^me Lucille Collard: My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs regarding the use of the ministerial zoning orders.

Bill 257, recently introduced, includes a small section, schedule 3, with potential huge impacts on the environment. We’ve had discussions here in the House very recently about the intended purpose of ministerial zoning orders, which is to accelerate the approval process of necessary projects when they are considered a priority for the well-being of Ontarians. The overwhelming use of such MZOs by the minister over the past year has raised concern and criticism, because non-urgent projects were fast-tracked without the benefit of consultations regarding the impact on our environment. And now, the government is moving to invalidate any potential for oversight with Bill 257, making these MZOs final decisions without the possibility of appeal.

How can we trust the government not to use their proposed full discretionary power to their own benefit, with no regard for the environment?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The government House leader to reply.

Hon. Paul Calandra: I want to thank the member for the question. As the Premier said earlier today, MZOs are a very important tool in helping us to build very important infrastructure, infrastructure that includes long-term-care homes, hospitals. I know the NDP raised a concern about them earlier. I note that one of the MZOs supported affordable housing in the leader of the official opposition’s own riding.

So we are going to continue to ensure that this very, very necessary infrastructure, infrastructure that supports our economic recovery, infrastructure that supports the very important needs in communities and infrastructure that has been asked for by the local municipalities—as the Premier said, they have come to us, asked us to expedite these proposals through MZOs, and we’re doing that after they have done that.

It is good policy. It makes sense. We will, as the Premier said, continue to do that to the benefit of the people of the province of Ontario.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question.

M^me Lucille Collard: Mr. Speaker, we can all agree that in the crisis we find ourselves in, there are some important decisions, swift decisions that are required to address the dire needs that have been exposed. However, cutting both the public and experts out of the process is not in the interest of Ontarians when it comes to ensuring we make decisions that will not negatively impact the future of our children.

The provincial policy statement was developed with a vision, with the future generations in mind. Yet the government is deciding today that the provincial policy statement is no longer important, giving itself the power to allow for the destruction of protected farmlands, wetlands and natural features. What kind of message is the government sending to our youth?

When speaking about the removal of the requirements to comply with the PPS, the Minister of Municipal Affairs has said, “There cannot be unnecessary barriers put forward.” Schedule 3 of Bill 257 shows that this government believes protecting the environment is an unnecessary barrier that needs to be overcome in the name of development. How can the minister justify schedule 3 and put—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much. Government House leader.

Hon. Paul Calandra: Again, I would thank the member for—I truly thank her for her question, but I think I would disagree with her. Obviously, the environment remains extraordinarily important. Again, this is the government that brought in the Oak Ridges moraine. This is the government that created the Ministry of the Environment.

When you’re talking about MZOs, they are informed by local municipalities which have approached the government in order to expedite important infrastructure in the area. That does not mean that we set aside environmental considerations.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard for months and for years that the environment and the economy can work together. In every instance where this government has shown that we can protect the environment, we can advance the economy—something that was sold to us by the federal Liberals and by the Liberals opposite. Every time we have shown that we can do that, they have systematically turned their backs on both the environment and the economy. We can do both, and we’ve shown through this that we can and we will.

Mining industry

Mr. Toby Barrett: A question to the Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Indigenous affairs: Yesterday marked the beginning of PDAC—that’s the world’s premier mineral exploration and mining convention. It’s held right here in Toronto. Typically, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada would be welcoming representatives from over a hundred different countries. I know I’ve certainly attended in the past. However, this year, because of COVID-19, the conference has moved online. Attendees can join from anywhere around the world.

Samantha Espley, president of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, recently noted, “Ontario’s mining industry is an instrumental component of the economic strength of Canada and the pandemic has highlighted the essential nature of the industry.”

My question: Will the government please tell this House how we’re supporting the mining sector and reducing barriers with respect to mining exploration?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Peterborough–Kawartha and parliamentary assistant.

Mr. Dave Smith: I’d like to thank the member from Haldimand–Norfolk for his question. As an industry providing materials that are at the front end of our health care, manufacturing and supply chains, mining was deemed essential by our government and has operated throughout COVID-19. From the very beginning of the pandemic, Ontario’s mining operations have made sure that they’ve had a commitment to protect the health and well-being of all of their workers, their families and the adjacent communities.

It’s important for our government to support the mining companies that operate in this province and create good jobs that boost the local economy across northern Ontario. We’d like to thank the mining sector for their determination throughout this pandemic in keeping their employees safe over the past year.

Through the Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, our government has cut red tape and found efficiencies, supporting the mining industry and exploration and supporting over 75,000 jobs in Ontario. These changes will modernize the online mining staking system and address gaps—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you very much. Supplementary question?

