It is now time for oral questions. I recognize the leader of Her Majesty's loyal opposition. Thanks very much, Speaker. Speaker, my first question this morning is to the Premier. Doctors, hospital officials, and public health units across Ontario have been pleading with the foreign government for days to take effective action against the second wave of COVID-19. The Premier has repeatedly refused, saying he wants to see more evidence. Since that time, over 2,300 more people have contracted COVID-19. Numbers that will continue to climb. Can the Premier tell us exactly what evidence the foreign government needs beyond the overwhelming evidence that has already been presented by hospital experts, by public health, and by other doctors across the province? The Deputy Premier and Minister of Health to reply. Well, thank you very much for the question. In fact, we have been taking action. We developed our Keeping Ontarians Safe Plan with six pillars to promote the retention of public health measures, to conduct the largest flu campaign in Ontario's history, to deal with the surgeries and procedures that were delayed during the first wave, to make sure that we're prepared for a surge in cases, which we have done, and to make sure that we have the health human resources that we need in order to be ready for a second wave. So we are, the numbers are increasing. We're looking at the information daily, and we have taken action, which I'll discuss in the supplementary. Supplementary question. Well, Speaker, rather than listening to the warnings that are coming from our health system over the last week, the Premier insisted that despite overwhelming evidence that people were actually praising his plan and that Ontario was successfully flattening the curve, doctors say that the Premier was completely off the mark, that he was simply making that up. So will the Premier or anyone in this House on the government side now stand up today and actually repeat those claims, or is the Ford government prepared to admit that their preparation and handling of the second wave has been an unmitigated disaster? Mr. Pell. Well, thank you. I would completely disagree with a statement just made by the Leader of the Official Opposition. We have been taking action. We are listening to reports. We have been listening to the Ontario Hospital Association. I'm in close contact with them, the Ontario Medical Association, the Nurses' Association, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, and our public health experts, Dr. Williams, and the Public Health Measures Table. As a matter of fact, we had a report from them within the last 24 hours about what they're seeing. We are making changes. We have already. We are not introducing any more new businesses or new actions for the next 28 days. We've already reduced the capacities in restaurants at the last calls at 11 o'clock, closing at 12 o'clock. We're taking other measures. We are listening and we are taking action as we need to. But we need to make sure that we have the information and the data in order to be able to make the decisions to, as I suppose, the leader of the official opposition would like us to completely shut Ontario down again. We are not doing that unless and or... Thank you. The final supplementary. The fact is, Speaker, and it's pretty plain that the government doesn't have a plan to deal with the second wave of COVID-19. And instead of trying to fix that, the Premier spent most of yesterday telling people to invite 10 people over for Thanksgiving dinner and then denying that he even said it. To quote an epidemiologist, one particular epidemiologist, and I'm quoting, we've pulled back on contact tracing now, so that could lull people into thinking we're doing better than we are. When in fact we are doing worse, end of quote. When will the government stop pretending, just stop pretending that things are going well because everybody can see that they're not going well and in fact start taking action to fix the mess that they've caused? Please take your seats. Minister of Health to reply. Well, Speaker, I think it's important for the leader of the official opposition to understand, of course, for the people of Ontario to understand, we are taking action. We have a plan, we are putting into place, we are listening to the experts on a daily basis. The health and wellbeing of the people of Ontario is and always has been our central concern and we are taking steps to make sure that the people of Ontario are protected. We're putting $935 million into hospitals this year. Hospitals are essential to the success of our plan, including $341 million to create more acute care and critical care beds. That's going to continue and we are also putting over a billion dollars to boost our testing, tracing and isolation capabilities. That is very important that we continue to increase our tests, that we have the lab capacity to process those tests and that we are going to increase our case and contact managers significantly by over a thousand to make sure that the people of Ontario will be kept safe. Thank you. The next question, once again, the leader of the opposition. Thank you, Speaker. My next question is for the Premier. You know, the Premier cannot simply bluster his way past the fact that he tried to save a buck when what he needed to do was invest. And now we are scrambling when schools, long-term care homes and small businesses on Main Street across Ontario needed support to prepare for the second wave. The Ford government refused to make those investments, to cap classes, to protect seniors and to save Main Street. Does the Premier now understand that his failure to invest through the summer is costing us much more than it needed to during the second wave of COVID-19? Minister of Health. Well, thank you, Speaker. I would say through you to the leader of the official opposition that is absolutely incorrect. We have been making investments throughout since this pandemic began. We have our plan in place keeping Ontario safe with its six pillars and we're making those investments to protect the lives and safety of the people of Ontario. We're spending over a billion dollars to increase our testing, tracing and isolation capability. We've put over $935 million into our hospitals, including $341 to increase our acute care and intensive care capacity. We threw our Ontario action plan. We put $124 million into creating 90 transitional care spaces to allow more than 1,000 people to be able to move from hospitals in order to have care in a different location. We have made considerable investments since this COVID-19 pandemic began and we're going to continue to make those investments to keep the people of Ontario healthy and safe. A supplementary question. Well, Speaker, the Ford government seems to have missed an important, basic fact. If the government wants to support families and small businesses in the midst of a pandemic, they need to do something to actually support families and businesses, allowing people to keep working while COVID-19 spreads through their homes, their jobs and schools is not being supportive. Capping class sizes, increasing staff in long-term care, putting money directly into the pockets of small business owners is that I've been devastated by COVID-19. That's what the government should have been doing. That's what people would call support. That's the support that they needed and this government to this day has refused to provide. Why won't the Premier provide that kind of support for the people and businesses of Ontario? The Associate Minister of Small Business at Red T Production. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker, and frankly, I reject the premise of that question. Just today, we again announced our commitment to support small businesses by introducing a $60 million grant to help those hit hardest with recovering costs for PPE. This government invested in a digital Main Street program up to $2,500 grants for 23,000 businesses in this province to help them pivot visually. We put forward the commercial emergency rent relief program that helps support 55,000 businesses in the province of Ontario, Mr. Speaker. We remain committed to supporting businesses, whether it's through the initial $10 billion of aid or whether it's through supporting them through grant programs like supporting their reimbursement of PPE, Mr. Speaker. We will remain committed to supporting small businesses through this pandemic. Final supplementary. You know, Ontario families needed their government to do so, so much better, whether it's hospitals and labs and long-term care homes that are waiting for investments to fight the second wave or working people and small businesses desperate for support to keep their doors open and pay for their staff and pay for their bills. The Premier has offered nothing but empty promises, delays, and penny-pinching. Too little, too late is what this government's model should be during this COVID crisis. They have acted too late with too little to support families and businesses. When will the Ford government realize? If it weren't for actually, if they were actually working to beat the second wave of this pandemic, they needed to focus, focus on saving lives and not focus on saving a buck. Parliamentary assistance to the Minister of Finance to reply. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. You know, when I was 12 years old, I watched my dad get a second mortgage so he can make payroll and keep the doors of his small business open, Mr. Speaker. This government understands the struggles of small businesses, and that's why we have not only invested in the sector, but we have consulted with the sector. Our Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Production has had over 100 meetings with the small business sector. The Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs has met for 195 hours and with 522 small businesses, Mr. Speaker. The pre-budget consultations continue. That's in addition to our $11 billion in support, Mr. Speaker, $241 million to support almost 600,000 employees throughout the province of Ontario, Mr. Speaker. While the NDP decides whether they support small business or they're against small business, Mr. Speaker, this government is going to continue to collaborate, work with small businesses and make sure we weather the storm together. Thank you very much. Next question, the member for Davenport. Mr. Speaker, good morning. This question is for the Premier. Speaker, the Premier said he'd spare no expense in protecting our schools, and then he held back funding. He said keeping schools open was a priority and then stubbornly refused to fund smaller, safer class sizes in our schools. Mr. Speaker, while cases are rising across Ontario, the government is scrambling from crisis to crisis. Parents are showing us what they think of this plan for school. They're pulling their children out of the schools en masse. The result is going to be even more new disruptions for our students, families, and for education workers. Speaker, everybody knew a second wave was coming. Why wasn't the Premier ready? Mr. Speaker, thank you. Well, thank you, Speaker. I was proud to join the Premier just two days ago to announce an additional $35 million specialized in those communities where we're seeing higher rates of community transmission for families and students in York, in Toronto, in Peel, in Ottawa. An additional investment set aside to ensure we can respond to the second wave and to the flu season. And that investment in Toronto, for example, $12 million is going to help hire more teachers, more custodians, and procure upwards of 70,000 devices for those four boards. Mr. Speaker, in Toronto, in the not intensively staff schools, so in the average class sizes in this region right now, as we speak, from kindergarten is 17.5 in grades one to three, the class size average, not in the high-invested schools, is 16.3, and in grades four to eight, it is 20.39. That is an investment this government is delivering because we believe in keeping our kids safe and we will do whatever it takes. Supplementary question. Mr. Speaker, back to the Premier. Tell that to all the families who have kids in JK and SK classes of 24, 25, 26. I got an example right here, Mr. Speaker. This government held back $50 million of federal funding, then they dropped 35 million yesterday. I mean, why weren't they ready to invest that funding when it was really needed to prevent all of this chaos in the first place? Mr. Speaker, in the TDSP alone, at least 7,000 more students are leaving in school classrooms because they don't have confidence in this government's plan. 374 schools will lose teachers. Not only will students be reorganized into new class cohorts after just being at school for a few weeks, but those classes are going to be even bigger. This government is requiring boards to meet the same pre-pandemic funding that they had for class size averages before the pandemic. Speaker, community spread is out of control and the government is still relying on the same old plan trying to pass off the same federal dollars as new provincial investments. Order. What new measures will the Premier take today to keep our schools open and our kids safe? Thanks for your education. Well, Speaker, we announced just two days ago building on the 1.3 billion dollar allocation, the largest investment, the most significant investment in this country when it comes to ensuring the safety of publicly educated schools in this province. That is an investment that demonstrates the Premier is fully committed to the safety of kids. The fact that we set aside money to ensure we can respond to the emerging risk in our province, 50 million dollars set aside for the flu season, specifically for the second wave demonstrates that we are looking ahead to give our boards the investments they need to prevent the spread within our schools. Speaker, we're seeing hundreds of teachers hired in Toronto and in Toronto, in the intensively staffed schools, the average class size in kindergarten is 10.91. In grades one to three, it is 14.9. And between grades grade 14 and eight, it is 13.8. So for the member opposite to purport anything other than investments by this province, by the feds, by reserves, helping lower classroom sizes is simply not the case. We are fully committed to do everything we can to keep our kids safe. The next question, the member for Etobicoke Lakeshore. Thank you, Speaker. And we all know that the COVID-19 pandemic has made significant impacts on the financial well-being of families across our province. When the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns began, many of my riding of Etobicoke Lakeshore and beyond looked to our government to help ensure insurance companies were providing them with relief for their auto insurance rates. I know that our government has been taking the necessary actions to do just that. Mr. Speaker, can the government please share what they have done to provide rate relief for Ontario drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic? Thank you. Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And thank you so much to the member from Etobicoke Lakeshore. I know some of her constituents personally and I know firsthand how much she looks out for their interests. Since this pandemic began, Mr. Speaker, our government has been keeping a close watch to make sure that insurance companies are treating the people of Ontario fairly. Members of this House know that addressing auto insurance rates has been a top priority for our Premier and our government. Speaker, our message to insurance companies was simple. Provide relief that reflects the hardships your customers are facing during COVID-19. And on April 15th, we took action to remove barriers that prevented companies from providing drivers the relief they deserve. Since then, we've seen significant financial relief provided to Ontario drivers. And, Speaker, this is just one way that our government under the leadership of Premier Ford has worked to support people, jobs, and businesses during these difficult times. Thank you. Thank you. Secondary question. Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you to the member for the answer. It is reassuring to know that our government acted early and continues to take action to provide rate relief for Ontario's 6.6 million auto insurance customers. I'm proud to be part of a government that understands the challenges families face in Ontario. And we've been inspired to see our government take the necessary steps to ensure they are provided the relief they need and they deserve. Could the government please share with the House how much rate relief has been provided to Ontario drivers since the COVID-19 pandemic began? Parliamentary Assistant, the Minister of Finance. Thank you very much, Speaker. And the member is bang on. This government understands the everyday challenges faced by families in this province. And that's why I'm proud that since we removed barriers to that relief, all of the 14 largest auto insurance companies in Ontario have provided nearly $1 billion in combined relief to consumers in Ontario. That's over $300 million more in savings since FISRA last reported greatly exceeding in Ontario alone, Mr. Speaker. The $600 million that the Insurance Bureau of Canada initially estimated that their members would provide across all of Canada. Speaker, our government continues to work to bring down auto insurance premiums for Ontario families to fix a broken system created by the NDP and made worse by years of liberal tinkering, by removing conflict, increasing competition, and cutting red tape. We're working to bring down rates, not just during the pandemic, Speaker. Response? Always. Thank you. Next question, the member for Tamiskaming Cochran. Thank you, Speaker. Next question to the Premier. In attempt to clear up the embarrassing backlog of tests, COVID tests in the province, the Premier has contracted a company in California or in Florida to do the tests, an American company. And that's not surprising. It's a private company. They like to privatize every chance they get. But what is very puzzling and very concerning is that a contract with this very same company was canceled by the Republican governor of Florida because they weren't getting the tests back on time. So it wasn't good enough for Florida, but it seems to be good enough for Ontario. Why did the Premier contract that company in Florida further privatizing our healthcare system? Deputy Premier, Mr. Teller. Well, I think it's important to remember and take a look at where we've come since the beginning of this pandemic. When we first started, we were able to do about 4,000 tests per day. We're increasing that daily. Yesterday we did over 43,000 tests. But of course, as you do the tests, you also have to have the lab facilities to go along with it. We are putting over a billion dollars into increasing our testing capacity. We are going to get 50,000 tests within the next few weeks, but we need to have the capacity to deal with that. We are increasing our lab capacity. We've got a whole network now that we didn't have before. That has been created since this pandemic. We have over 40 different organizations involved in that. And as a temporary measure, yes, we contracted with a company in California because we need to have those volumes tested. The people of Ontario deserve to have those volumes. The official opposition will come to order. Minister of Health can conclude her response. I can assure the member opposite. I can assure all the members opposite that we are working directly with all organizations in Ontario. We're working with other universities, with other facilities, in order for them to be able to do testing as well. This is a temporary measure that will allow us to be able to keep up with the testing volumes to make sure that people's tests don't go stale, which happens in three days. So we have to have this testing done. We're dealing with... Thank you. The official opposition will come to order. Supplementary. Never answered the question why it's not good enough for Florida, but good enough for here. But it's not a wonder... Government side will now come to order. It's not a surprise that the government contracted this lab because they already helped private companies here contact that lab so that they could export those tests as well. Stop the clock, please. Both sides will please come to order. It's always the other side, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. Always the other side. I apologize to the member for it to miscommunicate. Please restart the clock. You have the floor. It's no wonder that the Premier was able to find his private lab in the U.S. It's the same private lab that the private pharmacies are using here with the Premier's help. But every step towards privatizing, testing, privatizing every step is an erosion of our public health care system, a permanent erosion. And it's happening already. I'd like to quote, the government's head of Ontario Health confirmed yesterday that some swabs from private tests were being processed in public facilities. He said, quote, some are charging and then they're sending the swabs to our labs to be tested. Well, why don't we just publicly test and publicly do the lab work instead of privatizing and then still end up? Thank you. Eroding our system. Mr. Health, can you fly? Please, Speaker, and I have to say, Speaker, that I find the member's question very puzzling because every day we're being exhorted