Mr. Toby Barrett: I very much appreciate that response to my question. It is encouraging to hear that our government is remaining active and remaining engaged in keeping Ontario open for business and open for jobs as we continue to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we know, Ontario is home to some of the top-producing mines, and more will be opening soon. Despite the pandemic, it has been a monumental year as Iamgold’s Côté Gold project and Argonaut Gold’s Magino project were the latest to be given the green light to start construction.

Speaker, we know that it’s people who make mines, not governments. Projects like these will create thousands of quality jobs not only to create the site, but also thousands of jobs to staff the site once it’s operational. My question: Will the government please tell us what other tools are available for miners in Ontario to make doing business easier?

Mr. Dave Smith: Even during COVID, we have been launching new products specifically for the mining industry. The Ontario Geological Survey Focus is Ontario’s new, innovative online geoscience tool. It merges all of the historical information that we have on exploration into an easy format that anyone can use. It is a free, publicly accessible tool that allows all parties, from Indigenous communities to exploration companies and prospectors, to have access to all of the same information.

Now more than ever, our government is committed to ensuring that we support the ongoing prosperity of our province’s mineral exploration and prospecting industry. The OGSFocus tool is a state-of-the-art, customer-focused product that will further solidify Ontario’s position as a leading global jurisdiction in mineral exploration and production.

Small business

Mr. Ian Arthur: My question is to the Acting Premier. Small business owners in Ontario are terrified that they are not going to survive this pandemic and, as you are likely aware, they are struggling to access the Ontario small business grant, which, although welcome, is miniscule compared to need and excludes more businesses than it includes.

Mohamed, who owns the Jiffy Grill in Hastings–Lennox and Addington, has grown increasingly frustrated. According to the government website, approved businesses were to receive payment in about 10 business days. He applied on January 29, and finally, late on Sunday night and 38 days after he applied, he found out that he was approved, but he has not yet received his money.

This is after five requests for information from our office to the ministry. We’ve been told that the wait-list has grown to over 100,000 applicants, and processing times have slowed to a crawl. Can the minister explain why Mohamed and others are being left on a wait-list so long, when the nature of this situation is so urgent?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The member for Flamborough–Glanbrook and parliamentary assistant.

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Ms. Donna Skelly: Our government recognizes that small businesses have been hit hard because of the measures we put in place to ensure that Ontarians remain safe. That is why we launched the small business program, the Ontario Small Business Support Grant. It is providing a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $20,000 to eligible small businesses that were forced to close or significantly restrict their services.

Mr. Speaker, I’m very proud to say that to date, we have been able to approve grants for 90,000 small businesses across Ontario, and we have made almost $1.3 billion in payments so far. Eligible small businesses that are expected to experience a minimum 20% decline in revenue may qualify for this grant, and they can use that money any way they see fit.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary.

Mr. Ian Arthur: Let’s take a moment to talk about that eligibility. The grant is for businesses that were affected by the closures in December, excluding the large number of businesses that were actually forced to close in earlier lockdowns. In other words, it excludes those who have been hit the hardest and longest by public health measures. The program criteria excludes many, seemingly arbitrarily.

Much like the failed provincial commercial rent subsidy, this program seems to be an attempt to say, “Look, we’re helping,” while in reality designing a program that obligates the government to help as few businesses as absolutely possible.

As the CFIB pointed out, Ontario’s small businesses are struggling more than other provinces. Here, the average COVID-related small business debt is almost 20% higher than the national average. Every penny of Mohamed’s grant will go towards his federal relief loans, loans that are incurring hundreds of dollars in late fees and interest due to the uncertainty around the delivery of this business grant.

It is clear that more needs to be done, Mr. Speaker. Will the government right now commit to expanding the criteria, increasing the funding level and renewing the grant for another round?

Ms. Donna Skelly: I want to say, Mr. Speaker, that I’m proud of the work that our government has done. I have worked with small business owners in my riding of Flamborough–Glanbrook and right across the city of Hamilton who have reached out to me, and they were grateful. They found that this money was a life-saving measure for them. I’ve worked with businesses right across the province, in northern Ontario. Sometimes they didn’t realize that they were eligible, but we worked with them and they were able to gain access to these grants.

Not only are businesses eligible to apply for the Small Business Support Grant, but there are other grants. I would encourage them to apply for the $1,000 Main Street Relief Grant for PPE, the Digital Main Street program to help businesses go online and transition to a digital process, the property tax and energy rebates and mental health supports available to all small businesses. Visit ontario.ca/covidsupport to apply.