to do more testing, do more testing, process more lab tests. Don't let those lab tests go stale. And so what we are doing is we've created a lab system that is able to process these tests. But we need to make sure that we bring all of the partners on to this. I'm not sure it is the member want us to have these tests go stale so people have to create more appointments and go forward with that to more time, more expense. No, what we're doing is we are using the publicly available facilities to the greatest extent that we can. But if we are to get to 50,000 tests per day and 78,000 tests by the end of the year that we need to use every facility that's available to us. So we're using our public tests. We're using whatever facilities that we can deal with in terms of processing those tests in a timely manner. And Quest Diagnostics is one of those companies. Thank you very much. Thank you. Let's stop the clock again. Yeah, okay. So the heckling is starting to get out of hand. When everyone's masked, you might think that I can't recognize your voices. I can. I'll start calling you out to order individually if you don't start allowing the member who has the floor to answer the question allowing the member who has the opportunity to ask a question to place their question. Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry will come to order. I think he was trying to be helpful. I'm sure that was. Please restart the clock. The next question, the member for Scarborough Gilder. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the minister of the Treasury Board. Small businesses have been crystal clear what they need to get through this pandemic is commercial rent relief. Rent relief that actually works and reaches small businesses. You know, Speaker, I was in the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs this summer and I spent hundreds of hours listening to businesses from the north, from rural, from cities across this province. And there was one common request. We need commercial rent relief for small businesses in order for these companies to make it through the pandemic and survive to see another day. This government has not listened. They have not listened to what small businesses want. A moratorium that lasts a few weeks is not enough. Question. In fact, the deferrals that you've offered that you have now said you're going to collect every penny of is not enough. Small businesses need real relief. When is that going to come from this government? The parliamentary assistant to the minister of finance. I've got to correct the member opposite's record here. This government has supported small businesses from the very beginning of this pandemic with $11 billion in direct support, Mr. Speaker. And when it comes to the commercial rent relief program, over $840 million has been requested in relief, Mr. Speaker. That's almost 60,000 tenants who were able to successfully participate in this program, Mr. Speaker, to put another way. That's almost 582,000 employees in the province of Ontario who have been assisted by the commercial rent relief program. We have been collaborating with our partners in Ottawa to make sure that we fill the gaps on that program, Mr. Speaker. And I encourage the member opposite to join us in that collaboration to have constructive conversations about how we can help small businesses in Ontario. The supplementary question. Speaker, you know, that member said to me earlier this week that he'd met with the small business owner, Michael Woods, from Ottawa, who is saying, I am on the brink of closing my business without commercial rent relief. They've been very clear. When is this government going to listen and respond to the real needs of businesses? They've been very clear. This is what is the holdup? Why is this not happening? You are making announcements, but the announcements that do not go far enough, they do not address the real need that small businesses have asked for so that they can survive another wave of COVID-19 and be around in 2021. That is the relief that is required. Small businesses have also asked for relief for insurance, which is skyrocketing. When are they going to see action from this government that actually addresses the real concerns of small business? Thank you. Yep. Parliamentary assistance here. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. The member mentions Mr. Wood and the small businesses that he represents. And I appreciate our Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction who met with Mr. Wood. And over 100 other small businesses, Mr. Speaker, to hear directly on them from what the challenges are during these difficult times, Mr. Speaker. That's in addition to the 195 hours of consultation we've done at the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs. And at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Speaker, the Ministry of Finance and I are touring virtually with the entire province getting out of our Queen's Park Circle to listen directly to the small businesses and the challenges they face, Mr. Speaker. And I encourage the member that to... Actually, I'd like to remind the member that it was her government for 15 years that made life so difficult for small businesses out there, Mr. Speaker. We're going to continue to work with the sector and we're going to continue to support the sector, Mr. Speaker. And we're going to get through these difficult times together. Thank you. Thank you. The House will come to order. Member for Lannard-Quantanat, Kingston will come to order. Next question, the member for Oakville, North Burlington. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Infrastructure. This past summer, with the member from Oakville, I had the pleasure of announcing new infrastructure investments coming to our community. In July, we announced over $22 million in provincial investments for 14 projects for Oakville Transit. Our community will see nearly 60 diesel buses replaced with specialized zero-emission battery electric buses, reducing Oakville Transit's operation and maintenance costs, and will help keep our environment clean. Improvements to landing pads, walkways, ramps, and curbs add some 249 bus stops to enhance the quality, safety, and accessibility for all transit users. And in keeping with our government's desire to see more people connected, Wi-Fi will be installed on 107 conventional and 20 specialized buses, allowing for connectivity for transit riders. I'm proud that our government's working with our municipal partners and federal counterparts to get those local priority projects built. Can the Minister tell us more about our vital investments? Minister of Infrastructure. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And I'd like to thank the member from Oakville, North Burlington for this important question and for her strong advocacy for her constituents. It's incredible to think that in the last two years, Ontario has nominated hundreds and hundreds of projects through ISIP to the federal government for approval. This includes over 140 road, bridge, air, and marine projects through the rural and northern stream, and over 200 public transit infrastructure projects and communities outside the GTHA in the public transit stream. Like the member from Oakville, North Burlington said, we announced over $22 million for Oakville Transit. That means Oakville residents can look forward to on-demand scheduling software and a real-time trip management app, new technology upgrades to provide bus location, arrival, and departure times to transit riders. And most dear to me, improved cellular and internet connectivity while community. Our municipal partners can finally go from shovels ready to shovels moving and turn those local priority infrastructure projects. Thank you. Thank you. And a supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker. My question is for the Minister of Infrastructure. The need for infrastructure renewal in my community and across the province is critical. And we know both the Minister and the Premier are both committed to investing $144 billion in Ontario's infrastructure over 10 years. That's why I was thrilled to announce over $33 million to build a new high school in my community and with the member of Burlington over $4.3 million of provincial funding for six new projects for Burlington Transit. They can now purchase 12 new 40-foot conventional buses, acquire three new specialized vehicles to support the growing demand for a more accessible public transit service, and install traffic signals that will help increase on-time performance by allowing buses to move through traffic more efficiently. I know my constituents are looking forward to a safer and more reliable traveling experience. So to the Minister, when can my community and others across Ontario expect more investments like these announced? Minister of Infrastructure. Mr. Speaker, and thanks to the member again for a question. Ontario nominated public transit infrastructure projects to the federal government under the Investing in Canada infrastructure program, or ICIP. And as you know, there are now projects receiving funding in Burlington and Oakville, and these are just a few of the hundreds and hundreds of projects Ontario submitted for review with many more still waiting for federal approval. We know there's much more work to be done, but we can't do it alone. That's why Premier Ford has called on the federal government to go and end approval delays and invest an additional $10 billion per year over 10 years to get shovels in the ground and moving forward on infrastructure projects. Through strategic investments, we can continue to help prove the quality of life for all Ontarians. It's time for Ontario to get its fair share of funding. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. The member for... York Southwestern. York Southwestern, thank you. Mr. Speaker, good morning. My question is for the Premier. Since the early days of COVID, my writing of York Southwestern has been acknowledged as a hotspot with some of the highest rates of infection in Toronto. Back in May, the Toronto Chief Medical... The Toronto Chief Medical Officer of Health talked of high-risk factors in communities that are under housed and have less access to testing. I have been calling for access to local COVID testing for months. Last week, one facility finally opened. With why Premier, with all the warning signs present, doesn't a designated high-risk community like mine deserve the attention and extra care needed to keep our citizens safe? Well, I thank the member very much for the question, and you're absolutely right. Every person in every part of Ontario deserves the protection, the availability of testing, and availability of hospitals and other community care if they need it. We are aware that there are hotspots in different parts of Ontario. We are supporting them with extra resources. We have mobile testing units. We have some pharmacies available now that are available to do testing as well as with our assessment centres, which now take appointments in advance for testing. But we are going to advance that. We are investing over a billion dollars to increase our testing ability, our lab capacity, as well as our contact tracing, and we're going to use those moneys to improve testing in all parts of Ontario. Supplementary, the member for Brampton East. Let me give you my question to the Premier. Brampton is a COVID-19 hotspot, but I asked the Premier what do you expect? The Conservative government has left our city vulnerable for years and the Liberal government before them neglected us for over a decade. We are a city of over 600,000 people, yet we only have one hospital and two COVID testing centres. We are one of the fastest growing cities in Canada, but we're treated like we're not worth a dime of investment. The people of Brampton don't care to watch our Premier go in front of the cameras with his uncle act only to underfund our healthcare and put our community at risk. How many more outbreaks? How many more cases? How many more deaths is his Premier willing to accept before he acts? When will the Conservative government give Brampton the investment we need to fight the COVID-19 pandemic? Mr. Vell. Well, thank you. Never please take your seats. And there's not much there I can agree with other than the fact that Brampton is in a hotspot and I would remind the member that COVID is happening across the province. It's not just happening in Brampton, but we are taking measures in the hotspots, in Peele, in Toronto and in Ottawa to make sure that we do whatever we can to reduce community transmission. That's why we've brought forward the measures that we have in order to make sure that bars and restaurants have last call at 11 o'clock close at midnight to make sure that people only have six people for indoor dining. Those are the things, the measures that we're taking in those hotspots to reduce the community transmission because we know that there are certain parts of Ontario that are experiencing higher levels of COVID-19. And those are the ones that we're paying attention to all of Ontario. But we're particularly focused on dealing with those areas that are having those higher levels. And we'll continue to do that until we can flatten that curve. Thank you. The next question, the member for OEM. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My question's for the Minister of Health. Long lines at testing centres have been replaced by days long waits to book online. Waiting for days and days and days to get your results as you and your kids stay home from work and from school. Labs that can't process samples quickly enough requiring people to take a second test in order to know if they have COVID or not. Ottawa hospitals are already at 100% capacity and at least one Ottawa hospital has cancelled surgeries as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic just in the last week, Mr. Speaker. On Friday morning, the Chief Medical Officer in Ottawa said that the health care system in the nation's capital is in crisis. That afternoon, the Premier said his plan is working. To the Minister of Health, who's wrong? Order. Order. Minister of Health. Thank you. Well, the member is certainly correct. In that Ottawa appeal in Toronto, there are areas that are experiencing difficulties right now, but we are assisting with that. We have made some investments particularly in Ottawa to assist. We know that there are situations in long-term care homes where they need some help. We have hospitals in there to assist with that. We also know that we have to support with more contact tracing. There's going to be more contact tracing people that are going to be assigned to Ottawa, 150 more of them, as part of our billion-dollar plan to increase our ability to test, to do the lab testing, to get results back to people, and to make sure that we have the contact tracers to follow up to prevent the community transmission. So there is a lot of work that we are doing in Ottawa. I can tell you that our Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Williams, is in regular contact with Dr. Etchis in Ottawa. And that information is conveyed to us, and we are looking at expanding hospital capacity. Thank you very much. The supplementary question, once again. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. My supplementary is also for the Minister of Health. We have dozens of long-term care homes that are in outbreak, 470 school-related COVID cases in the past 14 days. Hospital leaders are advising that things are critical and that urgent action is needed to be taken to avoid catastrophic consequences. Medical officers of health in Toronto and in Ottawa are raising the alarm. Experts are saying that we need 75,000 tests a day now, not by the end of the year, Mr. Speaker. When is the government going to stop relying on the two-tier American medical system and give a Made in Ontario testing plan for residents here in our province? Mr. Tell. Well, I can assure the member that we do have a Made in Ontario testing plan that we've developed since the beginning of this pandemic. We had Public Health Ontario as the only entity doing testing at the beginning of this pandemic. We now have over 40 different partners. One is with an American company right now, temporarily, while we build up the capacity in other areas, which we are doing. But we're also very investing in Ottawa. We have invested over $935 million in hospitals this year. We have the Royal Ottawa Health Group has received over $1 million. The Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, $4 million. The Ottawa Hospital, $16 million. Brouillere, $1.3 million. University of Ottawa Heart Institute, over $5 million. Queensway Carlton, $2.5 million. And Oppitale-Montfort, $4,500,000. So we're continuing to invest to make sure that the people of Ontario are kept healthy and safe and we're investing more in hospital capacity in conjunction with our Ontario Health Partner. Thank you. The next question, the member for Mrs. Augustine. Remembrance Day is a special day for all Ontarians. It is a day to honour those who have fought for peace and justice in the world and in defense of our values and our way of life often paid the ultimate sacrifice. Of course, this year is different in so many ways from other years. I know that myself and other members in this House will be preparing to mark Remembrance Day over the next few weeks with virtual greetings and remote ceremonies. A wide range of Ontarians attend these events, including veterans, persons with disabilities, seniors, families with strollers, and people using assistive devices. And it is important to ensure that everyone can fully participate while staying safe. This is why I am so proud that our government has moved quickly to deliver on our commitment to our men and women in uniform. Through you, Speaker, how is the government modernising the way it's supporting our veterans today? Thank you, Speaker, and thank you to the member for Mrs. Augustine Centre for the question and also for your service to our province on the front lines of our healthcare crisis as a nurse over the past several months. The Soldiers Aid Commission Act was last amended in 1970. The world has changed a great deal since then, and we have learned a lot about how service impacts our veterans as well as the supports they need to transition smoothly back to civilian life. If passed, our legislation would ensure that veterans accessing this program will be able to access and receive modernised supports that build on our knowledge of what they have had to go through. We know now that mental health supports are vital to ensuring that veterans are able to adjust to the differences between military service and civilian life. We will also provide a newly included employment readiness supports such as short-term courses or training, work tools and... Thank you. Thank you very much. The supplementary question. Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for the answer. Speaker, I was so proud to see the Soldiers Aid Commission Act pass second reading with all party support yesterday. And I am so glad to see the House come together in a non-partisan show of support for our veterans lest we forget that they fought to preserve freedom for all Canadians, and it is our duty and our responsibility to be there for them when they need us. Unfortunately, the Soldiers Aid Commission has had its hand tied for years, and the majority of Ontario's veterans were left excluded while the number of living veterans decreased with each passing year. Speaker, again through you, how would this legislation ensure that no military members are excluded from accessing the supports they need and deserve? Thank you, Speaker, and thank you for the supplementary question. Our veterans have made tremendous sacrifices to protect our province, country, and our way of life. We need to be there when any of our veterans need us. If passed, our new legislation will ensure that the reach of the Soldiers Aid Commission is extended to all veterans and their families, regardless of when and where they served. To support this expansion of eligibility, the government is increasing its investment in the Soldiers Aid Commission to more than $1.5 million annually. The funding provided by the Commission will continue to support veterans who are unable to pay for health-related items such as hearing aids, wheelchairs, and glasses, home-related items such as home accessibility modifications and repair costs and personal items and support services such as clothing and counselling. I would like to thank all of our veterans for your service. I know I speak for every member in this House in saying we thank you for all you've done for our province and country. Thank you. Next question, the member for London Bay Shop. Thank you. My question is to the Premier. Susan and Christine are healthcare worker heroes who have been working as clerical staff at London Health Sciences throughout the pandemic. They both work frontline and they have daily face-to-face interactions with patients and we're glad to hear they would be eligible for the pandemic pay. However, after they received the first payment, they were informed by the hospital HR that they were no longer eligible but they were also on the line to pay back what they received. Susan and Christine were not alone just at H London Health Sciences. Dozens of employees have been asked to return the pandemic pay they received all because of this government's refusal to properly fund the program. Will the government commit to ensuring that all frontline workers are eligible for pandemic pay and that no worker is forced to pay back what they've already received? Minister of Health? Well, I thank the member very much for the question and I can assure the member that the funds have flowed from the government to the employers for pandemic pay. Not all of the funds have been dispersed yet because some are tied to waiting periods or they are paid retroactively. I have not heard that people are being asked to pay back monies but I would be certainly happy to speak with you about that to see if we can resolve the situation for Susan and Christine. And the supplementary question. Speaker, the reason dozens of employees have been asked to return the pandemic pay is because the Ministry of Health's failure to clearly communicate. London Health Sciences based their payments on a Ministry of Health's approved list they received in April. Months later, the ministry followed up with a new list this time with exceptions which excluded frontline workers like Susan and Christine. Will this government right their wrong and not force staff to pay back their pandemic pay they received? Minister of Health? Well, the situation with respect to pandemic pay was resolved months ago as to who was eligible to receive it and who was not eligible to receive it and the payments have been made to all of the employers now. It's subject to the exceptions that I spoke about earlier. So again, this is something that perhaps has evolved with the hospital. We would be happy to try and resolve that issue for you and for Susan and Christine. So I would appreciate receiving more details afterwards so that we can help resolve this for them. Next question. The member for Lanark Frontenac Kingston. Thank you, Speaker, my question is to the Premier. In my supplemental question yesterday, I asked this government if the people of Ontario should prepare for internment camps. In September, the federal government posted a call for expressions of interest for contractors to supply, provide and manage quarantine isolation camps throughout every province and every territory in Canada. These quarantine isolation camps, however, are not limited to people with COVID but provide a wide latitude for many people to be detained. Surely this government is aware of the intentions to build these isolation camps from coast to coast. And my question to the Premier is how many of these camps will be built and how many people does this government expect to define? Question. Government House Leader. Thank you, thank you, Mr. Speaker. It is very true that when people leave the country and when they come back in that the province is suggesting and in the federal government, in cooperation with the federal government, we're suggesting that people isolate themselves. That has been a practice that has been very successful not only here in the province of Ontario but across Canada. And we will of course be redoubling our efforts to make sure that the people of the province of Ontario remain safe, Mr. Speaker. So if the member is referring to the fact that one of the public health policies is that when you return from a jurisdiction outside of the province of Ontario or from another country that you isolate yourself for two weeks, I would suggest that that has been a good policy that has been working. In fact, this house has been doing the same thing since we came back. We are working in cohorts to make sure that the legislative assembly can continue to operate. That's why we have two separate cohorts, Mr. Speaker. Respond. The official operation of the official opposition. That is why all members of the independence have been excluded from that cohort because we want them to be able to participate in debates. So we'll continue to do everything in our power to make sure that this house continues but that the people of the province of Ontario and Canada are kept safe. Supplementary question. Again, thanks, Premier. Here's the RFP. And in the RFP, it uses clear language to express that these camps can be used for a broad spectrum of people, not limited to travelers. Indeed, it doesn't even mention international travelers. It's just a broad latitude of people. And I'll send over the copy of the RFP after. So your government must be in negotiations and aware of these plans to potentially detain and isolate citizens and residents of our country and our province. So, Speaker, to the Premier, where will these camps be built? How many people will be detained? And for what reasons can people be kept in these isolation camps? And I'd like to have the Premier assure the people of Ontario. Member, take a seat. The next question. The member for Kiwetnoe. Miigwet speaker, my question is to the Premier. Last week, an Ontario judge spoke on the difficulty First Nations people in isolated communities, like Pecantacum, have in serving intermittent jail sentences. His ruling stated that this difficulty violates their equality rights. Speaker, I have written many times here in the House and talked about unequal application of justice for First Nations people across Ontario and especially in Kiwetnoe. Judge David Gibson's decision reaffirms the need for transformation of the justice system as it pertains to First Nations offenders, offenses that would result in a fine or a warning any worse in Ontario, result in jail time. Issues that aren't criminal, but health related or... Question. Will Ontario honour this decision and fix this discrimination and racism? I want to thank the member opposite for his ongoing advocacy for Indigenous communities across our province. On October 2nd, 2020, the Ontario Court of Justice released its decision in this matter. I'd also note that the court found it did not need to issue a remedy. In the litigation, the government had made arrangements to pay the travel costs of the applicants to attend the Canora jail. As this matter is still before the court, Speaker, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further. Thank you. And the supplementary question. It's not the travel that we need in our communities. Speaker, there's an urgent need for transformation of justice system so that it's culturally relevant and inclusive of Indigenous history and traditions. Justice Gibson's thoughtful decision reaffirms the position of many First Nations leaders and little experts that the colonial system, justice system simply does not work for our communities. In the midst of the pandemic, we should not be seeking to fill our jails. So I call on the Crown not to waste any more time by seeking an appeal and use this opportunity to transform the justice system for Indigenous communities in Ontario. When can Picanjicap expect to see real First Nations led, community led of the justice system? Miigwech. Thank you. Again, the Parliamentary system is broken. Thank you, Speaker. And of course, while it's inappropriate for me to comment on a particular case before the courts, I'm pleased to speak more broadly about the work we're doing. I want to take this opportunity to reiterate that our government works closely with Indigenous justice partners all across