COVID-19 response

Mrs. Belinda C. Karahalios: My question is for the Premier. Last October, the government’s regulations for stages 1, 2 and 3 of a lockdown, under the general compliance sections, mandated that masks be worn for anyone over the age of two. This regulatory policy has been in place for months now.

Can the government tell us whether it has any data that proves whether mandating that children three, four and five years of age wearing masks has resulted in a decline in COVID-19-positive reported cases?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Minister of Health.

Hon. Christine Elliott: Thank you to the member for the question. We know through the recommendations made by Dr. Williams, our Chief Medical Officer of Health, as well as the preventative measures table, a number of public health experts have recommended that masks be worn to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

It’s important, even as people receive their first dose of the vaccine—we still need to follow those public health measures to keep Ontarians safe and healthy, and that includes keeping a physical distance, wearing a mask when indoors, frequent handwashing and the other provisions, until all Ontarians who want to receive a vaccine have received both doses of those vaccines that require two doses. Johnson and Johnson is different and only requires one. But the mask wearing is going to continue to be important for some months yet.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The supplementary question.

Mrs. Belinda C. Karahalios: It appears the government has no such proof, data or facts to support mandating children of the ages of three or four to wear masks. Even the World Health Organization states in its official position that children under the age of five should not be required to wear masks. This is based on the safety and overall interest of the child and their capacity to use a mask appropriately.

Why in this instance, when it comes to children under five years of age wearing masks, does this government have a requirement that is crueller than what the WHO recommends? What science is the regulation based on?

Hon. Christine Elliott: These are the recommendations that we have received from Dr. Williams and all of the other public health experts who are advising us.

It is remarkable how children are adapting to wearing a mask, that they are wearing them at very young ages. They don’t seem to be suffering from cruelty, as the member has suggested.

We all need to follow these public health measures to make sure that all Ontarians are safe and healthy until everyone who wants to receive a vaccine has received those two doses.

Correctional facilities

Miss Monique Taylor: My question is for the Premier. The outbreak at Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre is only getting worse. Right now, there are 63 cases of COVID-19 at the jail, making it the worst outbreak in Hamilton. Workers, inmates and families say that they need better communication, transparency and a real strategy to end the outbreak.

Can the Premier tell us why he has allowed the situation to get so bad and what he’s doing to help workers, inmates and families of Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre get through this horrible outbreak?

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The Solicitor General.

Hon. Sylvia Jones: I think we all appreciate and understand, when there is a COVID-19 outbreak, how challenging it is for friends and family, which, frankly, is why we must continue to adhere to and respect the health advice.

Specifically related to the Hamilton-Wentworth corrections centre: We are working directly with the Hamilton public health unit. They are ensuring that we have all of the information, and we’re sharing that with our corrections staff. They are doing an exceptional job during challenging times.

We know that when there are positivity rates in the community, it travels. It travels into our long-term-care homes. It travels into our hospitals. And, yes, it travels into our corrections facilities. So I think, at the end of the day, what it reinforces is how critically important it is that we continue to respect and adhere to the health advice.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Supplementary question.

Miss Monique Taylor: Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre is just the latest correctional facility to suffer an outbreak. Across Ontario, detention centres have faced outbreak after outbreak after outbreak. This government’s failure to safeguard staff and inmates from COVID-19 is being felt everywhere.

In Hamilton, families are saying that inmates and their families are being kept in the dark about the response and that there is growing frustration, mistrust and concern about the conditions inside. These families are desperately demonstrating outside the jail in protest to this situation.

Why has the government allowed the situation to worsen and when will it start listening to families and workers?

Hon. Sylvia Jones: As the member opposite knows, I trust, when new intakes are received in our corrections facilities, those individuals are offered a test and they are self-isolated from the rest of the community for 14 days to make sure that we are not spreading COVID-19 unnecessarily.

Again, I have to say that the work that our corrections officers—the work that is happening within those facilities continues.

Yes, it is challenging in congregate settings, which, frankly, is one of the very important reasons why we have said that congregate settings need to get the vaccines as soon as the supply is here. We are putting that work in place. In fact, the Kenora Jail started to vaccinate their corrections officers last week. We are continuing to do that work.

I am working, as I said, directly with the Hamilton public health unit.

We will continue to ensure that staff, family and inmates are protected.

Trucking licensing

Mr. Stephen Blais: My question is for the Minister of Transportation.

Mr. Speaker, as a result of new SPIF regulations that came into effect on January 1, dump truck operators have been forced into extreme financial difficulty, especially now during the pandemic. These regulations require that trucks manufactured prior to 2011 undergo expensive retrofits of between $20,000 and $40,000. The average lifespan for a dump truck is 20 to 25 years, so a $40,000 retrofit near the end of its life is simply beyond the reach of most independent operators. The ministry has cut deals for all other affected construction vehicles, permitting their existing vehicles to be grandfathered into the regulations.

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Small dump truck drivers are at risk of losing their jobs—they are at risk of losing their jobs, Mr. Speaker. Will the minister commit to supporting dump truck operators during this challenging time by permitting them to operate closer to the lifespan of their vehicles, as they have done with all other affected trucks?

Hon. Paul Calandra: I know this is a regulation that has been on the books for a significant amount of time—if I’m not mistaken, brought in by the previous Liberal government. I think it really underscores just how bad a government that previous Liberal government was. This is a former government and an opposition party right now that, if they had their way, would close down construction altogether, putting all of these dump truck operators out of work.

We had an opportunity in this House just last week to show our support for hundreds of thousands of jobs across this province. The Liberals decided, when it came to line 5, to stay home, sit down and do nothing.

When it comes to supporting jobs, when it comes to supporting jobs in construction and in resource development, they can count on the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario to do the right thing, especially those dump truck drivers who are so important to our economy. Because of the investments we’re making in transit and transportation, they will be busy for many, many years to come.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): I’m going to remind members: You can’t make reference to the absence of any member. Supplementary question?

Mr. Stephen Blais: I’m glad the government is committed to supporting dump truck drivers. They’ll be surprised, though, because the government has yet to meet with them after months of requesting these meetings.

The government brought these regulations into force in the middle of a pandemic—a pandemic that has affected the construction industry as much, if not more, than many other sectors. In fact, I’m glad the House leader mentioned the Liberal record. It was Steven Del Duca, as Minister of Transportation, who committed to open and transparent consultations with the dump truck industry in 2016. But at their first opportunity, this government decided to target dump truck drivers and bring these regulations into force, in the middle of a pandemic.

Mr. Speaker, will the government commit to meeting with the industry to hammer out a deal to ensure that these dump truck drivers don’t lose their business?

Hon. Paul Calandra: I know I’ve certainly met with representatives of the dump truck industry, as have a number of members from this caucus. But talking about Steven Del Duca, a leader who decided to build a pool in his backyard—against all of the recommendations, he illegally built a pool in his backyard. This is the gentleman that this person brings forward to this House, a Minister of Transportation who forgot to listen to any of the advice, ignored the advice of his officials and decided, “Well, I’m going to build a GO train station where it’s convenient for me”? We will take no lessons from Steven Del Duca when it comes to being ethical.

The members opposite had the opportunity to support resources. They had the opportunity to support thousands of jobs. The NDP, thankfully, after 50 years of ideologically blocking pipelines, voted with us, voted to save those jobs. The Liberals voted against those jobs, voted against the environment, voted against the economy. We’ll take no lessons from Steven Del Duca on building—

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): Thank you. The next question.

Accès à la justice / Access to justice

M. Michael Mantha: Ma question est pour le procureur général. Alors que le seul juge bilingue du district d’Algoma prend sa retraite, le gouvernement décide de le remplacer avec une juge unilingue anglophone, laissant les francophones d’Algoma sans aucun juge pouvant présider un procès dans leur langue. C’est une décision très décevante pour la communauté franco-ontarienne, qui voit son accès à la justice en français encore une fois réduit.

Est-ce que le gouvernement va revenir sur la décision et garantir qu’il y ait au moins un juge bilingue dans le district d’Algoma?

Hon. Doug Downey: I’m pleased to rise to talk a little bit about some of the great work that we’re doing with our French communities, our francophone communities across Ontario, as with the bill that’s in front of the House now—the ability to file civil forms and family forms in any courthouse anywhere in Ontario. There are a whole string of things that we’re doing.

When it comes to judicial appointments and judicial administration, that’s really part of the independence of the courts. I hear the member opposite and his concern for his area; I will undertake to have that conversation, to raise the issue with the Chief Justice of Ontario. I will respect the independence of the judiciary to administer their judges as they see fit, but I will note it for the Chief Justice.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): That concludes our question period for this morning.

Deferred Votes

Concurrence in supply

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): We now have several deferred votes, the first being a deferred vote on government order number 48.

On March 8, 2021, Mr. Calandra moved concurrence in supply for the Ministry of Long-Term Care, including supplementaries.

The bells will now ring for 30 minutes, during which time members may cast their votes.

I’ll ask the Clerks to prepare the lobbies.

The division bells rang from 1137 to 1207.

The Speaker (Hon. Ted Arnott): The vote on government order number 48, concurrence in supply for the Ministry of Long-Term Care, including supplementaries, has been held.