this province to help serve the needs of Indigenous communities. We have an Indigenous Justice Division right within Ministry of Attorney General. We've worked with Indigenous communities to expand and create programs that address the overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system, such as the expansion of GLADU courts and restorative justice programs. We're also creating an Indigenous bail and remand program. There's also a creation of Indigenous-specific and culturally responsive victim services, Speaker, and that work is ongoing. Further, we've created a program that supports Indigenous communities to identify, revitalize, and reclaim Indigenous laws. Thank you, Speaker. The next question, the member for Ottawa, sir. Very much, Mr. Speaker. And my question is for the Minister of Long-Term Care. This morning in Ottawa, 12 long-term care homes are in outbreak. That's almost one quarter of the homes in outbreak in Ontario. And residents and families and staff are wondering why outbreaks are continuing to happen in these homes and why they continue to grow. So these homes are still under staff and the staff are burned out. And all the help that came with the first wave is just not there, not in Ottawa. Our hospitals are in a critical situation. That's what they're telling us. They're above their capacity. And we still have agency staff going from home to home, and that's not safe. We all know that's not safe. So, Speaker, it's clear the government didn't take the action that British Columbia did or Quebec did by aggressively hiring thousands of PSWs over the spring and the summer. It just didn't happen. Question. So, Speaker, through you to the Minister, what is the Minister going to do to address staffing levels in long-term care homes and prevent the spread of COVID-19? Mr. Long-Term Care. Thank you, Speaker. And thank you to the member opposite for the question. I just want to make sure that everyone's clear on the definition of an outbreak. What that means is one resident or one staff that is tested positive, COVID positive, in a long-term care home. And that enables us to get public health involved very quickly, but making sure that we understand in Ottawa there. There are two homes that have positive resident cases. One is resolving. The other one has support in there as we speak with hospitals, the integrated process that we have. And we've developed a very good process since wave one to understand the IPAC situation, to understand the staffing. And we're working very much in coordination with the hospitals. And so I'm in regular contact with the hospitals involved. I'm in regular contact with the Medical Officer of Health in Ottawa. The homes in Ottawa of the numbers that you've quoted, a very, very small number, two, have resident cases. And I just want to be clear on that. The third one is resolving. Thank you. And the supplementary question. Thank you. With all due respect, Speaker. The government's known since January what needed to be done. And to clarify things, at Ottawa's West End Villa, 130 residents and staff have tested positive. They're still waiting for 33 tests. That's something else we've been talking about here in question period. 19 residents have died. We still haven't addressed the four bed ward rooms. I said, we're not putting anybody else in, but they're not taking anybody out. And they're not addressing the staffing issue. They did not take the action that was necessary. We're moving up on January pretty soon. So the question that I have very simply is, staff are burned out. You've got agency staff going back and forth. It's dangerous. What are you going to do to address this situation in Ottawa today? I don't need your understanding. Question. I just, not just me. People in Ottawa need your action. Thank you, Speaker. Minister of Long-Term Care. Thank you, Speaker. Our government, the Ministry of Long-Term Care in conjunction with multiple other ministries, our sector, Ottawa Public Health, Public Health Ontario, Ontario Health, we have acted constantly around the clock. And I can tell you accurately that our long-term care homes in Ottawa are not reporting any staffing shortages and not reporting any PPE shortages. Our homes are in much better shape with the science and the evidence that we have knowing about the asymptomatic spread, knowing about how the spread happens in our homes and being very upfront, very transparent about the situation with the wardrooms in homes built in the 1970s. This is something that we're acting on. Our government, my Ministry of Long-Term Care, has been active on this since the beginning, not only taking emergency measures, taking measures to stabilize our homes and modernizing all at the same time, working around the clock. And we will continue to do that to support everyone in long-term care. Next question, the member from London North Centre. Thank you, Speaker. My question is to the Premier. With the weather getting colder and the second wave upon us, London's businesses need this government's help. They need actions, not words. In London's Old East Village, 12 businesses have closed with more to follow unless this government acts soon. We know that landlords aren't applying for federal support. The Old East Village BIA has recommended that commercial tenants receive direct financial support so they can keep their doors open. COVID has forced Plant Matter Bistro, a restaurant in my riding, to close its doors and convert to a ghost kitchen to focus on delivery orders. But throughout this pandemic, restaurants have faced predatory fees by third-party delivery operations, which make it even harder for restaurants to keep workers on the payroll. Will this government take action today and limit third-party delivery fees so that our local restaurants can keep their doors open and their workers employed? Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. And we hear from the interventionist NDP that if it were up to them, they'd control every mom-and-pop shop in the province of Ontario. But here on the government benches, Mr. Speaker, we believe in collaborating with the private sector and listening to the private sector. And that's why our Associate Minister of Small Business and Red Tape Reduction has had over 100 meetings. That's why we continue to consult with small businesses through this. And speaking of action, Mr. Speaker, we've committed $141 million to the commercial rent relief program. That's 582,000 employees who have been helped by this very program, almost 60,000 small business, commercial tenants throughout Ontario, Mr. Speaker. And we continue to invest $175 million to bring down hydro rates and keep them low, Mr. Speaker. And we will lay out our multi-year plan on or before November 15 to explain further supports so that we will get through these difficult times together, Mr. Speaker. Thank you. Thank you. I beg to inform the House that pursuant to Standing Order 101C, a change has been made to the order of precedence on the ballot list for private members' public business, such that Mr. Thingetalilisam assumes ballot item number 25 and Mr. Gill assumes ballot item number 40. This House stands in recess until 1 p.m.